https://themilitant.com/2019/09/14/militant-wins-again-in-battle-against-florida-prison-bans/
???Militant??? wins again in battle against Florida prison bans
??By Roy Landersen
Vol. 83/No. 34
September 23, 2019
As the campaign against suppression of the Militant?? by Florida prison
wardens gathers momentum, the Department of Corrections Literature
Review Committee?? overturned the latest impoundments of two more issues
of the socialist newsweekly Aug. 28. And they did so before the paper
had even filed an appeal.
???Both issues will be allowed into Florida correctional institutions,???
committee chair Dean Peterson informed the Militant.
Coming after state prison officials lifted the ban on five previous
issues of the paper Aug. 19, this is an important victory for the rights
of workers behind bars and of the paper. It will give encouragement to
the ongoing fight against efforts to keep the Militant?? out of the hands
of its subscribers behind bars.
The paper continues to receive messages of support, including from two
prisoners incarcerated in Florida who wrote to thank the paper for its
fight, along with requests that their subscriptions be extended.
???Militant??? wins again in battle against Florida prison bansOne thanked
the paper???s staff for the ???support and sacrifice that you all make to
ensure that I always receive the paper. God bless you.??? Another wrote in
Spanish, ???a million thanks for the help for the freedom of literature
and the press and for the articles on our suffering Cuba.???
Pat Scott and 33 of her Walmart coworkers in Federal Way, Washington, in
their letter to the review committee, pointed to the U.S. Constitution???s
protection giving ???people the right to read whatever they choose.???
In a joint letter, 14 workers at the Capital Plaza Walmart in Maryland
requested ???that prison officials in Florida end their practice of
impounding the Militant?? newspaper.??? Four retail workers in Montreal
wrote letters to protest Florida officials ???preventing prisoners from
reading the publications of their choice.???
William G. Warrick, a retired construction worker and member of the
Teamsters union, wrote to protest the ???unjust confiscations of the
Militant.??? He said, ???Working people have the right to consider a wide
range of views, whether or not they are behind bars.??? He sent a $100
donation to help the paper???s fight.
On behalf of the Chicago Torture Justice Centre, former prisoner Mark A.
Clements, a victim of cop torture and frame-up, wrote ???to voice
opposition??? to the ???repeated attacks upon the Militant publication.??? He
noted that the paper ???has existed for decades??? and provides ???reading
material that teaches history and provides a different perspective,
however it does not promote violence or disrespect.???
The Militant ???exposes systemic injustice???
The Militant?? tries to ???expose systematic injustice,??? Clements said.
???Individuals that are incarcerated must be afforded with opportunity to
know what is affecting them while behind the wall.???
Bill Montross, a reader of the paper in Maryland for many years, wrote
to protest the ???quite arbitrary and capricious??? actions of Florida
prison institutions ???to bar the Militant?? newspaper from those inmates
who have chosen to subscribe to it.???
???Impounding the Militant????? wrote Rogelio Rigor, a retired Seattle school
teacher and member of the Ethnic Studies Task Force Committee there,
???runs against the democratic right and freedom of the press.??? And, he
said, it is based on ???false claims against??? the paper.
???Working people ??? in or out of prison ??? need to prepare to rule society
for the benefit of all Humanity and in transition to a society that no
longer needs rulers (or prisons),??? wrote Erek Slater, a bus driver from
Chicago and a shop steward and executive board member of Amalgamated
Transit Union Local 241. ???That means having access to current
information and culture from around the world.???
???This latest victory reversing the ban on two more issues of the
Militant?? will be a boost,??? said Militant?? editor John Studer. ???It will
inspire supporters of the rights of workers behind bars and of freedom
of the press to keep up their pressure on Florida prison officials.
???Dean Peterson has admitted that these ???impoundments are made at the
institutional level.??? That is, they are a sign of political prejudice
against the Militant?? by prison authorities,??? Studer said. ???Public
attention is crucial in this battle for workers behind bars to have
unfettered access to literature of their choosing.
???Keep up the pressure!???
In This Issue
Front Page Articles ???Join in building support for Kentucky coal miners???
fight!
???Disaster facing Bahamians is product of the capitalist system
??????Militant??? wins again in battle against Florida prison bans
??????Economic recovery is not how most workers would describe life today???
???UK out of the EU puts workers in better position to fight UK rulers
???Gibson???s bakery scores another victory against Oberlin attacks
Feature Articles ???Bob Redrup: Built Socialist Workers Party for 7 decades
Also In This Issue ???Hundreds protest gov???t seizure of Maori children in
New Zealand
???Portland police Photoshop mug shot to frame up man for robbery
???Moscow frees Sentsov who fought its seizure of Crimea
???Troy protest: Prosecute cop who killed Edson Thevenin!
???Hong Kong protests continue to demand rights
Editorials ???Workers show power, need to organize to win
On the Picket Line ???Bosses??? profit drive leads to deaths of two more
rail workers
???Petrochemical workers strike in Quebec over wages, pensions
???Indiana Machinists end 2-month strike, vow to fight plant closure
Books of the Month ???Working-class party needs an international program
25, 50 and 75 years ago
?? Copyright 2019 The Militant?? -?? 306 W. 37th Street, 13th floor -?? New
York, NY 10018?? -?? themilitant@xxxxxxx
Cookies
This site uses cookies to improve your experience. Learn more.Okay, thank
--
---
Clarence Darrow
??? I have always felt that doubt was the beginning of wisdom, and the fear of
God was the end of wisdom. ???
??? Clarence Darrow,
