Kite Line

This week, we return to the story of Clinton “Boo” Gilkie, who died one year ago- on June 7, 2016- in the Monroe County Jail.  We discussed the circumstances of his death in our episode 2 weeks ago, and recommend that you to listen this episode of Kite Line for more context. Our interview today …

This week on Kite Line we feature Arianna Staiger, daughter of Marius

Mason, an anarchist prisoner who used to live and organize in

Bloomington. Ariana speaks about how she experienced Marius' arrest and

persecution, her thoughts on ongoing support and about June 11, a day

set aside every year to support and honor Marius and other long-term

anarchist prisoners. Before starting with Ariana, we'd like to share a

selection from Daniel McGowan's recent interview about June 11.

Daniel helped organize the first June 11 in 2004 before he himself was

arrested for environmental sabotage, including actions against genetic

engineering.

The June 11th tradition was initiated in 2004 to mark the anniversary of

eco-prisoner Jeffrey Luers' arrest. He was sentenced to 22 years after

he burned 3 SUVs in protest against the fossil fuel industry, an action

which hurt no one. Jeff won his release in 2009 but the day continues

as an annual reminder of the anarchists prisoners serving the longest

sentences for acts of sabotage and conscience. We will include a link

to the history of June 11 on our website.

This week on Kite Line we feature Arianna Staiger, daughter of Marius Mason, an anarchist prisoner who used to live and organize in Bloomington. Ariana speaks about how she experienced Marius’ arrest and persecution, her thoughts on ongoing support and about June 11, a day set aside every year to support and honor Marius and …

June 7th marks the one year anniversary of the death of Clinton Gilkie, and so we devote our June 2nd and June 16th episodes of Kite Line to his story and his memory.

Clinton “Boo” Gilkie was held in the Monroe County Jail since he was 16 after a failed robbery using a toy gun. He was set to be released from jail in late June, 2016. After sitting for 22 months, he was finally being offered a plea deal for time served. He qualified for bail – just $1,000 – the entire time he was imprisoned, but was too poor to get out. On June 7th, 2016, less than two weeks before his release date, Boo died inside the Monroe County Jail.

This week, we share first hand experiences from people imprisoned with Boo which challenge the official account of his death as "unforeseeable." We also share thoughts on the unfortunate and preventable circumstances surrounding his death, and stories from people who knew him. On June 16th, we devote the entire episode to memories of Boo.

June 7th marks the one year anniversary of the death of Clinton Gilkie, and so we devote our June 2nd and June 16th episodes of Kite Line to his story and his memory. Clinton “Boo” Gilkie was held in the Monroe County Jail since he was 16 after a failed robbery using a toy gun. …

The death penalty is the barest, most explicit aspect of state violence. Relatively few people are sentenced to death, and even fewer are actively, legally killed by the state but the death penalty persists as an assertion of the sovereign right to take life or to let live. This week on Kite Line, we'll begin examining the history and experience of death row, with contributions from Bomani Shakur, a prison rebel sentenced to death for his alleged role in the Lucasville Uprising and from Patrick Pursley who had faced the death penalty, but was instead sentenced to life without parole and who has recently been exonerated. We will also share a historical analysis of state executions. In the light of recent struggles around execution in Arkansas and elsewhere, our goal is to help understand the death penalty as a strategy within the broader prison system and repressive apparatus.

The death penalty is the barest, most explicit aspect of state violence. Relatively few people are sentenced to death, and even fewer are actively, legally killed by the state but the death penalty persists as an assertion of the sovereign right to take life or to let live. This week on Kite Line, we’ll begin …

This week we share news and stories from two people who have been caught

up in very different ways in the web of prison. Both Bresha Meadows

and Patrick Pursely have recently made steps forward in escaping this

web, and we are excited to share news from them. Listen in for updates

on reduced charges in Bresha's case, stemming from her shooting of her

abusive father in self-defense. Most of the episode focuses on

Patrick's carceral nightmare which began in June 1993, when a

jailhouse snitch named him as the culprit in a robbery and shooting two

months before. This informant was facing multiple felony charges at the

time and received $2600 in reward money. Pursley went on to be

convicted and sentenced to life without parole despite serious

inconsistencies in the forensics and a lack of other evidence. In our

interview with him, he shared the story of how he fought for and won

his release.

This week we share news and stories from two people who have been caught up in very different ways in the web of prison. Both Bresha Meadows and Patrick Pursely have recently made steps forward in escaping this web, and we are excited to share news from them. Listen in for updates on reduced charges …

This week we feature an interview with Patrick, who reflects on his

experience with addiction and prison. His story is both deeply personal

and analytic, illuminating systemic connections and paths forward. We

also share a long letter from a current Indiana prisoner, who makes an

urgent plea to all of us for contact and for breaking with a life based

on submission and isolation.

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