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Political Prisoners Embrace Mandela at Harlem Rally

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Political Prisoners Embrace Mandela at Harlem Rally Campaign for Amnesty and Human Rights for Political Prisoners in the US 59 E. Van Buren, Suite 1400, Chicago, IL 60605, 312.663.4399 312.278.6706 July/August 1990 POLITICAL PRISONERS EMBRACE MANDELA AT HARLEM RALLY The issue of political prisoners in the US was strongly represented in Harlem's 200,000-strong welcome rally for Nelson Mandela in African Square on June 21, despite efforts to keep the issue off the agenda. Dhoruba Bin-Wahad, a former leader of the New York Black Panther Party and political prisoner for 19 years until his release this March, read a message to Nelson and Winnie Mandela from political prisoners in the US. (See text on page 4.) Elected officials attempted to force Dhoruba to give his message before the Mandela's arrived, but Dhoruba's persistence prevailed. WCBS local news, which ran hours of live coverage of Mandela's visit, not coincidentally cut to a commercial break just as Dhoruba reached the podium. Lolita Lebron, Rafael Cancel Miranda, Irvin Flores and Oscar Collazo, four of the five Puerto Rican nationalists who spent 25-29 years in US prisons, were honored in the VIP section at the Harlem rally. The former political prisoners Dhoruba Bin-Wahad hugging Nelson Mandela at Harlem rally. Photo credit: From "Framing the Panthers" , a documentary approached the stage chanting "FREE PUERTO RICO," produced by Annie Goldson and Chris Bratton. surrounded by supporters who steered Oscar Collazo's wheelchair. Collazo, who was draped in the Puerto Rican reasons" , prevented Mandela from moving to the room flag, wept throughout the entrance, while the crowd roared where they waited to greet him. thunderous applause. Rafael Cancel Miranda stated, "My Mandela was convicted of the identical charge—seditious struggle has not changed at all. We remain fighters for the conspiracy—that has been lodged against US political independence of Puerto Rico." prisoners, most notably the Puerto Rican POWs and the Ohio The four nationalist heroes had been invited to partici- Seven. Since his release four months ago, Mandela has pate by the official Harlem Salutes Nelson Mandela and the consistently demanded the release of all South African ANC Welcoming Committee. However Mayor David Dinkins political prisoners, explicitly rejecting the De Klerk ignited a controversy by calling the nationalists "assassins." government's distinction between "bad" political prisoners As all sectors of the Puerto Rican community repudiated who engaged in political violence against the apartheid Dinkins' attack, the Harlem committee re-issued its invitation. regime and "good" prisoners of conscience. Fewer than 100 Nonetheless, the nationalists were prevented from meeting of about 3,000 political prisoners would be eligible for release with Mandela by the FBI and police who, "for security under the government's definition. Freedom Now! Volume 1, No. 2, July 1990 "CONSPIRACY™ RESIST": Interview with Marilyn Buck Resistance Conspiracy Defendants I to r: Linda Evans, Susan Rosenberg, Marilyn Buck, Laura Whitehorn, Alan Berkman and Tim Blunk. In May 1988, six political activists were indicted in Marilyn Alan's back in DC General Hospital. He's on Washington, DC on charges of conspiring "to influence, chemotherapy for two weeks, then off for two weeks in an change, and protest policies and practices of the United attempt to mitigate the devastating effects of the drugs. His States government in various international and domestic hair is falling out, he has a tingling sensation in his hands and matters through violent and illegal means". The six were feet and his white blood cell count has decreased drastically, already serving sentences totalling 235 years when arrested which means he is vulnerable to infection. on the conspiracy charge. The "policies and practices" of the In the beginning, the prison infirmary staff put a shunt US government they allegedly protested against included the in him to give him IV drugs, but they botched it They put contra war in Nicaragua and the 1983 invasion of Grenada. the shunt directly into his heart—his heart started fibrillating The "violent and illegal means" allegedly used included the and he needed emergency surgery. He almost died. Then bombing of the US Capitol building following the attack on they failed to re-do everything after the surgery, so he began Grenada. No one was hurt in any of the bombings. The to bleed into his chest walls. prosecution has stated in court that they don't know who did Due to the activist pressure from the outside, they the bombings, but instead want to convict the defendants monitor his health more closely now. All the letters and by showing that they shared a "common purpose" of resist- phone calls really made a difference. Now we need to keep ing US war crimes. The conspiracy trial is expected to begin the pressure on to get him paroled. in the coming months. (Editor's note: See the Grapevine section of this newslet- Marilyn Buck, one of the "Resistance Conspiracy" ter for information on the current letter campaign demand- defendants, is currently serving a 70-year sentence as she ing Alan's parole.) awaits trial on the conspiracy charges in the Washington, DC city jail. We asked Marilyn to comment on the repressive FN: Would you describe the treatment that you and the conditions of the DC jail and to give us an update on Dr. Alan other five defendants received after you were arrested on the Berkman, her co-defendant, who is fighting Hodgkins conspiracy charge in 1988? disease. Marilyn: Our arraignment occurred amidst a total state FN: Can you give us an update on Dr. Alan Berkman's of hysteria created by the government. They put bullet-proof struggle with Hodgkin's disease? glass in the courtroom and we were all shackled, chained, and surrounded by a phalanx of marshals. We were locked (see page 4) Freedom Now! Volume 1. No. I. July 1990 Marion Prison Fabricates Charges Against Oscar Lopez Rivera After enduring 43 months of isolation, sensory depriva- tion and consistent harassment in the notorious control unit EXCERPTS FROM DHORUBA'S SPEECH AT of Marion Prison, Puerto Rican POW Oscar Lopez Rivera was MANDELA HARLEM EVENT finally transferred to the pre-release unit in May. However, Amandla, amandla, amandla. Power to our people, on May 30, the guards handcuffed Oscar and took him to power to our people. Brother, Comrade, Nelson segregation, claiming to have found a homemade knife and Mandela, the political prisoners of the United States, handcuff keys in his cell. After 90 days in disciplinary segrega- especially African-American political prisoners, have tion (with 5 hours a week out-of-cell-time), Oscar will now be written this brief statement and have asked me as one of forced to begin anew the behavior modification program of their former comrades in prison to present it to you... Marion, perhaps for another 43 months. Warden John Clark There is a common thread and a common humanity that has refused Oscar's request for fingerprints to be taken and we all share. My brother, I have spent 19 years in prison for a lie-detector test. In a statement sent to the prison in the United States for my political beliefs and you sir, hearing officer Lopez said, "I'm a political person who adheres you were the symbol that helped sustain me and other to a political movement... which demands of me to maintain African-American political prisoners.... I would like to say respectful...relationships with the prison population. Conse- that here in the United States African-American people quently it would be a blatant contradiction to possess a and their movement for liberation have been criminalized weapon or a knife. just as the ANC was criminalized by the racist, facist The National Committee to Free Puerto Rican POWs and regime in South Africa. Our fighters and freedom fighters Political Prisoners and the Movimiento de Liberation have been slain in the streets of Harlem and Brooklyn. Nacional-MLN organized protests on behalf of Oscar on July Our people who stand up for our freedom have been 7th at the Marion Prison, July 4th in San Juan, Puerto Rico, railroaded into prison system by the same legal system and July 6th in Boston, Hartford, New York, Philadelphia, that tries to protect you today, but that tried to kill you Washington D.C., and San Francisco. Oscar requests that yesterday. So on behalf of our brothers and sisters in people write letters of concern to John Clark, Warden, Marion prison ... I say to you brother, we love you and we will Penitentiary, PO Box 1000 Marion, Illinois 62959, or send the not give up the fight.... we will not give up the fight! Oscar Lopez Rivera fax-gram by calling 1 -800-782-5465 ($5 cost). Freedom Now! Volume 1. No. 2. Icily 1990 (continued from page 3) mation. into cells in different units in the jail, had to wear handcuffs FN: Can you describe the conditions of the DC jail? and shackles whenever we met with our attorneys, and were double strip-searched by two officers. It was completely Marilyn: The city of DC is like a southern plantation—the humiliating to me, to be treated like a mad tiger. The White House on the hill and a black city. Many days you hysteria was so intense that the guards were afraid to even think that every black male under 25 is in this jail, juveniles search us—one said that she was sick and went home are in here for murder charges. Probably half the people here because she was so overwhelmed by the atmosphere that the are on preventive detention,which means they are detained government had created! before trial with no bail.
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