Author: erickingsupportcrew

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1/17 Update!!

Eric is so grateful, overwhelmed and humbled by all of the support that has been coming in. Taylor Swift news. Feedback on his writing. Books, notes, letters. He had tears in his eyes this weekend when he was told about it. Life afterward has been on his mind a lot. Getting out, surviving and raising children. And also wrestling with the inadequate feelings when it comes to job prospects, housing and an incredible foreign world. When he entered prison there was not a ton of people lining up his support him. It took months to get a book purchased from his list. Seeing real tangible support is helping quiet those fears. Thinking about cars, computers and capitalism and how much closer he is to working it all out.

Outdate fundraiser link here (we started at a small goal to help him see a little bit of stability <3 we will be fundraising in different ways as well as adjusting the goal a bit as we get closer) https://gofund.me/a7a87920

He Has been having some really intense neck problems some he has been seeking help for 3 plus years. some new and affecting his movement and ability to respond to letters right now. He wanted us to tell everyone how the letters have been so amazing but it has been so painful to write he has found himself out of necessity needing to shorten his responses as he waits for mri scans

Things have been ok. He has finally has his first phone call with his family since 2018, and first visit since the week after trial. He is a bit overwhelmed by the difference in respect that comes from the guards around him. Well trained guards, because the ADX demands that. Guards that know the law and are asked to follow it. It has definitely caused some reflection and wonder… what would it have been like if he were met with guards like this in Englewood? Florence medium? Leavenworth, USP McCreary? FTC Oklahoma? USP Atlanta? USP Lee?

He is safe and thinking about what it will be like ending this year on his way to freedom <3 We have added some notebooks to his Amazon book list because he needs some paper that is a manageable size. As well as his current obsession and the goal reading every book Colum Mccann has written.

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/OEWNQ9RMQGZR?ref_=wl_share

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“Just some sad X-mas poems”

More than coffee or peanut butter 
 Or Big Bang returns all night through 
 more than a warm shower 
 or 100 laps in a loop 
 more than some decent toothpaste 
 or a couple of great books to read 
 would be for someone to say 
 “hey how are you doing, 
 are you OK? “
 Merry Xmas 

 My inside bars are green 
 so I pretend to be in the forest 
 there’s predators lurking 
 big &small, gotta keep your wits about you 
 the climate is unpredictable 
 it just takes one miscalculation 
 and your ass is lost  
I scrounge what I can find to eat 
 keep my shadows close to me 
 the jungle is an unforgiving place 
 such is the BOP 
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Things I wish I knew 9 years ago

  1. It can always get worse… at CCA I thought nine months segregation pre-trial was wretched and surely illegal torture.. at Englewood low, I was stunned by the harassment that SIS would engage in and the bullshit they put my family through… At Florence medium I was enraged by how long it took emails and books to get through… since I’ve gone YEARS without visits, calls, mail, radios, I’ve been hospitalized by staff, been deprived basics like clothes, food and mail… They can always turn up the heat… And they will in accordance to your spirit and resistance. 
  1. Most people you meet won’t be anti government, anti cop, or even anti prison… they will hate these institutions in relation to how they oppress them, but not the wider spectrum… This is why radicalization inside is so important and difficult; convincing someone who thinks Michael Brown “deserved it” that they are wrong and misguided is infuriating, yet necessary work. 
  1. No matter what custody level you’re at being respectful and having a routine is VITAL. Eric McDavid hipped me to this at Englewood, but because I was surrounded by creeps, narcs and old folk, it didn’t seem relevant. I would learn though. Having the routine gives you a day structure and a bit of purpose, it gives meaning to a life that at times can feel meaningless. Being active keeps your brain up also… with respect, it’s just a good idea in prison and in life really. About 80% of my issues implied can come from reckless talk and could have been avoided.  
  1. You’ll meet some really good people. People who will look out for you, fight for you, celebrate and mourn with you. You will not always agree on ethical or political issues, but if you push away everyone you will be wildly isolated and that is dangerous … You need people to have your back from other prisoners and from staff… Accept the friendship and use it to try to open minds and hearts. 
  1. People who “support” you can be real friends, keep yourself open and don’t worry about posturing to impressed… To feel as if you “deserve” support or friendship… Some will stick around, some will fall off, neither is an implication of your worth… it’s OK to be you… To love Taylor, to feel for Ted, to have a complicated relationship with the church, to love English football while hating the English empire… be yourself and to be open to love and friendship. 
  1. You don’t have to accept support from people or groups that make you feel conflicted… there’s no obligations… you can speak up and say “no thanks” without feeling guilty or self sabotaging. Trust yourself. 
  1. Grow out your hair. Having long hair is fun, though also being a pain in the ass to dry. 
  1. ASK For the help you want, trust the people who love you to back you. Be proactive with projects you want to start, believe in yourself and your ideas I took too long and people had to tell me it was OK to have wants and needs and to voice them. Prison is more enjoyable when you’re involved in things that make you feel good. 
  1. Being anti fascist, anti racist, or a political prisoner does not remove you from the bullshit inside. You still live in this realm and have to follow basic guidelines… feeling outside it all will cause issues early on… you gotta find ways to walk the line while maintaining your ethics… you have to eat with potentially hateful people, but you don’t have to laugh at their nastiness. Be creative, you’ll find ways… like you can’t work out with other races, but you can teach and take classes with them… there are ways, but be safe. You are not above it all. 
  1. Don’t let people try to buddy hustle you for drug money under the guise of mutual aid… folks will try to use your ethics against you… manipulation is real and so is scheming. People will pretend to share radical ideology, pretend to be interested… then use solidarity to scheme, steal addresses, steal phone minutes ect. Fuck them. There are trash people inside, just like outside. 
  1. Never, ever, let yourself be a victim. 
  1. Feel the hurt, be vulnerable with those you love and trust, let yourself stay human, not an institutionalized robot. You’re in this world, but it isn’t your world, there’s so much more to your life an existence than your captivity. 
  1. Fight to win. 

Eric’s release fundriser is LIVE and can be found here https://www.gofundme.com/f/release-funds-for-political-prisoner-eric-king

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“Perspective” a poem by Eric King

Perspective
Got to see Mahomes play today
what a wonderful world to be in
Iranian women are risking their lives
for just a taste of freedom
What matters most, depends upon
under what stars you are dreaming
One persons Koi fish pond
is another’s piranha
Sometimes its easy to feel the breeze
bask in the beauty of fauna
Sometimes just getting out of bed
is a victory over the trauma
You can go to Jordan, & see the Petra
or get trapped in a CIA prison
What may seem a tasty veal steak
is another beings dead children
Go ahead & wear a Christian mask
to cover your fascism
Got to see Casemiro today
A perfect world to be in

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“Prison ain’t for sensitive boys” a poem by Eric King

Prison aint for sensitive boys

I still think about every fight

every scraping – making of knives

wondering what happened to those lives

they were sharpened for?

I still feel every spray

every breath it stole away

wondering what violence will come today

W/the squad at your door

I still hear every screaming voice

every life isolation destroyed

prison ain’t the place for a sensitive boy

I don’t want this no more

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Eric’s list: Ways the adx is different from SHU

Ways ADX is different from SHU:

1. 2 doors

2. No cell-to-cell contact

3. TV

4. Books

5. You ‘program’ in your cell

6. Rec is totally by yourself—indoor and outdoor

7. Bunk is made of concrete

8. Desk is made of concrete

9. Every door is 100% electronic

10. Every man is 2-man hold

11. Guards have batons in hand

12. No screaming or rapping-thank god

13. No one is ever coming and going, in the SHU people are constantly coming back with news or transferring, everyone is stationary here

14. We can wear sweatpants and shoes

15. We have to slide ‘cop-outs’ under the outside door. Never hand to hand.

16. No standing count ever

17. I control my lights

18. Guards drop off trays—if I don’t want I don’t have to say or interact in any way with them

19. I have all my sheets, blankets, and laundry. Tues and Thurs are laundry day

20. Often feel dizzy in these cells

21. Campers do laundry, canteen, and make our food

22. No radios

23. Hella coffee

24. Entire prison is on the same status, mostly

25. Heard absolutely zero shit talk or antagonism from staff – yet

26. It’s so quiet, eerily so

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Update From Eric 11/6

Eric has been on some form of commissary restriction or another for the last 4 years 😭 He will never walk another yard again but his restrictions have finally been lifted! We would love to celebrate this and surprise him a bit. Basic small pleasures we often take for granted. Spoil him with sweets. Let him finally load up on enough stamps to respond to everybody. Lots and lots of peanut butter! If you drop a donation here we are going to group them together and send them via Western Union to surprise him”

Eric’s Commissary Blast can be found here

https://www.paypal.com/donate?business=KRX8KFG5XADV4&amp;item_name=Eric%27s+Support+Fund&amp;currency_code=USD

Eric’s booklist can be found here

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/OEWNQ9RMQGZR?ref_=wl_share

Hello friends, comrades, and government Nosey Nathans! I’ve been in ADX for about two months now and wanted to give a little update and talk over what things are like here. 
 
                This prison, more than any, exist to break spirits and disrupt connections to the real world. It was built specifically for that purpose. The isolation here is on a very deep level. There are days that pass where I literally speak to no one and hear no one else. Some folks have decades here; imagine if you can. It’s brutal and sickening. This entire joint is a psychological war zone. 
  
                We are given TVs, which is cool, but you can get lost in them. It’s very easy to give up on fitness, mail, reading, and live in the screen. That is 100% what they want, digital social control, screen shackles. I do lots of jogging in place when a show is on, lots of movement. I’ve been in the SHU the last 4 years, most of that time without radio or books let alone a TV. That time was brutal as shit but it did teach me how to set a routine, and to get by on very little…that’s also easy for me to say knowing I’ll be out in approximately 10 months, having done one year here…many don’t have an outdate, or mail, or books coming. This is their life and those NOT swallowed by desperation are some of the strongest people imaginable. 
 
                Every day a big part of my routine is doing daily check-ins with myself, something I learned to do to keep despair at bay. I list all the things I’m thankful for, saying it out loud—usually while hitting lap …. Then I list all the good things about the current day I’m in—simple things like “the water was nice in the shower today” and massive things like “I got mail from my wife!” …. then all the good things tomorrow has in store— “[Manchester] United is on” … “mail may come” … “it’s laundry day” … “pancakes for breakfast” … 
 
                My reality is that, with such limited communication with my family the days in here can get as dark as I allow them to. No one in here is going to hold my hand and make sure I’m ok …it’s on me. I need to make sure this odd hell doesn’t get ahold of me … lose just a little focus and a whole lot of darkness can sneak in. The only person who can hold you up on a daily basis is yourself, and you must do it. 
 
                I’m more fortunate than most. I’m short-timing. I have a fantastic wife, kids, and amazing comrades. I have a legal team fighting for me. I have a deep love of life and thankfully the Bureau hasn’t dimmed my light yet. Mail can be super fast one week, then take a month depending on what’s going on. So if you’ve written me, please know that I’ll try and respond as quickly as I can 🙂 
 
                Thank you to everyone sending books, letters, everything. Love and support is always needed and always appreciated. “we. all. we. Got.” 
 
                Solidarity to those in ATL, wicked respect and admiration to the women in Iran, RIP to Kathy Boudin and Maroon… and solidarity and respect to our elders and comrades still inside; state and federally. This is a hard fight, a long fight, and a worthy fight. 
 
                All love and respect, friends. I’ll write again soon, we’re almost there… 
 
 
(///) – Everywhere 
(A) – Always
-EK 

Every day sucks 
and things are ok also  
Today could end up in tears 
screams and dreams of revolutionary retribution 
or weeping over “young Sheldon” throwbacks 
cheering United, laughing w/” it’s always sunny” 
Either way no one will hear it 
Either way I’ll over feel it 
All the sorrow held captive by these walls 
the bodies may get out, everything else stays 
what you do in here, is owned by you 
what is done to you, who will ever know? 
My scrubbed toilet, swept floor, daily fitness 
all for me, no one else will ever see.. or care 
any meaning, is the meaning I give it 
Either a nihilistic nightmare 
or the ultimate test of rebellious resilience 
“A wall is just a wall” + suffering isn’t a straight line 
neither is strength, neither is victory 
I’ll win + lose twenty times today 
then bounce back to fight tomorrow 
Finding + savoring 
million meaningless victories   
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New Poem and Brief Update

The universe continually expands
but my world stays stagnate
these walls never move,
these windows never open
I remember tho,
I’ve been someone else’s pain,
Made others space feel like their own ADX
the goal then, it seems
isn’t just to breathe fresh air
but to breathe it as a better me
To never be someone elses warden
What good is being free
if only to be oppressively to others?
“Freedom doesn’t have a purpose”
but mine will be to love + heal+ grow
to cherish the million small blessings
were presented every day
if we only chose 2 see them
FTTP
especially the ones we construct ourselves

This is a poem wrote in reflection at the adx.

The solitude is massive, and the mail is intermittent… This is a funny story because for 3 years now he has been told that the reason he has to have communication restrictions is they don’t have the capacity to properly manage his mail and his existence is a risk. He has been promised as soon as he was placed at the adx he will have his mail restored. This is not it. With his family they receive mail from him twice a month with a few hiccups. He lost the ability to have phone or visits at Lee county in his disciplinary hearing (this makes paper mail the only point of contact) The regional office instructed Lee to find him guilty (so that way they could try again if the adx placement didn’t stick) with that came phone sanctions and visit sanctions. And commissary restrictions. While he is recieving mail, he can’t respond to much of it because he cannot purchase enough paper stamps and envelopes. He’s watching TV for the first time in 4 years and is soaking it all in. He’s catching up on so much and is really enjoying talking about TV. He is receiving books, they can be sent through the wish list or a bookseller. We have no reliable way to tell if he’s getting them all or what is happening. Legal visits are intermittent.

There is not much to update on … We could tell you how he was three or four weeks ago 🤷‍♀️ it seems this is probably going to be the common theme for his last year in. They are telling him he will get 6 months and a halfway house which is kind of funny because the cares act makes him eligible for 12 but what do we know.

Eric King 27090045

USP FLORENCE ADMAX

PO BOX 8500

FLORENCE, CO 81226