-------- Original Message -------- Subject: [BRC-PP-POW] !*URGENT - TX D P Abolition Movement Date: Sat, 07 Jul 2001 00:07:44 -0400 From: Marpessa Kupendua <nattyreb1 at home.com> Reply-To: brc-pp-pow at yahoogroups.com To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;>
PLEASE SUPPORT! ================== From: <d.shorthouse at juno.com> Sent: Saturday, July 07, 2001 12:40 AM
From: Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement
<abolitionmovement at JUNO.COM>
This letter was just received by the Texas Death Penalty Abolition
Movement and needs your urgent attention! Please read carefully and
respond to the officials listed at the end of the letter.
June 19, 2001
As I write this letter, know that I am highly frustrated and, thus, I ask
for a little forbearance of you as I struggle to vent my rage.
Since my arrival on death row more than 12 years ago, I have constantly
refused to conform to the "norms" of accepting lock down conditions,
fascist treatment and out right physical attacks from ill-willed prison
guards. My refusal to go with the grain has gotten me more disciplinary
reports than most prisoners, more restrictions and most definitely more
solitary confinement. Therefore, when Texas decided to relocate death
row prisoners, my name was among the first 55 to be moved on June
18,1999.
When I arrived at the super-max - high tech -Terrell Unit, I was a level
one prisoner and thus had the full range of privileges afforded prisons
on level one status(i.e. full visitation, typewriter, radio, legal
visits, access to my inmate trust fund account and the unit commissary).
Nonetheless, all of this changed after two prisoners took a prison guard
hostage, in protest against bad prison conditions and the injustices that
have been forced upon death row prisoners by the Texas legal system.
Both prisoners, Ponchai "Kamau" Wilkerson, who was murdered by the State
on March 14th, 2000, and Howard Guidry - were members of P.U.R.E., the
acronym for Panthers United for Revolutionary Education, of which I am
chairman.
In the aftermath of the hostage taking, 13 prisoners were placed under
the most restrictive status, Level 3, for what prison officials labeled:
"Communicating" with Guidry and Wilkerson during the during a hostage
situation". Nine months later 3 of the 13 had been murdered (by the
State) and 7 of the others had been upgraded to Level I status.
After 16 months of restrictions, I continue to be detained on a
restrictive level, despite not having been given a major disciplinary
report in seven months. This is the core of my rage! My understanding
is at the stage of becoming ZERO!
In the outset, I thought to myself; "I'll just ride everything out" but
it's becoming apparent that the officials have NO intention of upgrading
my status - - no matter what my behavior is, whether it be "good" or
"bad"!
Therefore, I see the need to have outside supporters to question the
length of time for which I've been held on these levels.
The policy says: during a 90 day period, a prisoner without any major
disciplinary infractions, should be upgraded in level status ". Those
are not my words; those are the words of T.D.C.J. Leveling Systems
Policy, which was activated in 1997.
It has been 7 months since my last major infraction but I was denied an
upgrade on June 12th, 2001, .AGAIN, my understanding is on the verge of
becoming "ZERO" because I feel as if I'm being singled out, for whatever
reason[s].
I would like to encourage all of you to bombard this administration with
E-mails, faxes, phone calls, letters, personal visits anything else you
can think of, demanding answers and a correction of the review board's
decision, before they create a major problem for themselves.
In conclusion, I remain
Emerson Rudd # 000936
Terrell Unit
12002 F. M.350 South
Livingston, Texas
77351
Contact these Texas Department of Criminal Justice officials:
James Zeller, Senior Warden, Terrell Unit
12002 FM 350 South
Livingston, TX 77351
Phone: 936-967-8082
Fax: 936-967-8437
E-mail: webmaster at tdcj.state.tx.us
Priscilla Daly, Director, TDCJ Region I
James Jones, Assistant Director (over leveling), Region I
1225 Avenue G
Huntsville, Texas 77342
Phone: 936-437-1797
Fax: 936-437-1988
E-mail: webmaster at tdcj.state.tx.us
Texas Board of Criminal Justice
Phone: 512-475-3250
Fax: 512-305-9398
E-mail: tbcj at tdcj.state.tx.us
Distributed by:
The Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement
c/o SHAPE Community Center,3903 Almeda Road Houston, Tx 77004
713-521-0629 Fax: 713-521-1185 Voice Mail: 713-653-7020
E-mail: <AbolitionMovement at juno.com>
www.geocities.com/abolitionmovement =========================>
From: "Huntsville Eight" <huntsville8 at hotmail.com> Sent: Friday, July 06, 2001 5:40 PM
Huntsville 8 Court Date Approaches; Support Statement to be Printed Soon www.illegalvoices.org/huntsville8 huntsville8.com
1. Caravan to Huntsville
On Wednesday, July 11, the Huntsville 8 will go to court for a hearing on a motion for a change of venue. This motion needs your support to help expose the impossibility of a fair trial anywhere in the justice system, and especially a trial of anti-death penalty protesters in the death penalty capitol of the world.
Meet to caravan at 11:15 AM, leave at 11:30 AM Old Denny's at Crosstimbers & 45 North If you need a ride, please contact huntsville8 at hotmail.com or 281.725.1948
Hearing in Walker County Courthouse at 1:30 PM County Courthouse in the town square of Huntsville, TX For directions, please contact huntsville8 at hotmail.com or 281.725.1948
2. Support Statement is Almost Ready
While many people and groups around the world have endorsed our Support Statement - Justice Demanded for the Huntsville 8! Drop All Charges Now! - we would like to see even more representation of the broad support for our actions as part of the growing anti-death penalty movement and for dropping our charges.
A downloadable version of the statement is available on our website at www.illegalvoices.org/huntsville8. It is important to mail or fax us a copy of your signed statement for documentation purposes. We are also requesting donations to help pay for the advertising space in the Houston Press. Even if you are not able to donate now, please do not let this stop you from endorsing the statement.
Solidarity! Abolish the Death Penalty!
For further background or updated information on the the Huntsville 8, and coverage of recent events in Houston related to Shaka Sankofa (as well as the death penalty and other current events and issues), also visit: www.houston.indymedia.org
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