We are excited to announce the first fundraising drive of the Abolitionist Law Center!
The Abolitionist Law Center is a public interest law firm inspired by the struggle of political and politicized prisoners, and organized for the purpose of abolishing class and race based mass incarceration in the United States by litigating on behalf of people whose human rights have been violated in prison, producing educational programs to inform the general public about the evils of mass incarceration, and helping to develop a mass movement against the American penal system by building alliances and nurturing solidarity across social divisions.
Support our work by making a tax-deductible contribution today – DONATE at this link.
Our first case seeks to break new ground in the federal courts by challenging the long-term solitary confinement of Russell ‘Maroon’ Shoatz. Held for nearly 30 years in conditions of extreme social isolation and sensory deprivation – including the last 22 years consecutively – the Abolitionist Law Center played a critical role in bringing a lawsuit challenging Maroon’s solitary confinement in May 2013.
Another ALC client – Arthur ‘Cetewayo’ Johnson – has been held in solitary confinement since 1979. Cetewayo was politicized in the early 1970s by members of the Black Liberation Movement he met inside the prison system. He has been targeted by prison authorities ever since.
Support our work on behalf of Maroon and other Pennsylvania prisoners in long-term isolation by making a contribution HERE.
Other projects include:
- Working with imprisoned human rights defender Robert ‘Saleem’ Holbrook and the Human Rights Coalition to fight censorship of political dissent in prison.
- Investigating the health impact of a toxic coal ash site surrounding State Correctional Institution Fayette in southwestern Pennsylvania. In October the Abolitionist Law Center filed a protest comment with the PA Department of Environmental Protection regarding the site.
- Submitting a letter protesting the long term solitary confinement of Russell ‘Maroon’ Shoatz to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture. In response, the Rapporteur is seeking authorization from the U.S. State Department to visit prisons in Pennsylvania.
- Organizing a major panel on political prisoners and solitary confinement at the National Lawyers Guild annual convention held in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The event included panelists representing political prisoners from the Black Liberation Movement, the Puerto Rican Independence Movement, and the movement of politicized prisoners organized from Pelican Bay prison in California. Over 150 people attended the panel, which ended with a standing ovation.
The Abolitionist Law Center seeks to challenge the status quo in the criminal legal and prison systems by building creative, principled, visionary, and lasting alliances with people and organizations inside and outside of prison who are determined to confront and defeat interconnected systems of oppression, and replace them with healthy, sustainable, and liberating alternatives.
Join us in defending human rights by making a contribution today.
Commit to becoming a long-term supporter. Tell your family, friends, and political allies. We are confident that this project will resonate in the hearts and minds of countless people who are ready to end race and class based mass imprisonment.
Sincerely,
Bret Grote
Executive Director
Abolitionist Law Center
The official registration and financial information of Abolitionist Law Center may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll free, within Pennsylvania, 1 (800) 732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.