The Question of Political Prisoners: Are All Raza Who Are Locked Down Political Prisoners?

Editor's Note - In the previous issue of ¡LA VERDAD! (Oct.-Dec. 1995) we summed-up Unión del Barrio's perspective on the Political Economy of Prisons and how it relates to the oppression of la Raza. This issue we will deal with the question of Political Prisoners and how it relates to our struggle for national liberation. Unión del Barrio, through its project the Chicano Mexicano Prison Project, is analyzing specific questions dealing with Raza prisoners, specifically as a way of advancing our understanding of the prison system and its role in oppressing and criminalizing our gente. Future articles will be published in issues of ¡LA VERDAD!

Throughout the history of the occupation of our land, specifically Aztlán/México Ocupado, Raza who have chosen to fight back against the system that oppresses us have either been killed or locked-down in any one of the numerous penal institutions throughout Occupied America. These gente who are doing time are most definitely Political Prisoners. They have consciously chosen to fight against injustices, and many have consciously chosen to fight for the national liberation of the Mexicano people. But what about those Raza who are doing time for crimes not related to "political reasons?" What about the many Raza who are locked-down for crimes that are socio-economic in nature? In other words, crimes of colonialism. Are these gente political prisoners? Is every colonial subject who commits a crime, that was and is created by the colonial conditions that we live in, a political prisoner? And what about those that commit crimes of colonialism, that gain a consciousness while in prison? How do they relate to the whole question of political prisoners? That is what is going to be discussed here, these three things: 1) Raza who are locked-down for a political reason; 2) Unconscious Prisoners of Colonialism, Raza who are locked-down for non-political crimes; and 3) Conscious Prisoners of Colonialism, those Raza that are locked-down for non political crimes, yet gain a political consciousness while in prison.

First we have to decide if there is such a thing as a Political Prisoner. The U.S. government says that there are no political prisoners in U.S. jails. The U.S. government also stole half our nation. So we can't truly believe anything this government tells us. We have to look at our history and our present realities. Currently there are numerous political prisoners residing in various prisons throughout the U.S., regardless of what the colonial government is saying. Raza political prisoners, like former Raza Unida Party activist Ramsey Muñiz and Puerto Rican's such as Juan Segarra Palmer, Luz Berríos, Oscar López Rivera, Luis Rosa, Elizam Escobar, Carlos Alberto Torres, Alejandrina Torres, Eddie Cortés, Antonio Camacho Negrón, Alicia Rodríguez and numerous other Puerto Ricans who are currently doing time because of their fight against U.S. colonialism and their actions to combat it; as well as Leonard Peltier, a former member of the American Indian Movement (A.I.M.). Not only are Raza political prisoners locked-up, but political prisoners of other nationalities as well, such as: former Black Panthers, Mumia Abu-Jamal, Geronimo Pratt, Sundiata Acoli as well as numerous other members of the Black Panther Party are still doing time for crimes of a political nature. Also worthy of note is Fred Hampton Jr., son of the murdered Black Panther leader Fred Hampton and Akua Njeri, current head of the National Peoples Democratic Uhuru Movement. Fred Hampton was framed by the Chicago Police because of his political activity in the Chicago area.

All of these people who have been mentioned are still doing time. All because of what they believe in. All because of the work that they were doing in their respective communities to help raise the political consciousness of the masses. Any time gente of any nationality tries to raise the political consciousness of their community and take action to help their people they are a threat to the system. The system will lash out and attack those leaders or those organizations that are doing work.

Locked-Down For Political Reasons

These people, these freedom fighters, that consciously choose to take action to help their communities, to help their people, if they get caught, these are Political Prisoners. In many cases they don't even have to commit a crime. They don't have to take direct action against the system. Because the system will lock them up anyway. All they have to do is raise their voice loud enough for the government to hear and they will get locked up. That is what has happened to Fred Hampton Jr, Geronimo Pratt, Ramsey Muñiz and numerous other freedom fighters.

We must uphold all political prisoners, regardless of nationality, if these people are fighting to destroy this colonial system, this unequal capitalist system. Because it is capitalism and colonialism that are the main enemies of all oppressed people. Not racism as some might say. There are many black and brown faces that contribute to the oppression of our people, so racism is not the question; racism is just a manifestation of capitalism and colonialism. When we destroy capitalism and colonialism it will be easy to eradicate racism.

Therefore people who commit crimes or speak out to defend the rights and interests of their oppressed communities to help end the repressive colonial conditions that currently exist, specifically in the Raza and African communities, and are sent to prison, they are Political Prisoners.

Prisoners Of Colonialism, Locked-Down For Non-Political Crimes

Then what about prisoners who are locked-down for non-political reasons? The average homeboy or homegirl; or those that commit crimes such as murder, theft, rape, drugs related crime, etc. Though we may not condone certain crimes, such as murder or rape, we also must understand the colonial conditions that exist that may lead to these certain crimes. So what about these gente? Are they Political Prisoners as well? Some will say absolutely not. But why not? Our land was stolen. We are treated as second class citizens. We are a colonized people. Do we have to obey the laws that are set down by a government that has stolen our land and our lives and our culture? Why is the victim blamed for the conditions that colonialism creates. If we are treated as inferior and then we strike out, is it our fault? We live in the worst neighborhoods, go to inferior schools, work at the lowest paying hardest jobs, most of us have no health insurance, we're hungry and dying. All of these socio-economic factors that are direct manifestations of colonialism are what we have to live with. This government locks us up when we strike out. The government should be locked up for the crime of colonialism and the theft of our land, not the people that the government has colonized.

We are only products of the conditions that we are forced to live under. Committing some kind of crime (and getting sent to prison) under a colonial system, makes us Prisoners of Colonialism. So yes, Raza who get locked up for non-political crimes are Political Prisoners, regardless if they are conscious of this fact or not. Yet, we don't believe that we can lump them in the same category as prisoners who are doing time for legitimate political reasons. That is why we choose to label them as Unconscious Prisoners of Colonialism as opposed to Political Prisoners (even though they are a form of Political Prisoner). We do this because there is a difference between the two.

That does not mean that we somehow ignore our Unconscious Prisoners of Colonialism, in actuality we must help all of our Raza who are locked up in the prison systems throughout Occupied America. We must help raise the political consciousness of these Unconscious Prisoners of Colonialism. That is why we have projects such as the Chicano Mexicano Prison Project (CMPP) and it's newsletter Las Calles Y La Torcida.

There are more of our Raza in prison than in the Universities. Therefore we must help all of our gente en la torcida. Because they will be the future freedom fighters. These prisoners will be future cadre. By helping to raise their political consciousness we will be moving them towards the third type of Political Prisoner: The Conscious Prisoner of Colonialism, the prisoner who gains a consciousness.

Thus the majority of Raza who are locked up for non-political crimes, even though they may have no political consciousness, are Unconscious Prisoners of Colonialism which is a type of Political Prisoner.

Prisoners Of Colonialism Who Gain A Consciousness

The third type of Political Prisoners are those prisoners who are locked up for non-political reasons, yet while inside gain a political consciousness. There are many examples of this type of Political Prisoner. Two of which, who are Africans, come to mind. One is Malcolm Little, better known as Malcolm X, who was a dope pusher and user, petty criminal. This brother went to jail with absolutely no political consciousness, yet while inside was transformed into a revolutionary. The other is George Jackson, another petty criminal who was doing time for non-political reasons. This brother happened to come across the Black Panther Party while inside Soledad. He became political virtually over night and started organizing inside the prison. He was promoted by the Black Panthers to the position of Field Marshal while inside. This brother became so political while inside that they refused to let him out when his time was up; they kept adding time. George Jackson was such a threat to the system that they had to murder him. And of special note is Luis Talamantez who became political while inside San Quentin during the early 1970's. This carnal, through statements, articles and poetry, helped raise the political consciousness of Raza outside the torcida (today he still works on prison related issues through the Pelican Bay Information Project). These are just three examples of this type of Political Prisoner.

Every single member of La Raza has the ability to become a freedom fighter. That is one of the many reasons that they lock us up. Every Unconscious Prisoner of Colonialism has the potential to become a revolutionary. That is why it is necessary to help projects such as the CMPP. Because our goal is to help raise the consciousness of our Unconscious Prisoners of Colonialism and get them involved in the struggle for national liberation. If every single one of our gente who are locked up gained a political consciousness and are prepared to take action, then that would pose an extreme threat to this system. If all of those that gained a political consciousness while in prison help to raise the consciousness of all of our people, we would be that much closer to the national liberation and unification of the Mexicano nation.

When this carnal or carnala gains a consciousness and the will to use it he/she is no longer an Unconscious Prisoner of Colonialism. He or she is transformed into a Conscious Prisoner of Colonialism. Someone who is armed with the knowledge and history of their people and culture, and the revolutionary theory and plan to help liberate nuestra Raza.

We must always strive to raise the political consciousness of our people. As more and more laws are written that target our people, more and more Raza will be sent to prison. We cannot just write off this segment of our population. We must educate our Raza in la torcida to the fact that this system is our enemy. We have to win over our people that are doing time and point them towards something positive: the Movimiento.

Three types of Political Prisoners have been outlined: 1) The person who gets caught committing an illegal act for political reasons or is helping defend the rights and interests of their respective oppressed community and gets locked-up for doing so, is a Political Prisoner; 2) The Unconscious Prisoner of Colonialism, the colonized person who commits an "illegal act" and gets locked up; and 3) The Conscious Prisoner of Colonialism, the colonized person who commits an "illegal act," goes to jail and while in prison gains a revolutionary consciousness. Armed with the knowledge of what a Political Prisoner is will help us determine future strategies and tactics to help liberate our people and our land.

As Unión del Barrio advances towards becoming a cadre type organization, we will need to address many questions that our movement and our people face in our fight for national liberation. This was just one of the many questions that we needed to address concerning Raza prisoners before the First Unión del Barrio Congress. We are open to all of those gente that are involved in movement struggle to give concrete criticism to this position or any position that Unión del Barrio takes. Send comments, criticisms, etc. to Unión del Barrio, P.O. Box 620095, San Diego, CA 92162.

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