With increased public discussion of mass incarceration, politicians on both sides are beginning to speak of prison reform. Caught within the logic of state power, however, these reforms take the form of new, diffuse forms of imprisonment and policing.
Against both mass incarceration and reform, we will discuss struggle against prison. Taking inspiration from struggles both international and domestic, we will discuss what a practice of prisoner solidarity looks like, how it differs from both prison reform and abolition, and what possibilities lie ahead for anti-prison struggle in the United States. We will draw from our work with autonomous projects of prisoner solidarity, presenting an analysis of solidarity efforts with specific prisoners and wider prison struggle.
WHEN: Tuesday, March 8 (8 pm)
WHERE: Left Bank Books Collective (92 Pike Street, Seattle)
WHO:
Gabriella Recchi Gabriella has been involved in prisoner support projects for nearly a decade, ranging from focused support for political prisoners, solidarity efforts with queer and trans prisoners, and supporting organizing efforts by prisoners against slave labor. She has spoken on prison struggle at Indiana University, Butler University, Bard College, and numerous academic and activist gatherings. Currently, she is involved with organizing against prison labor in Alabama, securing transfers and hormones for transgender women in prison, and working on a widely-distributed newsletter of writings by prisoners.
Erica Summers Erica became involved in prisoner support several years ago, when some friends did time in state prison. Since then, she has worked on several support campaigns for individual prisoners, primarily focusing on political prisoners in the Midwest. She has since been involved in a number of local to international projects organizing against prisons and state repression, including an annual conference to coordinate such efforts. As a social worker, she has helped young people navigate the juvenile justice system and has been volunteering in the local jail nearly every week for 3 years, where she works to build connections and capacity between prisoners and outside supporters.
