Becoming an Abolitionist by Fire with Safear Ness

In this conversation we welcome home Safear Ness. Safear is a formerly incarcerated organizer, a founder of In The Mix Prisoner Podcast, a writer, and a Revolutionary Abolitionist.  In this conversation we discuss Safear’s recent piece “Phone Resistance” from the Study & Struggle blog. We also talk about a zine he adapted from Dan Berger and Toussaint Losier’s book Rethinking the American Prison Movement entitled Revolution: The Prison Rebellion Years, 1968-1972 (artwork by Paul Lacombe). We also get his reflections on organizing, social media, and the abolition movement as someone who became a prison abolitionist inside Pennsylvania prisons. Safear also reflects on organizing inside, on Russell “Maroon” Shoatz concept of The Hydra, and other aspects of prison life including censorship  There is a discussion of phone zaps as well and we get into Stevie Wilson’s current situation facing repression in PADOC. The phone campaign for that is currently taking a break, but may start-up again soon. Stay in touch by following Stevie’s twitter account operated by comrades outside the walls, and by following Dreaming Freedom, Practicing Abolition.  For this month we will be sending copies of Mohawk Warrior Society: A Handbook for Sovereignty and Survival into our incarcerated readers. Thanks to PM Press for donating those copies and to Massive Bookshop and Prisons Kill for facilitating that project as always. You can support that project here. We won’t be plugging our patreon this week. But definitely would encourage folks to support projects like In The Mix and In The Belly where incarcerated people are developing their own podcast and journal projects.  Links:  In The Mix Prisoner Podcast In The Belly Journal Imam Jamil Action Network The Jericho Movement Campaign Against Prison Censorship and Book Banning Martin Sostre Institute Study & Struggle Dan Berger & Toussaint Losier on the American Prisoner Movement