We’re sharing here a recent conversation that I had with Thomas Meyer-Falk, an anarchist who just finished a 27 year prison stint in Germany to speak about his life, his incarceration and his hopes now that he’s out. Thomas was involved in a bank robbery in 1996 as a young RASH anarchist skinhead who hoped to fund above ground and underground leftist organizing and continued to be incarcerated for the threats he made upon his capture. While inside he toned it down a bit, became a jailhouse lawyer of sorts and built connections with publishing projects, support groups and a radio station on the outside.
He’s now out and working at that radio station in Freiberg, RDL, and hopes to be come involved in helping immigrants navigate the legal system in Germany. You can find his blog, mostly in German, at https://freedomforthomas.wordpress.com.
Announcement
Fundraiser for Zolo Azania
A quick reminder, there’s a fundraising effort ongoing to help former Black Liberation Fighter and political prisoner, Zolo Agona Azania (who we’ve featured a couple of times on this show) could use some support. Since he’s been out of prison after 35 years inside, he’s been an active community organizer on projects including re-entry for formerly incarcerated folks and offering pro bono legal help to folks still behind bars. He’s in need of some support with car repair payments to help him keep his wage job and keep doing his support work. You can donate to him on cashapp via the handle $ZoloAzania5, on zelle using azaniazolo5 at gmail dot com or on venmo using @zolo-azania
To find more anti-repression fundraisers needing support and boosting, check out the column on ItsGoingDown.Org called In Contempt, where you can also find info on prisoners who’ve just been moved, have upcoming birthdays or who are in need of other help.
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Featured Track:
Hetzjagd (Auf Nazis!) by Alec Empire ( of Atari Teenage Riot) from Riot Beats comp
Then, we’re sharing Sean Swain’s segment on Goyaałé, aka Geronimo. [00:29:14 – 00:38:27]
Finally, we’ll be sharing a panel discussion by members of the A-Radio Network recorded on Saturday, July 22nd 2023 at the International Anarchist Gathering at St-Imier, Jura, Switzerland on the history and role of radio in anarchist and anti-authoritarian resistance, mostly in Europe. If you’re listening to the live radio edition, you’ll hear about 1/3 of that segment, but can hear the whole thing at our website, TheFinalStrawRadio.NoBlogs.Org or at A-Radio-Network.Org [00:38:27 – 01:36:45]
The following is an interview we conducted with Katka and Hazel, who both live in the UK and were recently back from Bakur, the portion of Kurdistan within the borders of Turkey. For 2 hours the guests speak about the political violence from Erdogan’s ruling AKP, suppression of the Kurdish movement, electoral strategies, democratic confederalism, political prisoners and the F-Type prisons in Turkey, the earthquakes from earlier in the year, widespread corruption and other topics. We hope you enjoy this conversation,. A transcript of this interview will be available in the near future. You can reach the guests at BakurDelegationUK at riseup dot net
First up, former co-host on the show Scott talks about the upcoming Another Carolina Anarchist Bookfair happening the weekend of August 11 – 13th, some of the content and notes on access, as well as mentioning some new projects their involved with. You can learn more about the bookfair by visiting ACABookfair.noblogs.org , the project’s instagram, facebook or mastodon.
Then, Fern from the International Anarchist Defense Fund (AFund.Info) talks about the upcoming International Week of Solidarity with Anarchist Prisoners from August 23-30th, taking place wherever you make it happen. You can find the call-out, materials, supported prisoners, some anti-repression groups involved and info on past actions and events at https://Solidarity.International .
Hybachi Lamar, an incarcerated Black, Kemetic anarchist being held at the Cook County Jail talks about the conditions in the jail in an audio message that is shared alongside links to his writings and info on how to help South Chicago Anarchist Black Cross support him. All of this can be found at https://southchicagoabc.org/helpcompa/
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Featured Track:
Everything In Its Right Place (by Radiohead) by The String Quartet from Strung Out On Kid A – The String Quartet Tribute To Radiohead
First up, after some announcements concerning a local case of police brutality and jail issues in Buncombe County, NC, we’ll hear a statement from Mark “Mustafa” Hinkston, a politicized prisoner we first heard from some years back, who is being held in Ohio about the cruelty of his keeping. His letter can be found below.
[ 00:07:07 – 00:23:57]
Then, we’ll hear a reading out of Against Oblivion, Against Despair: A Call for June 11th , an invitation to the 2023 celebration of the June 11th International Day of Solidarity with Marius Mason and All Long-Term Anarchist Prisoners. More on that, including translations of the statement, statements by prisoners, artwork, action reports, can be found at June11.org.
[ 00:24:47 – 01:00:24 ]
Finally, we’ll hear a chat with Chazz, an anarchist participating in continued support of prisoners from the George Floyd Uprising. You can find more on some of these prisoners at UprisingSupport.Org, and info for other political prisoners at PrisonerSolidarity.Com.
If you’ve been seeing our social media presence, you’ll note that we’ve been releasing interviews into our patreon stream early. You’ll start seeing some of those soon appearing in our podcast stream in the near future, including Scott’s interview with trans antifascists from Liverpool about migrant solidarity and a sort of scene report in that town. If you want to get earlier access to chats like that or our chat with Shannon Clay, co-author of the recent history of Anti-Racist Action called We Go Where They Go, alongside many other thank-yous, check out patreon.com/TFSR and consider pledging $3 or more a month. The money goes to support our webhosting, printing and postal costs and, most of all, our monthly transcription work that helps get these interviews translated, printed as zines and sent in to prisoners.
Bail Limbo
On Wednesday, May 17th Asheville Community Bail Fund posted a secured bond for someone currently incarcerated in Buncombe County Detention Facility.
They have still not been released.
After spending hours and days trying to get answers, we’ve learned that this bureaucratic nightmare revolves around an order for an electronic ankle monitor.
The court has been instructed to pause these orders, but did so anyway, putting them in legal limbo.
Their bail is paid, but they are trapped because the county is requiring something the county no longer provides…
Call the DA’s office (828) 259-3410 from 9-5pm to demand they stop ordering electronic monitoring and drop existing orders, otherwise it’s just a dishonest way of denying people access to pretrial release.
Devon Whitmore Fundraising
Devon Whitmore, an African American man in Asheville, was arrested by Asheville police under violent and questionable circumstances, with police claiming Devon had a gun that never materialized and for a misdemeanor warrant for communicating threats. The police were filmed kneeling on Devon’s neck and was possibly spared serious injury by intervention from neighbors at Livingston Apartments. As a result of this, Devon and his fiance were evicted from their apartment and need help renting an apartment and bailing Devon out of jail. You can find articles and video about the interaction as well as ways to show up in support or to donate at https://linktr.ee/applythepressurecommittee
Mark “Mustafa” Hinkston
Mark Hinkston #707-808
SOCF
PO Box 45699
Lucasville, Ohio 45699
This is none other than Comrade Mustafa… And I’m reporting “live” from the other side of Amerikkka!
Here in the infamous “Lucasville” (which these tyrants refer to as SOCF), and where I’m currently being held against my will, those filthy pigs have created an isolated torture chamber in the K2 cellblock, which is designed specifically to destroy the mind and the soul of Black men!
There’s 40 cells on the K2 cellblock —- 1 through 40 ranges — that are filled with Black faces, with the exception of 3. And the white faces are becoming less and less as these racist (and self-hating) administrators continue to produce new elements of a fake program that will no doubt allow them to stereotype and profile Black prisoners.
I n the K2 cellblock, prisoners are subjected to the harshest of living conditions: most of the cells should be labeled as “out of order” since there are plumbing and electrical issues.
In some cells the toilets don’t have water-pressure enough to flush the urine and feces after these facilities are used.
This leaves prisoners to live with the smell, germs and bacteria in their immediate living quarters, day in and day out, as they perform daily rituals such as eating, praying, sleeping, etc.
In some cells the lights don’t work, so prisoners don’t have adequate lighting to read or write. To add to this, the cellblock isn’t operative!
There’s no laundry services provided – period!
The prisoners are not allowed to property groom themselves, there’s no barber services provided.
And the corrupt prison-officials refuse to give prisoners razors on the appointed days of Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Further, when they do give razors, they commit unthinkable deeds like they’ll place someone else’s used razor into the bag with your cell number on it, which is unsanitary and subjects you to contracting a disease.
The food trays always have less food on them than that which is nutritionally appropriate by the “healthy heart diet” standards. And this is the type of diet being enforced by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections. Yet, the prisoners in K2 cellblock are NOT allowed to buy food items from the commissary to compensate for the lack of nutrition provided.
In essence, the captives of K2 are being starved as a torture tactic.
And to further add insult to injury, the oppressed brothers in K2 cellblock are not provided with any mental stimuli. There is no TV, no radio, very few books to read. There’s no library services at all!
We can’t use the phone for months at a time, and the commissary services won’t sell US postage or embossed envelopes either, so we can’t communicate with our family and loved ones or comrades for months at a time!
This creates a state of depression within the K2 cellblock that’s so thick that it can be cut with a knife.
The temperature is freezing in this torture chamber, cold as ice! But the prisoners won’t attempt to get the windows closed because ultra aggressive, corrupt prison-officials continuously use excessive force on prisoners via chemical agents like riot canisters of mace, which cause everyone in the cellblock to choke and get sick.
Add all of this, along with the element of racial-imbalance and it equals Black torture!
The oppressed brothers of the Lucasville torture chamber are appealing to the “people’s army” for aid and assistance now!
To get involved, contact Annette Chambers-Smith, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections Director.
Also, you can contact Governor Mike Dewine at 624 466 3555
First up, you’ll hear from Zachariah Jazz (@BlackariahJazz161 on twitter), who distributes alcohol jet heaters with ABQHeaterBloc in so-called Albuquerque, NM, to talk about their efforts to help keep folks living on the streets safer from the elements through mutual aid. [ 00:02:08 – 00:18:56 ]
After that, you’ll hear Josh of the Certain Days Freedom for Political Prisoners Calendar collective to talk about this year’s edition and briefly update listeners on the situations of Oso Blanco & Eric King, two anarchist political prisoners Josh does support work for and works on projects with. [ 00:37:42 – 00:50:28 ]
Finally, Sean Swain’s weekly segment! [ 00:51:31 – 00:58:09 ]
This week on the show, you’ll hear from Diyawn Caldwell, founder of “Both Sides Of The Wall” which has been supporting striking people behind bars across the Alabama Dept of Corrections where incarcerated workers refused their unpaid work over 3 weeks. The strike is on hold, for now, but prisoners continue resistance despite repression. You can learn more abut the group by finding them on social media or visiting BothSidesOfTheWall.com [00:01:07 – 00:19:31]
Then, you’ll hear anarchist comrades from the anti-repression solidarity group called La Lima, or The File, from Rome, Italy. The comrades will share about the situation of Alfredo Cospito who is now on hunger strike against the conditions in the 41bis hard prison regime. You can hear an interview from 2019 also that gives some context of other anarchist and anticapitalist radical prisoners resisting 41bis in Italy at that time. To keep up on resistance, you can visit ActForFree.NoBlogs.Org or check out the post on EnoughIsEnough calling for international solidarity. [00:20:43 – 00:53:10]
Plus, a segment from Sean Swain with a proposal for these United States…. [00:55:36 – end]
This week, we’re airing a conversation with Too Black, communications representative for the defense committee to Free the Pendleton 2. Too Black also hosts the Black Myths podcast. For the hour, Too Black talks about the case of the Pendleton 2, two Black men incarcerated in Indiana who had decades added to their sentences, including decades in solitary confinement, for defending another prisoner from a white supremacist guard officer formation in the Pendleton Prison Uprising, February 1st 1985. Too Black talks about Christopher “Naeem” Trotter and John “Balagoon” Cole and the struggle to free these elders.
You can find out more about the case by visiting the links at LinkTr.ee/FreedomCampaign (the form Too Black mentioned in particular can be found at this link) see the documentary They Stood Up about the Pendleton 2 at youtube, and you can hear Black Myths Podcasts at libsyn.com
We sometimes forget to add in content warnings, but since we’re talking about racialized brutality behind bars, there are some descriptions of violence and racist quotes read.
This week on TFSR, you’ll hear two a conversation about the push to free Dr. Mutulu Shakur from prison and an interview about the 150th anniversary of the Jura Federation gathering in St-Imier, Switzerland. The first portion of this episode will be in a stand-alone zine available soon, the second will sit beside an interview with Robert Graham about his book on the history of the split in the 1st International and the beginnings of the anarchist movement, hopefully in early October.
First up, Watani Tyehimba of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and a supporter and comrade of New Afrikan political prisoner Dr Mutulu Shakur speaking about Dr. Shakur’s life, activism and the struggle for his release since he’s been diagnosed with serious bone cancer.
Then, you’ll hear portions of the latest episode of Bad News, the monthly podcast from the anarchist and anti-authoritarian radio and podcast network, A-Radio. The segments included are an interview by A-Radio Berlin with an organizer of this July’s Weekend Libertaire on the 150th anniversary of the 1872 Anti-authoritarian International of Working People that happened in July in St-Imier, Switzerland. We hope to have an in depth conversation on the split in the International and the early days of the anarchist movement to share in the near future. You’ll also hear a shoutout for the International Week of Solidarity with Anarchist Prisoners, August 23-30th. You can hear more from this and other episodes of BAD News at a-radio-network.org or linked in our show notes. Finally, we’ll be finishing up this episode with Sean Swain’s weekly segment. Enjoy!
We hope to be releasing an interview with Tim (aka Sole) and Aaron from the Propaganda By The Seed podcast next week. Patreon supporters can keep an eye out for the release a few days early.
This week, we spoke with Alex, an anarchist squatter in the Athenian neighborhood of Exarchia. They talk about repression by the New Democracy party, struggles against green washing wind turbines around rural Greece, the fires raging through the country, resistance to rape culture, fighting against the building of a metro station in Exarchia and the privatization of public spaces like Strefi Hill, police presence at Universities, anarcho-tourism and the hunger strike of anarchist prisoner Giannis Michialidas.
This week, we’re sharing 3 segments.
