Action Alert to Support Parole for Janet & Janine: June 25 – 27

On Saturday, June 16, MOVE member Debbie Africa was released on parole from State Correctional Institution (SCI) Cambridge Springs after 39 years and 10 months of incarceration. 

Fellow MOVE members Janet and Janine Africa, however, were denied parole despite having virtually identical Department of Corrections records as Debbie. [Information on how to take action below.]

Janet, Janine, and Debbie all:
– Have gone more than 20 years without a misconduct for any rule violation
– Were recommended for parole by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections
– Were recommended for parole by former PA DOC Secretary Martin Horn
– Were recommended for parole by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office
– It is beyond dispute that Debbie, Janet and Janine present zero threat to public safety

The Parole Board has denied them the opportunity to return home based on unlawful factors. Claiming the two minimized the offense and did not express remorse, the Board ignored the only relevant assessment under Pennsylvania law: that the two do not present a threat to public safety.
The Parole Board also lied, claiming that Janet and Janine received the negative recommendation of the prosecuting attorney, when in truth Philadelphia’s District Attorney, Larry Krasner, recommended all three women – Debbie, Janet, and Janine – for parole, his office stating that it “was “confident” that Janet and Janine “will not pose a threat to the Philadelphia community” and that their “continued incarceration does not make our city safer.”

Take Action – Call the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons and Parole Chairman Leo Dunn:
Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole: 717-787-5699 – Ask for Chairman Leo Dunn’s office
Send Email message: ra-pbppopc@pa.gov 

Talking Points:
– Janet and Janine have not had any rule violation in more than 20 years
– Each has the support of the DOC, former DOC Secretary and nationally-renowned corrections expert Martin Horn, and the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office
– Janet and Janine do not present a threat to public safety and should be released just like Debbie
– The Board must stop making political decisions in the MOVE cases: when judged on their record in the DOC and community support Janet and Janine have a right to be released

Demand:
– That Leo Dunn agree to have the Board reconsider its denial
– Grant Janet and Janine Africa release on parole

Sign the petition urging the Attorney General to free the Move 9

In recent years, numerous instances of racial profiling, civil rights violations and use of excessive police force have been investigated. The case of the Move 9 is widely acknowledged as a racially charged incident. Despite substantial evidence of their innocence and the lengthy time served, they remain incarcerated. For this reason, many are calling on the U.S. Attorney General to open a rigorous investigation into this case, and advocating for their release on parole.

Read the full text and sign the petition, where you can also share it on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn.

Write a letter in support of parole for Eddie Africa

In October, our Brother Eddie Africa is set to make another appearance before the PA Parole Board. Your letters of support are urgently needed. We are asking for your support at this critical stage to secure the freedom Eddie deserves.  Feel free to use the sample letter below and write in your own words.

NOTE: Please send all letters of support to Orie Ross, P.O. Box 575, Times Square Station, New York, NY 10108-0575 so they can be reviewed and sent to the Board. The deadline for letters will be Wednesday September 30th.

Sample Letter:

Take A Stand for Mumia and PA Prisoners - Call-in Today

THIS IS A CALL TO ACTION: 

The Campaign to Bring Mumia Home is seeking your support to caravan to Harrisburg, PA on Wednesday, October 15 to fight the newest legislation created to silence the voice of PA prisoners.

Tomorrow, the PA Senate will vote on House bill HB2533 and Senate bill SB508. In the spirit of the "Mumia Exception," this legislation was fast-tracked in direct response to the positive support Mumia received for his Goddard College commencement speech. This bill will make it illegal for prisoners to speak publicly AND sue those prisoners who do and the parties who assist them. 

This legislation was created to silence the voice of political prisoners like Mumia Abu Jamal, Lorenzo "Cat" Johnson and Russell Shoatz whose voices can be heard around the world, in spite of their physical captivity. Consider how much their voices have contributed to our intellectual heritage and collective growth. Consider all that we have learned about prison conditions and prisoner rights violations from the voices of the imprisoned. This bill will not only silence prisoner's voices; it will silence the voice of all those who want to hear them. Legislation like this reminds us that all bodies behind bars are political prisoners. 

The precedence of this repression legislation has far reaching implications for prisoners rights, freedom of speech, and our collective ability to take on the state. We need supporters go to Harrisburg to show physical support and accompany members of the MOVE family as they meet with legislators. If you can attend and or volunteer as a driver, please respond to this email or call 267-259-1740. With enough support, we will rent vans from Philadelphia and NY. Tentative Philadelphia departure is 7:30am.

Support Parole For Eddie Africa

We are asking for your support at this critical stage to secure the freedom Eddie deserves.  Feel free to use the sample letter below and write in your own words.

NOTE: Please send all letters of support to Orie Ross, P.O. Box 575, Times Square Station, New York, NY 10108-0575 so they can be reviewed and sent to the Board.  If possible, please send your letter so it arrives by Monday, September 29th.  The final deadline for letters will be Friday, October 24th.

Sample Letter:

Update on Debbie's Hearing

As of now, we are under the impression that Debbie's hearing will be held on Tuesday, May 13th.  On the 29th anniversary of State and City Officials outright blatant murder of 11 Move men, women, and children the parole board has decided to give Debbie her hearing.

On May 12th and May 13th, we are calling for people to Occupy the Phone Lines of the PA Parole Board in support of Parole For Debbie (Sims) Africa 006307. Call the PA Parole Board at (717) 772-4343 and Demand Parole for Our Sister. Talking points are here.

Sample letter for Debbie's Parole

Please either write a parole support letter for Debbie in your own words, or right-click on the sample letter below to download and print.  Just add your name and address in the upper right corner and signature at the bottom.  Even though the letter is addressed to the Parole Board, send your letter to The Move Organization at P.O. Box 19709, Philadelphia, PA 19143 so they can be collected before they are passed on to the Board. 
Please make sure your letter arrives by May 4th.

 

Call-in to the Parole Board Every Monday!

CALL EVERY MONDAY throughout Spring 2014:
Board of Probation and Parole: (717) 772-4343

Use these talking points when speaking with the Board to pressure them to do the right thing and parole the Move prisoners:

*[She/he/they] meet all of the reasonable standards for parole including recommendations from the prison authorities where they are incarcerated.

*[She/he/they] have excellent prison records, have kept down racial and gang violence in prison, helped inmates fight drug addiction, helped parents establish relationships with their children on the outside, and have been an overall positive influence on the prison population, both staff and inmates.

*[She/he/they] have served over 35 years of a 30-100 year sentence for third-degree murder even though the average sentence for that charge is 10-15 years.

*I am concerned about optional stipulations that the Parole Board may require, which I feel are unfair, and which many legal scholars contend is a violation of First Amendment rights. In the past, as a condition for parole, these prisoners have unfairly been required to renounce the religious organization they belong to, Move.

*I am concerned about the “taking responsibility” stipulation which basically asks a prisoner to admit guilt in order to be granted parole. [Prisoner(s) name] have always maintained their innocence and there is evidence that corroborates that the shot was from a police officer rather than any of the individuals currently incarcerated. It is unfair to require this stipulation from any prisoner who maintains innocence.

*I am also concerned about the “serious nature of the offense” stipulation. The judge took the nature of the offense into consideration when the sentence was issued so that barring misconduct, new charges, etc. [she/he/them] was to be released on their minimum.

*Since two of the members of the PA Parole Board (Randy Feathers and Lloyd White) are former police officers, this leads to bias against [she/he/them] and needs to addressed so that their right to parole is not compromised

*[She/he/they] have now spent most of their lives in prison, and the recidivism rate for people released at [her/his/their] age is very low. All of the Move members that have already been released from prison have not recidivated.

Since the prison system insists on having DIN numbers to reference, make sure to have them when you call.  The prison recognizes them by their former last names (rather than Africa) which are also listed below.  The dates listed indicate when their next hearing should be held, and you can call the Parole Inmate Inquiry line at 717 772-4343 to verify the date.

Charles Sims Africa #AM4975 (November 2014)
Debbie Sims Africa #OO6307 (May 2014)
Delbert Orr Africa #AM4985 (June 2015)
Edward Goodman Africa #AM4974 (November 2015)
Janet Holloway Africa #OO6308 (May 2016)
Janine Phillips Africa #OO6309 (May 2016)
Michael Davis Africa #AM4973 (November 2014)
William Phillips Africa #AM4984 (June 2015)

Make sure to have a paper and pen handy when you call, so you can write down who you spoke with and what their response was. This info can be sent to the Move Organization: onamovellja[at]gmail.com.