defenestrator archives
MOVE 9 Parole Hearings in April
Submitted by rosa on Mon, 2010-03-08 00:20
--Was Officer Ramp killed by police gunfire? An interview with Linn Washington Jr.
by Hans Bennett
Almost 30 years after their imprisonment, the eight remaining "MOVE 9" prisoners are now eligible for parole (see Philadelphia Inquirer and Metro articles). April hearings are scheduled for only seven, because Chuck Africa is eligible six months later than the others. In early April, they will be interviewed on an individual basis, and ultimately a majority 5/9 vote among the nine Parole Board Members will be needed for each prisoner's release on parole.
With the hearings just weeks away, MOVE is asking for support by contacting the Parole Board and signing the online petition. A new series of videos about the parole hearings features interviews with MOVE members Ramona Africa (the sole adult survivor of the May 13, 1985 police bombing of MOVE headquarters) and Mike Africa Jr. (the son of MOVE 9 prisoners Debbie and Mike Sr.). Ramona recently spoke in Harrisburg about parole, and the new Ona Move Newsletter has just been released.
Following the shooting death of Philadelphia Police Officer James Ramp during the Aug. 8, 1978 police siege on MOVE's headquarters in West Philadelphia, MOVE members Janine, Debbie, Janet, Merle, Delbert, Mike, Phil, Eddie, and Chuck Africa were convicted of 3rd degree murder, conspiracy, and multiple counts of attempted murder and aggravated assault. Each was given a sentence of 30-100 years. The MOVE 9 are widely considered to be political prisoners. Both the evidence and the fairness of the MOVE 9 trial have been hotly contested by MOVE and others (READ MORE).
Following their conviction, the presiding Judge admitted that he had "absolutely no idea” who had actually shot Officer Ramp, and explained that since MOVE called itself a family, he sentenced them as such. In a recent newsletter, MOVE argues that if they had shot from the basement, the bullet would have been coming at an “upward” trajectory instead of the “horizontal” and “downward” accounts that had been presented. This crucial point aside, MOVE also argues that it would have been essentially impossible to take a clean shot at that time. The water in the basement, estimated more than 7 feet deep, forced the adults to hold up children and animals to prevent them from drowning. “The water pressure was so powerful it was picking up 6 foot long railroad ties (beams that were part of our fence) and throwing them through the basement windows in on us. There’s no way anybody could have stood up against this type of water pressure, debris, and shoot a gun, or aim to kill somebody.”
March 15 at LAVA: Benefit for Movement for Justice in El Barrio
Submitted by rosa on Mon, 2010-03-08 00:20
Mexican Workers Speak Out on Labor Abuses, NAFTA
Submitted by rosa on Mon, 2010-03-08 00:20
For immediate release: March 1st, 2008
Contact:
Mike Pesa 267-972-4120 mike.pesa@gmail.com
Alexis Buss 617-680-2624 alexis.buss@gmail.com
(En español:) Justin Vitiello 215-370-3033 jvitiello@mac.com
VIDEO: Mike Africa Jr. interview about the MOVE 9 Parole Hearings
Submitted by rosa on Mon, 2010-03-08 00:20
DECLARATION AGAINST THE NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT AND THE MIGRA
Submitted by rosa on Mon, 2010-03-08 00:20
To All Communities in Resistance to Exploitation and Oppression.
To All Communities in Struggle for Indigenous Peoples’ Dignity and
Self-Determination.
To All Communities of the World.
Defenestrator issue 40
Submitted by rosa on Mon, 2010-03-08 00:20
- New Jersey Bans Death Penalty
- Guinness Records: Massacre or Suicide?
- Al Nakba Remembered in Philly
- ACTIVISTS WIN $1.5 MILLION WAGE AND BENEFIT INCREASE FROM TEMPLE AND PENN
- defenestrate my space@@@!
- Philadelphia for Philadelphians!: The Don’t Tax Me Out Campaign
- Director of Obscure Police Agency Assassinated in Oaxaca City
- To Snitch or Not To Snitch
- Army of One
- Border Anarchy
and more ...
read it all in the pdf!
Al Nakba Remembered in Philly
Submitted by rosa on Mon, 2010-03-08 00:20
60 Days of Action to Coincide with the 60th Anniversary of the Palestinian Catastrophe
By Nathaniel
This spring marks the 60th anniversary of Al Nakba, “the catastrophe,” the little known side of Israel’s creation that murdered thousands of Palestinian civilians in 1948 and drove over 700,000 others into exile after a terror campaign by the nascent Israeli state. Philly SUSTAIN (Stop US Tax-funded Aid to Israel Now!), Temple and Penn Students for Justice in Palestine and the AL Nakba Committee are responding to the call made at the US Social Forum for 60 days of action to coincide with what will likely be a self congratulatory celebration of Zionism.
Philly’s Palestine solidarity movement insist Al Nakba not be forgotten with a series of events every day from March 16th to May 15th. Defining occupation broadly to include the gentrification of Philadelphia neighborhoods through eminent domain and white colonization, solidarity activists plan to work with various groups in the city to insure Al Nakba and all occupations are remembered.
Panic! A short guide to recovering from panic attacks
Submitted by rosa on Mon, 2010-03-08 00:20
by Corina Delman
This is a guide for anyone who suffers from panic attacks and wants strategies for treating them without the use of drugs (psychiatric or recreational). Any drug that controls panic can be habit-forming and have serious side effects. Sometimes drugs are the best option; some conditions respond best to medication. Only you can judge what’s best for you. Offered here are more options, meant to help you control your attacks and understand their causes. This guide is not intended to cure or diagnose any condition. If your panic attacks are debilitating, or if you are thinking of suicide, please find help through a good counselor, psychiatrist, or trusted friend.
Anatomy of a Panic Attack
Panic attacks are sudden, overwhelming episodes of irrational fear. Common symptoms include heart palpitations, rapid breathing, dizziness, weakness, and feeling terrified. The physical symptoms are accompanied by racing thoughts and obsessive fixations. The symptoms are caused by an increase in adrenaline that creates an increase of carbon dioxide in the blood. How you react to an attack can affect how long it lasts.
There are some physical conditions that can cause anxiety attacks. These are:
Hypoglycemia
Thyroid gland problems
Adrenal gland problems, especially tumors
Cushing’s disease
Vitamin B deficiency
Epilepsy
You may want to get screened by a doctor for these disorders.
Panic attacks can be triggered by anything in your environment or internal state, including the fear of having an attack. You can learn what triggers your attacks, how to lessen their intensity, and what emotional patterns are causing them. Panic is often a response to a negative emotion that feels unsafe to experience. Overcoming panic can require dramatically changing your understanding of yourself and how you relate to the world. The better you learn how to take care of yourself, the less panic you will suffer. Listen closely to the strongest fears that arise during an attack for ideas of what you need to change, and don’t rule out any options while imagining different futures. Make sure you are in a safe space or with a trusted person when you attempt to confront your fears.
Panic attacks can actually be useful. Facing your greatest fears in the face is an act of strength, doing so makes you less ruled by fear.
New Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey:
Submitted by rosa on Mon, 2010-03-08 00:20
Police Repression and Disaster Capitalism
by eian
Mayor elect Michael Nutter recently named former Washington police chief Charles H. Ramsey as the new police commissioner, to take office along with Nutter. Charles Ramsey has a long and distinguished career heading police departments, most recently in Washington DC and previously in Chicago. Unfortunately these distinguishing characteristics have been repeated abuses of constitutional rights of citizens—especially against those attempting the exercise their right to free speech and dissent—and his predilection for declaring states of emergency during crime waves over which he presided.
Ramsey started his career in Chicago, home of machine politics and monumental police corruption, one of whose most authoritative law enforcement histories is entitled To Serve and Collect. He climbed quickly through the ranks in Chicago, surviving the tumultuous politics of graft and patronage that the windy city is so well known for. In 1983 there was a huge shakeup of the political order in Chicago with the election of Harold Washington—the city’s first black mayor and an enemy of the longstanding political dynasty of Richard J. Daley—which almost finished off the moribund Democratic machine, heavily divided along racial and ethnic lines. A fair number of Democrats switched to the Republican ticket at this time, including a longtime friend and ally of Ramsey, Terrance Gainer (currently U.S. Capitol Police Chief ), who would go on to join Ramsey in DC. Ramsey went on to serve as Commander of the Narcotics Section from 1989 to 1992 and then for two years as a Deputy Chief of the police force’s Patrol Division. In 1994 he was appointed Deputy Superintendent.
Ramsey stayed on with the Chicago department until 1998.
