Anarchist Black Cross Conference

By Jim Campbell

     In August, members of various Anarchist Black Cross (ABC)
groups came together in New York to try to bring new life to the
organization which dates back to the Russian revolution.
Bulldozer, although not an official ABC group, participated as
did other anti-authoritarian activists who are active in the
anti-prison movement (APM). While it couldn't be considered an
unqualified success, it was a step forward in trying to give more
shape and direction to those of us committed to the anti-prison
struggle from the outside.
     As with many such events, the biggest gains were probably
more on an informal level. Personal contact does make it easier
to work together on common efforts even though we may be
separated by hundreds and even thousands of miles. And even if,
for some, the limitations of the ABC became more apparent, most
of the participants did leave both with more knowledge about
prison issues and feeling more inspired to work on them. Two
specific projects addressed were a revitalization of the
Emergency Response Network (ERN), and the creation of a Control
Unit Monitoring Project (CUMP).
     The ABC had a functioning ERN when it last had a presence in
North America in 1989/'90. Situations calling for some sort of
emergency response by non-prisoners range from hungerstrikes,
lockdowns, punitive transfers where regular contact with a
prisoner is lost up to and including major incidents like
hostage-taking or take-overs. To be brief, the (tentative)
proposal is for a number of groups, functioning as coordinators,
to be at the top of phone trees in their region. The ERN would be
set-up on a local base, which in turn would be connected to a
regional branch of the phone-tree and working up from there to
one of the coordinating groups, which would be responsible for
either initiating a call for the ERN, or passing along
information that originated in another region.
     Ideally, these coordinators would be connected by E-mail,
which both reduces costs and increases the speed with which they
can communicate and transmit information to each other. The
addresses of these coordinating groups are listed in the address
box on page 19. If you want to participate, please contact the
group closest to you. Obviously, large chunks of the U.S. are not
covered yet, but as response comes in, that can be worked out.
     The problem with the ERN is a familiar one, and that is that
those of us already active, don't really have the time to take on
another project, as important as it may be. The first call for
the ERN, to respond to the hungerstrike by John Perotti in Ohio
and the related arrest by Little Rock Reed, came before any but
the most preliminary work had been completed. So as with so many
situations, we are already trying to play catch-up. This is said
not to discourage either outsiders or prisoners, but merely to
suggest that the ERN will not be a miracle breakthrough. It needs
serious involvement, people who will take up the responsibility
for making and maintaining contacts in their own cities and
regions, but done in conjunction with their already existing
work. As the ERN develops we'll outline more fully how it will
work. At this point in time, calls for the ERN should come
through already existing prisoner-support groups, who, to
implement the call, would go through their regional contact. And
anyone on the outside who is interested in working around prison
related issues are encouraged to get involved. Contact your
regional rep, and they can put you in contact with others in your
area.
     There was also discussion about the Control Unit Monitoring
Project. CUMP is a long-term proposal to mount a serious campaign
to expose existing Control Units and to work against the opening
of any new ones. This initiative is coming out of California,
Chicago/Indiana and New Jersey. Though differences exist as to
how to define Control Units, there is a real need to gather
information about these units, and initially this is where much
of the work will be focused. However, the work to gather
information, and the need to coordinate this work with prisoners
in Control Units, should not stop any local initiative to work
against already existing local C.U.s, or proposals to build them.
(See the tentative proposal for CUMP this page.)
     The ERN and CUMP both depend on establishing working
relations between outside activists and prisoners in their local
area. From Bulldozer's perspective, one of the main focuses for
the anti-prison movement (APM), whether ABC groups or not, should
be on establishing links with prisoners in their own region and
connecting with other groups in the area who also have an
interest in prison/social justice issues. Towards this end,
beginning with this issue, PNS will list prisoner support groups
who want contact with prisoners in their area (see box page 19).
     Bulldozer takes a skeptical approach to any "organization",
and this includes the ABC. This is not due to cynicism, and
certainly not due to sectarianism, but primarily because we are
pragmatists. We are convinced by what people do, not by what they
say. Historically, many ABC groups in North America have not
lasted as long as the average term in a Control Unit. This is not
the way to go. Prison work is not one that should be taken up
lightly. It involves real people in real serious situations. As
such it requires a longterm commitment. Unfortunately, the ABC
has been one of the easiest organizations of all to join. All it
has taken is a post office box, a couple of letters to the
appropriate newspapers and to other ABC groups. And six months
later mail comes back with a note that the box is closed.
     It is true that eventually tighter forms of political
organization will probably be necessary, but the absence of that
structure does not seem like the biggest problem right now.
Bulldozer thinks that developing local coalitions, like the
Prison Justice Day committee in Toronto, or the one that put on
the August 10th demo in San Francisco, is more likely to allow
anarchists to break out of their political ghetto. On a larger
level, the ERN and especially CUMP will allow us to try to work
together to coordinate campaigns and strategies.
     It is not that anyone at the ABC conference was suggesting
that the ABCs should be a more tightly controlled organization.
The ABCs historically have always been very autonomist. But the
conference did bog down when we were trying to come up with ways
to avoid some of the classic arguments within the broader
anarchist movement. Those attending generally work with
non-anarchist POWs and PPs, support Native and New Afrikan
struggles for self-determination and don't separate the struggle
of social prisoners from the campaigns on behalf of, and support
for, individual POWs/PPs. We're too well aware that for many the
anarchist movement consists of little else but endless debates as
to who is most faithful to the cult of the individual. We're not
in the least interested in that debate.
     The problem with the anarchist movement, as with the
anti-prison movement and the left in general, is not that we
haven't sufficiently refined our political lines, but that we
generally haven't developed a political praxis. Practical
projects such as CUMP should allow us the opportunity to develop
local initiatives while trying to coordinate those efforts. We
can draw upon the experience of the various projects, listen to
the concerns and needs of the affected prisoners, work with
prisoners from a variety of political, national, racial and
religious perspectives and try to develop a politic that is
relevant even to those who don't necessarily agree with some of
our most basic ideas, but who will recognize and respect solid
work. It is up to us to make anarchism credible, rather than
expecting "anarchism" to make us credible. We have much work to
do before we will accomplish that.
     The ABC can make a contribution to the emerging APM.
(Leaving aside for the moment on whether or not this is indeed
happening.) But it should see itself as a network within a
broader anti-authoritarian tendency, which in turn should see
itself as part of a very broad-based and diverse movement. If
building an ABC group seems like it would help do local work,
then do it, if not, don't. As a network, the ABC may very well be
in a position to do work that others aren't. This could include
ensuring that activists in prisons that don't have local support
have someone somewhere looking out for them. Or coordinating
campaigns with the ABCs in Europe and elsewhere. And they should
pay particular attention to anarchist prisoners.
     I left the ABC conference with some confidence that most of
those attending were serious about doing some long term
prisoner-support work. And that is the critical question. Time is
running out if we are to keep north amerika from solidifying into
very repressive states with a popular base. That very urgency
demands that we take our time to do things right. There are not
short cuts to political organizing. Many groups, including
anarchist ones, take a "Field of Dreams" approach to organizing -
"build it and they will come." Well it hasn't worked that way
yet. So let's settle down for a few years of hard work and see
what develops.
     The conference didn't make much progress on the ABC as a
structure, but it did help to educate and motivate those
attending. Though that is not sufficient, it is certainly a
contribution. Our thanks to Nightcrawlers ABC , N.J./ABC, and
everyone else who helped to make the conference happen. And
special thanks to Ramona Africa and Alan Berkman for their very
inspiring talks.

(From: Prison News Service #47 - September/October 1994)