IN THE BELLY an abolitionist journal VOL. 3 JANUARY + FEBRUARY + MARCH 2020 In The Belly Journal PO Box 67 Ithaca, NY 14851 Contents Write for In The Belly! Send us your abolitionist writing and artwork! We are eager to publish the work of incarcerated writers, Dear Comrades ���������������������������� 4 artists, intellectuals, and organizers. At the moment, we are unable to pay you for your writing, as we only have enough Letter from Stevie �������������������������� 6 money for printing and postage. In the future, we hope to be able to pay our writers. Letter to In The Belly ���������������������� 10 Our still-developing guidelines on publication are: Inside the Belly ���������������������������� 12 1. All work must be abolitionist, or reflect serious engage- ment with abolition. The Concept & Practice of Dual Power: 2. This means that we will never publish work reflecting The Opportunity to Rebuild a Movement ������ 13 reformist or reactionary ideas, such as racism, misogyny, transphobia, homophobia, or ableism. Stone Walls ������������������������������� 19 3. We will not publish work that we believe puts anyone inside at risk of harm. What I Need ������������������������������ 20 4. We prioritize first-time publishers. 5. We strongly encourage dialogue — responses to previous Prison Poetry ������������������������������ 25 articles, critiques made in good faith, and questions asked in earnest and with care. Untitled ����������������������������������� 27 Questions to answer with your submission: Freedom for Who? ������������������������ 28 1. Under which name would you like to be published? 2. Would you like your address to be published, so people Ignorance is Subjugation ������������������ 32 can write to you? 3. When/if you are published, would you like to be notified A Tribute to Black Lives Lost ��������������� 34 via snail mail beforehand? 4. When/if our inside editors think your piece could use Queer Collaborators in Queer Oppression �� 36 some editing, would you be open to such a process? Would you be comfortable with this through snail mail? What Abolition Means to Me ��������������� 38 We are not able to return originals, so please be sure to make a copy before sending us your work (exceptions for visual art). S.H.U.miliation ���������������������������� 39 We are already getting a lot of brilliant submissions. So if you Rest in Power, Comrade Karen Smith ����� 40 sent something and haven’t heard from us, thank you for your submission. We read them all, but we cannot respond to every Six Word Challenge Response ������������� 42 letter. #WE TOO ��������������������������������� 43 Unfortunately, we cannot provide any legal support or help you with your case. 87 United Black Family Scholarship Foundation Mail Call ����������������������������������� 45 Updates from Comrade in VA ����������������� 46 Old Deadly Rona �������������������������� 49 Prison Lives Matter ������������������������ 51 Untitled ����������������������������������� 53 Knowing Our People ���������������������� 54 Brick by Brick, Word by Word �������������� 62 BOOK REVIEWS ��������������������������� 63 Woman on the Edge of Time ����������� 64 Dark Matters: On the Surveillance of Blackness 66 Our History is the Future ���������������� 71 Pod-Seed Update! ������������������������� 80 Announcing Sick of It! ��������������������� 82 ABO Comix ������������������������������� 84 United Black Family Scholarship Foundation � 86 86 Dear Comrades The year 2020 was devastating and chaotic. The worst viral outbreak in a century has killed 1.67 million people across the world at the time of writing. A total of 75 million have been infected. In the territory occupied by the United States, over 300,000 people have died, and single day new case numbers have come close to 250,000. Working people have received exactly two gestures of support: Two checks total- ing $1800 over the course of 10 months of mass death, social collapse, and a national employment crisis. During the same period, billionaires have gotten even richer off the backs of their workers, most of whom have had to take on extreme risk of infection to keep up with rent. Prisoners have had it the worst. It has been esti- mated that over 400,000 people held captive by state, fed- eral, and county jailers have gotten sick. California’s San Quentin Prison alone got 2,200 of its prisoners sick. Ev- eryone inside, and everyone outside who pays attention, knew how it would go. Prisons are built and designed to weaponize environmental exposures — light and dark- ness, heat and cold, and viral outbreaks. We hear count- less reports of guards refusing to wear masks and gloves, while prisoners are forced into 23-hour lockdowns and de- prived of programming, visits, calls, mail, and commissary. It’s genocide. It’s eugenics. It’s exactly what prisons are built to do. A national election somehow ran through the pandemic, from the Democratic Party Primary to the General Election, which still doesn’t quite feel like it ended, even in mid-December. Many feel a certain re- lief in watching the openly white supremacist, misogy- nist, fascist president implode, take his L, and pack up. But what comes next for the political class does not exact- ly inspire hope. Biden, longtime ally of white segregation- ists and the architect of the viscerally anti-Black, anti-poor 1994 Crime Bill, is putting together a conservative band of bootlickers, lobbyists, and neoliberal shills for his cabinet. His VP made her name by locking up working class Black people and advancing gentrification in San Francisco. by Kinoko in ABO Comix As revolutionary abolitionists, we know not to look to electeds, celebrities, and least of all presidents of this 85 genocidal, settler colonial, capitalist, carceral state. So we’re ABO Comix going to keep building with each other. Studying together, circling up, supporting one another, making new comrades ABO is a collective of creators and activists who work to amplify and reaching out to old friends, collaborating, and planning. the voices of LGBTQ prisoners through art. By working closely If there is anything to keep from this wretched year, with prison abolitionist and queer advocacy organizations, we it’s the memory and inspiration from millions of people, aim to keep queer prisoners connected to outside communi- especially young Black and Indigenous people, rising up ty and help them in the fight toward liberation. The profits we against state violence. The summer’s rebellions were organ- generate go back to incarcerated artists, especially those with ic and powerful, full of rage and love and creative genius. little to no resources. Using the DIY ideology of “punk-zine” cul- People’s kitchens sprung up, seemingly overnight (though ture, ABO was formed with the philosophy of mutual support, we know they are always built on years of trust and orga- community and friendship. nization). Mutual Aid, Solidarity Drives, and Commissary Our collective is working towards compassionate ac- Funds were everywhere. People took control of the big cities countability without relying on the state or its sycophants. and refused to back down in the face of military repression, ABO believes our interpersonal and societal issues can be and thousands of tiny little rural towns held Black Lives Mat- solved without locking people in cages. Our mission is to com- ter marches. And some things were broken. The call was, bat the culture that treats humans as disposable and dispro- and still is, Free Them All! Abolish The Police! Abolish the portionately criminalizes the most marginalized amongst Prisons! Abolish the Empire! All Power to the People! A New us. Through artistic activism, we hope to proliferate the idea World is Possible! that a better world means redefining our concepts of justice. The fight wasn’t only in the streets. Everything that • We help give a platform to marginalized community mem- we watched out there was held down by comrades who bers inside prison and a way to express themselves artistically worked from home: planning actions, coordinating food • We work closely with incarcerated LGBTQ+ members to de- donations, keeping track of protestors who got caught up velop artwork & provide feedback so that artists can hone in city jail systems and raising money to bail them out. And their skills so much of the inspiration for this growing movement • We help introduce the public to the plight of queer prisoners comes from you: imprisoned abolitionists, studying, writ- • We fundraise for and provide financial assistance to our con- ing, speaking, and building community behind the wall. tributors and other LGBTQ+ prisoners in need We are honored to be able to keep supporting your • We create and maintain LGBTQ+ community contact and work, publishing your words and artwork, and helping you friendship across prison walls build study groups. And we are grateful for your patience-- • We support LGBTQ+ prisoners to gain knowledge and experi- this issue is coming later than we had wanted. We’re send- ence in the publishing/artistic industry ing it with love and solidarity. As always, keep in touch. • We provide artists with credentials for a portfolio and letters of Though we cannot respond to all your mail at this point, we recommendation (for parole boards, etc.) read and value everything you tell us. So send us writing, • We introduce prisoners to other organizations that may assist feedback, criticism, and greetings. them with needs or publish their work • We engage with the local community at events (workshops,