The Opening Statement is a free quarterly newsletter that features articles written by those currently imprisoned by the state of Michigan. We publish poetry, political writing and opinion pieces, as well as other relevant pieces by non-incarcerate authors. We include author names (legal name in parenthesis, required for prisoner mail) and MDOC numbers below to … Continue reading The Opening Statement – Summer 2020
We’re Never Going Back to Normal
If our understanding begins not just with the current virus but rather with the decades of what Ruth Wilson Gilmore describes as the state-sanctioned and extralegal production of vulnerability to premature death for Michigan’s racialized and poor populations, then our response should avoid appeals to go back to the way things were before, to “business as usual.” The pandemic, the various responses of the state, and the ensuing rebellions have illuminated the deep link between normalcy and death.
Updates on Recent Phone Zaps
Since the shelter-in-place ordinances began, MAPS and other organizations have organized and supported multiple phone zaps with varying targets. Phone zaps are one tool of prisoner solidarity—they have significant limits, but they can also have material impacts that improve conditions for comrades in need. Flooding prison phone lines can let officials and guards know they’re … Continue reading Updates on Recent Phone Zaps
Write Up From The Inside: K-Unit Dubbed “Korona-Unit” and the Approaching Disaster for Michigan Prisoners
Written 4/6/20 by Robert Winburn #222196 K-UNIT DUBBED “KORONA-UNIT” AND THE APPROACHING DISASTER FOR MICHIGAN PRISONERS In Michigan, both non-violent and violent offenders are sentenced to prison, not the death penalty. Thankfully, on March 30, 2020, Governor Whitmer announced she is considering early release of low-risk and/or vulnerable prisoners amid the Coronavirus. Plainly, in an … Continue reading Write Up From The Inside: K-Unit Dubbed “Korona-Unit” and the Approaching Disaster for Michigan Prisoners
The Opening Statement – Spring 2020
The Opening Statement is a free quarterly newsletter that features articles written by those currently imprisoned by the state of Michigan. We publish poetry, political writing and opinion pieces, as well as other relevant pieces by non-incarcerate authors. We include author names (legal name in parenthesis, required for prisoner mail) and MDOC numbers below to … Continue reading The Opening Statement – Spring 2020
Phone Zap: Stop Repression at Michigan Prison
Edward Walton, Edward Combs, and Eric Woods, three prisoners in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, together spoke out about bad living and labor conditions, racist treatment by staff, and a sham grievance process at Chippewa Correctional Facility. Now, all three are facing repression, particularly Edward Walton (pictured in the illustration) who has been placed in solitary confinement … Continue reading Phone Zap: Stop Repression at Michigan Prison
Solidarity Statement for Edward Walton, Edward Combs and Eric Woods
In January, Edward Walton, Edward Combs, and Eric Woods wrote an open letter addressed to “the people of the state of Michigan,” and apparently sent a copy to Governor Gretchen Whitmer and MDOC Director Heidi Washington. As the Detroit Free Press’s Paul Egan reported, the letter outlined a series of complaints about conditions at Chippewa … Continue reading Solidarity Statement for Edward Walton, Edward Combs and Eric Woods
The Opening Statement – Winter 2020
The Opening Statement is a free quarterly newsletter that features articles written by those currently imprisoned by the state of Michigan. We publish poetry, political writing and opinion pieces, as well as other relevant pieces by non-incarcerate authors. We include author names (legal name in parenthesis, required for prisoner mail) and MDOC numbers below to … Continue reading The Opening Statement – Winter 2020
The Opening Statement – Fall 2019
The Opening Statement is a free quarterly newsletter that features articles written by those currently imprisoned by the state of Michigan. We publish poetry, political writing and opinion pieces, as well as other relevant pieces by non-incarcerate authors. We include author names (legal name in parenthesis, required for prisoner mail) and MDOC numbers below to … Continue reading The Opening Statement – Fall 2019
The Opening Statement – Summer 2019
OPENING STATEMENT – SUMMER 2019 (CLICK THE LINK TO DOWNLOAD PDF) The Opening Statement is a free quarterly newsletter that features articles written by those currently imprisoned by the state of Michigan. We publish poetry, political writing and opinion pieces, as well as other relevant pieces by non-incarcerate authors. We include author names (legal name … Continue reading The Opening Statement – Summer 2019
