July 14, 2010
Greetings All,

Received a letter today from the Board advising that the 3-Member Panel gave me a 10 year “hit.” The basis for the hit will be explained in the Notice of Decision which will be forwarded to me upon its completion.  I’ll forward copies of the Decision to the Attys and SAFC when I receive it.

Stay strong, I will too.

L, S, Su

RAFFLE TICKETS ONLY $2.00 EACH!

A $2.00 Raffle Ticket can win a $25.00 Visa/Mastercard Gift Card!  Your card can purchase gas, lunch, dinner, groceries, clothing, etc.

PLUS…. You will be participating in a fundraiser for Sundiata Acoli’s biopic film, A Power Sun!!

There is no limit to the amount of raffle tickets one can purchase.  All entries must pay for their ticket with money order/cashier’s check, payable to Field Up Productions. Winner will be contacted via email. Winner will be announced on Facebook. Winner will be mailed gift card. All entries must be received by May 18, 2010. All entries must have a legible contact with their entry fee. This raffle proceeds will go towards the Sundiata Acoli biopic film, A Power Sun. All interested parties will mail their fee to Field Up Productions, POB 41329 Dallas, TX 75241.  Make sure you include your name, address, e-mail when you send your payment.   Drawing will be May 19, 2010!

It doesn’t get much easier or cheaper than this to support this groundbreaking effort!

http://www.fieldup.com for more info on Field Up film projects!

Time: April 24, 2010 from 5pm to 7pm
Location: worldwide web
Organized By: Black-Unity (bka) moorbey/Rev. Majadi Baruti

Event Description:
YOU are the donors making A Power Sun and Wrack 21 film projects come possible. This is truly an exciting time for Field Up Productions because this is our way of giving back to the community. It’s with pride and honor that we highlight YOU in this section. Not only does it signify your commitment to our mission with the film projects; it is YOUR action to fulfill the promises of our goals.

Freedom fighters and legendary figures like Sundiata Acoli, The Shakur’s Assata & Afeni, (Zayd & Lumumba-posthumously), Dhoruba bin Wahad, Joan Bird, and countless others are included in the film and are on the roll of supporters. These champions gave of themselves to advance the cause of liberation and freedom to oppressed nations.

Field Up Productions, through film, is trying to carry on that tradition. We need more people like YOU to get involved and assist us with this mission. YOU help strengthen our bond of solidarity as we break the chains of traditional pre and post civil rights documentary films. YOU help us continue to tell our story and claim our own victories.

Contributions are being put to work NOW! Our work depends on the support of conscience and principled people like YOU. Thank you for answering our call to action.

Dawn McGhee
Producer, Director, Writer

Event Description:
Sundiata Acoli s/n Clark Edward Squire, was reared in a small town in Texas, worked as a Computer Systems Analyst for NASA with astronaut Neil Armstrong, and became known as one of the loyalist activists during the Civil Rights Movement and beyond. With a home front war brewing, a people allegiant to educating and liberating the oppressed was the goal. Former Black Panther Party (herein BPP) member and current prisoner, Sundiata Acoli shares his story via vocal narration and dramatic elements about his journey through the depths of hell and back in the Liberation Movement in America.

A POWER SUN tells of a courageous man, who served as the Party’s Lt. of Finance, and blatant cover-ups by a government who turned its back on justice; taking viewers on an expedition of realism, unveiling the untold experience that stunned Americans in the past…and many people around the world today, making this film – history in the present.

A POWER SUN shares diverse and independent voices that have never been heard, but written about in many books and periodicals. Acoli joins his comrades, family and friends in a chilling, yet true testament of his life from childhood to his current struggles as a prisoner.

A POWER SUN is an extraordinary dramatic documentary exploring the many aspects of the BPP Movement and the climate of the times in New York (herein NY), including the states’ longest and most expensive trial in its history and the Liberation Movement, with direct accounts, historical context and critical perspectives from former BPP NY Chapter members and others while learning the about the New Jersey Turnpike tragedy and life as a prisoner. The film’s plot is navigated by the conversation between a grandmother, Eartha ”Mama Earth” Kahn, played by Irma P. Hall (Meet the Browns, Soul Food) and grandson, Cinque Kahn, played by Omar Wiseman (Disney Channel), as “Mama Earth” teaches Cinque about the BPP NY Chapter using a unique game of chess on a recreational park set. As Cinque learns chess, a by-stander in the park, Sun, listens to the instructions and applies the lessons to his life. An exploration of Acoli’s life is revisited. The audience experiences the surreal life of Acoli while hearing thought provoking testimonies and learning about a select cadre of leaders in the Party, as well as, learning the art of chess.

A POWER SUN is produced and executed with the highest professional and ethical standards. The film’s director, writer and producer, Dawn McGhee says, “This film combines the true history of a dynamic movement, while re-creating the accounts of his story”. Through the narratives, A POWER SUN joins the past and the present within an innovative film structure guided by accuracy and strong conviction that will change the lives of all people from the four corners of this world.

The host at Inner City writes: Join N as we speak with the daughter, director, and documenter of the REVOLUTION! Hear this
impassioned sista tell her-story about filming the story of political prisoner Sundiata Acoli & find out how you can HELP support
by donating to the cause! Also catch the BLACK.light as we feature a poet from the “SpokenWORD EVOLUTION!”

Please check it out and spread the word, she is fantastic and struggling to do a mighty, mighty work!!</h3>

Hi All,

My parole was denied 2day after a 2 hr to 3 hr hearing and my case was referred 2 a 3-member panel 2 determine the size of my next ‘hit’ which may b outside the normal 3 yr guideline…in other words they will probably set my future parole-hearing date at more than 3 yrs away. i thank all of u 4 the fine effort u made n trying 2 get me released and know that u did all that was humanly possibe under the circumstances. Love, and Struggle, Sundiata

A POWER SUN has developed a fantastic fundraiser trailer to assist Field Up Productions with the completion of their works.

Go to: http://vimeo.com/8919298 and check it out!

Please feel free to spread the word to the masses and support the making of this important film, no donation is too small and it absolutely cannot be made without support!

Contact Sis. Dawn McGhee at fieldup@gmail.com, thank you!

From: The Sundiata Acoli Freedom Campaign
TheSAFC@gmail.com
http://www.sundiataacoli.org
—————————

Greetings:

Please show your support for the release of Sundiata Acoli by sending a letter to the NJ Parole Board. We’ve made it easy providing a sample letter below. All you have to do is take a moment and send it in as specified below.

AND SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/parole-for-sundiata-acoli

Link to your websites and social networking pages!

Don’t underestimate how important your letters are. We can’t let this opportunity to support Sundiata slip by us. Here’s a few talking points to get you started:

Letters that are especially useful are
1)      Letters from New Jersey (but letters from EVERYWHERE are great)
2)      Letters offering housing or work to Sundiata (he has both taken care of, but it will be impressive to the parole board to know about all the offers are being made- coming from New York in particular and across the country)

PLEASE MAIL YOUR LETTERS TO SAFC ATTORNEY:
Atty. Florence Morgan
120-46 Queens Blvd., Kew Gardens, NY 11415.

It is important we keep a record of the number of letters that are sent and the diversity among supporters of his release. SAFC will make a copy and forward letters to the board.

Feel free to personalize your letters with a brief introduction about who you are/what you do.

Please note also police agencies consistently refer to Sundiata as a domestic terrorist. Letters should also refute this claim by stating he is no threat to public safety but rather a beloved member of the community who is sorely missed. Letters to the parole board MUST refrain from describing Sundiata as a political prisoner. It is also advised letters refrain from admonishing or criticizing the parole board about their review process.

Sundiata appreciates you! We do too!

If you have any questions, email us at TheSAFC@gmail.com.

Asante Sana! (Many Thanks)

___ Sample letter _________

Date: Oct. 10, 2009
Chairwoman Volette C. Ross
New Jersey State Parole Board
P.O. Box 862
Trenton NJ 08625

Chairwoman Ross:

I am writing this letter concerning Sundiata Acoli, NJ#54859/Fed#39794-066, who is eligible for parole February of 2010. I strongly encourage you to grant his parole request.

Sundiata’s age is a strong reason to grant parole. In January 2010, Sundiata will be 73 years old. He has been incarcerated for 36 years and has served his sentence. Elderly prisoners’ recidivism rates are extremely low and they are highly unlikely to commit a crime once released. In addition, elderly prisoners require more intensive medical care to remain healthy, which is an added cost to the prison system.

Sundiata’s prison record has been impeccable. Not only has he not had any violations or write-ups in decades, he is a talented painter, writer and educator. He has worked with high school and college classes across the country, providing information and insight, as well as providing support to other prisoners who want to further their education.

Sundiata himself has a very impressive educational and work background, having worked at NASA in the 1960s as a computer programmer. He left that job to travel to the South to register Blacks to vote during the Civil Rights movement.

Sundiata has expressed remorse for his involvement in the circumstance that has led to his incarceration. I believe with all of my heart that if he is released, he will be an asset to the community, one that is sorely needed.

Sundiata is a father and a grandfather, and his greatest desire is to get to watch his grandchildren grow up. Please help fulfill that desire.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.

Sincerely,

Life, health care, prisons and cutting costs
By Sundiata Acoli
10/09
Health care costs are soaring and have become unaffordable for many families. It is no different for the Prison Industrial Complex (PIC), except they’re required by law to provide medical care to their wards.
Although much of prison health care is inadequate, many of its youthful captives can at least squeak by on what’s presently provided. Not so for those over 50 years of age, most of whom are beset by the common old age infirmities: high blood pressure and cholesterol, diabetes, clogged arteries, heart disease, cancer and the need for body part replacements.

California has the largest prison population in the U.S. plus the highest health care costs and spends $98,000 to $138,000 per year for each prisoner over 50. (See “Study Finds Record Numbers of Inmates Serving Life” by Solomon Moore, New York Times, July 2009, page A20.) An Aug. 11, 2009, New York Times editorial noted that just days before a Chino, California, prison riot, a three-judge panel ordered the state to reduce its 150,000-plus prison population by about 40,000 in the next two years as the only way to bring its prison health care system up to constitutional standards.

The editorial concluded: “The riot at Chino and the federal court’s ruling contain the same message for states everywhere: They must come up with a smart way to reduce prison populations and they must do it quickly.”

More prisoners today are serving life sentences than ever before. They are called “Lifers,” their numbers have quadrupled since 1984 to over 140,000 and they’ve become a major driving force behind the explosion of health care costs in prisons. Many Lifers are over 50 and most are parole eligible, while the remainder are doing life without parole (LWOP.)

One reason for the ballooning of life sentences is the Three Strikes You’re Out mandatory minimums, 100 to 1 ratio of crack to powder cocaine sentences, children sentenced to LWOP – in clear violation of international law – and other harsh edicts of the law and order climate of the last several decades.

The other reason for the balloon is the unrectified racial residue that has accompanied America’s justice system since antebellum days. Two thirds of prisoners serving life sentences are Latino and Black and nearly half of those serving life are Black. In 13 states Blacks make up 60 percent of the Lifers. In New York state, only 17 percent of prisoners serving life are White.

Many Lifers over 50 have already done 20, even 30 years or more and some are 60, even 70 years old and more. Crime has been decreasing for the last decade or two and ALL indicators show that elderly prisoners, once released, rarely commit another crime and are least likely to return to prison.

So it is self-evident that the smartest and quickest way to begin reducing prison health care costs and prison overcrowding is to release aged and infirmed Lifers and LWOPs whose age plus years served equal a fixed number – say 70 years, for example – which could be further reduced in proportion to the seriousness of the Lifer’s illness.

Such a release process would not only be smart but ethical and prisoners’ families, loved ones and the public would be even wiser to urge their Congress member to put such a prison cost cutting bill into effect immediately.

About Sundiata
Sundiata Acoli is a 72-year-old prisoner at FCI Otisville, New York, who is sentenced to life with the possibility of parole, afflicted with common old age infirmities and has been imprisoned 36 years to date. He was arrested for the May 2, 1973, New Jersey Turnpike shooting incident in which he shot no one but merely managed to survive but in which his passenger, Zayd Shakur, and a New Jersey trooper, Werner Foerster, were killed and another trooper, James Harper, was wounded as was Sundiata’s other passenger, Assata Shakur, who was at the time the object of a nationwide “woman hunt” and she was captured. Sundiata was also wounded, then captured 40 hours later. Sundiata and both his passengers were members of the Black Panther Party at the time.

Sundiata has endured some of the harshest treatment a prisoner could experience. Still, he maintains a favorable prison record. He is a talented painter and has written numerous published articles about the prison industrial complex. He is a beloved father, grandfather, brother and elder to many with a rich history of making invaluable contributions to his community.

In the ’60s Sundiata left a promising career at NASA as a computer programmer to travel to the South to help register Blacks to vote. During his activism with the New York Chapter of the Black Panther Party, Sundiata contributed to various programs providing the city of Harlem with community control of schools, tenant control of slum housing, free breakfast for school children, free health care, legal clinics and political education classes. He also worked on community programs against drug dealers and police brutality. Numerous Panthers are still languishing in prison and have repeatedly been denied parole despite clear support for their release.

For those reasons and because Assata escaped prison long ago, the Parole Board has twice denied Sundiata parole claiming he’s likely to commit another crime. Sundiata comes up for parole hearing again in February 2010 and people concerned about justice are urged to send letters, cards and signature petitions.

As the attorneys will present your letters formally and keep record of the number of letters received, please do not mail them to the Parole Board directly. Instead mail your letters to: Attorney Florence Morgan, 120-46 Queens Blvd., Kew Gardens, NY 11415.

Letters should be addressed to: Chairwoman Volette C. Ross, New Jersey State Parole Board, P.O. Box 862, Trenton NJ 08625, saying in effect that 36 years is enough. Sundiata Acoli, New Jersey No. 54859 and federal No. 39794-066, has long ago fulfilled all requirements for parole and is too old, infirm and highly unlikely to commit another crime, so I urge you to release Sundiata Acoli on parole.

To join the Sundiata Acoli Freedom Campaign (SAFC) email list or request additional information, feel free to contact SAFC by email at TheSAFC@gmail.com.