Notes from Jalil Muntaqim about two lawsuits
(via Laura Whitehorn)
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?id=886396074724084&story_fbid=920466884650336
This email has information (at the end) about the UPCOMING ORAL ARGUMENTS in Jalil’s appeal for parole denial, as well as information about a lawsuit he has filed about prison conditions at Attica.
About a month ago, the New York Post, the Albany Times-Union, and some other media outlets carried a story mocking Jalil Muntaqim for what they characterized as a frivolous lawsuit. The media described the suit as a demand for access to premium cable channels.
I asked Jalil to describe the suit accurately for all of us, and here is what he wrote:
On February 5, 2011, I arrived here at Attica from Auburn, and was no longer able to receive monthly food packages. That is because this is a “TV facility,” which means there has allegedly been a vote by the prisoners to trade their monthly food packages for in-cell TV’s. I investigated and found there was no record of such a vote ever being conducted.
Also, in terms of the TV program, the Inmate Liaison Committee (ILC) is supposed to ensure the programming is what the inmate population wants. This includes the contract with the cable provider being able to offer “premium stations.”
However, there are two problems with this arrangement:
1 – There is no elected ILC here; rather, there are prisoners who have been appointed by the administration to be ILC representatives. This is in violation of the specific Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) Directives on the election of ILC members.
2 – The cable provider ripped off the ILC for $3,000 when it declared bankruptcy, abruptly cutting off “premium channels” without notification after the ILC had paid for that service.
I further learned that the cable provider had not gone bankrupt, and that money used from the inmate fund was allegedly used to renovate the former superintendent’s office. I obtained a letter from former ILC members, written to a lawyer at Prisoner Legal Services in Albany, requesting them to urge the Attorney General to conduct an audit of the inmate fund account. I also obtained two sworn affidavits stating there had not been an ILC election here in years.
Essentially, the administration is in violation of several Directives, which were made part of the lawsuit. Of course, the only thing the newspaper journalist focused on was the argument about the cable premium stations. They did this to vilify and demean my character. The journalist only needed to submit a Freedom of Information request to get a copy of the petition filed with the court—that is public record. Needless to say, the court ignored the sworn affidavits and exhibits attached to the petition exposing the extent of misappropriation of inmate funds at Attica.
I am now appealing the dismissal of the petition. This appeal goes to the New York State Court of Appeals.
That’s the real deal: me fighting the system from the inside with no help. I have five petitions in the courts, a claim on appeal and a lawsuit I have been fighting since 2003 on appeal at the U.S. Court of Appeals, with oral arguments calendered for APRIL 16, 2015. Please mark this date on your calendars, as I would like to have a few folks in Court (at Foley Square) for those oral arguments. This appeal is represented by an attorney at Hughes, Hubbard, and Reed, in NYC. As you can see, I am fighting on several fronts.
I send my best regards to the righteous of heart,
Revolutionary Love and Unity,
Jalil
Write to Jalil:
Anthony J. Bottom #77A4283
Attica C.F.
P.O. Box 149
Attica, NY 14011-0149