Herman Ferguson

Kazi Toure

Ashanti Alston

June 6, 2006

Red Revolutionary Greetings,

We hope this letter finds all of you in the best of health physically, mentally, and spiritually.

We write you at this time to express our humility and gratitude in accepting the positions of co-chairs of the National Jericho Movement. We hope that we are able to live up to the generous expectations of former co-chair and esteemed veteran Herman Ferguson.

We were asked specifically to take on the task of helping to re-organize Jericho internally and externally in order to regenerate our effective movement towards the freedom of our political prisoners, prisoners-of-war and political exiles. It is Herman’s hope that this new leadership will galvanize our membership, bring in more youth and creativity, and bring political prisoners to the forefront of Jericho’s revolutionary-minded agendas. Therefore, we ask for support from all chapters and free-lance Jericho members/workers.

While we are in this transition period, internally, we are reaching out to you who have been long-time workers and supporters on various PP cases, in particular those who have family members in prison and former political prisoners. Please join us as we plan for an upcoming
National Strategy Conference.

We will be discussing the present state of the PP movement and how we can proceed to reconnecting old relationships, connect with new forces for the first time and strategize for a resurgence of a broad, diverse and effective movement for the freedom of our PPs.

Already folks who we have reached out to have responded favorably to our gestures for sit downs for resolving old issues, for building principled work relationships and devising more creative strategies for legal and community victories. We must bring our PPs home, alive and well, and in the thick of ongoing revolutionary struggles.

They were imprisoned for daring to change the world. We will bring them home in the continuation of that revolutionary project. With this we ask you to let us know of your interest in engaging in such, knowing that we come with humility.

Stagnating under post-911 heightened or expanded executive and police power, we are faced with such a different and dangerous imperial situation and we cannot have all the answers alone. But in putting our collective heads and energies together, we can overcome and MOVE towards our ultimate goals.

If it is a question of restoring our faith and motivation in the freedom dreams that initially moved us, then let our coming together restore that. Let us look forward to doing the work that leads to the brick-smashing power of our hands on Jericho walls. What did George Jackson say, “settle your petty differences and quarrels, come together… There are people who can be saved today, if we settle these differences and come together.” And we hope that this IS our goal.

• Can we work towards a National Meeting by August or September of this year?
• Can we think about structure and broadening JM’s decision-making process?
• Can we think about accountability in not too bureaucratic ways?
• Can we develop think-tank processes that draw from creative thinkers both inside and outside the walls?
• Can we organize in ways that factor in race, class and gender dynamics?
• Can we broaden our constituencies without fearing the lost of work around those PPs captured during the 60s, 70s and early 80s?
• Can we even rethink definitions of PP/POWs as well as commonly accepted strategies and tactics geared towards winning their release?

We have accepted these positions of Co-chairs only as a temporary work project to generate the kind of self-reflection and reorganization the kind of questions above present to us.

We feel that what we bring to the table is our willingness to look at who we are and our dedication to the work, relations with young folks and integrity with other long time PPs & POW workers to be able to regenerate a very necessary movement. We are asking JM to be mindful of whom we exclude as well as include within our ranks and decision-making bodies.

For us it is still an agenda subordinate to the larger one of our collective freedom dreams. New Afrikan/Black, Indigenous, Chicano, Asian, Puerto Rican, Anti-Imperialist, Animal Liberationist/Earth First, Queer/“In the Life” and working class activists. Jericho should reflect that. White supremacy impacts folks of color communities the most so that does not spell out "black/white, unite and fight." It means that when the Empire comes for former members of the Black Panther Party for 30-year-old charges and Animal Liberators we devise strategies and tactics that take history, position and privilege into account. Welcome the Liberators who resist in their fashion, and never lose sight of the 30-plus-year struggles to free the first guard of the 60s whose sacrifices go virtually unheeded due to racism and lack of resources.

We push for new structure that includes even those within our movements whose resistance constituencies have NOT found a dignified place in our thinking, decision-making and action plans.

We must rethink so much. It is incumbent upon us to step back and do so in order to step boldly forward again as we did in ’97. It aint ovah, yall. Lastly, we do not want to offend anyone with taking on the positions of co-chairs. But it was an honor and with a sense of urgency that we accepted. We know that we step into a whirlwind. Problems are not negative. They are also opportunities for dialogue, critica reflection and preparing to move forward again. Let's do that.

Join us. Support us in this work project to bring you more into your own Jericho Movement. ’Nuff said. Are you available within the next few weeks to talk with us, by phone, email, or in person to begin this process? Please best times, best days. Keep it simple. No long drawn-out, time consuming, phone bill-raising, neck-hurting talk-talks. Let’s keep it simple.

FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS!
FREE THE REVOLUTIONARY SPIRIT!
PICK UP THE WORK!

We both can be reached at nationaljericho@gmail.com
Kazi Toure & Ashanti Alston