We are a PIC abolitionist—which means community based *antifascist*—project, just so you know. https://twitter.com/zellieimani/status/1306201155933024259

To synthesize the working projects of Rogers Park Prisoner Letter Writing Coalition:
- solidarity letter writing across walls has been an ongoing (although momentarily delayed) aspect of our meetups over the last year 1/2

-one meetup would occur 2x monthly by Morse redline stop, with diff comrades. The nights have welcomed members of @ChiIwoc, @blackandpinkchi, and @LoveProtectOrg to join in correspondence and packaging zines to mail inside.

other meetup would take place on Northwesteen campus, with a rad queer student group, who have now taken on their own initiative w/ @nu_abolition
-we also held in partnership with @IDOCWatch a talk on the Evanston campus feat. Black Liberation Army PP/POW Zolo Azania

-other neighborhood talks by Morse stop that were hosted include a presentation—more like a conversation—by the South Chicago Anarchist Black Cross

When COVID hit our meetups were shut down so this morphed into an account to post urgent phone zaps for the comrades we have been in relation and correspondence with; who now are supported by @nu_abolition commissary fund in emergencies.

In collaboration with our student comrades we hosted two rounds of trainings with students on how to organize phone clusters and phone zaps.

We assaulted the phone lines of several prisons and z & r created a crowdsourced document that displayed every phone zap that they could find. This came in handy. We would run down the list almost every day. (receipts exist)

Meanwhile the network of folk established from prior meetups facilitated the mailing and distribution of zines to prisoners for @true_leap. This is the power of gathering (safely) with others likeminded—when crisis hits you have your crew already in place

As the uprising proceeded the project went on pause yet now is back in motion sending care packages with books such as @NicoleFleetwoo2’s “Marking Time” and getting letters back to students to continue their correspondences. Letter writing nights will pick up again soon.

These nights give people an opportunity to learn about people who are arrested and imprisoned for their activism on the outside or inside. It is an opening for people to learn about past movements and how long-standing antirepression work is sorely sorely needed.

The street side distro is just another part of this shifting set of projects, created to build with residents in the Edgewater and Rogers Park area. We table a ton of different writings by imprisoned revolutionaries and other creative authors who are locked up. Educational angle.

In the process PPE and sanitizer is distributed and waters for ppl on foot all day. This week we will have hot meals for those who are hungry or can’t buy a meal. It will of course be accompanied with abolitionist education and we are establishing ways for neighbors to plug in.

On October 10th there will be a teach-out / discussion on “the progressive plantation,” a short book written by Lorenzo @komboa2 Ervin. This will also be a chance to build with anyone who wants to show up and throw down with us. There are so many possibilities right now.