In the last issue of The Opening Statement, we invited people to write in to let us know how things were going at their facilities in terms of the response to COVID-19. We asked a few specific questions, about whether folks knew anyone who’d gotten seriously sick, been hospitalized, or died; about units being locked … Continue reading The Opening Statement, Spring 2022
Reportback from the #ShutEmDown Demonstrations in Michigan: An Abolitionist Call to Solidarity and Action against Prisons
"I have a face, a name, a past, and a future. I and the rest of us aren’t simply a number, locked away, and easily forgotten. So thank you for making us impossible to forget. As well, I will never forget all of you."
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
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.
Bend the Bars Conference August 23 in Lansing!
You’re invited to Bend the Bars 2019, a day-and-a-half long conference about strategies and tactics for supporting the prisoner movement and the struggle for a world without prisons. Where: Red Cedar Friends Meeting House 1400 Turner Rd, Lansing, MI 48906 When: August 23-24th, 2019 RSVP here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScWK3qtogXunstLcZYFgtVLT3yxh2DsQyUO1MtWC7WDRBfZ9g/viewform Read more as well as stay up-to-date on conference happenings … Continue reading Bend the Bars Conference August 23 in Lansing!
Support MDOC Whistleblower Todd Wentworth
Last summer at Alger County Correctional Facility a queer black prisoner named Rodriguez Montez Burks was being harassed and threatened by a homophobic cellmate. Burks repeatedly asked to be moved to a different cell but the guards refused Burks’ request for safety. Burks’ cellmate finally snapped and killed Burks explicitly because of Burks’ sexuality. We … Continue reading Support MDOC Whistleblower Todd Wentworth
Flyer for us!
How to get involved with flyering: Get in touch with us Send us an email so we can coordinate dropping off flyers and info to you. Flyering process: Pick a spot We have a list of suggestions, but we also trust your judgement. Places where you are going to interface with many people quickly are ideal … Continue reading Flyer for us!
National Prison Strike: Jailhouse Lawyers Speak Press Release
Preface written by MAPS (Michigan Abolition and Prisoner Solidarity). Press release written by Jailhouse Lawyers Speak. To download 8.5x11" color zine, follow this link. To download 8.5x11" black & white zine, follow this link. To print zine: print double-sided and flip on short side. The United States incarcerates the highest number of people in … Continue reading National Prison Strike: Jailhouse Lawyers Speak Press Release
Enough Already! Call In to End the Extreme Retaliation Against Kinross Prisoners
250-plus people were transferred in retaliation for the strike and protest at Kinross Correctional Facility in northern Michigan in September 2016 [1]. A reported 20 to 30 remain in maximum security (level V) despite being approved for transfer to lower levels over seven months ago. The official reason given for the delay is lack of … Continue reading Enough Already! Call In to End the Extreme Retaliation Against Kinross Prisoners
GROUP PROTESTS RESTRICTIVE MAIL POLICY IN MICHIGAN PRISONS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 5/14/2018: GROUP PROTESTS RESTRICTIVE MAIL POLICY IN MICHIGAN PRISONS East Lansing, MI – A dozen supporters of prisoners visited a quiet, residential East Lansing neighborhood Sunday afternoon to deliver Mother’s Day greeting cards to the home of Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) Director Heidi Washington. The cards – some absurdly large, some … Continue reading GROUP PROTESTS RESTRICTIVE MAIL POLICY IN MICHIGAN PRISONS
Michigan Abolition and Prisoner Solidarity 