apffc newsletter 10

7/28/2019 APFFC Newsletter 10

1/16

www.apffc.org

WEARETHESOLUTION

TOOUROWN

PROBLEMS

Issue10 April1,2013

By Wayne Akbar Pray

From the time the general publicrecognized candidate Barack Obamaas a viable candidate, to the day thathe became the front runner, and the

historic moment when he assumed the

mantle of presidency, there has been arising cry from the left and right

from those that opposed affirmative

action, to those who supported it; that

cry was echoed by politicians, pundits

and more than a few preachers. The

aforementioned collective cry has

been NO MORE EXCUSES.

Before going further it is fitting hereto note and give a general definition

for the word excuse. For the readers

edification, it may also be fitting to

give the definition for the wordexplanation.

Excuse: in relative part, an excuse is

that one overlook or release from an

obligation. Explanation: an explanation

offers a logical reason or reasons as to whya thing has or has not happened. Anexplanation also makes plain or give andaccount for. There exists a distinct

difference here, and this difference here is

not one of degrees, it is a difference inkind.

The collective cry of no more excuses

was based upon a fact that most of us had

come to celebrate this countrys election of

its first African American President. The

euphoria that this country experiencesgenerally, and African Americans perhapsmore particularly, will long live in thehearts and minds of those that shared that

special moment in time.

It was felt by many after the auspiciousmoment, that anything was/is possible. The

consensus was and perhaps remains, that

the election of Barack Obama to the

highest office in the land, had permanently

cracked the glass ceiling under which we hadso long lived.

That assumption by many of our leaders

leads to a posture that is at best historically

naive an potentially counterproductive.

Although the contexts differ, perhapssubstantially, our celebration is not the first

time that we as a people have celebrated the

collapse of some pillar of racism orsegregation. However, in each of the prior

occasions, and there were many, there wasnever the sense that our battle against racism

both flagrant and systematic, had somehow

been won.

In 1884 Moses Fleetwood Walker became

the first African American to play major-

league baseball. Moses would later retire

from the game disgusted and disillusioned.In 1946, to much acclaim, Jackie Robinson

would integrate theContinued on page 5


2/16

loremipsumdolor issue,date

A Look at the Inappropriateness of Life Without Parole

As an Alternative to the Death Penalty

An excerpt from The Sentencing Project by Ashley Nellis.

Advocacy campaigns to eliminate the

death penalty in the United States have

made significant advances in recentyears. Death sentences have been

outlawed in five states since 2001, and

even in the thirty-four states where they

are still allowed; many states have not

carried out an execution in years.Still,the United States keeps terrible

company with other nations including

China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq,

ranking fifth worldwide in the number

of executions in 2011. In that year, theUnited States was the only western

democracy to carry out executions.The declining use of executions in the

United States shows that as a practice it

is slowly falling out of favor in

growing proportions of the country.

The momentum of death penaltyabolition and reform work can be

attributed largely to a combination of

the accomplishments of the innocence

movement, the demonstrated exorbitant

cost of the sentence, and the lengthy

appeals process.It has becomeincreasingly difficult to justify the deathpenaltys continued use in spite of

differing views one may hold on

punishment more generally. Those

who raise concerns about efficacynow join with those who oppose the

death penalty on moral grounds to

create a sizable, diverse portion of the

American public. The strategies utilized

by the death penalty abolition campaign

have broadened its support network

by reaching out to atypical allies and

have succeeded in making deathsentences less palatable to a wider

audience.

Over the same period of time, thesentences of life without possibility of

parole (LWOP) have soared.

LWOP is often touted as the humane

alternative to the death penalty, yet

many of the problematic aspects of the

death penalty are also applicable to

this sentence. The rapid growth in

LWOP sentences has occurred withlittle acknowledgement, much less

opposition.

Strategies to abolish the death penalty

can be improved upon by viewing the

successful elimination of the death

penalty as just the first step on the road

to the reformation of extreme sentences

altogether. In this view, the efforts to

eliminate the death penalty are not inconflict with efforts to eliminate LWOP.

And while LWOP is certainly not the

only sanction in need of reform, it is

the most logical place to begin becauseof the troubling qualities it shares with

the death penalty in America.

The use of life without parole sentences

has increased by 300% in the past two

decades.Between 1992 and 2008, the

number of prisoners serving LWOP rose

from 12,453 to more than 41,000. In

sixteen states and the federal system, thediscretionary parole system has beeneliminated rendering all life-sentencedconvicts in those jurisdictions ineligible

for release.

Though LWOP is available in nearly

every state,such sentences are

disproportionately represented in Florida,

Pennsylvania, Louisiana, California, and

Michigan.Combined, these states

accounted for 53.5% of all LWOP

sentences nationwide in 2008.Racial

disparities are deeply troubling: Blackscomprised 56.4% of the LWOP

population nationwide in 2008, but this

figure was as high as 73.9% and 73.3%in Georgia and Louisiana, respectively.

Juveniles represent a growing segment oflife-sentenced inmates who do not have

the opportunity for parole, now totaling

more than 2,500 prisoners.

Tough on Crime

One reason that the number of peopleserving LWOP sentences increased is that

policymakers ratcheted up the severity of

sentences in the 1980s and 1990s.Elevatedcrime rates and crime fears at that time

contributed to a new system of

punishment that prioritized the offense

over the offender and pushed for

increasingly lengthy stays in prison. Catch

phrases such as do the crime, do the time

and life means life were popularized and

quickly translated into crime policies thatultimately eliminated many of the

indeterminate sentencing structures that

had been in place for more than a century,

replacing them with determinate, longsentences.

Prominent among these tough-on-crime

sentencing policies are three-strikes laws,

one of the drivers of LWOP. Three-strikes

laws have been promoted as providing

confidence that upon a defendants third

conviction he or she will be given an

extremely long prison sentencepreferably one that locks him or her away

for life. Between 1993 and 1995, twenty-

four states and the federal governmentenacted three- strikes laws. While most of

the life sentences resulting from three-strikes laws allow for the possibility of

parole, thirteen states and the federal

government have three-strikes laws that

mandate LWOP for certain crimes.

In 1994, Georgia passed a two-strike law

that requires, upon conviction of the firststrike, that individuals convicted of

kidnapping, armed robbery, rape,

aggravated sodomy, aggravated sexual

battery, and aggravated child molestationare sentenced to a minimum of ten years

without parole. A second strike results in

life without parole. The mandatory

sentence for all homicide convictions is

death, life imprisonment, or LWOP;

however, even those sentenced to life

imprisonment must serve a minimum of

thirty years before becoming eligible forparole. Within the first few years, fifty-

seven people were sentenced to LWOP

under the new law. As of August 2012,737 Georgia prisoners were serving

LWOP, a 270% increase from its

population of 199 LWOP prisoners in

August 2000. And despite the intended

Continued on page 3


3/16

loremipsumdolor issue,dateContinued from page 2

purpose of the law, LWOP sentenceshave not been reserved for the worst of

the worst. Only a slight majority(58.93% as of October 2012) of life-

sentenced Georgia inmates with no

chance for parole have been

convicted of homicide.

LWOP can be a powerful tool to

motivate defendants to plead guilty in

exchange for having their lives spared

by the state. Knowing this, prosecutors

have been known to charge a defendantwith capital murder in the hopes that he

or she will plead guilty and accept areduced, LWOP sentence. This practice

has been approved by the Supreme

Court, though the moral and ethical

appropriateness of it is questionable,

and it has eased the ways in which

defendants receive an LWOP sentence.

Mandatory SentencesBy 1963, all states had abolished the

mandatory imposition of the death

penalty. Analyses of executions before

and after mandatory death sentences

were permitted show a marked decline

in the use of the death penalty whendiscretion is allowed. In at least twenty-

nine jurisdictions, life without parole ismandatorily applied in some

circumstances. The consequence of this

is that decisions are not the product of

reasoned deliberations.

The issue of mandatory LWOP

sentences, at least for some, received

national attention in June 2012 because of

the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Miller

v. Alabama. Miller held that individuals

who are under the age of eighteen at the

time of their crime cannot mandatorily be

sentenced to life in prison without the

possibility of parole. In this particular case,

Mr. Miller was fourteen at the time he

committed homicide. Similar to other recentrulings on juveniles, the Court maintainedthat juveniles actions do not necessarily

predict who they will become once they

mature into adulthood. Mandatory sentences

preclude the possibility of a second look and

were therefore determined to be

unconstitutional for individuals under

eighteen.

Judges are often frustrated with mandatory

sentences such as LWOP. In one review offederal judicial opinions on sentencing,repeated concerns were voiced aboutextremely long sentences for non-violent

and first time offenders. According to one

judge, sentences that held nonviolent

offenders past the age of sixty were

pointless.Moreover, if there is no likelihood of

release before death or old age, some judges

are troubled that these defendants will have

no hope, and therefore, little incentive to bemodel prisoners. Judges have also noted

that giving a thirty-year sentence when

fifteen would accomplish the same goal is

fiscally irresponsible.

Federal judges have expressed muchfrustration in their limited discretion at the

sentencing stage when a mandatory lifesentence is the only option. Individuals who

pose no threat of physical harm and have

been convicted of nonviolent offenses are

nevertheless subjected to mandatory

LWOP sentences under harsh federal

sentencing structures. Recollecting one

such case, a federal judge remarked in an

interview that had he not been forced to

issue an LWOP sentence, he would have

opted for a term of ten to twelve years.

Racial Disparity

Racial disparity is a widely documented

problem in death sentences; multiple

studies confirm that race plays a

fundamental role in sanctions imposed

within the criminal justice system.94 The

race of the victim appears to play a

particularly important role in whether thedeath penalty is sought.95Any sentence that is more likely to beimposed because of ones racial or ethnic

background, all other factors being equal,

is inappropriate. Just as it is wrong to

administer a death sentence when it is

discovered that the trial phase was

influenced by race, it is also wrong to

sentence someone to life in prison for this

reason. Yet we see this playing out in

states around the country.

Of the 41,095 people serving LWOPsentences (as of 2008), 48.3% are

African-American. While data on the raceof the victims for all people serving life

without parole sentences has not been

gathered, an analysis of data on juvenilelife without parole (JLWOP) shows that

the proportion of African-Americans

serving JLWOP sentences for killing a

white person (43.4%) is nearly twice the

rate at which African- American juveniles

overall have been arrested for taking awhite persons life (23.2%). Perhaps otherfactors, such as a prior record, account for

this large-scale disparity, but until we canbe absolutely certain that these other

factors provide a full explanation, it is

inappropriate to permit criminal

sentencing that produces racial disparity.

To read the complete report visit:www.sentencingproject.orghttp://sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/jj_N

ellis 2013 Tinkering with Life U Miami LawReview.pdf


4/16


No RespectByRudyWilliams


5/16


*******

POETRY BY SAINT

Written by Semaj Thomas '13

An Explanation, Not An Excuse

Continued from page 1

America. In the same breath that we celebrate this


6/16


ByOsbedMerced

Machismo (pron.: /mtizmo/;

/mtzmo/, Spanish: [matizmo],Portuguese: [mimu]), ormachoism is

the practice of being macho or manly.The

term "macho" has a long history in both

Spain and Mexico. Inpre-Colombian

Mexico it was an (Aztec) Nahuatl word

meaning wisdom and leadership; itdescribed a person who was enlightened,

respected and emulated. Meanwhile, the

term "macho" in Spanish was a strictlymasculine term, derived from the Latin

"masculus" meaning male. When Spain

colonized Mexico, these two distinctmeanings fused together to create a

powerful new concept, that of masculine

honor that was to

be respected and

imitated. TheMexican brand of

masculinity was

born. Macho men

were to have

bravery, courage

and strength as wellas wisdom and

leadership. "Ser

macho" was

something all boys

were to aspire

to.During the mid20th century, the

term "machismo" began to be criticized by

Americans and ridiculed in literature,

television and film. The stereotypical

Latino immigrant was described as an

oversexed, overly aggressive, "macho"

loser. During the women's liberationmovement of the 1960s and 70s, the term

began to be used by feminists to describe

male aggression and violence. The term

was used by Latina feminists and scholars

to criticize the patriarchal structure ofgendered relations in Latino communities.

Their goal was to describe a particular

Latin American brand ofpatriarchy

The English word "machismo" derivesfrom the identical Spanish and

Portuguese word. Spanish and

Portuguese machismo refers to the

assumption that masculinity is superior tfemininity, a concept similar to R. W

Connell's Hegemonic masculinity.

Presently in the sense that supposed

feminine traits among males (or traitshistorically viewed as non-feminineamong females, see marianismo) are to

be deemed undesirable, socially

reprovable or deviations. Gender roles

make an important part of human identit

as we conduct our

identities through ourhistorical and current

social actions.

Machismo's attitudes

and behaviours may be

frowned upon or

encouraged at variousdegrees in societies or

subcultures , albeit it

is associated with more

misogynistic

undertones, primarily

in present views on the

past.

Women can be said to be '"machistas",

women who support the macho culture,

mainly as a pejorative term used by othe

women who see themselves as more

liberated or by pro-feminist men. In theculture of machismo, as well as in

Western cultures hypermasculinity, theidealized womankind is that submissive,

conservative, "pure" and family-centered

the opposite of many, if not all, the

characteristics of themacho gender role.


7/16



8/16


BY AKBAR PRAYCOMING SPRING OF 2013

FromtheAuthorofDeathoftheGame


9/16


Where Do We Go From Here?

A Summary of The Schott 50 State Report 2012

By Milagros Milan Harris Below are a few of the reports findings and commentary. For the full report, go to:

www.blackboysreport.org

The persistence in graduation gaps identifiable by race and gender over the last


10/16


1

ByOmifalade

The questions have been asked, Is Hip

Hop Music Destroying America, Is Hip

Hop A Threat To Our Children or Should

Rappers Be Accountable For Their

Lyrics? You be the judge. Earlier this

year the song Karate Chop leakedonline featuring rapper Lil Wayne. He

raps, Bout to put rims on my skateboardwheels/Beat that (expletive/woman

genital) up like Emmett Till. A fewweeks later a song by rapper Rocko

featuring Rick Ross was release called

You Dont Even Know It. Rick Ross

raps, Put molly all in her champagne,

she aint even know it/ I took her home

and I enjoyed that, she aint even know

it. Yes, we have our freedom of speechright, but when is freedom of speech

taken too far?

Many would say both rappers have taken

their lyrical content too far and offendedtoo many. The family and estate of Emit

Till have released a statement of

disapproval over Lil Waynes disregard

and disrespectful lyrics. Though his

record label issued a statement of

apology, the rapper has yet to do so. Inthe case of Rick Ross, a petition has been

started over his blatant disregard forwomen and the issue of date rape. The

U.S. Department of Justice estimates that

over 300,000 women are raped or

sexually assaulted per year in the UnitedStates alone. That is a disturbing number

and should not be taken lightly. His

lyrics not only condone the behavior, but

he boasts about it in the song. While

some feel its only entertainment, manyfeel it sends and encourages the wrong

message. Several individuals and

organizations have taken a stand and so are

we. Effective immediately MuskegonsWUVSlp 103.7 the Beat has pulled ALL

Lil Wayne and Rick Ross music fromrotation. We pride ourselves on playing

music that is non-degrading and non-

violent. While we believe in freedom of

speech, creative writing and individualism

we refuse to be part of the problem by

spreading messages that could harm or end

someones life.

Sign the Rape, Rick Ross and

Responsibility Petitionhere

For all Press/Media inquiries please cal

231-727-5007.

We encourage you to follow us on Twitter

@1037thebeat and on Facebook at 103.7

the Beat WUVS-LP for our latest socia

news.

Letter to my menzs

Dear nena LIlly ahi yai yai

I wrote leter to my menz at zing- a- ling prison an nena no se wa hapen, Rosita

tel me to put all my menz nombres en cc so I no has to write mucha letta these is

wha I write I sho jew.

cc malik, pedro, juan, joe, Antonio, hakim, michaeal, y carlo

Dear malik hola papi I miss jew mucho an I waas so hungry for jew love I missa

jew mucho an I wana pput tu pinga in my boca mouth for jew I no jew lik tha mee

tu

I cano go to sea jew no moni bu I do my nales day loo bella lika me jew no no

Linda

Bellajaka hehehe hony I go see jeww at zing-a-ling prison in the da dia I havetmoni

Jew no jew my luv I hab only jew papi my chocho misa jew mucho I wayt for jew

luv

Maria lupita sanchez rivera

Mi amiga wa hapen el saa hee me mata wy I rite nice leter que paso?

A LOVE LETTER

FROM YOUR

CHONGA

SWEETHEART


11/16



12/16


1

By William Thomas


13/16


1

Having Mr. Pryor take time out of his busyschedule to speak to my eighth grade students about

the harsh realities of life was a great opportunity to

expose students to certain truths they were blinded

by. Mr. Pryor engaged students in dialogueconcerning life in the hood, the street corner and more

importantly the severe consequences they may face asa result of choosing to accept cultural norms as

opposed to breaking free both mentally and

spiritually.His vivid imagery and detailed descriptions

of his life story will forever be embedded in the

minds of these students, as their understanding and

perception of life was clearly misconstrued in many

ways. The speaker brought light to a dim reality

through emphasis of self reflection, tenants of

education, assuming accountability for ones actions

and gaining a strong sense of consciousnessindicative of one's life path.

Students were thoroughly engaged in his

lecture, wrapped up in his positive aura andconsumed in the thought that someone could finally

relate to their struggles and provide hope for futures

that often seem dismal, given their surroundings. We

hope that Mr. Pryor will consider visiting us soon

again, as there is a definite need to continue this

imperative work with our youth.

-Nadira Raghunandan

Literacy Consultant

We are the solution to our own problems.ThecenterpieceoftheAPPFCseffortstoliveuptoitsmottoisitsoutreachprogram.Ledby OutreachDirector,AkmoonPryor

theprogramhasembarkedonamissiontobringamessagetoanincreasinglyyoungeraudience:

Thestreetsarenotforwinnerstheconsequencesofextralegalactivityaretoogreat.Life,freedomandtheheartache

ofbrokenfamiliesandspiritsaretoohighapricefordreamsofsuccessthatwillneverberealized.Thepathtoprogress

intheinnercitycommunitiesiseducation,entrepreneurshipandcivicengagement.

Theprogramoriginatedin2011,atNewarksCentralHighSchool,withspeakersandmentorswithstreetcred

routinelyvisiting,speakingtoandmentoringindividualstudents,classesandoftenentireauditoriumsofyoungpeople.Our

mentorshavebeenknowntoshowupatamomentsnoticetodiffusesituations,offeringadviseandsupporttoatrisk

youths.Theprogramlaterexpandedintootherhighschoolsandafterschoolprogramssuchasaprogramforadjudicated

youthsatASPIRAinNewark,NJ.OurlatesteffortshavebeenamongMiddleSchoolchildreninJerseyCity,NewJersey.Below

arepicturesfromarecentvisittoan8 thGradeclassandatestimonialfromtheirteacher,Ms.NadiraRaghunandan.The

studentsfollow-upassignmentwastowriteindividualletterstoMr.Pryor,whichwehopetoshareinafutureissue.

Andwhilethebenefitsofmentoringmaybetargetedattheyoungpeople,thereisalsoagreatbenefitforthementorswhocometointeractwiththeyoungandimpressionableyouths,manyofwhomhavefirsthandexperiencewiththeCriminal

JusticeSystem.InMr.Pryorsswords:Iamalwaysgratefulfortheopportunitytousemyexperiencestopreventayoung

personfromhavingtogothroughwhatIhavebeenthrough.

Ifyouarenotpartofthesolution,

Youarepartoftheproblem.


14/16


1

this doesnt apply to the thousands who

suffer with emotional disabilities and lackof a strong sense of purpose and self who

are discarded in supermax prisons across

the country. Isolation prisons seem to have

become the new public housing for the

emotionally unhealthy that the system is

unwilling to cope with. The long terms

effects really lay within the internalfortitude of the individual.

APPFC: Give our readers a layman's sense

of sensory deprivation and it's role insolitary confinement.

BK: Prolonged solitary confinement in the

form of control units, security threat group

management units, special needs units,

communications management units, etc.has been a long time concern for many

prison activists on both sides of the walls.

Control units surfaced during the 60s and

70s when many in my generation believed

we were free to dissent politically, It wasduring these tumultuous years of the civilrights movement when large number of

activists found themselves in US prisons.

Unlike physical or chemical torture,

Sensory deprivation is no touch torture.

This is a set of practices used to inflict pain

or suffering without resorting directly tophysical violence: sleep deprivation,

sensory disorientation, solitary

confinement, humiliation, extreme cold or

heat, extreme light or dark, intentional

placement situations, a systematic attack on

Interview With Bonnie Kerness Part 2

APFFC: Bonnie, what are the long-term

effects, both physically andpsychologically of long term solitary

incarceration?

BK: I have found that emotional and

intellectual traits, ones physical andpsychological resources, are crucial to

how well people survive long-term

isolation. In order to survive protracted

isolation one must have a strong sense of

self and purpose. If you do not hang onto

your convictions and ideologies, you are

lost. Its been my experience over theyears that people placed in long-term

isolation for political reasons do not

struggle with emotional or physical

deterioration. They have a clear

understanding that the governments

purpose of this form of politicalinternment is to break them

psychologically. It was at the behest of

many of these political people that AFSC

developed the Survivors Manual

written by people living in isolation forpeople living in isolation. The strength

of the self-developed cell programs

described in the Manual were inspired by

the experience of former US political

prisoner Ojore Lutalo, who spent 22years in political isolation for

entertaining thoughts that the

government didnt approve of. Ojore andothers of political understanding come

out of their extended isolation experience

undamaged. The more resilient have a

firm sense of identity, self-confidenceand optimism. They tend to hold strong

beliefs, political or religious. Another

key component to surviving long-term

isolation, is understanding the methods

that the state employs to break the mindsof men and women as footnoted below

in the Bidermans chart and excerpts of

Breaking Mens Minds. Unfortunately,

all human stimuli. The intentional

placement situations are designed to bepsychologically abusive- i.e. Ojore being

placed in a cell drenched with human

blood after a prisoner attempted suicide

or Shaheed (a street organization

member) being put into a Special Needs

Unit after challenging the abusive

practices occurring in NJs NorthernState Prison Security Threat Group

Management Unit. Shaheed did an

interview with us after his release in

2011 and reported witnessing thetyrannical abuse of the mentally ill. He

said to me, Whatever torture I

experienced in the gang unit was nothing

compared to what I saw them to do the

mentally ill people in the Special Needs

unit. AFSC has obtained a video taken

by Omar Broadway when he was in theSTGMU, which I show often when I

speak publicly. Its depiction of the daily

torture of these young men is graphic.

Ms. Kerness is Prison Watch

Coordinator of The American Friends

Service Committee, a Quaker

organization that promotes lasting peace

with justice as they nurture the seeds of

change and respect for human life that

transform social relations and systems.

In theMarch issue, Ms. Kerness expressed her views

on the increased use of solitary confinement in

Americas prisons. This month, we continue with a

dicussion on the physical and psychologial toll thissytematic torture inflicts on inmates.


15/16


1

ByJosephJazzHayden

Two systems of criminal justice have once

again been confirmed, this time on theinternational stage with the exposure of one

of the largest banks in the world, HSBC, as

one of the biggest money launderers in theworld.

It has long been my position that the

criminal justice system that poor and

oppressed people desire already exists. It is

a system of restitution, fines, community

service, and non-incarceration; unlike the

totally punitive system of jails, prisons,

chain gangs, death penalties, and harsh

prison conditions.There has always been this duplicity that

has been based on power and privilege in

America. Racial control of the power

structure and white-skinned privilege hasunabashedly designed these two systems to

meet their needs for social control.

To show the glaring

disparity between how

the rich andpowerfulare treated, in contrast

to how the poor andvulnerable are treated, I

need only relate a

chapter in my lifeexperience.

In 1977, I was arrested,

along with about 15other men of color, and

charged with conspiracy

to violate the federal

drug laws of the United

States. There was a

media frenzy aroundthis case because the

lead defendant was none other than the

notorious Nicky Barnes. His noterietycame from his lawyers success in beating

several flawed attempts to arrest and

convict Mr. Barnes. The New York

Times labeled him Mr.Untouchable. There were claims of a

sophisticated corporate structure (labeled

the Council) that sold millions of dollars in

illicit drugs across the country, engaging inviolence, money laundering, and other

related drug crimes. Curiously, probably

the most damning evidence against this

band of brothers was that they all paid theirtaxes on their illicit income. A reading of

their income tax returns offered into

evidence showed that many of them used

tax accountants out of Detroit to prepare

their taxes this was used as damning

evidence of conspiracy, paying taxes.Well, out of all of those on trial I was the

only one charged with money laundering. I

was not charged with selling, possessing, ordistributing drugs, just exchanging some

$47,000 in small bills for $100 dollar

bills. This money came from three after

hours clubs (gambling), a variety store, and

a restaurant common enterprises in the

economically marginalized Harlems of

America. Well, I was convicted of

conspiracy. When the judge asked what was

done with the money that was received fromme the court was told that it was put back in

circulation, that it was not connected to any

drug transactions. I was given 15 years,

lifetime parole, and a $30,000 fine. Thejustice department, in a hearing before the

Congress, bragged about their first time ever

convicting someone in a drug conspiracy who

had no connection to drug transactions. Oh,and I forgot to mention that another first was

accomplished by the government in their lust

to convict these 15 black men from New

York City. The government broke over 200years of precedent by empaneling an

anonymous jury, a jury designated by

numbers no names, no religion, no race or

ethnic background just numbers.Fast-forward to the present and we have a

money launderer of billions of dollars from

drug cartels and nations under sanctions from

the UN and the United States ofAmerica. Europes largest bank not a

ghetto sidewalk executive, HSBC the largest

bank in Europe, money launderer in

chief. NO prison! No house arrest! Not fired

from their jobs and banned from

banking? Oh, they are Profoundly

Sorry. We accept responsibility foour past mistakes, Gulliver said in the

statement. I did every day of my

15-year sentence. The Supreme

Court threw out the lifetime parole

(or I would still be doing that). And,

I was so broke by the time I wasreleased that the judge they took me

before (the day of my release) said

enough of this

persecution and threw

out the fine.

My story is the story of

millions of people of

color in this country;

there is no justice in

America for the poor

and themarginalized. Just

stand outside thecriminal courts, traffic

courts, and civil courts

on any day of the weekand you will see long

lines of poor people of

color black, brown,

and beige receiving

poor people injustice. Some of us

come out of this prison-industrial

complex in a state of constant ragewith but one goal; dismantle this

monster.

Join me! Join the Campaign to Endthe New Jim Crow.

Joseph Jazz Hayden

Joseph Jazz Hayden is the founder

and CEO of Still Here Harlem

Productions and its

offshoot AllThingsHarlem.com. He

is also the initiator of the CampaignTo End The New Jim Crow, a

campaign to build a national

movement to end mass incarceration

and to build caring communities.

Two Systems of Justice


16/16


MISSION STATEMENTThe Akbar Pray Foundation For Change (APFC) is a not for profit grassroots organization, dedicated to redirecting the lives

of our urban at risk youth. It has been and remains our organizations mantra that " we are the solution to our own

problems." It is our core belief that there are those within our communities, if so engaged, who can help turn the tide of crime,

delinquency and recidivism which grips the lives of so many our inner city youth.

Operating from the premise that to effectively attack or address any problem you must start at its root, we have begun a

program in some of our citys schools and group homes, where we supply speakers, mentors, CDs and written material from

the organizations founder, which cuts to the heart of the problem experienced by many of these youths. Some times workingwith former gang members, inner city icons and others that have what is referred to as street cred, we have been able to

achieve remarkable results.

Expanding on our mission, we continuously recruit individuals from various work disciplines to aid in educating young men

and woman with marketable skills.

To those ends we have engaged people both inside and outside our community to come to our classes and or workshops to

share and discuss the ups and downs, ins and outs of a wide range of work disciplines and careers. Never favoring one career

path over any other, we have invited professors, urban fiction writers, successful members of the hip hop industry, general

construction contractors and a Superior Court Judge to these open discussions and Socratic Circle seminars.

Again, it is our core belief that "we are the solution, to our own problems." In closing. We invite your participation in this

noble undertaking.

IF NOT YOU, THEN WHO?

IF NOT NOW, THEN WHEN?

A Petition for aPresidential Commutation on behalf of Wayne Akbar Pray has beensubmitted to the Office of the Pardon Attorney. It is a request that his non-parolable life-sentence be commuted,making him eligible for parole in the near future. His success depends on the efforts and the voice of hiscommunity. Below you can find the numbers and addresses of those who are in possession of the CommutationPackage. A call to any or all of them on behalf of Wayne Pray could make the difference whether he is returned

to his family and community or spends the rest of his years in prison. Please make the call!

Attorney General Eric Holder

Correspondence to the Department,including the Attorney General, may besent to:

U.S. Department of Justice

950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20530-0001

By Phone

Department of Justice Main Switchboard -202-514-2000

Office of the Attorney General Public

Comment Line - 202-353-1555

By E-Mail

E-mails to the Department of Justice,

including the Attorney General, may besent to [email protected]. E-mails will

be forwarded to the responsible

Department of Justice component for

appropriate handling.

Fax: (202) 225-7854

Congresswoman Maxine Waters

2344 Rayburn House Office BuildingWashington, DC 20515Phone: (202) 225-2201

Congressman Donald Payne Jr.103Cannon House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Phone: (202) 225-343Newark Office

60 Nelson Place

14th Floor (LeRoy F. Smith, Jr. Publi

Safety Building)

Newark, NJ 07102

Phone: (973)-645-32136

Correspondence to the Department of Justice,

Office of the Pardon Attorney, may be sent to:Ronald L. RogersOffice of the Pardon Attorney

1425 New York Avenue, N.W.

Suite 11000

Washington, D.C. 20530

By Email

[email protected] (noattachments)

By Phone

(202) 616-6070

Congressman John Conyers

Washington Office: 202-225-5126 Detroit Office: 313-961-5670

Trenton / Downriver Office: 734-675-4084

You can also visit me on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/CongressmanConyers.Why? Because it is

your right!

Akbar Pray Foundation For Change

apffc newsletter 10

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