Friday, July 06, 2012

POLITICAL PRISONERS WITH BIRTHDAYS IN JULY



SCISSION political prisoners friday is here with some birthdays to remember.  Let me tell you, receiving a letter or a note from the outside is something always welcomed by those inside.  


From People of Color Organize.




July POC Political Prisoner Birthdays

prison bars July POC Political Prisoner Birthdays
This month’s political prisoner birthdays. Please write about our comrades.



Gerardo Hernandez
#58739-004
U.S.P. Victorville
P.O. Box 5300
Adelanto, CA 92301
July 4, 1965


Gerardo Hernandez is one of the Cuban Five who are in U.S. prison, serving four life sentences and 75 years collectively, after being wrongly convicted.  The Five were falsely accused by the U.S. government of committing espionage conspiracy against the United States, and other related charges.  But the Five were involved in monitoring the actions of Miami-based right wing terrorist groups, in order to prevent terrorist attacks on their country of Cuba.  http://www.freethefive.org


Last year I had a very inspiring series of correspondence with Gerardo after writing him to wish him a happy birthday.  He is also an amazing artist!



Ana Lucia Gelabert
#384484
Sky View Unit
P.O. Box 999
Rusk, TX 75785
July 6, 1938


Ana Lucia Glabert is a U.S. citizen of Cuban national origin.  Born in 1938 in Central Cuba, she came to the U.S. for the last time in 1961 and has been in a Texas prison since 1984, seving two life sentences, concurrent and “non-aggravated” after an incident with Houston police in which only she was injured.  Root cause of her offense was the State of Texas trying, and suceeding, to strip her of parental rights to her own three children.  To this day, Gelabert vows that if it happened all over again today, still she would fight for her children regardless of cost or consequences.  She is a prolific political comic artist. http://www.realcostofprisons.org/comix/gelabert
She also writes poetry and on politics, please check out her work and write her a letter!



Gary Tyler
#84156 ASH-4
Louisiana State Penitentiary
Angola, LA 70712
July 10, 1959


On October 7, 1974 students at Destrehan High School, Louisiana, were sent home earlier than usual due to racial disturbances.  As the buses carrying black students back to their homes were leaving the school they were attacked by a group of 200 white people throwing stones and bottles at the buses. Timothy Weber was standing near the buses.  A shot was heard and he fell wounded; he died a few hours later in a hospital.


Gary Tyler was one of the black students on the bus from which the shot was allegedly fired.  This was not his regular bus but he had got into it as the situation had become increasingly dangerous.  All students were ordered to get off the bus by police and male students were thoroughly searched immediately; girl students were searched later at the police station.  The bus was searched on two different occasions for over three hours and no gun was found.  The bus was then taken to the police station along with the students.


At the police station the students were questioned and released.  One of them, Nathalie Blanks, stated that she has been seated next to Tyler and had seen him fire a gun into the crowd; she indicated to the police the exact place where she had been sitting.  It was after Blanks’ testimony that the police “found” a .45 automatic gun stuffed inside the seat, through a long, clearly visible tear in the seat.  The seat had been previously searched, shaken and turned upside down several times and nothing had been found.Gary Tyler maintains his innocence.  http://freegarytyler.com 


Patreese Johnson
#07-G-0635
Taconic Correctional Facility
250 Harris Road
Bedford Hills, NY 10507
July 18, 1988

Patreese Johnson is one of the New Jersey 4.  On August 18, 2006, seven young African American lesbians traveled to New York City from their homes in Newark for a regular night out. When walking down the street, a man sexually propositioned one of the women. After refusing to take no for an answer, he assaulted them. The women tried to defend themselves, and a fight broke out. The women were charged with Gang Assault in the 2nd degree, a Class C Felony with a mandatory minimum of 3.5 years.


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