Kite Line

Last week marked the 49th anniversary of the Attica prison rebellion. In this episode of Kite Line, we finish our conversation with Dr. Orisanmi Burton. A professor at American University, Dr. Burton introduces us to the diverse demands of the Attica rebels, as well as misconceptions about the demands and the rebellion itself. He also speaks to the legacy of Attica today and its continued role in prisoner struggles.

Dr. Burton’s interview with Funambulist Magazine and his presentation at the Making/Unmaking Mass Incarceration conference both introduce additional dimensions of the Attica Rebellion.

His presentation is during the Prison Activism panel is here.

and his article in Funambulist is here.

You can print and sign the petition for Monroe County’s increased COVID-19 safety protocol in the jail here.

Information about the upcoming execution of an Indiana prisoner named Billie Allen is here.

There will be a demonstration on Allen’s behalf on Sunday, September 20th, in Terre Haute, Indiana. Information here.

This week marks the 49th anniversary of the Attica Uprising, when 1300 prisoners in New York state overcame physical, social, and political barriers to accomplish their revolt. We spoke with Orisanmi Burton, a professor at American University, who has interviewed many participants in the uprising and is currently preparing a book on the event.

Professor Burton insists on prioritizing the voices and self-activity of the prisoners who were involved, leading him to take seriously their strategies and demands, rather than accepting either the state narrative which celebrates the massacre carried out by police to end the revolt, or the liberal narrative which treats the prisoners as victims.

While the massacre – in which 29 prisoners and 10 hostages were killed by police – is an important lesson in the ruthlessness of state repression, we can’t let it overshadow the context of prison and anti-colonial struggles in which Attica occurred, or the courage and intelligence of the prisoners who made the revolt and who continue to serve as a reference point for rebels across America’s prison system.

This week, we share important news from around the Midwest and more updates from the struggles in Louisiana’s immigrant detention centers.  Kevin ‘Rashid’ Johnson is facing threats on his life inside the Indiana Department of Corrections.  An abolitionist in Madison, Wisconsin has chosen to enter solitary confinement rather than violate his ethics and testify against other activists in a secret Grand Jury.  At Winn Correctional, in Louisiana, ICE detainees have risked retribution from guards to speak to Perilous Chronicle about indefinite confinement, poor conditions, and COVID-19 vulnerability.  We are grateful to Perilous for sharing this important story with us and our listeners.  You can find out more about Perilous’ efforts to document prisoner organizing across the U.S. at perilouschronicle.com.

ICE detainees are a week into a hunger strike at Pine Prairie, Louisiana.  This week, we broadcast audio of a call between an anonymous Pine Prairie ICE detainee, and a member of Perilous Chronicle.

More information on the struggle there can be found at perilouschronicle.com.

The strike at Pine Prairie is not an isolated incident, but the continuation of a year of protest in ICE facilities on the part of African immigrants, who have been trapped by the failure of the global community to grant them refuge as they flee war and environmental disruption. The hunger strike this month at Pine Prairie is at least the fourth major protest led by Cameroonians in ICE detention this year.

In March 2020, Cameroonian detainees at Pine Prairie organized a hunger strike that lasted at least ten days in protest of their conditions of confinement and the dysfunctional asylum process they faced. Months later, the same migrants again find themselves in segregation for acting together to demand justice. As far as we know, their protest continues despite their transfer to segregation, but it is not clear how long they will be able to sustain their strike after all they’ve been through.

You can read the full transcript of the call here.

The full article about the hunger strike can be read here.

Today, August 21st, is the 49th anniversary of George Jackson’s murder by San Quentin guards.  Jackson was a leading theorist and militant in the prisoners’ movement which had emerged over the previous decade in close relationship to the rise of Black Power.  His books, Soledad Brother and Blood in my Eye, remain touchstones for prisoners’ discussions across the US.  Jackson famously organized within a collective of other courageous prison rebels.

After that, we finish last week’s conversation between Bella Bravo and abolitionist researchers Zhandarka Kurti, and Jarrod Shanahan. Kurti is an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Tennesee in Knoxville, and also works with Face to Face Knox, a campaign to restore in-person visitation to Knox County detention centers.   Shanahan is an assistant professor of criminal justice at Governors State University.

Together, they have written several pieces, including the article referenced in this conversation, Prelude to a Hot American Summer, about the George Floyd Uprising. Today, we share the final part of their conversation about the current moment, its relationship to the Black Lives Matter movement of previous years, and the impact of the coronavirus on incarcerated people.

We are grateful to Freedom Archive for providing audio records of George Jackson’s speech, and of Harry Belafonte, which is featured in their important audio documentary on Jackson, titled Prisons on Fire. Many more materials can be found at freedomarchives.org