Suggested Videos and Readings

Compelling videos you can show to help raise awareness and spark activism:

Videos of general interest:

• Incident at Oglala: The Leonard Peltier Story – Advocates for the retrial of this Native American activist, exploring government repression and the Native occupation of Wounded Knee [1992, video store or library] • Mumia Abu-Jamal: A Case For Reasonable Doubt? – HBO Special on Mumia’s case [1996, video store or library] • Thin Blue Line – Errol Morris’ docu-drama on the wrongful conviction of Randall Adams [1988, video store or library] • Attica – Documents the rebellion that took place at Attica prison in upstate New York from September 9-13, 1971 [1973, order from CEML at http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~kastor/ceml-resources.html]

Videos on the prison industrial complex:

• USA, INCarcerated – Outlines the growth of the prison industrial complex, the social trade-offs being made to support it, and its place in the global economy. • Critical Resistance: Visions of Freedom – An emotional and inspiring look at a growing movement of activists, artists and intellectuals who are mobilizing against the prison industrial complex. - Both above videos on one tape, to order, contact: Critical Resistance at 510-444-0484 or [email protected] -- or -- Public Media Network P.O. Box 411271 CA 94141-1271 [email protected] • The Last Graduation – Explores the cutting of educational programs in prisons - Order from: Zahm Productions 101 West 79 Street, 4C New York, NY 10024 212-595-5002 [email protected]

Compelling readings to raise awareness and spark activism:

Books:

• The Celling of America: An Inside Look at the US Prison Industry, Daniel Burton-Rose, Dan Pens, Paul Wright—eds. Common Courage Press, 1998. (Available from AK Press—www.akpress.com) • Criminal Injustice: Confronting the Prison Crisis, Elihu Rosenblatt—ed. South End Press, 1996. • Live From Death Row,Mumia Abu-Jamal. Addison-Wesley Publishing, 1995. • Lockdown America: Police and Prisons in the Age of Crisis, Christian Parenti. Verso Books, 1999. (Available from AK Press—www.akpress.com) • Race to Incarcerate, Mark Mauer. New Press, 1999. • States of Confinement: Policing, Detention, and Prisons, Joy James—ed. St. Martin’s Press, 2000.

Articles/pamphlets:

• “The Prison Industrial Complex,” by Eric Schlosser. Atlantic Monthly, December 1998. • “Masked Racism: Reflections on the Prison Industrial Complex,” by Angela Y. Davis. Colorlines Magazine, tk. • “Private Prisons,” by Eric Bates. The Nation, January 1998. • “The Prison Industrial Complex and the Global Economy,” by Linda Evans and Eve Goldberg. Agit Press. (Available from AK Press—www.akpress.com) This packet was produced by the Prison Activist Resource Center, P.O. Box 339, Berkeley, CA 94701, 510-893-4648 Organizing A Teach-In on Prisons and the Criminal Injustice System: Some Tips for Organizers

Teach-ins are an excellent way of doing grassroots educational outreach and building the movement for human rights and social justice. Here are a few things to keep in mind which can help us put on more successful teach-ins:

1. Think strategically about your topic. It can be helpful to focus in on a particular area of the overall crisis. For example, a teach-in generally on human rights, which covers control unit prisons, medical neglect, and violations of international law can be as successful as a teach-in just on medical neglect. Try to cover a range of issues in depth but don’t bite off more than your group can actually chew. The presentation(s) at the teach-in should be educational and challenging, sparking interest and inspiring action, but not overwhelming folks.

2. Think strategically about your audience. Is the subject matter interesting and relevant to the folks who you expect to come? Early in the organizing, brainstorm ideas for reaching out to new and different groups of people than those who usually hear your message.

3. Have concrete tasks or campaign work that interested attendees could plug into. Be sure to have a sign up sheet on hand so that you can follow up with folks who are interested in volunteers. Set it up so that there are projects or programs for people to get involved in as soon as possible after the teach-in. These should include activities that are not simply busy work, but can give one a sense of accomplishment and ownership in the organization. You can also build in opportunities for further education and skills building for those who’ve signed up.

4. Think strategically about your format and timing. If you are planning to cover many different issues, it makes sense to break the teach-in into several parts, for example before and after lunch on a Saturday or, say, three Thursday evenings in a row. Few things are worse than going to an evening event that lasts so many hours people are left blurry and staggering out at the end. There are plenty of times to organize events, not everyone needs to speak. It’s also important, however, to make sure your presenters represent a diversity of voices, not just the many straight white male academics from our communities and campuses that are often called on to speak to these issues. It also always helps to bring audio/visual presentations, theater, poetry, and music into the mix.

5. Make a little money for movement building. Figure in and plan to at least cover your expenses. Small grants and in-kind donations are always helpful. Don’t forget to take donations at the door and/or by passing a hat (hint: you’ll get even more if the event is Free to the Public.) Everyone should be able to attend a teach-in and those of us who have a little more moola to spend should cover those who don’t.

6. Plan the details as far ahead as reasonably possible. Use the sample task list below and/or make up your own to figure out well ahead of time all the big and little things you’ll need to take care of in order to make the event a success. Have frequent early check-ins to track your progress. Delegate! Make mistakes! Have fun!

Additional information that can help you organize is available from PARC’s web pages at: www.prisonactivist.org/orgs www.prisonactivist.org/span

This packet was produced by the Prison Activist Resource Center, P.O. Box 339, Berkeley, CA 94701, 510-893-4648 Event Task List

EVENT NAME ______DATE ______

Outreach

Tasks Person Responsible Date

Leaflet / flyer written / desktop published by:______on or before: ______ printed / copied by:______on or before: ______ distributed / posted by:______on or before: ______

Calendar announcements / PSA's / Press Releases written / proofed by:______on or before: ______ faxed / sent by:______on or before: ______ follow-up phone calls made by:______on or before: ______

Mailing time and place arranged by:______on or before: ______ recruitment by:______on or before: ______ envelopes, postage, labels etc. by:______on or before: ______

Logistics

Tasks Person Responsible Date

Event space research / reserve by:______on or before: ______ pay deposit by:______on or before: ______ set up / get names for clean up by:______on or before: ______

Responsibility for arranging… Insurance by:______on or before: ______ Sound system by:______on or before: ______ Security by:______on or before: ______ Food/refreshments by:______on or before: ______ Childcare by:______on or before: ______ Tabling / tickets etc. by:______on or before: ______ Stage management by:______on or before: ______ Housing for participants by:______on or before: ______ Transportation for participants by:______on or before: ______

Program

Tasks Person Responsible Date

Speakers/presenters Research by:______on or before: ______ Contacting by:______on or before: ______ Confirming by:______on or before: ______

Continued

This packet was produced by the Prison Activist Resource Center, P.O. Box 339, Berkeley, CA 94701, 510-893-4648

Cultural presentation(s) / entertainment Research by:______on or before: ______ Contacting by:______on or before: ______ Confirming by:______on or before: ______

Production of event-specific materials Press packets by:______on or before: ______ Program brochures (“programs”) by:______on or before: ______ Props, banners, art by:______on or before: ______

Responsibility for arranging… Translation/interpretation by:______on or before: ______ Audio Documentation by:______on or before: ______ Video Documentation by:______on or before: ______ Photos of event by:______on or before: ______

Other event roles MC by:______on or before: ______ Pitch maker by:______on or before: ______

Other needs… ______by:______on or before: ______ ______by:______on or before: ______ ______by:______on or before: ______ ______by:______on or before: ______

This packet was produced by the Prison Activist Resource Center, P.O. Box 339, Berkeley, CA 94701, 510-893-4648 How To Do A Live Prisoner Call-In

Planning a the prisoner call-in event: (often a lot of this if not all is done by the group through whom you get in touch with the prisoner. If the group does set it up, skip down to “setting up the actual event”).

1) Pick the prisoner, or affiliated group who you want to talk to for the event, get in touch with them or the group that is in touch with them. If it’s not being set up through a group, you’ll need to plan far in advance to leave time for slow letter correspondence.

2) Pick a time (and a back-up time if possible) and secure a room. For the actual call you’ll need a number that can accept collect calls. If the room your having the event in doesn’t have a phone that can accept collect calls, you’ll need to pick another phone that will and set up a call forwarding system (this will be explained below).

3) Once you have the time picked and have a phone number, write the prisoner asking if s/he’d be willing to call in. Tell her/him the time (or possible times) you have in mind and give her/him the collect call- accepting phone number. Ask for her/him to mail back to confirm. Leave plenty of time for this.

Setting up the actual event. (Once the event is confirmed and the prisoner is set to call in, there are a number of thing you’ll need to do to set everything up):

1) If you can find a phone that accepts collect calls in the building of the event, use it. If you absolutely need to use call forwarding, leave some time to set it up and test. To set up the forwarding, call the regional phone company (the one who published the phone book) and they should guide you through the set-up. If you can, try the forwarding beforehand as some state prison phone systems will cut the line if they detect a forwarding. If you do need to use the call forwarding make sure to set up a “remote call forwarding” (that you can initiate away from the phone that the prisoner will be using). The night of the event make sure you a) have the instructions for enabling call forwarding and b) know the phone number to which you want the call forwarded.

2) As far as the actual phone goes, make sure you've got a long phone line if there’s no jack in the room. If there is a jack in the room where the event will be, make sure that a) it's live and the number you want, and b) you have enough cord if it's on the other side of the room.

3) For setting up the sound system. You’ll basically need a speaker phone and a mic. If you can get it, use one of those nice small lapel mics or an interview mic - if not, a regular mic will do, but play with it first to make sure that it rests easily right next to or, even better on the speaker part of the speaker phone (test ahead to check volume). There's all kinds of opportunity for loud obnoxious feedback noise, so check the volume with some care. Also to avoid feedback DON’T speak into the speakerphone yourself without first turning down the mic or turning it off altogether.

The following organizations work directly with prisoners: The Jericho Movement (see Contacts section for info); Campaign to End the Death Penalty (see Contacts section for info); California Prison Focus, 2940 16th Street #100, San Francisco, CA 94103, (415) 252-9211.

This packet was produced by the Prison Activist Resource Center, P.O. Box 339, Berkeley, CA 94701, 510-893-4648 VIDEOS TO RAISE AWARENESS & SPARK ACTIVISM Note: PARC has not screened all the following videos, and thus cannot fully recommend them. This is intended as a more extensive listing, and a work in progress. For videos PARC recommends, see "Suggested Videos and Readings."

Key ! Independently Produced Radio or Audio Program " Independently Produced Film or Video # Closed Door Campaign: Suitable for viewing behind-closed-doors $ TV News Spot $ Available at any major video store or college library

EDUCATION

Changing From Inside David Donnenfeld, (415) 522-1534 [email protected] Documents the Vipassana course for inmates inside the jail. "

Critical Resistance: Visions of Freedom Public Media Network, PO Box 41127, SF, CA 94141 (415) 864-0544 [email protected], www.shocked.com/pmn/criticalvideo 1999, 29 minutes #" The 1998 Critical Resistance conference held in Berkeley, CA brought together activists, scholars, policy makers and former prisoners in a national strategy session to resist mass incarceration. Weaving music, poetry, and speakers from the conference, this video surveys the growing movement to end the punishment industry. Comes on one video tape with USA, INCarcerated

Doing Time, Doing Vipassana http://www.dhamma.org/dtdv.htm 52 mins " Documents the groundbreaking Vipassana meditation program in India's largest prison.

Innocent Until Proven Guilty Kirsten Johnson Big Mouth Productions 1999, 64 minutes, " Takes a critical look at the criminal justice system through the eyes of a young black public defender in Washington DC. The film questions why we have a generation of African American men behind bars. James Forman, son of civil rights leader James Forman, is defending young black men and women who cannot afford representation and trying to help them break an on-going cycle of crime and incarceration.

The Last Graduation http://www.igc.org/deepdish/lastgrad/ Deep Dish TV 55 min. " With rare footage of the Attica revolt, this award winning documentary looks at higher education programs in prisons. Despite the uncontradicted evidence that education is one of the most important tools for turning a prisoner's life around, most of these programs no longer exist due to This packet was produced by the Prison Activist Resource Center, P.O. Box 339, Berkeley, CA 94701, 510-893-4648 the elimination of Pell grants. The Last graduation eloquently advocates the reinstatement of college programs by letting the educators and prisoners tell their own stories.

The Legacy: Murder & Media; Politics & Prisons Michael J. Moore 1999, 76 minutes, " A detailed case study of how California's Three Strikes Law passed giving equal time to both sides of the issue. The Legacy shows the efficiency and determination of the political forces behind the bill and charts the way Marc Klaas was transformed from proponent to opponent. The film clearly shows the duplicity of some of the leaders of the victims' rights movement, their relation to opportunistic politicians, and the power of the media & big money in creating near consensus on a bad law by exploiting poster-child crime victims, in this case, Polly Klass.

Lockdown USA http://www.igc.org/deepdish/lockdown/ Deep Dish TV 38 min. " In three vignettes, Lockdown USA makes the connection between punishment and big business and reveals the role of the media in sensationalizing crime, promoting an atmosphere of fear which affects public policy and spending.

Maximum Security University California Prison Focus (1997) 45 min. A documentary of death and cover-up. Using prison security camera footage, MSU reveals the gladiator fights which led to the killing of five prisoners at California's infamous Corcoran State Prison between 1988 and 1996. This video is available from CPF at www.prisons.org.

Slam Marc Levin, Trimark 1998, 103 minutes, $ An inspiring film of hope set in a time and place when despair usually wins. When poet/pot dealer Raymond Joshua lands in jail on a drug charge, he finds himself caught in the middle of a prison- yard gang fight and slams his way out a brutal fight. While in jail, Raymond enrolls in a creative- writing program taught by former junkie Lauren Bell. Lauren encourages Raymond's creative gift for writing and reciting incantatory poems. The film, shot on a shoestring budget in 12 days, won the 1998 Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, as well as the 1998 Audience Award at Cannes.

Youth in Struggle People's Video Network www.peoplesvideo.org " A fast moving montage of statements by young people from all over the country who are engaged in struggle against the cutbacks, racist repression and the prison industrial complex. This is a remarkable testimony to the breadth and freshness of a new movement. Ends with a summary from Death Row by Mumia Abu-Jamal.

DEATH ROW

Dead Man Walking Directed by Tim Robbins 1995, 122 minutes, $ This packet was produced by the Prison Activist Resource Center, P.O. Box 339, Berkeley, CA 94701, 510-893-4648 Adapted from Sister Helen Prejean's non-fictional book of the same name. A caring nun receives a desperate letter from a death row prisoner trying to find help to avoid execution for murder. Over the course of the time to the young man's death, the nun begins to show empathy, not only with him, but also with the victims and their families. She must decide how she will deal with the paradox of caring for the condemned man while understanding the heinousness of his crimes.

Tear Down the Walls People's Video Network www.peoplesvideo.org " Mumia Abu-Jamal, Russel Maroon Shoatz, Pancho Kumau Wilkins and Thomas Miller-El speaking from behind death row and life imprisonment.

Texas Death Row Killing Machine People's Video Network www.peoplesvideo.org " Gloria Rubac and the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty and death row prisoners Ponchai "Kaumai" Wikerson and Thomas Miller-El give haunting accounts of the horror, racism and injustice of the Texas death row.

Power to the People People's Video Network www.peoplesvideo.org " Dramatic footage of the historical march against the death penalty on August 12 in Philadelphia. The largest march against the death penalty in United States history. Includes speeches and march scenes.

HEALTH ISSUES

Blind Eye to Justice: HIV+ Women in California Prisons Directed and Edited by Carol Leigh AKA Scarlet Harlot; Narrated by Angela Davis Women's Positive Legal Action Network 1996, 34 minutes, " An experimental documentary portraying the injustices of the California prison system as seen through the eyes of HIV+ women incarcerated in this system. "Blind Eye To Justice" was named by Twillah Wallace, a current inmate and HIV+ woman. Animation and found footage create a powerful montage that evokes the atmosphere in women's prisons--the violations as well as the hope and courage of prison activists who fight quietly, and from the inside. Available through Critical Resistance.

Dr. Mutulu Shakur: Healer for the People People's Video Network www.peoplesvideo.org " 29 minutes A forum including Mutulu’s lawyer, his political comrades, and his students discussing the frame-up that put him in prison and his pioneering work in using acupuncture to fight drug addiction. Dr. Mutulu Shakur speaks from prison on the politics of drugs in an interview from the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary.

This packet was produced by the Prison Activist Resource Center, P.O. Box 339, Berkeley, CA 94701, 510-893-4648 POLITICAL PRISONERS/POWs

The Case of Leonard Peltier People's Video Network www.peoplesvideo.org " As told by his attorneys, Ramsey Clark and William Kunstler.

Daughter of El Barrio: Political Prisoner, Dylcia Pagan People's Video Network www.peoplesvideo.org " After 18 years in federal prison, one of 14 Puerto Rican political prisoners, Dylcia's community and church, East Harlem's St. Celia's Parish, have collected thousands of petitions demanding her release.

Death Row Notebook Deep Dish TV http://www.igc.org/deepdish " This program is a look at the background of Mumia and the case against him. It describes his youth as an organizer with the Black Panther Party and the events surrounding the MOVE tragedy including interviews with Mumia from prison.

Eyes of the Rainbow Imagines del Caribe (1997 46 minutes) Infused with the sounds and colors of the African Diaspora in Cuba, this portrait by Cuban filmmaker Gloria Rolando explores Assata Shakur's political and spiritual journey into exile in Cuba.

Free Albert Woodfox! People's Video Network www.peoplesvideo.org " Stop the legal lynching of Louisiana's Angola prison. Woodfox was the founder of the Black Panther Party chapter at Angola and has spent 26 years in solitary. Framed for the second time in the death of a prison guard, supporters tell his story and call for help.

Hand's off Assata People's Video Network www.peoplesvideo.org " Historical talk given by Assata Shakur, former Black Panther and political prisoner, at the 1997 Youth Festival in Havana. Assata Shakur was liberated from prison and has been living in exile in Cuba since the 1980s. She talks about why she was targeted in the context of the FBIs Counter- Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO). She also talks optimistically about the future of revolutionary struggle. This is one of the few opportunities she has had to tell her side of the story to the American people.

Incident at Oglala 1992 91 minutes $ The controversial story of Native American activist Leonard Peltier who in 1975 was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison when armed FBI agents illegally entered the Pine Ridge Indian reservation leaving one Native American and two FBI agents dead.

This packet was produced by the Prison Activist Resource Center, P.O. Box 339, Berkeley, CA 94701, 510-893-4648 Jericho People's Video Network www.peoplesvideo.org " 29 minutes Thousands marched in Washington DC on March 27th 1998 to expose the fact that there are at least 150 political prisoners in the U.S. They marched to the White House, circled it and then listened to speakers from a wide spectrum of radical organizations. This important march was Jericho '98.

The Killing State Deep Dish TV & the People's Video Network www.peoplesvideo.org " A hard-hitting documentary examining the incarceration of Mumia Abu-Jamal, his struggle for justice and the campaign to bring life on death row to the public eye. It also discusses the rising prison industry in the United States and includes a section from Mumia's censored NPR programs and a statement about that censorship by William Kunstler.

Mumia Abu-Jamal: A Case Beyond a Reasonable Doubt? John Edginton HBO Productions 1997, 70 minutes, $, # Overview of the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal. Mixed reviews.

Mumia Abu-Jamal: Giving a Face to the Death Penalty Deep Dish TV www.igc.org/deepdish " Convicted of killing a Philadelphia policeman in a trial that most observers say was a gross miscarriage of justice, filled with blatant racism and misconduct by the judge and prosecution. Mumia Abu-Jamal has been on death row for over 15 years. This tape has interviews with Ramona Africa, Rachel Wolkenstein and others who have come to Mumia's defense.

Only Your Protest People's Video Network www.peoplesvideo.org " 29 minutes …can free political prisoners in America. Excerpts from an evening with lawyers who defend political prisoners held at Yeshiva University’s Cardozo Law School. Includes lawyers Johnnie Cochran, Kathleen Celeaver, Joan Gibbs, and Jonathan Lubell, representing prisoners Mutulu Shakur, Assata Shakur, and Pratt.

Out: The Making Of a Revolutionary Sonja de Vries and Rhonda Collins (2000) OUT is the story of Laura Whitehorn, convicted of the 1983 US Capitol bombing, and "conspiring to influence, change and protest policies and practices of the United States government, through violent and illegal means." OUT is the story of her life and our times. This video is available through Critical Resistance.

The Resistance Conspiracy This video documents the story of six defendants charged with what became known as the "Resistance Conspiracy" case. This video is available through Critical Resistance.

This packet was produced by the Prison Activist Resource Center, P.O. Box 339, Berkeley, CA 94701, 510-893-4648

Save Leonard Peltier People's Video Network www.peoplesvideo.org " An appeal by former Attorney General Ramsey Clarke to sent protests to the Bureau of Prisons demanding emergency medical treatment for Leonard Peltier, and Native American political prisoner from the who has been jailed for 22 years at the Mayo clinic after the prison system medical treatment was unsuccessful in treating a potentially life threatening infection. Also features statement by Rage.

The Struggle to Free the Puerto Rican Political Prisoners People's Video Network www.peoplesvideo.org " 29 minutes The November 14, 1997 Pro-Libertad meeting with Congresswoman Nydja Velasquez, 1199 President Dennis Rivera, NY Assemblyman Roger Green, Citycouncilman Jose Rivera, Pro-Libertad spokeswoman Rosa Garria, Welfare Poets and Hector Rivera from Lucid Dream Poets.

PRISON INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

The Prison-Industrial Complex, New Age Slavery People's Video Network www.peoplesvideo.org " An interview with Mumia Abu-Jamal on Death Row. This interview covers Mumia's views on the current political scene in the United States. It is not about the trial but about the ideas that made the police want to silence him. Includes Mumia's opinion on the current rise of repressive forces, his views on the growth of the prison industrial complex and its political and economic implications.

Private Prisons - CCA 60 Minutes Production 5/2/99 1999, 14½ minutes, #, $ 60 Minutes news show’s investigation of CCA prisons. Focuses on the spec prison build in Tennessee, the breakout of hardcore prisoners and the community reactions.

USA, INCarcerated Public Media Network, |PO Box 41127, SF, CA 94141 (415) 864-0544] [email protected] 1999, 23 minutes #" Outlines the growth of the prison industrial complexes, the social trade-offs being made to support it, and the Prison Industrial Complex’s place in the global economy. Comes on one tape with Critical Resistance: Visions of Freedom

What CCA Doesn’t Want You to Know About Private Prisons AFSCME (202) 429-1285 1999, 7 minutes, # A critical look at Corrections Corporation of America by the AFSCME, including footage of riots at CCA facilities, interviews with Mayor George McKelvey of Youngstown, Rep. John Mark Windle of Tennessee and Ohio Rep. Ronald Gerberry. Includes TV news footage. Short persuasive video.

This packet was produced by the Prison Activist Resource Center, P.O. Box 339, Berkeley, CA 94701, 510-893-4648

Yes, In My Backyard Tracy Huling Galloping Girls Productions 1999, ", # Interviews with the mayor, a warden and a wide variety of townspeople on the positive and negative effects that two prisons have had on one farming-community-turned-prison-town, YES, IN MY BACKYARD explores the increasing and multi-layered dependence of rural America on prison industries and subtly probes the profound implications of this dependence for both the keepers and the kept, and for our society's understanding of and response to crime.

VOICES FROM INSIDE

Attica Riot: Chaos Behind Bars & Attica, Anatomy of Repression People's Video Network www.peoplesvideo.org " A remarkable history of the Attica uprising that includes original footage of the actual events leading up to and including the final account, statements by the inmates, a revealing statement by Rockefeller and commentary by veterans of the struggle.

Defending Our Lives Directed by Margaret Lazarus and Renner Wunderlich 1993, 30 minutes, " Won an Academy Award for Best Short Documentary. Powerful look at women incarcerated for their actions against abusive men.

The Farm Jonathan Stack and Liz Garbus Gabriel Films 1997, 88 minutes, ", $ Set in Angola, America's most infamous and largest maximum security prison, The Farm tells an extraordinary story about life and death in prison. Focusing on the rites of passage of six inmates over the course of one year, the film articulates each man's struggle to sustain hope and achieve ever-elusive freedom. A portrayal of racism, religion, aging and death, the film makes explicit the journey from plantation to prison economy.

Russel Maroon Shoatz: Cruel and Unusual Punishment People's Video Network www.peoplesvideo.org " The electronic media were banned from Pennsylvania prisons after this interview as prison authorities seek to hide brutal conditions and political persecution.

Well-Founded Fear Shari Robertson and Michael Camerini, US, 1999; 119 min (video or 35mm, doc) A stirring, evocative, and utterly unforgettable documentary about the American political asylum system: Who is deemed worthy and who decides. Marking the first and probably only time a film crew has ever been privy to these proceedings, the camera steals us behind the bulletproof

This packet was produced by the Prison Activist Resource Center, P.O. Box 339, Berkeley, CA 94701, 510-893-4648 windows of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), where bureaucrats ponder the sometimes life-or-death fate of immigrants seeking asylum.

YO-TV's ICC : A Call for Justice EVC's Youth Organizers Television, US, 2000; 15 min (video, doc) What is the International Criminal Court (ICC)? Who will benefit? Why won't America ratify the treaty? Through archival footage, spoken word poetry and interviews with survivors of torture and ICC advocates, the Youth Organizers crew explores these and other questions surrounding the ICC.

900 Women Gabriel Films Women are the fastest growing prison population in America. 900 WOMEN documents this growth in the female convict population, woman by woman. Filmed over 9 months at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women in St. Gabriel Louisiana, 900 WOMEN gives a face and voice to the grandmothers, the mothers, the lifers, and the death row inmate that live there; as well as to the institution, and the women who work there.

The Beat Within Richard Saiz (1998) Showcasing the voices of young writers who have discovered the power of the pen, this video is about a writing program in 13 Bay Area juvenile detention facilities. The program, The Beat Within, produces a weekly magazine of writing from the inside.

Bui Doi Urban Nomad Productions (1994 28 minutes) Bui Doi, which means life like dust, examines a critical moment in the life of Ricky Phan, a Vietnamese refugee and gang member who is now serving an 11 year sentence for armed robbery. Shot over a 3 year period prior to Ricky's arrest, the film creates a subtle portrayal of Ricky's state of mind as he sits in prison trying to make sense of his difficult life.

The Double Life of Ernesto Gomez Gomez (1998 50 minutes) A documentary portrait of a 16-year-old boy during the year he gets to know his mother, Dylcia Pagan, a Puerto Rican political prisoner serving a 68 year sentence for her involvement in the struggle for Puerto Rican independence - a story of colonialism, repression and love.

Unidos Cruzaremos Las Fronteras / Unity Crosses Borders Video Visions 1996 (17 minutes) NEW WORLD BORDER Rollin' Rock Productions 1997 (18 minutes) These short films focus on the violence, deaths and resistance along the US / Mexico border.

With Liberty And Justice For All Cabin Creek Films 1997 (18 minutes) This short film depicts the story of two men criminalized and detained under the 1996 immigration law.

This packet was produced by the Prison Activist Resource Center, P.O. Box 339, Berkeley, CA 94701, 510-893-4648

Yesterday is Not Too Soon Dorsey Nunn (34 minutes) An interview with Assata Shakur in Cuba. This video is available through CR.

RECOMMENDED NON-DOCUMENTARIES

American Me American Heart Brubaker Cool Hand Luke Convict Dog Day Afternoon Fled The Hurricane Kiss of the Spider Woman Lock-up Nothing But a Man Penitentiary Shawshank Redemption Smoke Signals War Party Warrior Spirit

This packet was produced by the Prison Activist Resource Center, P.O. Box 339, Berkeley, CA 94701, 510-893-4648

RADIO PROGRAMS available from Making Contact: www.radioproject.org (510) 251-1332 Suspect Generation: The Criminalization of Youth February 9, 2000

In the wake of a series of school shootings that stunned the nation, many states initiated new, tough-on-youth legislation. But what is really happening with today's young people? On this program, we take a look at the impact of the changing juvenile justice system on the younger generation.

Addicted to the Drug War November 10, 1999

The U.S. government has been waging its so-called war on drugs for the past three decades. So far, our prisons are filling up, but drugs keep flowing into our communities. On this program, the National Radio Project's Prison Desk takes a look at the effects of U.S. drug and sentencing policies.

Race, Class and the U.S. Death Penalty September 6, 2000

Since 1972, the United States has executed more than 650 people. Recent cases of innocent people being released from death row have drawn mainstream media attention. On this program, the National Radio Project's Prison Desk takes a look at the death penalty in the United States.

Order information: Deep Dish TV: 339 Lafayette St. NY, NY 10012; 212-473-8933; [email protected] Women's Positive Legal Action Network, 1611 Telegraph Av., #822, Oakland, CA 94612; 510)839- 7654; [email protected]; http://www.bayswan.org/blindeye.html PVN: People's Video Network; People's Rights Fund, 39 West 14th St. #206 NY, NY 10011; http://www.peoplesvideo.org/ Contact them for details on length and availability. Gabriel Films: 457 Washington, 2nd Flr. New York, NY 10013. tel: 212.941.6200 fax:212.941.6203. email: [email protected]. website: http://www.gabrielfilms.com Critical Resistance: 510.444. 0484. email: [email protected]

This packet was produced by the Prison Activist Resource Center, P.O. Box 339, Berkeley, CA 94701, 510-893-4648 SPEAKERS ON THE PRISON INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX From Speak Out Speakers and Artists

Daniel “Nane” Alejandrez – Director of Barrios Dwayne Homes – Former political prisoner, Los Unidos; addressing youth violence, gangs, and the root Angeles gang truce organizer; works to create causes of incarceration. alternatives for ex-prisoners. Ward Churchill – Former national spokesperson for Robert Meeropol – A leading organizer against the the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee, he’s written death penalty; son of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. numerous books on state repression and Native issues. Frankie Quintero – Community organizer with FACES, Ron Daniels – Executive Director of the Center for a community group creating alternatives for former Constitutional Rights, committed to the creative use of prisoners and gang members. the law as a force for social change. Elihu Rosenblatt – Founder of the Prison Activist Angela Davis – Former political prisoner, longtime Resource Center and editor of Criminal Injustice: prison activist, author, and cofounder of Critical Confronting the Prison Crisis. Resistance: Beyond the Prison Industrial Complex. Ninotchka Rosca – A political prisoner under the Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Ph.D. – writer, professor of Marcos regime in the Philippines, she is a leading geography and leading anti-prison activist. She is human rights activist and preeminent novelist. active in the Prison Moratorium Project - California, Renée Saucedo – Staff Attorney at La Raza Centro Critical Resistance and California Prison Focus. Legal and an expert on the criminalization of Noelle Hanrahan – Director of the Prison Radio Project immigrants. who publicized the case of political prisoner Mumia Luis Talamantez – Former San Quentin Six political Abu-Jamal. prisoner, human rights activist and artist. Jane Henderson – Coordinator of the Quixote Center’s Piri Thomas – Poet, former prisoner and author of Equal Justice USA national campaign for a moratorium Down These Mean Streets and Stories from El Barrio. on executions. Laura Whitehorn – Former political prisoner, lesbian artist, currently editor of a magazine for HIV+ people.

Speak Out! P.O. Box 99096 Emeryville, CA 94662 (510) 601-0182 fax: (510) 601-0183 [email protected] http://www.speakersandartists.org/ ------Members of the Prison Activist Resource Center (PARC speaker fees are negotiable) are available to speak on these topics: Introduction to the Prison Industrial Complex and the work of PARC Multiple Repression/s: Queer People of Color and the Prison Industrial Complex Criminal Injustice: People of Color and the Prison Industrial Complex “Don’t Even Think of I-Banking:” Black/ New Afrikan College Graduates and Community Responsibility Organizational Development From Facilitation to Fundraising: Techniques for grassroots organizations. The Necessary Step in the Social Justice Movement—White Anti-Racist Organizing. Our experience of looking at racism and beginning to diversify a predominately white organization.

Prison Activist Resource Center P.O. Box 339 Berkeley, CA 94701 (510) 893-4648 fax: (510) 893-4607 [email protected] http://www.prisonactivist.org

This packet was produced by the Prison Activist Resource Center, P.O. Box 339, Berkeley, CA 94701, 510-893-4648