Tamms Year Ten activity continues, and will until that place is shut down. Here is their news update, reposted. I'm helping with an event at Mess Hall this Saturday. See #5 below!
1. NEW ENDORSER2. TAMMS SUPERMAX REFORM BILL3. SURVEY TO REP. JULIE HAMOS4. FACEBOOK PLEA5. POLITICAL ART CRITIQUE AND DISCUSSION--Saturday, February 76. PRISONER LETTER-WRITING and WORK PARTY--Sunday, February 87. OVERVIEW OF FEBRUARY EVENTS--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--1. NEW ENDORSER--llinoisVictims.orgTamms Year Ten is honored to add IllinoisVictims.org to our list of endorsers. Thanks so much to Jennifer Bishop Jenkins, who is the National Program Director for Victims and Survivors for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Her tremendous advocacy on behalf of victims, and her work for the human rights of prisoners and against the death penalty, has inspired all of us.--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--2. TAMMS SUPERMAX REFORM BILL--this weekAs you all know, our bill had 22 co-sponsors in the Illinois House of Representatives last session, and we had 2 legislative roundtable discussions about it, but we ran out of time in the last session to get it to the floor for a vote. Now, we are amending it and getting ready to send it back out. Thank you to our bill sponsor Rep. Julie Hamos (D-Evanston) for her commitment to this issue and for so much hard work. Rep. Hamos is an amazing elected official--we are so impressed--and she is running for Attorney General in 2010!--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--3. SURVEY TO REP. JULIE HAMOS--fill it outOur bill sponsor, Rep. Julie Hamos, wants to hear from you before she goes to Governor Quinn with a list of urgent priorities. If you care about the prisoners at Tamms and in the rest of Illinois, please fill out her survey. It will take you one minute, and you can give Rep. Julie Hamos and Governor Quinn a mandate from the people to overhaul our criminal justice system and reform, convert, or close Tamms supermax. You could also mention new trials for Burge tortured, opportunities for programming and rehabilitation to current Illinois prisoners, fair and speedy reviews for C# prisoners, and abolition of the death penalty.Or, go to www.JulieHamos.org and look under the tab that says "Get Involved."--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--4. FACEBOOK PLEA--join and spread the networkHey, we are initiating a push to make a much bigger presence on Facebook. If you are a popular Facebook figure, this could be the perfect TY10 job for you. Please lend us your friends and connections--we need everyone to join us in this super drive so we can reach our goal of 2860 friends by March 9. If anyone can help to build our presence on the facebook site (adding content, video, photos), please let us know. This will help us get people to events AND eventually raise some money. We are working on becoming a CAUSE, and then all our new friends can donate to the CAUSE! This is one step in figuring out how to cover the cost of a Lobby Day trip, and the many other expenses incurred by a frugal but very active campaign. We have about 77 friends--let's see how far we can get in just a couple days if you join right now and invite your friends!Go to http://www.facebook.com and join the group Tamms Year Ten--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--5. POLITICAL ART CRITIQUE AND DISCUSSION--Saturday, February 7 at 6:30pm at Mess HallPoster Critique + Discussion of Visual Strategies for Resisting the Prison Industrial Complex with Dan S. Wang & Laurie Jo ReynoldsTamms Year Ten is hosting an open discussion of the prints in the Justseeds poster portfolio--each which critiques the "prison industrial complex." Let's talk about which images are effective for you--and use this as a basis for considering the visual and rhetorical strategies in the movement. We want to learn from the decisions made by these artists, and then we want to work with you to consider the very real representational problems we face as a movement!How do we depict the experience of long-term isolation? Or communicate the experience of long-term incarceration?What visual language will help us to imagine the abolition of prisons? To urge rehabilitation over punishment?Can commonly used motifs—fists through prison bars / broken chains / doves / barbed wire / slave ships / prison stripes—still work? Are new metaphors required?We'll be talking about prison-related issues, but we hope that this event will be of interest to all artist-activists bedeviled and/or charmed by the problem of producing movement art which translates our political passions into visual form, renders visible the (often unacknowledged) problems of the present, and/or serves as an irresistible invitation to join us in our efforts to get free. We also invite you to bring other anti-prison movement ephemera (t-shirts, posters, stickers) for discussion!--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--6. PRISONER LETTER-WRITING and WORK PARTY--Sunday, February 8 at 2pm at People's Law OfficeAt this work meeting, you can respond to letters OR fulfill satisfying work tasks OR meet in sub-committees. It is all happening at the same time at the same place. Brief meeting at the beginning and then we will find a task for you. But, it is social too, so feel free to bring food and beverage. Work party + potluck= workluck. No, you don't need to stay the whole time!--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--++--7. OVERVIEW OF FEBRUARY EVENTSSATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 6:30pm-9pm (critique starts at 7pm--come early to see the posters)Poster Critique + Discussion of Visual Strategies for Resisting the Prison Industrial Complex with Dan S. Wang & Laurie Jo ReynoldsMess Hall, 6932 North Glenwood Ave, Chicago IL 60608(on the red line, near the Morse stop)Tamms Year Ten is hosting an open discussion of the prints in the Justseeds poster portfolio--each which critiques the "prison industrial complex." Let's talk about which images are effective for you--and use this as a basis for considering the visual and rhetorical strategies in the movement. Feel free to bring and/or enjoy food and drink.SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2pm-5pmTamms Year Ten Campaign letter-writing to prisoners and "workluck"People's Law1180 N. Milwaukee, Chicago IL 60622(at the Ashland/Division/Milwaukee intersection, on the blue line, near the Division stop, and near 90/94)Come respond to letters to current Tamms prisoners OR help with one of our work projects.SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 7pmThe Chicago Unlympic Games: Emotional Games: "Torture Breaks My Heart"No Coast1500 W 17th Street, Chicago IL, 60608(in Pilsen, a block east of Ashland)InCUBATE and person-in-residence Anne Elizabeth Moore, on behalf of the Unlympic Organizing Committee, present this special event "Torture Breaks My Heart" sponsored by Tamms Year Ten and the Campaign to End the Death Penalty featuring motivational speeches and solitary confinement games. We are highlighting the human rights abuses in Illinois as we consider the Olympic Games coming to our town. Competitors and spectators will be offered the opportunity to send Valentines to prisoners and legislators.FRIDAY to SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 13-15Screenings and discussions of the San Francisco 8 featuring "Legacy of Torture: The War against the Black Liberation Movement"Eight former Black community activists – Black Panthers and others – were arrested January 23, 2007 in California, New York, and Florida on charges related to the 1971 killing of a San Francisco police officer. Similar charges were thrown out after it was revealed that police used torture to extract confessions when some of these same men were arrested in New Orleans in 1973. From February 13 to 15, several activities in Chicago will feature their case. One of the accused, Francisco Torres; one of the attorneys, Soffiyah Elijah; and a member of the support team, Claude Marks, will bring the documentary Legacy of Torture and talk about the case in the context of the FBI’s infamous COINTELPRO program.Friday February 13* 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Hull House* 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. DePaul University, Student Center/main building, 2250 N. Sheffield Ave.Saturday February 14* 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Center for Inner City Studies, 700 E. Oakwood Blvd., sponsored by Black People Against Police Torture, co-sponsored by the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, with Cliff Kelley as moderator* 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Batey Urbano, 2620 W. Division, sponsored by National Boricua Human Rights Network and Tamms Year Ten: 6:00 to 7:00 SF8 presentation, to be introduced by one brief speaker from each of the two sponsors; 7:00 to 9:00 Crime Against Humanity play followed by Q&A to include SF8 speakers.Sunday February 15* 12:00 noon Mess Hall, 6932 N. Glenwood, brunch* 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., Trinity United Church of Christ, 400 W. 95th St.WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 6:30-8:00pm“Space Ghost” (26 min, 2007) by Laurie Jo Reynolds + release party for Stateville Speaks Loyola EditionCrown Center Auditorium, Loyola University, Lakeshore CampusHow could an avant-garde video comparing the lives of astronauts and prisoners address the condition of long-term incarceration? Come find out. Also, learn about current prison conditions in Illinois, and hear from Loyola students about producing the January edition of Stateville Speaks, a publication written in collaboration with Illinois prisoners._________________________________
[this is good]
That's compelling. As a (part-time) artist this is the type of challenge I enjoy - one that stretches the boundaries.
The only parallel I can draw from my own experience is when I worked in an inner-city animal shelter - I sat inside one of the metal cages just out of curiosity. It stunned me how claustophobic I felt. The visibility was much more limited than I had imagined and sounds were really loud. I could see why some dogs and cats would become aggressive and psychotic over time. I was afraid to close the door and after just a few minutes I couldn't take any more.
Posted by: Emmi | 02/05/2009 at 01:38 PM
It is amazing that you thought to put yourself through that exercise...very simple, but totally frightening just in your short description of the sightlines from a cage. And you didn't even close the door? Wow.
Posted by: dan s wang | 02/07/2009 at 11:47 PM