#prison-support-prison-abolition — Public Fediverse posts

To Those Who Shake The Gates of Hell at Delaney Hall and Beyond

Submitted By Long Leaf Distro

Full text available for download, printing, and distribution here.

To Those Who Shake The Gates of Hell at Delaney Hall and Beyond

Submitted By Long Leaf Distro

Full text available for download, printing, and distribution here.

“These free human beings of planet Earth need to be liberated”: An Interview with a Delaney Hall Frontliner

Republished From Perilous Chronicle

In response to a hunger strike and labor strike inside an immigrant detention center in Newark, New Jersey called Delaney Hall, hundreds have gathered outside the facility, providing material support to the resistance within by blocking ICE vehicles coming in and out of the jail. Rebels outside have showed remarkable courage in facing down lines of ICE agents, taking blows and faces full of pepper spray and coming right back to hold the line. 

A similar event took place at Delaney Hall almost exactly one year ago. Together, these events stand out in the historical record as extremely rare, and perhaps even unprecedented in the contemporary era, instances of resistance inside being met with simultaneous insurgency outside the facility. They reveal an immediately actionable abolitionist praxis in the face of ascendent fascism.

We were lucky enough to get to talk to someone fresh off the front lines at Delaney Hall as they were heading home still exhausted from the battle with flailing ICE agents desperate to maintain their fragile order. The following interview was a collaboration between Perilous Chronicle and Living & Fighting.

Perilous Chronicle: What is Delaney Hall and what’s been going on there this week?

Anonymous: Delaney Hall is down an the industrial area of Newark, New Jersey. It’s part of an ongoing federal plan to build a network of concentration camps for mass deportation efforts and civil disobedience control.

This particular facility, Delaney, is privately run by Geo Group and they are directly profiting from the immiseration and suffering of these people under torturous conditions where there has been fetid, maggoty food, there have been regular beatings and violence beyond the initial incarceration, beyond the abductions. There has been no medical care for those with chronic illness and people, especially children and elderly people, have fallen ill as a result of the horrid conditions inside. Bathrooms that are unfit for human use, fluorescent lighting and insufficient bedding, people sleeping on hard floors. And so the people incarcerated in this concentration camp have come together to hunger strike and labor strike for their freedom and for the basic human dignity that is the birthright of every person.

And then the people outside are standing in solidarity with the folks inside. It’s very clear to those of us in the struggle that the mass incarceration of human beings is unacceptable. It’s a crime against humanity. It’s an affront to everything humane and upright.

Perilous: What your involvement’s been like?

A: I learned about the hunger strike slash labor strike through the kind of decentralized web of activists and anarchists and learned about the context for what was happening and decided that I needed to be there in solidarity. I think that if you’ve got clear moral vision for the world and some human compassion, you can’t help but come to the side of anyone standing against the empire and standing for human dignity.

And so my involvement up to this point has been entirely on the ground, showing up to protect comrades through de-arrest and through medical support and standing on front lines linked other comrades ready to hold the line against ICE as they try to get vehicles through. They were trying to transfer the hunger strikers from Delaney to another facility nearby to quash the resistance and to demoralize those who were participating. But that seems to have failed and the numbers have grown each night as more and more people become aware. We have succeeded in temporarily halting the movement in and out of the facility. People were able to block the road with debris and cause traffic jams. Comrades were able to directly put their bodies in front of the line of ICE Gestapo and in front of their vehicles to stop them from coming in and out.

But ultimately the fact that the state has sent so many well-armed, well-equipped thugs to put down this peaceful protest means that when they make the call and when they charge the line, there’s very little that we as unarmed people can do to resist that. I mean, other than just hold up our shields and hold the line and stay linked and push back. But they’ve been deploying less lethal munitions. They’ve been tasing people pepper spraying, pepper balling, beating people with batons and their fists and their boots, even pushing people under vehicles. So far there have been a few arrests and a couple of major injuries.

Perilous: When did you first become aware that people were gathering outside the facility?

A: I first became aware over the weekend. I believe it was Sunday [May 24, 2026] during the afternoon. And I knew that there was gonna be a need for more people and that as someone of a political consciousness for resisting empire and for bringing about the society of the children through the revolution of the heart, we have to go there and be there in numbers to actually fight and not just allow the liberal peace police to show up and essentially co-opt the efforts and momentum of the movement toward some milquetoast electoral reform policy.

When Andy Kim was there and the liberal mainstream were there, they’re talking about things like, “oh, we need to have meetings with elected officials. We need to have not-fetid food and not unusable, inhumane bathrooms.” Those are less than the minimum of what is acceptable. These free human beings of planet Earth need to be liberated.

Perilous: Can you tell us more about the barricades? Where specifically are people building them? What are they building out of them out of? How long have they been up? Are they getting torn down and then rebuilt?

A: Yeah, so they are being built up and then torn down. The big barricade was put up, I believe, on Monday or Tuesday. And then by the time I got out there last night, it had been bulldozed. It was composed of all kinds of things: wooden palettes, plastic traffic barriers, and a lot of 25-pound paver stones taken from the ICE facility front lawn, the retaining wall for their yard. Which I thought was cool, fuck their landscape.

Perilous: And so people have this barricade and then they’re positioning themselves behind the barricade, is that correct?

A: Yeah, so there have been some more temporary, minimalist barricades, just of debris, so as to stop vehicle traffic on the street that the concentration camp is on. And then there was a more semi-permanent barricade a couple of days ago that was composed of things that I mentioned, that people were able to stand behind. But in the days since that that’s been cleared, there have been direct, violent confrontations between the stormtroopers and the people standing in solidarity.

Just kind of as a note for the historical record is that while the people have done an extraordinarily fine job and disciplined job and resisting the state thugs directly, there is an ongoing working out of how to deal with press that want to be right on the front line and in the way. We’re trying to hold a line and prevent the movement of vehicles and the press is totally disorganized. They’re standing between protesters and ICE and they’re creating a more dangerous situation for everyone involved. Just by being undisciplined and not allowing us to do what we need to.

Perilous: About how many people would you say are out there or have been out there?

A: It’s been up and down numbers wise. It seems to have been increasing over the last few days. I would say that the highest number that I saw last night [Wednesday, May 27, 2026] seemed to peak at around 100 with maybe half or 60% of those people having shown up with personal protective equipment and shields, ready to throw down.

Perilous: And so in addition to blocking the driveway of the facility, people are also blocking the road in front of the facility?

A: That’s correct. I believe that was a new development as of Wednesday night: an attempt to cause a traffic jam so that even if the ICE thugs could break our line, they still couldn’t get their vehicles out in a timely fashion. Strategically, tactically, a lot of it is delay and impede rather than stop entirely. With the numbers that we have and with the munitions available to both sides, it’s not feasible to have a direct full force confrontation. So we’re picking strategic battles and doing the utmost to delay.

Perilous: You’re describing that some of the people who have shown up appear to be already skilled in confrontations like this. Maybe some of this is learned organically or in the moment, but others seem to show up with shields, ready to go. Do you have any idea where this learning process has occurred or if this movement is being fed from the history of other recent movements? Any lineages you can draw that you sense happening there?

A: Oh, absolutely. I mean, just within my very narrow and short period of political consciousness, you can see major influences and learnings and teachings from those involved in the Black Lives Matter struggles, those from the Atlanta Stop Cop City struggle, those from Standing Rock. There were Indigenous folks out there, those from the Palestine Solidarity/anti-zionist movement who have a lot of experience fighting and taking on cops directly. So yeah, I mean, the empire has been violently repressing social movements for hundreds of years. And I think that the consciousness that has developed around what must be done to resist the empire and to build something in its place has only grown, especially over the last 60 years since the Civil Rights movements and the Black Power movement. Yeah, these young people in the hundreds of thousands see themselves as directly opposed to the empire. They have no allegiance to any flag and they’re willing to fight on those grounds with what they’ve learned from forest defense and land defense and water defense and anti-carceral and anti-police struggle. It’s really cool to see.

Perilous: Do we know anything about what’s going on inside the facility right now?

A: I think as of today, I saw on Democracy Now! that one of the individuals who first started the hunger strike has been moved to a facility in Elizabeth [New Jersey]. And we know that the labor strike and the hunger strike are ongoing. Every night, the people detained there have been flashing their lights and appearing as silhouettes in front of the windows, letting the people outside know that they’re there and that they can perceive that something is happening outside. And so the people outside then can get real loud and hopefully reach the ears of the people inside. But yeah, just more of the same abuses and crimes against humanity that have been going on for quite some time are still happening as we speak.

Perilous: What do you foresee happening moving forward? Does anyone have a sense of where this standoff is going to lead?

A: Well, I think my hope is that, as the days go on, a critical mass will be reached such that it becomes impossible for the number of ICE that they have at the facility to break the line and to get vehicles in and out. Ideally, the facility is stormed and the people are liberated, but what’s likely to happen, I won’t speak into existence, you know?

For every facility that joins the effort, for every population that comes out to fight and to resist the fascists, the better our odds grow, because as we’ve seen from protest movements internationally, especially in Hong Kong, we know that having decentralized pockets of resistance is more effective and that it’s impossible then to mobilize sufficient forces at each of the requisite battlefields or scenes of engagement. So I would just want readers to know that even if it feels like your small community can’t field a full-on on resistance, perhaps you can distract or draw forces from a major conflict that’s happening elsewhere.

Perilous: Are there any other stories you wanna tell about what you saw?

A: I will say that the overwhelming feeling of love and solidarity between the people that have shown up is just such a beautiful thing to witness. Everyone there is dedicated to keeping one another safe in the face of such violence and repression. Folks have thrown their own bodies between the fascists and their comrades to protect them. Folks have jumped in with shields to protect or to de-arrest their comrades. And what’s more, when I witnessed the kind of tactics that the people are using versus the tactics that ICE is using, it’s so clear that they don’t have the same kind of stick-to-it-iveness, stick-togetherness that we do. They aren’t looking out for one another in the same way. They’re breaking their lines to pursue individual personal vendettas and rage. They’re wild-eyed. They’re clearly very fearful and the people have remained stalwart and disciplined in the face of that.

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Andres Kudacki

“These free human beings of planet Earth need to be liberated”: An Interview with a Delaney Hall Frontliner

Republished From Perilous Chronicle

In response to a hunger strike and labor strike inside an immigrant detention center in Newark, New Jersey called Delaney Hall, hundreds have gathered outside the facility, providing material support to the resistance within by blocking ICE vehicles coming in and out of the jail. Rebels outside have showed remarkable courage in facing down lines of ICE agents, taking blows and faces full of pepper spray and coming right back to hold the line. 

A similar event took place at Delaney Hall almost exactly one year ago. Together, these events stand out in the historical record as extremely rare, and perhaps even unprecedented in the contemporary era, instances of resistance inside being met with simultaneous insurgency outside the facility. They reveal an immediately actionable abolitionist praxis in the face of ascendent fascism.

We were lucky enough to get to talk to someone fresh off the front lines at Delaney Hall as they were heading home still exhausted from the battle with flailing ICE agents desperate to maintain their fragile order. The following interview was a collaboration between Perilous Chronicle and Living & Fighting.

Perilous Chronicle: What is Delaney Hall and what’s been going on there this week?

Anonymous: Delaney Hall is down an the industrial area of Newark, New Jersey. It’s part of an ongoing federal plan to build a network of concentration camps for mass deportation efforts and civil disobedience control.

This particular facility, Delaney, is privately run by Geo Group and they are directly profiting from the immiseration and suffering of these people under torturous conditions where there has been fetid, maggoty food, there have been regular beatings and violence beyond the initial incarceration, beyond the abductions. There has been no medical care for those with chronic illness and people, especially children and elderly people, have fallen ill as a result of the horrid conditions inside. Bathrooms that are unfit for human use, fluorescent lighting and insufficient bedding, people sleeping on hard floors. And so the people incarcerated in this concentration camp have come together to hunger strike and labor strike for their freedom and for the basic human dignity that is the birthright of every person.

And then the people outside are standing in solidarity with the folks inside. It’s very clear to those of us in the struggle that the mass incarceration of human beings is unacceptable. It’s a crime against humanity. It’s an affront to everything humane and upright.

Perilous: What your involvement’s been like?

A: I learned about the hunger strike slash labor strike through the kind of decentralized web of activists and anarchists and learned about the context for what was happening and decided that I needed to be there in solidarity. I think that if you’ve got clear moral vision for the world and some human compassion, you can’t help but come to the side of anyone standing against the empire and standing for human dignity.

And so my involvement up to this point has been entirely on the ground, showing up to protect comrades through de-arrest and through medical support and standing on front lines linked other comrades ready to hold the line against ICE as they try to get vehicles through. They were trying to transfer the hunger strikers from Delaney to another facility nearby to quash the resistance and to demoralize those who were participating. But that seems to have failed and the numbers have grown each night as more and more people become aware. We have succeeded in temporarily halting the movement in and out of the facility. People were able to block the road with debris and cause traffic jams. Comrades were able to directly put their bodies in front of the line of ICE Gestapo and in front of their vehicles to stop them from coming in and out.

But ultimately the fact that the state has sent so many well-armed, well-equipped thugs to put down this peaceful protest means that when they make the call and when they charge the line, there’s very little that we as unarmed people can do to resist that. I mean, other than just hold up our shields and hold the line and stay linked and push back. But they’ve been deploying less lethal munitions. They’ve been tasing people pepper spraying, pepper balling, beating people with batons and their fists and their boots, even pushing people under vehicles. So far there have been a few arrests and a couple of major injuries.

Perilous: When did you first become aware that people were gathering outside the facility?

A: I first became aware over the weekend. I believe it was Sunday [May 24, 2026] during the afternoon. And I knew that there was gonna be a need for more people and that as someone of a political consciousness for resisting empire and for bringing about the society of the children through the revolution of the heart, we have to go there and be there in numbers to actually fight and not just allow the liberal peace police to show up and essentially co-opt the efforts and momentum of the movement toward some milquetoast electoral reform policy.

When Andy Kim was there and the liberal mainstream were there, they’re talking about things like, “oh, we need to have meetings with elected officials. We need to have not-fetid food and not unusable, inhumane bathrooms.” Those are less than the minimum of what is acceptable. These free human beings of planet Earth need to be liberated.

Perilous: Can you tell us more about the barricades? Where specifically are people building them? What are they building out of them out of? How long have they been up? Are they getting torn down and then rebuilt?

A: Yeah, so they are being built up and then torn down. The big barricade was put up, I believe, on Monday or Tuesday. And then by the time I got out there last night, it had been bulldozed. It was composed of all kinds of things: wooden palettes, plastic traffic barriers, and a lot of 25-pound paver stones taken from the ICE facility front lawn, the retaining wall for their yard. Which I thought was cool, fuck their landscape.

Perilous: And so people have this barricade and then they’re positioning themselves behind the barricade, is that correct?

A: Yeah, so there have been some more temporary, minimalist barricades, just of debris, so as to stop vehicle traffic on the street that the concentration camp is on. And then there was a more semi-permanent barricade a couple of days ago that was composed of things that I mentioned, that people were able to stand behind. But in the days since that that’s been cleared, there have been direct, violent confrontations between the stormtroopers and the people standing in solidarity.

Just kind of as a note for the historical record is that while the people have done an extraordinarily fine job and disciplined job and resisting the state thugs directly, there is an ongoing working out of how to deal with press that want to be right on the front line and in the way. We’re trying to hold a line and prevent the movement of vehicles and the press is totally disorganized. They’re standing between protesters and ICE and they’re creating a more dangerous situation for everyone involved. Just by being undisciplined and not allowing us to do what we need to.

Perilous: About how many people would you say are out there or have been out there?

A: It’s been up and down numbers wise. It seems to have been increasing over the last few days. I would say that the highest number that I saw last night [Wednesday, May 27, 2026] seemed to peak at around 100 with maybe half or 60% of those people having shown up with personal protective equipment and shields, ready to throw down.

Perilous: And so in addition to blocking the driveway of the facility, people are also blocking the road in front of the facility?

A: That’s correct. I believe that was a new development as of Wednesday night: an attempt to cause a traffic jam so that even if the ICE thugs could break our line, they still couldn’t get their vehicles out in a timely fashion. Strategically, tactically, a lot of it is delay and impede rather than stop entirely. With the numbers that we have and with the munitions available to both sides, it’s not feasible to have a direct full force confrontation. So we’re picking strategic battles and doing the utmost to delay.

Perilous: You’re describing that some of the people who have shown up appear to be already skilled in confrontations like this. Maybe some of this is learned organically or in the moment, but others seem to show up with shields, ready to go. Do you have any idea where this learning process has occurred or if this movement is being fed from the history of other recent movements? Any lineages you can draw that you sense happening there?

A: Oh, absolutely. I mean, just within my very narrow and short period of political consciousness, you can see major influences and learnings and teachings from those involved in the Black Lives Matter struggles, those from the Atlanta Stop Cop City struggle, those from Standing Rock. There were Indigenous folks out there, those from the Palestine Solidarity/anti-zionist movement who have a lot of experience fighting and taking on cops directly. So yeah, I mean, the empire has been violently repressing social movements for hundreds of years. And I think that the consciousness that has developed around what must be done to resist the empire and to build something in its place has only grown, especially over the last 60 years since the Civil Rights movements and the Black Power movement. Yeah, these young people in the hundreds of thousands see themselves as directly opposed to the empire. They have no allegiance to any flag and they’re willing to fight on those grounds with what they’ve learned from forest defense and land defense and water defense and anti-carceral and anti-police struggle. It’s really cool to see.

Perilous: Do we know anything about what’s going on inside the facility right now?

A: I think as of today, I saw on Democracy Now! that one of the individuals who first started the hunger strike has been moved to a facility in Elizabeth [New Jersey]. And we know that the labor strike and the hunger strike are ongoing. Every night, the people detained there have been flashing their lights and appearing as silhouettes in front of the windows, letting the people outside know that they’re there and that they can perceive that something is happening outside. And so the people outside then can get real loud and hopefully reach the ears of the people inside. But yeah, just more of the same abuses and crimes against humanity that have been going on for quite some time are still happening as we speak.

Perilous: What do you foresee happening moving forward? Does anyone have a sense of where this standoff is going to lead?

A: Well, I think my hope is that, as the days go on, a critical mass will be reached such that it becomes impossible for the number of ICE that they have at the facility to break the line and to get vehicles in and out. Ideally, the facility is stormed and the people are liberated, but what’s likely to happen, I won’t speak into existence, you know?

For every facility that joins the effort, for every population that comes out to fight and to resist the fascists, the better our odds grow, because as we’ve seen from protest movements internationally, especially in Hong Kong, we know that having decentralized pockets of resistance is more effective and that it’s impossible then to mobilize sufficient forces at each of the requisite battlefields or scenes of engagement. So I would just want readers to know that even if it feels like your small community can’t field a full-on on resistance, perhaps you can distract or draw forces from a major conflict that’s happening elsewhere.

Perilous: Are there any other stories you wanna tell about what you saw?

A: I will say that the overwhelming feeling of love and solidarity between the people that have shown up is just such a beautiful thing to witness. Everyone there is dedicated to keeping one another safe in the face of such violence and repression. Folks have thrown their own bodies between the fascists and their comrades to protect them. Folks have jumped in with shields to protect or to de-arrest their comrades. And what’s more, when I witnessed the kind of tactics that the people are using versus the tactics that ICE is using, it’s so clear that they don’t have the same kind of stick-to-it-iveness, stick-togetherness that we do. They aren’t looking out for one another in the same way. They’re breaking their lines to pursue individual personal vendettas and rage. They’re wild-eyed. They’re clearly very fearful and the people have remained stalwart and disciplined in the face of that.

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Andres Kudacki

Defend The Detainees From Mendiola

Anonymous Submission to Jersey Counter-Info

In solidarity with the people of the Philippines, NJ and international antifascists must stand together and support the ongoing anti-corruption uprising and the youth leading the charge. More can be read about what is happening in the Philippines here.

Currently the government is fiercely repressing the majority youth led movement and imprisoning them, threatening them with lengthy prison sentences in an effort to squash their actions and the uprising. In addition, the state is trying to block the youths’ access to lawyers and violating their civil rights.

While the youth and their supporters are combating state repression on the ground, the need for funds to support legal costs and aid for the families of the imprisoned youth is only growing.

International antifascists can support the uprising and the youth experiencing intense state repression by donating directly to the following PayPal and Ko-fi accounts.

Solidarity to all fighting against the state!

#Antifascist #general #international #MutualAid #news #PrisonSupportPrisonAbolition #solidarity #YouthLiberation

I have a letter from an incarcerated person here in New York state who could use some penpals. Message me if you're genuinely interested and I'll send his info. Serious inquiries only.

#prisonsupportprisonabolition

I have a letter from an incarcerated person here in New York state who could use some penpals. Message me if you're genuinely interested and I'll send his info. Serious inquiries only.

#prisonsupportprisonabolition

EMERGENCY CALL IN DAY: Demand an immediate transfer for our incarcerated friend Thomas Gordon

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fCcHcfBl41pv0KVyrehoSazi6JW2QZpeqbeNXpM4L38/mobilebasic

#prisonsupportprisonabolition

EMERGENCY CALL IN DAY: Demand an immediate transfer for our incarcerated friend Thomas Gordon

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fCcHcfBl41pv0KVyrehoSazi6JW2QZpeqbeNXpM4L38/mobilebasic

#prisonsupportprisonabolition

Comrade Pierre "Polo" Pinson was wrongfully convicted and sentenced in 1999 to 50 to 150 years for an armed assault on a Pittsburgh Police Station and unrelated robberies and is seeking to vacate his illegal sentence.
https://opencollective.com/free-polo https://www.freepierre.org/
#freepierre #freepolo #prisonsupportprisonabolition #mutualaid

Comrade Pierre "Polo" Pinson was wrongfully convicted and sentenced in 1999 to 50 to 150 years for an armed assault on a Pittsburgh Police Station and unrelated robberies and is seeking to vacate his illegal sentence.
https://opencollective.com/free-polo https://www.freepierre.org/
#freepierre #freepolo #prisonsupportprisonabolition #mutualaid

Anonymous Submission to Jersey Counter-Info

More information on how to support Peppy and Krystal can be found on their support site.

Peppy and Krystal are two Pittsburgh community activists who are facing trumped up political charges on the federal level. Peppy has been locked up since they were indicted in June of 2023. Krystal is out on pretrial conditions.

Jury trial set for September 9th at the federal courthouse in Pittsburgh, PA.

Case Summary

In the early hours of May 19th, 2023, heavily-armed agents raided the home of two Pittsburgh community members, Brian “Peppy” DiPippa and Krystal DiPippa. Nearly a month and a half later, they were both federally indicted, and on June 30th, they surrendered to the court. Krystal, who was released on probation the same day, faces charges of (1) conspiracy and (2) obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder. Peppy was detained and has remained imprisoned at the time of this writing (March 2024). He faces charges of (1) conspiracy, (2) obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder, and (3) use of explosive to commit a federal felony. Peppy is incarcerated at a facility that does not provide any outdoor space whatsoever.

Because of the complicated nature of federal sentencing guidelines, we can’t know what the actual legal consequences are for these charges. Since our friends are being charged with conspiracy as co-defendants, they could face equal amounts of prison time in a range that could very well go beyond 10 years. We’ve been told that if convicted, Krystal’s sentence will probably be lower than Peppy’s.

The case against Peppy and Krystal (US v. DiPippa et al.) arose out of an April 18, 2023, demonstration against a University of Pittsburgh-sanctioned event promoting hatred toward transgender people and communities, featuring notorious transphobes Brad Polumbo and Michael Knowles on the question “should transgenderism be regulated by law?” The government alleges that in the protests outside the event, a “civil disorder” occurred, when one commercially available firework and two homemade “smoke bombs” were discharged. This “civil disorder” forms the context in which Krystal and Pep are charged. Click here for more specifics on the timeline and legal situation.

Analysis

The federal government’s targeting of Krystal and Peppy is political, plain and simple.

Even before the April 18th protest, FBI agents secretly followed our friends and used tactics straight out of the Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO) playbook to manufacture justification for the May 19th raid. Amongst other stalking schemes, federal agents performed a warrantless search of Peppy and Krystal’s garbage, in which they allegedly found a discarded pamphlet about the movement to Stop Cop City. Direct from the government’s search warrant affidavit: “the “Defend the Atlanta Forest” movement has been active since approximately April 2021 and involves protesters unlawfully occupying a wooded area of land where the city plans to build a police training facility.” In the unwarranted trash search, federal agencies allegedly found “a printed zine… discussing anarchist ideology.” It is important to note that in the affidavit for a search warrant, the FBI described their following of Peppy and Krystal beginning a week before the April 18th protest – that is, a week before any allegation of any law being broken. The FBI’s use of a Stop Cop City pamphlet to justify an aggressive raid on alleged Pittsburgh political activists draws a direct line from the federal crackdown on Atlanta-area organizers to the government’s national strategy of repression.

In its prosecution, the feds have continued trying to criminalize alleged political beliefs, retaliate for alleged participation in the April 18th protest, and intimidate others from protesting and/or supporting the rights and existence of transgender people. During court proceedings, the prosecution has continued to dramatize the political dimension of the case, and the judge cited these arguments in his Novemeber ruling to keep Peppy in pre-trial imprisonment with no possibility of bail. Specific criminal wrongdoing played a minimal role at that hearing: rather than dwelling on the state’s circumstantial evidence, the prosecution castigated Peppy for “a strongly held belief system that embraces anarchism” and for feeling “a sense of community, among anarchists.” The judge cited “sentiments supporting anarchism” as a key component to justify continued detention.

This political focus, which was already evident in the state’s earlier written filings and their use of the problematic acronym “AGAAVE” (anti-government and anti-authority violent extremist), continues a legacy of repression against perceived dissidents while showing anxiety about the strength of their evidence of criminal wrongdoing in this particular case.

Case Timeline and Details

Timeline (we will keep this updated as the case develops)

4/18/23: Transphobes speak at Pitt, community members protest.

5/19/23: With guns drawn, FBI agents along with police from various local agencies raid Peppy and Krystal’s home in the early morning. They were detained for several hours before being told they were free to leave.

6/29/23: Krystal and Peppy are notified by their lawyers that they are being federally indicted and are to turn themselves in the next day.

6/30/23: Krystal and Peppy surrender. They are held in custody until appearing before the magistrate to enter not guilty pleas. Peppy is ordered to remain in pretrial detention and taken to Butler County Prison. Krystal is granted pretrial release with conditions.

7/3/23: Hearing before the magistrate appealing the detention order. The appeal is denied and Peppy remains in custody.

10/26/23: Judge denies Peppy’s release from pretrial detention, with no bail option.

2/1/24: Counsel for Krystal and Peppy file extensive pre-trial motions requesting to review potential evidence, and for the court to discuss the case due to government misconduct and misapplication of statutes.

2/23/24: Judge grants the prosecution an extension and sets a revised timeline:

3/4/24: Government response to defense’s pre-trial motions due

3/11/24: Defense reply due

4/10/24: Decision from court

5/31/24: Rule 16 discovery and requested expert disclosures due

7/1/24: Expert Reports due

8/9/24: Government’s trial exhibits, exhibit list, witness list, and proposed jury instructions and verdict slip all due by

8/16/24: Objections and motions in limine due

8/23/24: responses to motions in limine due by

8/26/24: Rule 404(b) and Rule 609 material due

9/4/24: Pretrial Conference is set for

9/9/24: Jury Selection and Trial are set to begin on

Legal pre-trial arguments- Peppy

Peppy’s case, number 2:23-cr-00146-NR-1 (docket here), charges him with three counts: (1) 18 U.S.C. 371 conspiracy; (2) 18 U.S.C. 2 & 231(a)(3) obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder; and (3) 18 U.S.C. 844(h)(1) use of explosive to commit a federal felony. He has filed two motions to dismiss.

2/1/24: The motion to dismiss the entire case due to Selective Prosecution states that prosecutors made the decision on the basis of alleged political beliefs and associations that are statutorily and constitutionally protected.The prosecution’s theory is that Mr. DiPippa holds “AGAAVE” (anti-government and anti-authority violent extremist) beliefs that merit prosecution. The FBI applies its “AGAAVE” acronym to people with ideological agendas derived from anti-government or anti-authority sentiment, including opposition to perceived economic, social, or racial hierarchies; or perceived government overreach, negligence, or illegitimacy.

The FBI defines Anarchist Violent Extremists as people “who oppose all forms of capitalism, globalization, and governing institutions which are perceived as harmful to society.”[1]

Peppy’s motion to Dismiss Count 2 (obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder) argues that the civil disorder statute is overbroad and unconstitutionally vague because it’s imprecise; its subjective standards fail to provide fair notice to the public as to what is constitutionally protected and what criminalized; and it creates significant risk of arbitrary enforcement. The motion argues that statute’s phrasing is so broad and indefinite that it may interfere with and criminalize First Amendment protected speech and expressive activities.

Peppy also filed numerous motions related to discovery (the process of gathering and exchange of evidence). These include:· Moving to suppress electronic evidence or return of property seized in violation of the Fourth Amendment.· Asking the judge to order the government to reveal confidential informant(s) and any favorable treatment they have received from the government.· Asking the court to order federal and state investigative and law enforcement agents to produce: their notes; materials covered by Rule 16, such as surveillance (mail cover, electronic, photographic, mechanical, visual, aural or any other type) and all documents, photographs, and recordings; written or oral statements covered by the Jencks act[2]; evidence contemplated in Rule 404 and 609 covering acts of misconduct other than those specified in the indictment; and exculpatory evidence that could assist with the defense (otherwise known as Brady material).

Legal pre-trial arguments – Krystal

Krystal’s case, charges her with (1) 18 U.S.C. 371 conspiracy; and (2) 18 U.S.C. 2 & 231(a)(3) obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder.

Krystal asked the court for all the motions Peppy filed to apply to her. Additionally, Krystal’s filings:

· Moved to dismiss the indictment, (need a direct url to court listener filing once it is showing on court listener -there were technical issues) arguing that the “obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder” statute charges exceed the authority given to Congress. Congressional power is limited to regulating commerce between states and other things “necessary and proper” to executing that power.[3] Here, the motion alleges that the civil disorder statute impermissibly allows for federal criminal prosecution of intrastate, noneconomic activity, which is outside the limited scope of congressional authority to regulate commerce between the states.· Argued that the statute is impermissibly over-broad and criminalizes activities protected by the First Amendment.[4]· Asked for a bill of particulars to defend against the civil disorder charge. The purpose of this is to “inform the defendant of the charge against him (sic) with sufficient precision to allow him (sic) to prepare his (sic) defense.” The motion alleges that “[N]either the indictment or the indictment memorandum sufficiently states the government’s accusation as to the necessary element of interstate commerce, the element which would confer jurisdiction.” The motion asks the Court to require the government to explain how the allegations relate to interstate commerce, which is a requirement for jurisdiction to prosecute the case. · Filed a standard motion to know what evidence of her “character” the prosecution might use.[5]

The judge ordered the government to respond by 2/23/24, the defendants to respond by 3/1/24, and the court to respond by 3/30/24. Trial is likely to follow in the spring or summer of 2024. Note: the government asked for, and received, and extension for their response. See revised timeline.

[1] See, Department of Justice, Office of Inspector General Audit of the Department of Justice’s Strategy to Address the Domestic Violent Extremist Threat released in June 2023. Refer to Page 3, Figure 1.[2] More information on the Jencks Act is here.[3] Even though the conduct alleged does not seem to involve interstate commercial activity, the Commerce Clause is the legal basis for the statutes selected by the prosecutor. In reaction to the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1968 congressional conservatives demanded a reciprocal but conservative corollary and passed Section 231(a)(3) as a reactionary measure to punish protestors. Krystal’s filing questions the scope of Congress’s statutory ability to criminalize people who engage in protest. [4] For more context on how prosecutors have been using civil disturbance statutes from the Wounded Knee Occupation of 1973 to the George Floyd uprisings in 2020, see The Federal Government’s Aggressive Prosecution of Protestors, Lawfare, July 13, 2020.[5] This motion is pursuant to Federal Rule of Evidence 404(b), which is the federal rule detailing to the admissibility of evidence related to a defendant’s “character” at trial.

Write to Peppy

Let’s make sure Peppy knows just how much support he has from all over the country and all over the world! Whether you sit down and write him one evening or get together with friends and all send him letters of support and solidarity! Never forget just how much each and every letter will mean day after day, week after week!

To write to Peppy, address the mail to:

Butler County Prison
c/o Brian DiPippa
#42322 PO Box 9156
Seminole, FL 33775-9156

(All mail sent to the Butler County Prison has to get sent to that Florida spot where it’ll get scanned and then prisoners at Butler read it on a screen.)

Please be careful what you include in your letter to Peppy. Since he’s pre-trial and all mail will be monitored please don’t ask him about the case. Discussing any aspect of the case could come back to haunt him at any stage while the case is open. But don’t be afraid to let him know about a hike you just went on or a meal you just made with friends! The details of such events will help him get away from the isolation that he faces every day!

NYC ABC has a page on their website that serves as a great intro for anyone who has not written to a political prisoner before. Check it out before writing to Peppy for some helpful hints! nycabc.wordpress.com/write-a-letter/

As your’re sitting down to write that first letter to Peppy please know he’s looking forward to hearing from any and all supporters! And if you’re wondering what to write make note that Peppy really likes skateboarding, comedy, and uplifting and heartwarming stories. Autumn is his favorite season, so beautiful descriptions of the changing colors we see in Pittsburgh or wherever you may be writing him from would really hit the spot. As for Pittsburgh specifically and the aesthetically pleasing aspects of this city, he’d love to hear about your favorite spots. Maybe it’s one of the bridges or the city steps that go up hillsides! Peppy also likes hearing about and learning about people and places all over the globe. So, feel free to reach out and connect on any of those topics!

Solidarity!

https://jerseycounterinfo.noblogs.org/free-peppy-and-krystal/

#42322 #Analysis #Anarchism #Antifascist #general #MutualAid #news #PrisonSupportPrisonAbolition #solidarity

Republished from Idavox

We wanted to make sure that our readers saw this. She needs help and needs it now.

Epona Rose is a woman of trans experience who was attacked on the street in Flagstaff by a group of three men while two more men watched.

The men were drunk and sexually harassing her in a way that was making her feel unsafe. The harassment escalated to threats of rape, and then to actual physical violence, when they realized she was transgender. Epona defended herself bravely against this attack and did not call the police. She was then punished for this when the cops arrived and arrested only her.

Epona is currently being held on the men’s side of Coconino County Detention Facility in segregation with one hour a day out of her cell, where she has struggled to gain access to her prescribed medications. Her current bond is set at $500,750 but we are fiercely working to overturn such an excessive bond amount and fear mongering charges. The longer Epona is in jail, the much more risk she is exposed to as a trans woman and abolitionist. We cannot let Epona be made an example out of for demanding the basic rights of genderqueer, third gender, Two Spirit, and/or trans people to exist.

For her commissary, phone, and potential bond, please send donations to her family’s accounts specifying thr donations are for Epona. You can also use the 🌹 emoji to specify donations are for Epona:

Paypal: @brokebackwolfpack
Venmo: @brokebackwolfpack
Cashapp: $brokebackwolfpack

Epona’s quotes:

“In the year of a state of emergency, I’m still alive.”

“I defended myself against three men. They classified me as a male in here. I don’t feel safe around other men.”

quote from Epona’s partner:

“Epona was feeling unsafe even before she was physically attacked…She knew she was vulnerable traveling alone as a houseless, traumatized, neurodiverse trans woman, and yet her mission of building resource networks for other trans humans was so important to her that she decided to take that risk, even when her traveling partners flaked off one by one. That was her sacrifice. And she needs our support now.

#antifascist #general #lgbtq #mutual-aid #news #prison-support-prison-abolition #republished #solidarity

https://jerseycounterinfo.noblogs.org/free-epona-rose/