Arizona Prison Watch (retired): Mail Art 4 Mumia Campaign!

Retiring Arizona Prison Watch...

This site was originally started in July 2009 as an independent endeavor to monitor conditions in Arizona's criminal justice system, as well as offer some critical analysis of the prison industrial complex from a prison abolitionist/anarchist's perspective. It was begun in the aftermath of the death of Marcia Powell, a 48 year old AZ state prisoner who was left in an outdoor cage in the desert sun for over four hours while on a 10-minute suicide watch. That was at ASPC-Perryville, in Goodyear, AZ, in May 2009.

Marcia, a seriously mentally ill woman with a meth habit sentenced to the minimum mandatory 27 months in prison for prostitution was already deemed by society as disposable. She was therefore easily ignored by numerous prison officers as she pleaded for water and relief from the sun for four hours. She was ultimately found collapsed in her own feces, with second degree burns on her body, her organs failing, and her body exceeding the 108 degrees the thermometer would record. 16 officers and staff were disciplined for her death, but no one was ever prosecuted for her homicide. Her story is here.

Marcia's death and this blog compelled me to work for the next 5 1/2 years to document and challenge the prison industrial complex in AZ, most specifically as manifested in the Arizona Department of Corrections. I corresponded with over 1,000 prisoners in that time, as well as many of their loved ones, offering all what resources I could find for fighting the AZ DOC themselves - most regarding their health or matters of personal safety.

I also began to work with the survivors of prison violence, as I often heard from the loved ones of the dead, and learned their stories. During that time I memorialized the Ghosts of Jan Brewer - state prisoners under her regime who were lost to neglect, suicide or violence - across the city's sidewalks in large chalk murals. Some of that art is here.

In November 2014 I left Phoenix abruptly to care for my family. By early 2015 I was no longer keeping up this blog site, save occasional posts about a young prisoner in solitary confinement in Arpaio's jail, Jessie B.

I'm deeply grateful to the prisoners who educated, confided in, and encouraged me throughout the years I did this work. My life has been made all the more rich and meaningful by their engagement.

I've linked to some posts about advocating for state prisoner health and safety to the right, as well as other resources for families and friends. If you are in need of additional assistance fighting the prison industrial complex in Arizona - or if you care to offer some aid to the cause - please contact the Phoenix Anarchist Black Cross at PO Box 7241 / Tempe, AZ 85281. collective@phoenixabc.org

until all are free -

MARGARET J PLEWS (June 1, 2015)
arizonaprisonwatch@gmail.com

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Mail Art 4 Mumia Campaign!

From "etta and the mailart4mumia working group". Sounds like an awesome idea. Great links at the bottom.

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please translate – please forward – Please respond electronically to Mailart4mumia@gmail.com

Flood the White House – Mail Art 4 Mumia

www.mailart4mumia.org

Mumia Abu-Jamal – The world’s most well-known political prisoner may be re-sentenced to death.

Demand a new fair trial! Mail your solidarity!

Send your own Mail 4 Mumia to the White House anytime during the week of April 24^th 2010

Although if you miss the deadline – the white house never closes –aka never too late to send art to the white house for Justice

Barak Obama – The Whitehouse 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, D.C. –20500 usa

Create Paintings, Prints, Drawings, Collages, Sculpture, Extremely, Beautiful Letters, Anything Mailable.

Anything Non Liquid, Non Perishable, Non Hazardous.

Why send art to the White House?

Art is a form of expression that needs no translation. By sending your own creative petition to the White House it demonstrates worldwide support and draws attention to Mumia’s unjust imprisonment. Tell the U.S. government that we stand with Mumia and will not allow him to be EXECUTED!

Please send a photo, copy or some sort of documentation for Local Art Show. Mumia lives in Solitary Confinement one hour from Pittsburgh. All contributions will be responded to.

Mailart 4 Mumia – 3807 Melwood Ave –Pittsburgh, PA 15213 usa– mailart4mumia@gmail.com

Here's a short list of websites with history on Mumia's case, legal background, audio interviews, movies, youtube clips, and Mumia's radio essays. Follow these for updates and background on the case:

Journalists for Abu-Jamal (great site, lots of links to others, audio and video on the right hand column: http://abu-jamal-news.com/

Free Mumia Coalition, NYC: http://www.freemumia.com/

Free Mumia, San Francisco: http://www.freemumia.org/

Educators for Mumia: http://www.emajonline.com/

The MOVE Organization: http://onamove.com/

Mumia's Radio Commentaries, updated weekly: http://prisonradio.org/mumia.htm

Movies Online

Framing an Execution: Mumia Abu-Jamal and the Media (narrated by Danny Glover): http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2537462601888502694#

A Case of Reasonable Doubt, HBO Documentary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT3ubcPE1aU

Video Interviews with Mumia:

From Death Row: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRGFZ1eLJO4

Mumia on Political Parties: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_hLAmMM_aE

Mumia on the Economy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQjmHQU0VE4

Mumia on Prisons: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37u3sPHjrro

Mumia Fighting for his life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OD130EKCOsE

Arizona Prison Watch (retired)

Retiring Arizona Prison Watch...

INDIGENOUS ACTION MEDIA

Taala Hooghan Infoshop

Kinlani/Flagstaff Mutual AID

MASS LIBERATION AZ

Black Lives Matter PHOENIX METRO

BLACK PHX ORGANIZING COLLECTIVE

BLACK PEOPLE's JUSTICE FUND

PHOENIX: Trans Queer Pueblo

COVID Mutual AID PHOENIX

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Mail Art 4 Mumia Campaign!

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