We recorded this conversation just before the world shifted on October 7th. We actually have several conversations that we still need to release that we recorded in August and September, but I wanted to get to this one first due to the urgency of Shaka Shakur’s situation.

Shaka Shakur is a New Afrikan Political Prisoner who has been behind the walls for the majority of his life since he was 16 years old. He’s currently held captive at Beaumont Correctional Center in Virginia. He was mentored by figures such as Zolo Azania and James “Yaki” Sayles. Shaka has an extensive track record of prisoner organizing and exposing injustices and human rights violations behind the walls. I’ll include a more extensive bio from his Jericho Movement page in the show notes.

Shaka had reached out to me after the publication of our discussion with Thandisizwe Chimurenga and Yusef “Bunchy” Shakur on Sanyika Shakur’s political writings. He wanted to share some things and also offer the perspective of someone from Sanyika's generation who spent many years studying and struggling in the same circles, and communicating with Sanyika through the Prison News Service and other publications that circulated behind the walls connecting New Afrikan prisoners and other political and politicized prisoners. Shaka also describes similar experiences of becoming politicized during their first period of incarceration at a young age, struggling upon his return to the outside & ultimately ending up back behind the walls.

Shakur shares his reflections on that era, on changes in the prison movement and outside support movements over time and on the disconnect that often exists between revolutionary rhetoric and revolutionary action in the US left in recent years. 

Importantly, Shaka Shakur is currently dealing with multiple urgent health issues, including his battle with cancer and we have multiple links and ways people can support his legal campaign and his request for clemency. We will have links to all of this in the show notes, but just to say that he is still asking people to call in and put pressure the Department of Correction for further medical testing. That call is in the show notes as well. 

This episode was also recorded before the passing of Ed Mead who we mention in this discussion. Rest well Ed, you've earned it. 

The last thing I will say is that although this was recorded before the Palestinian struggle took center stage, I think many of Shaka’s reflections are relevant to that movement as well as the US based solidarity efforts that are currently underway so keep that in mind as you listen.

Shaka Shakur Medical Needs/Update

Shaka Shakur's Clemency Petition

Shaka Shakur's Jericho Movement page

Shaka Shakur's Legal Defense Fund

Documentary: Shaka Shakur Human Rights Held Hostage

Shaka Shakur's Defense Link Tree

Aidan Elias co-edited & co-produced this episode

In this conversation we welcome home Safear Ness. Safear is a formerly incarcerated organizer, a founder of In The Mix Prisoner Podcast, a writer, and a Revolutionary Abolitionist. 

In this conversation we discuss Safear’s recent piece “Phone Resistance” from the Study & Struggle blog. We also talk about a zine he adapted from Dan Berger and Toussaint Losier’s book Rethinking the American Prison Movement entitled Revolution: The Prison Rebellion Years, 1968-1972 (artwork by Paul Lacombe). We also get his reflections on organizing, social media, and the abolition movement as someone who became a prison abolitionist inside Pennsylvania prisons.

Safear also reflects on organizing inside, on Russell “Maroon” Shoatz concept of The Hydra, and other aspects of prison life including censorship 

There is a discussion of phone zaps as well and we get into Stevie Wilson’s current situation facing repression in PADOC. The phone campaign for that is currently taking a break, but may start-up again soon. Stay in touch by following Stevie’s twitter account operated by comrades outside the walls, and by following Dreaming Freedom, Practicing Abolition. 

For this month we will be sending copies of Mohawk Warrior Society: A Handbook for Sovereignty and Survival into our incarcerated readers. Thanks to PM Press for donating those copies and to Massive Bookshop and Prisons Kill for facilitating that project as always. You can support that project here.

We won’t be plugging our patreon this week. But definitely would encourage folks to support projects like In The Mix and In The Belly where incarcerated people are developing their own podcast and journal projects. 

Links: 

In The Mix Prisoner Podcast

In The Belly Journal

Imam Jamil Action Network

The Jericho Movement

Campaign Against Prison Censorship and Book Banning

Martin Sostre Institute

Study & Struggle

Dan Berger & Toussaint Losier on the American Prisoner Movement

 

In this episode we interview Ray Luc Levasseur. During his time underground Levasseur was a purported member of the United Freedom Front, and the Sam Melville Jonathan Jackson Unit. Prior to that Levasseur organized in several above ground formations, including the Southern Student Organizing Committee (SSOC), Vietnam Veterans Against The War, and SCAR.

We talk to Ray about his early life, and the influence of his experience in Vietnam on the development of anti-imperialist politics and commitments. 

He also shares his first incarcerated organizing experiences in Tennessee. And we have brief discussions of his time in SSOC, Vietnam Veterans Against The War, and SCAR.

After that we discuss Ray’s time underground, and the claimed activities the Sam Melville Jonathan Jackson Unit and the United Freedom Front. 

Specifically he discusses IBM’s involvement in Apartheid, and the targeting of the military and prison industrial complexes by those underground groups. 

We end with a discussion of Ray’s time in Marion and the refusal there by Levasseur and other political prisoners to build weapons for the federal government. Ray also shares thoughts on his experiences during 13 years of solitary confinement at Marion and later at ADX. And discusses why small acts of generosity and care on the outside can mean a great deal to people experiencing extreme repression. 

He leaves the discussion with several ways folks can get involved in supporting political prisoners. We will include links in the show notes for folks who want to get involved in that necessary work.

One quick urgent note, political prisoner David Gilbert goes before the parole board this month. He needs letters of support. They must be submitted by Wednesday September 8th at 6pm Eastern Time. Please go to friendsofdavidgilbert.org to get full details on the process and do that for him. 

And just a quick reminder that if you like what we do and want to support our ability to continue to do it. Become a patron of the show. We’re still working on our current goal to get 1,000 patrons of the show.

Get involved with:

Sundiata Acoli (he needs his petition signed!)

Jericho Movement

Spirit of Mandela Tribunal

Anarchist Black Cross Federation

Write to Jennifer Reznicek

Support Eric King

Check out Freedom Archives for ways to support political prisoners, and also for their amazing archives of radical movements, which including communiques from the UFF.