wo weeks into the national nights and teach-ins, and demonstrated outside calls for “law and order” and an end to basic social Strike and history has already been made. of to the applause and raised fists of those programs, might have seen their former jobs moved Even in the face of massive repression, inside. into the hands of who work for free or for Tpreemptive lock downs, and the targeting of pennies. This type of talk is not hyperbole – starting In the wake of the launch of the strike, which suspected strike leaders and organizers, currently we in the 1990s for instance, at&t dumped thousands centers on demands to address basic needs, know about strike actions happening in at least 16 of union workers only to turn around and fill their freedoms, and programs as well as the end of prison states across the U.S.—with more news smuggled jobs with prisoners. under the 13th amendment, the culture out of the prisons everyday. has clearly shifted. There is now a discussion about This is simply one example among many, but Despite the State’s best efforts to clamp down on prisoners and prison slavery like never before. In the the point is clear: while both corporate parties resistance, prisoners have still been able to send end however, the real victories of the strike so far pumped up fear of immigrants and the Black poor, out clandestine messages from behind enemy have been the relationships built leading up to and it was the prison system, not migrant workers, who lines in order to coordinate collective acts of during the strike, those that reach across the prison were actually taking jobs. This reality will only be refusal such as striking at their jobs, boycotting the bars and outside; which call for the coming together accelerated in the coming years, as the gig economy canteen or commissary, hunger striking, organizing of people regardless of color towards a common and automation will leave huge sections of the demonstrations, and getting word out to media and goal—and against a common threat. workforce without access to work or more likely, supporters. Such actions have taken place across enough wages to live on. But hey, there’s always prison! If the past two years have shown us anything, it’s racial, religious, and gang lines—presenting the that our relationships in our communities, schools, Thus, the current prison strike should be seen as a prisoners demands as a class, while at the same time, neighborhoods, workplaces, and prisons—and how multi-faceted strike and an attack on the system of recognizing the need to destroy and abolish prisons we come together to fight shared conditions—is not racialized capital as a whole; with everyone that is as part of a neo-colonial and white supremacist only our single means of self-defense, but also our supporting or taking part in the strike playing a part: power structure. only hope of creating a different way of life. from those dropping banners, to those striking inside Against all odds, the strike spilled across borders the prison walls. In this spirit, we see this activity Society and the states which seek to manage it and into Canadian prisons, with inmates in Nova akin to those that participated in the Underground face grave challenges in the face of escalating wealth Scotia taking part in the strike and issuing their own Railroad in a variety of capacities, Native, Black, inequality, mounting economc crisis, and the threat demands, while the strike also spread to detainees and white indentured servants who found freedom of ecological collapse. Across the world, fascism and inside the Northwest (ice) Facility in Maroon societies outside of civilization, and a populist nationalism are presented as an “alternative” in Tacoma, Washington, building on solidarity rebellious collection of poor farmers who deserted to the pitfalls of decades of neoliberalism which have statements issued between prison rebels and the Confederate army, and the masses of Black only accelerated these trends. In the United States, detained immigrants. people who collectively took part in a general neoliberalism has meant the constant reaffirmation strike while fleeing their plantations, crippling the On the outside, a growing collection of community of racial slavery and the shifting of traditional sites of Confederacy. organizations, and revolutionary networks have production into prisons. taken to the streets to support the strike, organized With that in mind, let’s peer through the razor wire On one hand this shows that the “civil war never call-in campaigns that have shut down offices, fences to see what went down during the first two weeks ended,” but moreover the true nature of the “devil’s brought together masses of people for letter writing of the prison strike. bargain” of white supremacy. For those that support

LET THE CROPS ROT IN THE FIELD VICTORY TO THE STRIKERS! NEWS FROM THE PRISON STRIKE

• New Mexico prisoners in three units launch a strike ear- • Prisoners at Sterling Correction Facility launch a hunger ly, “due to administration cutting family visits, harassing strike in Colorado beginning in early August. Prisoners families, strip searching elder family members, and stiu at New Folsom, California as well as in Arizona, Texas, targeting, harassing, and abusing inmates.” The entire and Ohio declare hunger strikes in conjunction with the NM system is put on lockdown. Prisoners go on strike launch of the national movement. A hunger strike with in Alabama on August 21st, according to an Al-Jazeera its own demands breaks out at Wabash Valley in Indiana interview with Swift Justice. on August 27th. Prisoners in Vaughn, Delaware begin a hunger strike on September 1st and prisoners in West- • Canadian prisoners in Nova Scotia declare a solidarity ville, Indiana do the same on September 4th. strike on August 19th saying “We, the prisoners of Burn- side, have united to fight for change. We are unified across • Strike activity in North Carolina, South Carolina, Geor- the population in non-violent, peaceful protest. We are gia, and Florida, all southern states with a recent history calling for support from the outside in solidarity with us. of mass protests, starting with the 2010 state- We believe that it is only through collective action that wide strike in Georgia. change will be made.” • Prisoners at Lee Correctional in South Carolina are still • Detainees at the Northwest Detention Center in Taco- facing repression after the deadly April riots, but are re- ma, WA join the prison strike. fusing to shop in the commissary.

• Inmates at Federal Prisons in Kentucky, South Caroli- • Prisoners at Bowling Green in Missouri organize a na, and Colorado boycott the canteen and some meals in demonstration inside. solidarity with the national strike. Prisoners in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan are boycotting the private phone • Prisoners in Larissa, Greece hang a banner and issue a vendor, gtl. statement in solidarity with U.S. prisoners.

Prisoners’ demands, more information, and steps you can take in solidarity with prisoners: PRISONSTRIKE.COM INCARCERATEDWORKERS.ORG ITSGOINGDOWN.ORG/PRISONSTRIKE