"Perfect Disorder"
by Sista Shiriki Unganisha
The Economic Sanctions Committee Against Racism (ESCAR)-a followup
from the Economic Sanctions Against Rac-ism In Amerika conference held in
Kansas City, Missouri, last August-offers the following three targets to
see what you think of them and what can you add. The Prison Industrial Complex
(PIC) is the target; however, PIC is an enormous operation that is Slavery
21st-Century Style. The challenge facing ESCAR is selecting a specific target
of PIC-a target that everyday people can identify with-and expose this wicked
system. The three targets chosen for discussion and input are the following:
1. PHONES: What if prisoners/family members say that every *Tuesday* prisoners
will not make phone calls, and family members will not accept any long distance
phone calls or use the phone on this day. This doesn't mean for prisoners
to make more calls the day before or the day after to make up for the day
they didn't use the phone. Prisoners must truly get serious about sacrificing
from behind the wall, and that goes for us prisoners out here on the streets
as well. Other people who want to participate can refuse to use the phones
from their homes on *QUIET TUESDAYS*! Think about this! We have not targeted
any specific phone company, right? If people would simply not use their
phones at home (mobile, pager, etc. ) and if everybody has different carriers,
it impacts many different phone companies at the same time! Just to give
a little background on the phone situation, a few months ago around the
first of the year, a 15-minute call was $6.45. Now a 15-minute call is $7.75
(White Deer, PA to Kansas City; a 6-minute call, $3.61. These phones automatically
cut off in 15 minutes, even though the collect call was accepted. Therefore,
if the prisoner did not finish his/her conversation, the prisoner has to
call back and that's another $7.75. So you see, something needs to/must
be done about this runaway cost.
2. COMMISSARY: The commissary is used as a form of punishment. When prisoners
break some type of so-called institutional rule, then their commissary privileges
are taken away for X amount of days. What if prisoners refuse to use the
commissary on certain days? Let's look at what popular products across the
board or what specific products prisoners are willing to give up. Cigarettes
are out of the question, so we won't even go there. What about clothing,
appliances, certain food items, etc.? How can people on the streets participate
in this effort? In the federal kamps-not clear if its done this way in the
state kamps-prisoners are assigned days to go to the commissary by register
numbers, so let's say prisoners would never go to the commissary on Tuesdays.
3. CANTEEN: During visits on let's say every *Fast Tuesday,* we will not
spend any money in the vending machines during visits. Just to give you
an idea how much money is spent, I spend at least $20.00 a visit, easy.
Now, say I visit for three days. This is what I spend each day. There are
people who spend more than that and feel they must or they will not visit.
There are families who pool all their monies together just to get to these
kamps to visit. Again, the prisoners must begin to do serious sacrificing.
How can people on the streets participate in this? On the plantation I work
on, there are vending machines. What if people on the streets say, "We
will not spend any money in the vending machines at our jobs, in solidarity
with prisoners"?
The CIA/Crack connection is nothing new for those of us who live in the
*REAL WORLD.* There have been people saying for years the government was
turning a blind eye to drugs coming into this kountry. Everything about
amerika is about money, at anybody's expense. Therefore, we must cause *PERFECT
DISORDER,* as comrade George Jackson so profoundly put it. The question
is: How can people on the streets participate in these three targets in
a viable way?
ECONOMIC SANCTIONS are to halt the production, distribution and use of income
and wealth as a means to force systems or organizations to comply with legal
obligations. Let's be clear on this vision. By no means are we under any
illusions about the *WORK* that's involved in this endeavor, nor are we
looking for quick results. Those of us who say we are conscious should understand
that it's not about me or you. It's about the generations to come. It's
about the generations of our children that are here today, lost and confused.
We must become marathoners instead of short-distance runners. The enemy
knows you are short winded; therefore, he/she digs ditches for you and waits.
Our children must begin to see us stand up and take care of business because
they see and understand the *CONTRADICTIONS* in what we say and what we
do!
For more information, feel free to call Sista Shiriki at (816) 333-9814,
or write me at P.O. Box 5161, Kansas City, MO 64132m or shiriki@gvi.net
UNITED WE WILL WIN, UHURU
-ESCAR
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