The Opening Statement Spring 2023

The Opening Statement is a free quarterly newsletter that features articles, poetry, political writing and opinion pieces, as well as other relevant pieces by non-incarcerated authors. OPENING STATEMENT – SPRING 2023  (CLICK THE LINK TO DOWNLOAD PDF) ARTICLES AND AUTHORS LISTED BELOW: Abolitionist Greetings and Happy Spring! MAPS Editorial Team The Womb of the Beast: … Continue reading The Opening Statement Spring 2023

The Opening Statement – Summer 2022

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-incarcerated authors. "Between 2017 and 2020, we did what we'd set out to do, regularly publishing articles, opinion pieces, … Continue reading The Opening Statement – Summer 2022

The Pandemic Inside: COVID-19 in Michigan Prisons

Michigan Abolition and Prisoner Solidarity (MAPS) is pleased to announce the release of a new zine, The Pandemic Inside: COVID-19 in Michigan Prisons. This zine is a compilation of writings by prisoners that were shared with us during the first year or so of the pandemic. Their letters and essays expose the deplorable conditions and … Continue reading The Pandemic Inside: COVID-19 in Michigan Prisons

The Opening Statement – Summer 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 – 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