Wow, well you sure got a lot of nerve.

So I got this email from an address i didn't recognize...which was really weird because i am NOT on the Chris McIntosh support list nor do I correspond or support him any longer.
Anyway, I don't want to support his cause by re-posting, however I feel that this shouldn't be tossed under the rug, especially if some people are convinced by this letter. I'd also like to add that this letter is not in response to something I have written...it was just mailed to me and from the list of addresses, it seems it was also mailed to Earth Liberation Prisoners Support Network
So this is the letter sent to me by what I assume is part of Chris's support:

"This is a hard letter to write as I don't know who I am writing to. I saw a request for support of a young man named Kevin,stating he is in a yard with other men serving 20 years and more. The article said Kevin is scared. Well, he should be. As you know Chris has made some statements that have been very upsetting to your community. You said his support campaign has not made a rebuttal to your decision to withdraw support for him. He has no support campaign.
For anyone who knows Chris, they would know he is not racist or sexist. He is impulsive and does do things and says things he regrets once he has had a cool down period. Interesting to me is that there seems to be no sensitivity for the perils of life in a maximum security prison and what it can do to a person who has no outside support. While Chris was in USP Hazelton, West Virginia 2 inmates where murdered, at least 2 guards were hospitalized all in separate incidents. Most of the tension is based on racism. Having never been in prison myself I can only relate second hand what I have been told. In order to survive, literally, you have to make an alliance with a group. Unfortunately many inmates do that based on skin color. Chris has had to fight more than once to not be physically harmed by people of other races, just because he is not the same color as they maybe.

Imagine if you will, living for extended periods of time in a closed community where you can not make eye contact or show any sign of weakness just to avoid being a target. Imagine doing that time for a cause or group of people who are quick to forget you and leave you alone to face the demons of loneliness and fear.
In your statement to withdraw support for Chris you referenced his " failed attempt to burn down McDonalds". Failed attempt? Was the purpose of the action to burn down a building or bring attention to a cause? If burning down a building was the purpose, than the attempt was failed, but if attention to the cause was the purpose I disagree with your evaluation of the outcome of his actions. Chris is serving 8 years for a cause he valued enough to put his personal freedom in jeopardy for. I would hope someone in your community would value individuals enough to find out what Chris is thinking and give him support through his time. Chris does need to be reminded that not all the world is racists and kindness and goodness do still exist, he needs someone who will take the time to reeducate and remind him that life in Maximum Security Federal Prison is not how all the world is. Someone who will take the time to look beyond isolated words and examine the overview of him and who he really is. What was going on in his world when those statements where made? What you will find is a caring, sensitive person, loyal to a fault, someone who can be counted on.
Chris is currently staring his 4th month in isolation. He made it one day on the yard in USP Atwater a maximum security facility 3000 miles from his family, and was jumped by a group of men just for being the new guy. He fought back. What would you do?
I don't know what you will do with this e-mail, I would ask you to post it just to give your community an insight into the reality of prison life, the emotional as well as physical pressures that can make anyone of us do and say things we regret. I hope that some few people would care as much about other humans, specifically Chris in this instance, as they do about animals and the Earth and be willing to invest themselves in the well being of another human. His current address is: Christopher McIntosh 30512-013
USP Atwater
US Penitentiary
PO 019001
Atwater, Ca 95301
Thanks! Kathryn McIntosh"
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This argument reminds me so much of the argument in support of snitches, "you've never been in that situation, so what would you do?" as a form of excusing fucked up behavior. So no I've never been in prison, I don't know what it's like to detained for a long period of time. But I do know what it's like to be assaulted by someone who's had violent, mind fucking, disturbing things happen to them in their life. And the fact that they've had awful things happen to them, does not (although at the time it did) excuse the actions they took in harming someone else. Especially when there are a lot of people who have gone through traumatizing experiences as well and have chosen not to perpetuate violence. This goes both for snitches and racists. By supporting Chris McIntosh is not only saying but doing racist and sexist things is to turn one's back on women and people of color as a whole (who don't have the privilege of not being attacked by sexism and racism when confronted with it) but it's also a slap in the face to prisoners who are going through the same if no worse conditions than that and are still anti sexist/ anti-racist. Even within the Prison Industrial Complex Chris has white privilege, and has had had activist support, which is much more than many prisoners get.Yes he's a product of his environment and a horrible one at that, but it was still a choice he made, a choice to perpetuate racism, sexism and speciesm, and for that reason he does not have my solidarity.

and yes, I do think it;s justifiable to have more solidarity with the earth and animals, who do not perpetuate oppression instead are often the target of oppression than someone who is actively a part of it.

EMERGENCY: Protest on Behalf of Mumia Abu Jamal's LIFE tommorow!

Taken from NYC Independent Media Center
A statement by the Partisan Defense Committee, issued Thursday, March 27, 2008:

“Today the Third Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision upholding Mumia Abu-Jamal’s frame-up conviction. In turning down Mumia’s appeal for a new trial, the Court ordered a new sentencing hearing to decide whether he is again to be sentenced to die or condemned to the living death of life in prison.

The Court’s decision is another slap in the face to all opponents of racist injustice. Recalling the infamous Dred Scott decision, the Court has again declared that a fighter for black freedom like Mumia has no rights that the courts are bound to respect. A former Black Panther Party spokesman, MOVE supporter and renowned journalist, Mumia is an innocent man, framed up for his political beliefs. He should never have spent a day in prison. There must be mass protests, centered on labor’s power, to demand his freedom now.

The PDC and Labor Black Leagues have called protests for tomorrow in different cities. For more information: www.partisandefense.org.”



ALL OUT FOR EMERGENCY PROTEST

Mumia Abu-Jamal Is an Innocent Man!
Free Mumia Now!
Abolish the Racist Death Penalty!

TOMORROW
Friday, March 28
5:00-7:00 p.m.
In front of the Federal Building
Broadway, between Worth & Duane Streets
Manhattan
(4, 5, 6 to Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall, or R, W to City Hall, or 1, 2, 3 to Chambers)

Sponsored by the Partisan Defense Committee and the Labor Black League for Social Defense

For more information, call 212-267-1025 or 212-406-4252
partisandefense@earthlink.net
www.partisandefense.org


The PDC is a class-struggle, non-sectarian legal and social defense organization which champions cases and causes in the interests of the whole of the working people. This purpose is in accordance with the political views of the Spartacist League.
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There is immense evidence that Mumia Abu Jamal is innocent, such as a confession by the man who did kill the cop, bullets not matching, and not to mention a rigged trial by an all white jury. Activists of color are always accused/framed of killing cops to further villianize us, and perpetuate the myth that we are "dangerous" and criminal".
Whether you are affiliated with Spartacists or not, come be in solidarity with Mumia

Anti-Racist/ Feminist Zine

so i took like a million year hiatus from making zines.

But I'm back doin' it, slowly but surely...hopefully this will be long term and it won't just be an incomplete or pathetic one zine and then me pooping out. any who, recently at my school Knox College, (which believes itself to be the most radical place ever because it was founded by abolitionists) had a really racist article in the school newspaper. Which caused a lot of uproar because the administration failed to address the article and racism on campus (until they finally did). it was the tip of the iceberg because while Knox prides itself in being so diverse and welcoming a lot of students of color are often tokenized by teachers, marginalized by RA's as "troublemakers", and we feel the fucking stares, we hear the fucking comments, that people make. Especially because a lot of (white) people in this school admittingly come from suburban predominantly white backgrounds, when they come to Knox it's like the first time they seen a Black/Latino/Asian/ Middle Eastern/ etc person in their entire life. So FUCKED UP SHIT is said (for example in one ANSO class I had this one kid referred to Black people as "Negroes" because he thought "that's what they like to be called"). And it's especially shitty when people that claim to be activist, vehemently anti-racist, 'liberal', feminist, or radical SAY and DO fucked up things.

So me and my friend Nicole from my Woman Studies class or compiling a zine about feminism., racism. etc for our Action Project. and in light of the current situation at Knox, this is the first thing I wrote:

Tips for Anti-Racist White Allies.
(For those who care about deconstructing privilege and fighting internalized white supremacy)

1. Don’t tell me not to get emotional. I am not a child. I don’t have temper tantrums out of nothing. Getting angry, upset, sad, disappointed over a racist event taking place is a rational, validated reaction. I can’t not take racism personally because it affects me as a human being.

2. Don’t tell me that you have friends who are Black, Latino, Asian, etc to back up your racist views. I don’t care who you’re friends with. If I call you out on being racist, I’m not asking you if you are being racist, I am telling you your being racist.

3. Do go outside your comfort level. I went outside my comfort level by leaving a diverse community back home and going to a predominantly white school. So if I invite you over my Spanish-speaking household, don’t sit there all awkward like a chicken about to lay an egg. Interact with people, ask questions, make conversation, I’ll translate I promise.

4. Don’t make generalizations about other cultures. Um, I don’t care if you took a class, went to a country, or have a friend with the cultural background being discussed. In anthropology 101, first thing you learn is to not pass judgment on other cultures and to adopt the perspective of those within that culture.

5. You are not a feminist if you tell me Black, Latino, Middle Eastern, etc, men are inherently sexist. No, that just makes you a racist. No one is inherently anything! Besides white dudes can be just as sexist as men of color. If anything an argument can be made that sexism is expressed in different ways world wide. Sexism isn’t closed to any cultural group, most societies world-wide currently live in a patriarchy and the US and Europe sure as hell does.

6. We probably won’t fuck you if you fetishize us. Telling Asian women you have “yellow fever”, or commenting on the size of Black men’s penises, doesn’t translate to “I think you as a person, are attractive, I like you.” More so it says, I “view you as a sexual commodity.”

7. There is no such thing as “reverse racism”. First of all the term itself is racist, “reverse racism” means admitting that there is a “right way” to be racist (aka white supremacy). Racism is social, political, economic, systematic institution that is ingrained in our education system, our culture, science, EVERYTHING. This type of institution does not exist against whites as a socially stratified class the way it does to people of color. Prejudice, against anyone and everyone exists. So if you do experience discrimination because of white skin (which does happen, I’m not denying that) it is just that, discrimination/ prejudice. But it’s not founded on an overall system the way racism is.


there is so much more that can go into this list but, hey, zine for Action Project is due the 15th so I gotta hustle.