November 25, 2015

What's up good people!?

Whats the difference between Donald Trump and the Hindenburg? 

One is a flaming nazi gas bag and the other is just an old blimp from the 40’s. 


What’s up good people? It’s been a few seasons since I’ve written anything so here is a small update about my happenings behind the gates of Vandalia “Correctional” Center. 

I’m coming up on 5 months left in prison of a 42 month sentence at 50%, followed by parole for some more time. I have been managing to stay busy, despite the lack of opportunity to do anything productive or mentally stimulating. I recently finished a horticulture culture class which cut my time in here by 2 months and I was able to get into another vocational class, building trades, which will knock off some more of the time I have left. 

Everyday I reflect on my actions of why I’m in here and day after day I do not regret them, despite the intentionally mundane helpless aura of thousands of people warehoused with little to do, my rebel heart burns happy and hot. With all of the amazing support from my friends and comrades on the outside, I can keep it real all by myself. I have plenty to read  and can better my understanding of revolutionary history and theory, an ironic privilege many don’t have time for in the “free” world. 

As I sit here doing prison time for the work that all white people should be doing to fight against systematic white supremacy, my message is to never give up the fight for a fair and just society. But time is running out, will we be coal burning dinosaurs in a war-torn world of deserts and dust? The answer to this question is found only in our actions. For now, I’ll be playing chess and strategizing, staying sucker free as can be in the gulag. 

yours, 
jason


“Hope is essential to any political struggle for radical change when the overall social climate promotes disillusionment and despair” 

-bell hooks

“Arresting or sentencing won’t change me or anyone else of convictions; stepping on a flower doesn’t change the meaning or beauty of a flower’s existence or makeup, it just makes the stepper a piece of shit, who despises things that make the world beautiful” 

-Eric King

“When the prison doors open, the real dragon will come out” 


-Ho Chi Minh 

Don't Eat the Fucking Turkey

DON'T EAT THE FUCKING TURKEY


After almost 10 months of being locked up at Vandalia “Correctional” Center one gets pretty tired of eating the same damn thing week after week; old canned vegetables, bread baked without yeast, mystery meat mixed with dubious soy, the cheapest food the state can legally get away with feeding us. When commissary comes around once, maybe twice a month, inmates scramble to get to the front of the line, like pigs at the trough but twice a year they treat us to a special holiday dinner, Thankstaking being one of them, but I will tell you one thing — I won’t eat the fucking turkey. 

I’m not grateful for the bloody and continuous legacy of colonialism celebrated on columbus day (Indigenous People’s Day), nor do I see patriots day (9/11)  as a day to remember anything but how the government is quick to condemn the actions of their enemies but easily dismiss the atrocities of their own. 

I’m not grateful about how they cancelled 4 out of the 8 college/vocational classes here at Vandalia, with rumors that the last ones are next on the chopping block. If they do cancel them that would only leave basic education and the G.E.D. program (just recently reinstated this year), as the few opportunities people have to attain Earned Good Time off their sentences. In and out of prison they set us up to fail. They haven’t cancelled the meat or milk plants though, functions to keep the prison running. Also, the Good Conduct Time, reinstated in 2012, is received by practically no one; I have only seen one person my whole time here get any time off.  

All this shows how despite all the hype in the mainstream media and lip service by liberal politicians about prison reform, nothing has changed but the loosening of the chains. Even if the 6000 inmates the Federal Sentencing Commission released from Federal Prison, we’d still have 2.5 million locked up and 7 million on parole or probation at any given moment. Yet this country claims the moral high ground as a beacon of freedom to justify their right to invade and impoverish other countries. 

They always say the state is broke, they should just freaking let us go! 

If they have enough resources to escalate the conflict in Syria with US special forces on the ground and invest in Arctic drilling to extract fuels and raise global temperatures to apocalyptic levels, they can cut their plans for austerity on the poor and increase social spending in the public sector.

So I will fast on Don’t Eat the Fucking Turkey Thankstaking Day  and encourage others to do the same. I know it seems largely symbolic. It never seems like inmates, or even free range inmates ( we are all imprisoned under state capitalism) can do much to stop the rich and powerful. Every time there is an international conference of world leaders on climate change, many promises are made, but quickly they all go back on their words and it’s business as usual. The governments future for us is endless was, wage slavery, white supremacy, police violence, cuts on healthcare and education, gentrification, deportation and incarceration. We’ll see the waters rise and the rich in their houses on the hill and the poor with nowhere to go. 

We have nowhere to go but to overthrow this cannabalistic culture. If we all stopped working for the state and resisted, we could bring the prison system to its knees. Eating that turkey will be the desertification of the soul. I refuse! 

Instead lets tell the stories of anti-colonial resistance that day. Let’s talk about the Seminoles, Nat Turner, Harriet Tubman, John Brown, I.W.W., the Black Panthers, the Weather Underground, the Zapatistas, the Rojava Revolution, Assata’s Daughters, Black Lives Matter, Occupy, ELF, ALF, Idle No More, the Arab Spring and the many rebellions past, present and future. 

And don’t forget the day after raise hell on #buynothingday #furfreefriday #fuckFBIfriday #blacklivesmatterfriday!


with love and rage,

Jason 

March 13, 2015

Jason's 50th Day in Prison!



Greetings from Vandalia "Correctional" Center! 

After the 24 hour lock down purgatory known as Stateville NRC, I've arrived at the joint where I will mostly likely do the rest of my time. 

Basically, prison is a big waste of everyone's time and resources! It angers me that the system would rather keep locking people up and give them practically nothing to do instead of putting energy and resources into social programs and schools that would enable people to do well in life. The evidence points to mass incarceration being the desired state, the wealth of empire and dependent on a class in perpetual poverty. 

I am happy to say that my spirits are high and the fire in my heart is burning. I am very thankful and humbled by all the support that folks have given me through letters, books, donations and sharing my case with in their circles. I've already gotten into the flow of hitting the weights and books. Currently reading "Living My Life" by Emma Golden, "Feminism is for Everybody" by bell hooks and "Foundation" by Isaac Asimov. 

Big shout out to all my homies in Chicago, ABC in NY and beyond, D.O.P.E. Collective, CrimethInc for reading my statement on their podcast, all of the Antifa crews and everyone else that has written me. (I am slow at responding because they only sell 10 stamps a month here) It is through efforts like organizing letter writing parties, benefit shows and spreading the struggle of incarcerated folks that give us hope and inspiration. 

I don't see a way we can salvage any part of the PIC: is it for burning. We must start thinking in moving towards alternative models of community accountability, perhaps through restorative and transformative practices, instead of relying on the brutal and intrusive model of the pigs and prisons. I wish you all the best, be courageous and fierce! 

"A movement that does not support their prisoners, is a sham of a movement!" 

Love and Rage
Jason! 

February 5, 2015

New Address Update!

Jason is currently being transferred to the facility where he will (possibly) be serving his sentence, Vandalia Correctional Center. It is 4 hours away from Chicago!

New Address:

Jason Hammond, M50190
P.O. Box 500
Vandalia, IL 62471












General rules to remember when writing to Jason and other prisoners:

  • Please do not talk about anything illegal. Remember that all letters are screened, so please do not talk about anything you would not feel comfortable saying in front of police, a prosecutor, a judge or jury.
  • Include a return address in the body of your letter if you would like a reply as envelopes do not always make it to prisoners.
  • Please do not use glue, yarn, ribbons, stickers, glitter, etc. in your letters as they are prohibited – crayons, coloured pencils and markers are fine.
  • Please do not enclose extra stamps, extra blank paper or envelopes with your letter. While the thought is appreciated, they are prohibited and Jason will not receive them.
  • Please do not include money with your letters. The best way to donate to financially help Jason is to donate here.
  • Please be patient when waiting for a return letter.

January 29, 2015

A few updates!



-NEW FUNDRAISING WEBSITE-

Donate here! 


After a mishap with our old fundraising campaign here is the new one! Please share far and wide. Thank you!! 

CHECK OUT THE NEW TAB: "UPCOMING EVENTS"! 

Under this tab we will be posting events that Jason's supporters will be hosting. Stay in the loop and check it out! Thanks a bunch! 

Like the one being thrown by our friends at NYC ABC on February 3! 



Jason Hammond trading card! 


January 22, 2015

Sentencing Statement


I write this statement after pleading guilty to state charges against me for my participation in an organized direct action taken against a group of white supremacists in May of 2012. I would like to share my thoughts about this action. First, major thanks and love to my friends and family who have supported me, for my amazing partner who kept me sane, my band for letting loose and my lawyer Sara Garber who has been ridiculously helpful in fighting this case with me.

While Chicago was in rebellion against the western military super-alliance NATO summit in 2012, a small group of racists organized their own ‘white nationalist economic summit' in the nearby suburb of Tinley Park. They booked a restaurant to hold a luncheon under the guise of the "Illinois European Heritage Association.” For over six months this event was promoted on Stormfront.org, a very popular online forum where racists and neo-nazis converse. Being in a prolonged state of resistance against racism, this summit became known to organized anti-fascists throughout the Midwest. Through research, they had ascertained the time, location, and even some identities of the attendees of this meeting, some of whom were already known as being members of white supremacist groups such as the KKK, National Socialist Movement and Council of Conservative Citizens. Upon becoming aware of this  information, myself and others decided to confront the fascists at their meeting. A righteous melee ensued, many of the ten white supremacists were injured, and we left the scene in less than two minutes.

In the aftermath, the police was called and two of the fascist attendees were arrested one for being a fugitive of pedophilia charges in another state and the other for illegal possession of firearms in their car onsite. Unfortunately after leaving the restaurant, five comrades from Hoosier Anti Racist Movement were also arrested for their involvement by an off duty cop. They are known as the Tinley Park 5, all of whom spent time in Illinois prisons after taking a non-cooperative plea, and have since been released on parole. Please read about their struggles at their wordpress.

A year after the action, in July 2013, I was arrested outside my home by the FBI and Tinley Park Police. I was charged with armed violence and mob action,  the same as the other 5 anti-fascists. My indictment states the Tinley Park Police were given a report from the FBI stating that they had identified me from DNA gathered at the scene and a surveillance video from the restaurant where the meeting was shut down. I was held in Cook County Jail for two months but was fortunate to have friends who raised enough money to release me on bond. I have since been fighting these charges. The wheels of the bureaucratic judicial system moves deliberately slow and another whole year and a half passes. Now, even with the privilege of being able to examine all the evidence and evaluate all of my options while out on bond, I must accept the judge’s offer of 3.5 years. My chances of winning the case were very low, and if I lost, it could potentially mean a significantly higher sentence.

It is difficult to decide whether to plea or not when faced with gambling years of your life in prison, but I also completely detest the narrative of the state and their courtrooms. Their story is that they rightfully apprehended the criminal, tried, and put them away in prison;where they will learn not to do it again while separated from society where they cannot spread their infectious ideas. That system does not work and it never will. I abhor this monopoly of justice and violence; the reality is that the state wants people in their prisons especially people whose political interest are in conflict  to the “business as usual” violence that their police and armies perpetrate. My crime is standing up against the flag of hate and the violence against people of color that it represents. The state, in a petty act, went out of their way years later to prosecute me.

Furthermore, the state has always supported a white supremacist power structure. Even after the endless series of racist wars and hundreds of years of oppression on this soil, they don't see it as a problem when neo-nazis get together and in fact grant permits and have lines of police to protect their free speech. In Ferguson, New York, Chicago and beyond, we see police use military grade equipment in conjunction with the National Guard to combat people protesting the unjust murders of Mike Brown and Eric Garner at the hands of law enforcement. These are not isolated incidents, but rather symptomatic and indicative of a deliberate move to uphold the pillars of white supremacy in this country, which will not change unless we fight against it.

I went into this action following the principles of anarchy, equality and freedom which have guided my life. For many years I have been involved in different projects engaging social justice, from volunteering at social centers, community public libraries and food distribution programs.I have also supported and participated in anti-war, environmental and immigrant rights movements. Through these experiences I became more aware of how the system that governs this society depends on the mass exploitation of large parts of the population and in fact the Earth itself for the profit of the rich and powerful. I was inspired and motivated by the people I met in the movement to strive to make change at the root of the problem, even if it meant possibly sacrificing my own personal freedom. Throughout history, any movement that struggled to change this system was considered dangerous by the government and was met with immense repression and state violence. But there were successful moments within these movements not only because they were justified, but because people fought for them and despite how history is presented like a Disney movie, not all of their actions were non-violent.

Today there still is police brutality, a massive prison industrial complex, there are presidents waging endless wars for profit and power, and there is violence, alienation and marginalization at the crossroads of gender, sexuality, race and class.  It would be naive to think that all of these problems could only be solved through pacifism; working with or within the system, following dogmatic and assimilative reformist agendas that take over and sell out movements; the answer lies in creative resistance that utilizes a wide diversity of tactics. I think some people have always known this but more need to reject the privileged tendency to reject destruction of property, or of the bodies protecting the state as taboo violence instead of as a legitimate form of resistance. As our collective patience is constantly being worn away by failures of government to address people’s actual needs, it is up to our own communities and individuals to decide for themselves what is an appropriate form of self-defense

But I would also like to note that the hyper-spectacularization and priority of violence amongst folks in the movement might also be folly, because I believe it in itself is not sufficient for a real radical transformation of society. People need to look within to make the change they want to see in the world as well as raise hell in the streets. People are improving their communities through their own support, healing circles, discussion groups, rallies, speak-outs, prisoner support, popular education, community health projects and asking hard questions and challenging oppressive thoughts however they manifest.

The ideas and actions that these white supremacists are pushing are dangerous and poisonous and is unfortunately still deeply rooted within the fabric of this society. Racism manifests itself in a number of ways and none can be ignored; from the blatant and overt bigots like those at the meeting in Tinley Park but also the subtle micro-aggressions that people experience on a daily basis. We are all obligated to confront the dead old ways of these oppressive ideologies using every means possible. My actions were in the spirit of continued resistance against racism and fascism and for the rights of people to live without fear of racist attacks. Those in struggle know the risk of jail, pain or death when trying to radically change the structure of society but it is a struggle we cannot ignore and we intend to win! 

After the interruption of the meeting in Tinley Park, the organizing group for their economic summit disbanded and the individual who booked the event said that they were “stepping away from white nationalist organizing.” When a comrade is arrested the movement bears a high cost but actions like these can prove affective as they dissuade people from joining hate groups and preventing the work that they do. I feel these tactics could also apply to different avenues of struggle, directed towards exploitative bosses, racist cops, gentrifying landlords, sexists anywhere, and fascist politicians. 

Some people have speculated my arrest was part of some revenge plot of the FBI because of the hacking and whistle-blowing my brother Jeremy Hammond has done against various sectors of the government and the private intelligent corporations they work with. While I love and support my brother and his actions 1000% and condemn the FBI and the US government for their own cyber wars they wage, I think it is unlikely that was the reason why I was held in custody. As stated earlier, the FBI did provide a report to the local police putting some of their pieces together which raises questions to why they would consider a bunch of neo-nazis getting beat up a matter of national security. Regardless, my brother and I were both apprehended because our actions were not carried out with absolute precision and every precaution made to disguise our identities and ensure we would not be busted.

However, it is absolutely true that we live in a vulnerable society with extreme governmental overreach, where anyone could be subject to surveillance, entrapment, targeted prosecutions and trumped up treason and terrorism charges purely for ideological reasons. It is a context deliberately cooked up by politicians and the national security complex to create fear and distrust amongst activist circles, as we can see looking at the huge number of dissidents who have been jailed or killed. Again, I’ll state my respect for political prisoners in any country who are staying strong and struggling to fight the power. I would encourage anyone who considers taking direct action to know why they are doing it and do so carefully as to not jeopardize themselves, their comrades, or the movement itself. A person in prison is another person we have to free.

       To those whose worlds were shaken and who are angry or displeased at my actions, remind yourselves humbly of the atrocious history of violence that white supremacy has done and continues to do so to this  society and ask yourself, do I support it? Do I benefit from it? Will this be my legacy? Or do I want to change it?

         I have set up a blog where I will post updates regularly that will also include my mailing address and visiting hours. Also I will have set up an Amazon Wish List where people can send me some love through books. This will be set up once I arrive at the state prison where I will likely carry out the majority of my sentence. While I am here I intend to make the most of my time staying positive and motivated through reading, working out, and meditating. I am interested in continuing communication and having discussions with people through letters, so please write me when you have the chance!

Yours for the struggle!

With love and rage,
Jason Hammond