Sorry folks. let me try this again. I think some might be interested in
this:

==============================================

Tear Down the Walls

An Historic Conference

    Tear Down the Walls will be an unprecedented international convocation
on behalf of approximately 100 political prisoners and prisoners of war
(PPOWS) who are currently behind bars in the United States. Participants
from around the world will come together to learn, strategize and join the
fight to win amnesty for these women and men who are some of the longest-
held political prisoners in the world.
    Hosted by OSPAAAL, an organization which spans three continents, and
sponsored by a broad coalition of U.S.-based groups, the conference will
shine an international spotlight on the United States' record of persecution
of those who struggle for social change.

Who Are The Political Prisoners?

    The PPOWs are women and men incarcerated because of their involvement in
political activities which challenged the unjust nature of the U.S.
socioeconomic system and its hegemonic policies around the world. Most
political prisoners have been in prison since the 60's and 70's when the
U.S. government's domestic counter-insurgency COINTELPRO program was
initiated to destroy liberation movements inside the U.S. by targeting their
leadership.
    The majority of the PPOWS are Black/New Afrikan, and there are also
Puerto Ricans, Native Americans, Chicano/Mejicanos and North Americans.
There are PPOWS from the religious activist communities and those
incarcerated as a result of recent resistance to U.S. policies. There are
also political fugitives living in exile who need to be defended and
protected. The political prisoners have been inflicted with
disproportionately long sentences, isolation, and sensory deprivation. They
have been criminalized and denied their basic human rights under
international law.

Human Rights Violations

    The political prisoners are part of the massive, racist prison
industrial complex which incarcerates over 2 million people and represents
the ugly face of globalization within the borders of the U.S. The same
government which spearheaded COINTELPRO is sponsoring massive incarceration
as a method of exploiting, controlling and disrupting entire communities.
The United States masquerades as a protector of human rights and democracy
in order to justify its assaults against other nations such as its
continuing embargo of Cuba, its support for Israeli aggression against
Palestine, and its growing intervention in Colombia. The U.S. uses the
issue of human rights abuses and political prisoners in other countries as a
key propaganda tool with which to leverage social and economic control over
other nations, particularly those which represent a political
challenge. At this juncture in history as George Bush, the "king of
executioners," has assumed the presidency through a blatantly manipulated,
election, it is imperative for those of us living inside US borders to work
together with international forces to expose and resist the aggressive and
repressive character of the U.S. system.

The Need For An International Conference

    The fight to win amnesty for all U.S. PPOWS needs to be based on
international law with the recognition and assistance of progressive forces
worldwide. International support has given significant momentum to the
efforts to free Mumia Abu-Jamal, Leonard Peltier as well as the successful
campaign to release eleven Puerto Rican ppows in 1999. During the 1960's and
70's, liberation, anti-war and social justice movements (which many of the
political prisoners were part of) gained strength and leadership from
movements in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Cuba has a long, impressive
history of offering solidarity to U.S. PPOWS and fugitives, having granted
political asylum to many who were able to leave the U.S. OSPAAAL has, since
its inception in 1966, fought to build solidarity between peoples of the
three continents. In 1996 OSPAAAL hosted an international conference in
support of the Puerto Rican political prisoners' release.
    Tear Down the Walls will provide a place to analyze the victories that
have been won in the past, such as the release of Geronimo Ji Jaga and the
eleven Puerto Rican political prisoners, as well as the setbacks such as the
recent rejection of clemency for Leonard Peltier. The lessons drawn will
contribute to the development of a multipronged strategy to free all the
political prisoners.

Goals For The Conference

* To advance the national and international movement to free U.S. political
prisoners and defend US political prisoners in exile.
* To forge solidarity between progressive forces around the world.
*To analyze the lessons of other campaigns to free PPOWs.
* To denounce the social and political conditions which exist in the U.S.
system which give rise to the disproportionate incarceration of people of
color within the United States.
* To deepen an analysis of the interrelationship between political
prisoners, the growth of the prison industrial complex and U.S.
counterinsurgency strategy world-wide.
* To develop a concrete action program for future work.

    The conference will also offer an opportunity for former political
prisoners and family members of current political prisoners to come
together in a strongly supportive setting to heal, learn from each other
and to become reenergized for the ongoing fight to free their loved ones
and those they left behind the walls when they were released.

Conference Program To Include:

* Presentations from international representatives
* Educational plenary forums
* Retreat of former political prisoners and family members
* Workshops to develop specific programs
* Film
* Hip-hop
* Dance
* Poster exhibit

Call For Papers And Workshops

Please send in proposals for workshops and papers in the following theme
areas:

* Internationalizing the amnesty movement
* Women political prisoners
* Analysis of past campaigns
* Documentation of human rights violations
* Relationship of ppows, counter-insurgency and the prison industrial
complex
* Youth organizing for PPOWS

Sponsoring Organizations

partial list:

Can't Jail the Spirit Publishing Group
Hands Off Assata Campaign
Interfaith Prisoners of Conscience Project
International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal
Jericho Amnesty Movement
Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
Malcolm X Grassroots Movement
MOVE
National Boricua Human Rights Network
New Afrikan Peoples Organization
Provisional Government Republic of New Afrika
Release 2001 Campaign
United Church of Christ

Participating Former Political Prisoners

partial list:

Ramona Africa
Africa family members
Safiya Bukhari
Alan Berkman
Bobby Castillo
Linda Evans
Herman Ferguson
Claude Marks
Ahmed Obafemi
Alicia Rodriguez
Luis Rosa
Kazi Toure
Oscar Washington
Laura Whitehorn
Donna Willmott

Registration/Information

Print this form and mail it to:

Tear Down the Walls
P.O. Box 3585
Oakland, CA
94609 USA
Phone: (510) 539-0050
E-Mail: [log in to unmask]
WWW: www.thejerichomovement.com/teardownthewalls

Name:
Organization's name:
Address:
Country:
Phone:
E-mail:
Nationality/ Work language

___ I/We would like to attend Tear Down the Walls. Please send a
registration packet.
___ I/We would like to attend the retreat for former PPOWS and family
members.
___ I/we would like to help work on the conference. Let us know how to
become involved.
___ I/we would like to donate $_____ to help send a former prisoner or a
family member to TDW.
___ My organization would like to have an official table at the conference.

(Source: Tear Down The Walls
<http://www.thejerichomovement.com/teardownthewalls>)

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Arm The Spirit is an autonomist/anti-imperialist information
collective based in Toronto, Canada. Our focus includes a wide
variety of material, including political prisoners, national
liberation struggles, armed communist resistance, anti-fascism,
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called ATS-L. For more information, contact:

Arm The Spirit
P.O. Box 6326, Stn. A
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E-mail: [log in to unmask]
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Abdoulie A. Jallow





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