“I refuse to make a habit” a poem by Eric King

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I refuse to make a habit

of being oppressed or oppressive

to wear chains and pretend

they’re bracelets

nothing orange is stylish

these meals aren’t gifts

and these captors aren’t our pals

don’t give a fuck how their day is

or if they’re breathing

that pepper spray isn’t cologne

these beatings aren’t for show

the fire got put out in our cans

but the power is in our hands

till they rob the air we breathe

i’ll stand on the side of action

lessons learned today

mental weakness overcome today

will make a better me tomorrow

for refusing to be broken

and refusing to make a habit

of being oppressed

or of being oppressive

such will keep me free

no matter what they bring

Urgent Action Needed Now: Don’t Let CCA Censor Eric King’s Mail!

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As folks know, Eric’s mail is being censored and political letters and
literature are being rejected. It is important to keep the pressure on
CCA Leavenworth to stop censoring Eric’s mail.

According to Warden Isaac Johnston, it is up to the guards to use
discretion in deciding which groups can be labeled as hate groups and
have their correspondence rejected. This means that mailroom employees
can use their own political ideology to decide what mail to allow and
what to block.

Unfortunately, due to CCA being a for-profit contractor, they are not
held by the same rules as state and federal prisons. Yet there is a very
short list of regulations that CCA has to follow in regards to mail and
one is that both incoming and outgoing mail must be held for no longer
than 24 hours.

Since being incarcerated, Eric has had both incoming and outgoing mail
held for way longer than is dictated according to the “Performance-Based
Detention Standards.” On September 15th, for example, the mailroom gave
Eric a large batch of mail that had been held for well over 24 hours.

If you write Eric, you can help by taking action in the following ways:

1) When you get mail from Eric, please check both the date the letter
was written and the postmark on the letter. If there is more than a
24-hour difference, please email us at erickingsupportcrew(a)riseup.net
with either a photo or quick note of the date on the letter and the
postmark date. This can help Eric document these violations and allow
him to file grievances for them as they occur.

2) Next, please take a second to let the staff at CCA Leavenworth and
CCA corporate know that they are violating the “Performance-Based
Detention Standards.”

a. Warden Isaac Johnston: 913.680.6801
b. Assistant to the Warden: 913.680.6804
c. Mailroom (ask for the manager of the mailroom): 913.680.6808
d. Call CCA Corporate and let them know what CCA Leavenworth is up to:
1.800.624.2931

Feel free to leave a message if they do not answer. If you feel
comfortable and want to have a conversation, you can even leave a
call-back number.

In your message, state how long Eric’s outgoing letter was held before
being sent to you. Inform them that “Performance-Based Detention
Standard” number (G.3.5) says, “Excluding weekends and holidays or
emergency situations, incoming and outgoing letters are held for no more
than 24-hour hold.”

Help us tell CCA that we won’t stand for Eric’s incoming mail being
censored based on his political ideology or for him to be targeted by
his mail being held for more than 24 hours.

Lastly, we want to remind folks that Eric being pre-trial puts him in an
especially sensitive position. Any piece of literature he receives,
whether it is rejected or not, may be used against him come sentencing.

Love and Solidarity

EK Defense Committee

Untitled poem by Eric King

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Living in open caskets

breaking down into fractions

if we’re animals

are these our zoos?

if god loves us

are jails the pews?

asleep but i’m awaken

hunger strikes me

the earth is shaken

time is my only consumption

living in broken societies

breaking down into surrogate families

i’m hungry

for anything

New Support Material and Update on fundraiser

So first of all I would love to announce that our primary fundraiser goal has been met thanks to his amazing comrades! We are so excited overwhelmed by everyone’s solidarity be it donating to the fundraiser,  making sure Eric stays connected by dropping him a letter or even by sending him a book. We will continue to be taking donations and also “selling” t-shirts on his fundraiser.

https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/0yoZc/ab/a4jVK6

We received an amazing zine that was beautifully  put together and sent to us by Causerie Publishing. We wanted to share it with all of Eric’s supporters. Take a second to read it, pass it on, or print it out for tabling. It is a great collection of his poems and writings.

eric king writings zine

We do want to add that we had a little bit of outdated possible sentence info up and he is actually facing life. Luckily thanks to the group Supporting Vegans in the Prison Sytem Eric never had to go on the hunger strike!

“We Forget” a poem by Eric King

Hometown heroes forget we exist within morality

the person shooting up was once someone’s everything

cuddly kids call the president a primate, cause they hate his pigment

not racist if it’s politics just more social biggots

one pump of blood away from being a fleeting memory

once pump and pull away from an unwanted family

villains in our lives aren’t just symbols they’re existing

placing more importance on critical moments

instead of having joy in simply loving

rascal radicals ditching ethics and street battles

rather duplicate love w/bubble gum flavored capsules

loving all life in 8 hour segmants

then rushing off to the bathroom to get in line for seconds

as soon as the crash begins re-up or we’re all dead

every moment sober is a moment to forget

born with so much privilege we’ve forgotten how to live

all our positivity is wrapped with foil in the fridge

road splits to decency but we’ll never cross that bridge

can’t fight the state when our hands shake too much to make a fist

one more bump to get us going + we’ll swear life is bliss

creating all our drama so we created this

to be happy in this moment to recall what love is

Support shirts are in!!

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Support Eric King T-Shirts are Here!

We’re excited to announce that the Eric King support t-shirts are in!
Show your solidarity by ordering one today! We’re asking for a $20
donation per shirt. All proceeds go to EK’s support, including
commissary and phone calls.

To order a shirt, donate online at https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/0yoZc
and then email us at erickingsupportcrew(A)riseup.net with your shirt
size (S, M, L, XL) and mailing address. You can also email us to get
a mailing address for donations by check or money order.

In other good news, EK is out of solitary confinement! He now has
greater access to recreation, is able to be social once more, and has
been reunited with a friend who is also serving time there. Send him a
letter or card to help him celebrate this change in his conditions and
to let him know he’s not forgotten!

Eric King
#27090045
CCA Leavenworth
100 Highway Terrace
Leavenworth, KS 66048

Eric’s birthday is coming up!! (August 2nd)

Eric King

Eric’s 29th birthday is coming up on August 2nd! If anyone wants to send him some love and solidarity there are a few ways;

Send a card or write a letter:
Eric King
27090045
CCA Leavenworth
100 Highway Terrace
Leavenworth, KS 66048

Eric’s amazon wishlist is here (or send him a book that is a favorite of yours )
http://www.amazon.com/registry/giftlist/OEWNQ9RMQGZR

Drop a small amount into his fundraiser ($5-$10 adds up fast)
http://fnd.us/c/0yoZc/sh/a4jVK6

If you want to put money on his books directly:
(Eric’s number is 2162883)
Instructions for Depositing Money into Inmate Trust via Western Union
1. You can send money via Western Union by using the Internet, by phone or by a Walk-in
Cash Payment. The website for internet is http://www.westernunion.com/corrections. The
phone number for phone quick collect is 1-800-634-3422 FREE.
2. To send money via a Western Union Walk-In Cash Payment Location the following is a
sample of a quick collect form.

westernunion

(A) Love and Solidarity!

Update On Solitary Confinement 7-14-2015

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Was able to visit Eric this last week! He is still working  through  some medical things but is feeling  strong and in good spirits! This month marks 6 months being held in solitary confinement. He had a reclassification hearing to determine if he could  leave the hole but it was decided that he will remain on “life” status which means he will remain there for the duration of his time at CCA Leavenworth.  The support  he receives from comrades has been irreplaceable in keeping  him strong! Eric wants to express his gratitude for all the amazing letters and books that folks have sent him.

In solidarity  ( A )

New Federal Trial Date (10/26) and Update

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A quick update for supporters around the world. A continuance has been filed for Eric King’s federal trial, pushing the trial date back from July13th to October 26th. We will keep you updated on the progress of his case and reach out when we’re starting to prepare to pack the court for his trial.

In the mean time, Eric remains housed in segregation at CCA Leavenworth.
We ask for all your love and solidarity while he continues to fight for medical care, including outside testing for an increasingly serious medical situation. We will update everyone as we get more information about his health.

Right now, Eric’s nutrition is of the utmost importance and we want to be able to help him achieve proper nutrition to keep his body as healthy as possible. We need help sending him commissary each month so he can buy adequate amounts of vegan food and vitamins in addition to other necessities. Any donation helps! The link to the fundraiser is here! https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/0yoZc/sh/a4jVK6

The above photo is a mock-up for support t-shirts that should be available very soon! Keep an eye out.

Until all are free!

Solidarity (A)