21 January 2012 [Today, Mandy was sentenced to 16 months in prison. During the sentencing hearing, she made this statement to the court, which was interrupted 8 times, by both the judge and the prosecutor. In the end, they spoke more during the time alloted to Mandy than Mandy spoke herself. A version which includes all of those comments will be posted separately.] It's not every day you get the opportunity to speak directly to a judge, and I have a lot to say. This is my first opportunity to speak since this entire process started last June so I hope you'll hear me out until the end. I plan to take about ten to fiteen minutes at most. I don't know you as a person or as a judge, so my comments are directed at the legal system in general. I want to address some of the things you said on this matter in earlier sentencing hearings, particularly your references to the KKK. When you sentenced Peter, Adam, Erik and Leah to jail, you stated that this is not political, it is about our tactics. You mentioned the KKK, and compared their actions to those of the non-violent civil disobedience protesters of the 60s. I agree with you that the tactics used by the KKK are reprehensible. I disagree with you that that kind of violence against people is anything remotely like the property damage that occurred on the streets of Toronto during the G20 summit. Regardless, by focusing on the KKK's tactics and not their politics you've missed the point entirely. The problem with the KKK isn't only their tactics. It's the fact that they're a white supremacist group. White supremacy is defined as "an historically based, institutionally perpetuated system of exploitation and oppression of continents, nations and peoples of color by white peoples and nations; for the purpose of establishing, maintaining and defending a system of wealth, power and privilege." I don't think you disagree with me that there is a system of wealth, power and privilege in this country. I benefit from this system every day, and so do you. We benefit on the backs of others, most of whom are people of colour. Systemic oppression is widespread in the legal system. Racial profiling affects who gets arrested in the first place, who gets charged and who gets sent home, whose charges the Crown decides to proceed with and whose they drop, who gets bail and who doesn't. It's not a secret that if you're in custody during your trial, your chances of conviction are higher. And even if you do get out on bail, who gets compliance checks and who doesn't means some people end up back in jail on a breach while others don't. Who in this is more likely to plead guilty right away because they don't have the time, tools or money to defend themselves? The fact is that lawyers are expensive and your chance of conviction depends on how much time your lawyer is willing to put into your case. Most judges are white, and the jury selection process means that if you're poor you'll almost certainly not end up with a jury of your peers. And finally, sentencing relies on privilege (your education level, your chance of employment, your income, prior run-ins with the law, and so on.) I don't have proper statistics for all of the above, and anyway I know you know this stuff. I just want you to be aware that I know it too, and so do most of the people in this room today and in the video room. However, here are some statistics that I do have: According to the federal correctional investigator, over the past decade there has been a 52 per cent leap in the proportion of black offenders in federal incarceration. Black people make up roughly 2.5 per cent of Canada's population but 9.12 per cent of federal prisoners. In Ontario, 20 per cent of the federal prison population is black. Keeping in mind that people of colour have been hardest hit by the economic downturn and the conservative policies of our current government, and keeping in mind all the ways in which the legal system disadvantages people of colour, is it really any wonder? My point is that a few broken windows and burned police cars at a protest will not lead us down the path of the KKK. The KKK targeted black people with overt violence and terror, and this system targets them with institutionalized racism, which is just a more subtle form of violence. In fact this legal system is doing the work of the KKK more than any anti-G20 protester ever could. It's very telling that the KKK was comprised in large part of wealthy businessmen and lawmakers - the kinds of people our society and our legal system hold up as the best of the best. Perhaps this is why in 1987 Weatherman Linda Evans was sentenced to 40 years for using false ID to get a firearm and harbouring a fugitive, despite the average sentence for that being 2 years. In the same year, a KKK leader named Don Black, who was planning an invasion of Dominica with a boatload of explosives and automatic weapons, was sentenced to 8 years, 5 of which were suspended, so that he ended up serving 3. White supremacy is wrong, it's violent and dangerous, whether it's at the hands of a fringe group like the KKK or an accepted institution like the criminal justice system. ********** It's not always what the "justice" system does that causes the problems, sometimes it's what it doesn't do. The courts simply do not consider systemic oppression and inequality. In a book called The Red Lily, Anatole France stated that "The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread." The book was written in 1894 in France, but that statement still applies here, today. A crime is a crime, you say, regardless of who committed it, and what leads people to crime doesn't matter. In 1999 the Supreme Court of Canada tried to address systemic injustice in their ruling on Regina vs Gladue. They stated that we need to acknowledge the circumstances of Indigenous people, the reasons they may wind up in the justice system, and the racist treatment and attitudes they encounter there. They recommended alternatives to prison sentences that mesh more with Indigenous cultures. According to people who work in the field, many Indigenous accused still don't know about Gladue reports or how to get them, and they aren't always informed by their lawyers. Judges continue to resist the sentencing principles outlined at the conclusion of the Gladue case. According to Statistics Canada, in 2008/2009, 10 years after the ruling, Aboriginal women represented 28% of all women remanded and 37% of women admitted to sentenced custody. Today Aboriginal women, though less than two per cent of the Canadian population, make up 34 per cent of female federal inmates. My point being, I don't have the power to change what happens in this legal system. I'm trying to indicate why I don't respect this legal system. ********** The crown wants this sentence to be a deterrent. It won't be. Please take a second to have a good look around the room. When i get taken out of here do you think you'll have increased anyone's faith in the system? I am certainly not deterred, I'm just angry. No matter what my sentence is today, it won't be about justice. Your system is not about justice. If it was, don't you think we would have come to you when the G20 decided to set foot here to pursue their obviously unjust austerity agenda? Don't you think we would have asked for your help when the police started to put up their fences and cages, and randomly arrest whoever they felt like so they could systematically abuse them in the detention centre? If this system was about righting wrongs, don't you think we would come to you to hold the rich to account for their abuses against the poor, immigration officials to account for their abuses against people without status, and settlers to account for our abuses against Indigenous people? We didn't and don't come to you. We won't ever come to you. A court of real justice would defend people against aggressors. In this society, the privileged are the aggressors, but time after time you choose to protect their privilege and their property against people who are struggling to survive. You're doing it wrong. Let's not debate. The obvious answer to the violence and the chaos is the cops brought that. I'm going to try and finish. This legal system that we have here is not equal, it's not fair and it's not just. And a lot of people out there believe that it is. What I would like to impart to you is that I don't buy it and the statistics don't support it. You speak of dignity, that everyone should be treated with dignity. I agree with you. But you can't treat someone with dignity, or expect to be treated with dignity in return, while one person is up high and the other person is down low, while your boot is on their neck. This is why we, myself and the people in the other room, don't have decorum in this system. Throughout this farcical legal process that's coming to an end today the accused have been told that our actions were an attack on the rule of law, which is at the heart of our society. Well good. Our society is racist and colonial, its rooted in wealth and power, and so is the rule of law that upholds it. And I'm going to leave this court room today, to quote Chilean anarchist Diego Rios: "I am carrying all my hatred and contempt for power, its laws, its authority, its society, and I have no room for guilt or fear of punishment."

21 January 2012 *Circulate* Love and Struggle This event will include music, speakers and is a book launch for David Gilbert's new book "Love and Struggle: My life in the SDS, Weather Underground and Beyond". Thursday, Feb. 9 7pm - Midnight SAW Gallery 67 Nicholas Wheelchair Accessible This event is a fund raiser for Books 2 Prisoners and Red Aide/Secours Rouge $7 or pay what you can (No one turned away) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bands: Police Funeral (Punk) Justin Dea (Folk) Jonathen Crow (Folk) Speakers: - Representative from the Revolutionary Communist Party who will be speaking about GAMMA, the newly formed anti-anarchist and anti-communist police unit in Montreal - Jaggi Singh (TBC), who will be speaking about political prisoners and David Gilbert - A member of Books 2 Prisoners who will be speaking about the work they do supporting prisoners and working for prisoner justice ------------------------------------------------------------------------ $7, or pay what you can No one will be turned away This event is also a fundraiser for Books 2 Prisoners and Canadian Red Aide/Secours Rouge du Canada. More info about David Gilbert and his new book, "Love and Struggle". A nice Jewish boy from suburban Boston—hell, an Eagle Scout!—David Gilbert arrived at Columbia University just in time for the explosive Sixties. From the early anti-Vietnam War protests to the founding of SDS, from the Columbia Strike to the tragedy of the Townhouse, Gilbert was on the scene: as organizer, theoretician, and above all, activist. He was among the first militants who went underground to build the clandestine resistance to war and racism known as “Weatherman.” And he was among the last to emerge, in captivity, after the disaster of the 1981 Brinks robbery, an attempted expropriation that resulted in four deaths and long prison terms. In this extraordinary memoir, written from the maximum-security prison where he has lived for almost thirty years, David Gilbert tells the intensely personal story of his own Long March from liberal to radical to revolutionary. Today a beloved and admired mentor to a new generation of activists, he assesses with rare humor, with an understanding stripped of illusions, and with uncommon candor the errors and advances, terrors and triumphs of the Sixties and beyond. It’s a battle that was far from won, but is still not lost: the struggle to build a new world, and the love that drives that effort. A cautionary tale and a how-to as well, Love and Struggle is a book as candid, as uncompromising, and as humane as its author.

17 September 2011 Court Support for Claude! 23 September · 10:00 - 13:00 Ottawa Courthouse 161 Elgin St. Ottawa, ON Claude will be in court on Friday, Sept. 23rd at 10:00am for the trial of his "Careless Storage of Ammunition" charge. He is asking everyone to come to the courthouse to show some support for him during the trial. The trial is not expected to be long, so we suggest that if you do decide to come that you try and be there as close to 10:00am as you can. This is the only charge that remains from his arrest on June 18. All his other charges have been stayed or dropped due to a lack of evidence. Claude was never charged with arson in relation to the RBC firebombing on May 18.

13 August 2011 Statement from Roger Clement Conditions here at Pittsburgh are vastly better than those in Ottawa and Millhaven and I'm doing well. After spending six months in OCDC [Ottawa Carleton Detention Centre], I'm surprised body and mind are still on good terms. What sustained me through this trying time was the court and jail support appearances. If I wasn't very overt in acknowledging your presence, it's because I didn't want to fall apart - your demonstration of solidarity was an experience that I'll never forget. Likewise, to all those who wrote to me offering support - thank you so much for your solidarity and all the reading material you sent. Your letters made the months bearable, and brought the few rays of sunshine that shone in a dark place. Last, but not least, I want to thank the nine friends who wrote reference letters to the court: Joeli Reardon, Heidi Rimke, Nick Ackerly, Susan Turansky, KD Langley, Marvin Glass, Martin MacGreal, Chantal Cote and my brother, Ron Clement. I thank especially Joeli, whose handling of my affairs, and whose support in all respects, was invaluable to me. But for her efforts, the outcome of my case would have been far worse. The struggle continues In solidarity

13 August 2011 Behind Bars: the effects on prisoners Despite the rain and dreary weather, a diverse crowd of people, including children, friends and family of prisoners, gathered on Aug 10 to commemorate Canadian prisoner rights on Prisoner Justice Day at the Dalhousie Community Centre. Organizer Tara Lyons spoke about the impact the Harper government's tough-on-crime approach has on prisoner society. "Inside prisons, there is a 60-percent increase in injuries and a 62-percent increase in self-harm from last year. Sadly, we'll be seeing more deaths inside. Harper's tough-on-crime approach, like removing two-for-one sentencing credits, only means people will just be locked up longer," says Lyons. AIDS Committee of Ottawa's Zach Zimmel read a statement from a 30-year-old Ottawa man accused of not disclosing his serostatus to sexual partners. The statement describes his arrest around Mother's Day, his interrogation by police, the public humiliation he and his family have experienced, the death threats he's received, and details about living in protective custody: "The true danger to society is when people fail to recognize they are oftentimes putting innocent or non-violent accused behind bars where they encounter physical, psychological and sometimes even sexual harm that is often worse than the crimes they are accused of… In my case, they also failed to recognize how my HIV-status and high-profile nature of my case would affect me behind bars. In fact, by declaring me to be a danger to society they are reinforcing myths about HIV and as well as reinforcing social stigma associated with the disease." Matt Morgan-Brown, of the Ottawa Movement Defense organization, spoke on behalf of Roger Clermont, an Ottawa man convicted last fall and sentenced to four years for the May 2010 Glebe RBC bank firebombing. Morgan-Brown was also arrested and detained in connection with the incident. "For people who don't know Roger, he's a communist. It's one of the things he's very emphatic about, and it is something that was not well covered. One of the things we want to clarify with Ottawa Movement Defense is supporting Roger does not necessarily mean supporting burning down banks. It's about supporting a prisoner. It's a matter of principle… just like other prisoners, he deserves support. This is one of the primary ways that the state tries to control us, stop resistance and smash our movements," says Morgan-Brown. Also in the audience was Catherine, of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies, who is not allowed to provide her last name. She says the prison system creates violent people. "The majority of prisoners are there because of poverty-related issues and not violence. Yet they become increasingly violent when they're in the prison system. The prison system tries to say these people had criminal and violent tendencies from the get-go. No. If you're put into a situation where there's constant overcrowding, malnourishment, inadequate health and psychological care, and you're separated from everything you've known and loved, like your family, friends, job, anything you have... There's no doubt you can become violent and it's not your fault," says Catherine. Prisoner Justice Day began as a commemoration of Eddie Nalon, a prisoner who bled to death Aug 10, 1974, in a segregated unit of Millhaven Maximum Security Prison in Bath, Ontario. On the first anniversary of Nalon's death, Millhaven prisoners refused to work; they held a memorial service and organized a one-day hunger strike, disregarding their fear of being pushed into solitary confinement. A year later, some of the alleged protest leaders were still in segregation.

Prisoner Justice Day Wednesday, August 10 5:30 pm at Dundonald Park (Corner of Somerset St. W. and Lyon St. N.) On August 10th 1974, prisoner Eddie Nalon bled to death in the segregation unit of Millhaven Maximum Security Prison located in Bath, Ontario. On the first anniversary of Eddie´s death, August 10th 1975, prisoners at Millhaven refused to work, went on a one day hunger strike and held a memorial service, even though it would mean a stint in solitary confinement. Many of the alleged leaders in this one day peaceful protest would still be in segregation a year later. Note: although refusing to eat or refusing to work are among the only options for peaceful protest available to prisoners, both are viewed as disciplinary offences by prison administrations. More on the history of Prisoner Justice Day here: http://prisonjustice.ca/

23 July 2011 Write to Roger: Joseph Roger Clement (FPS-666866F) Pittsburgh Institution Highway 15, No. 3766 PO Box 4510 Kingston, Ontario K7L 5E5

15 July 2011 Amidst Pressure, CDCR Enters Negotiation with Pelican Bay Hunger Strikers FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—July 15, 2011 Press Contact: Isaac Ontiveros Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity Office: 510 444 0484 Oakland—With the Pelican Bay prison hunger strike entering its third week, mediators reported Thursday that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has responded to pressure from strikers and outside supporters, beginning initial negotiations with strike leaders in the prison’s Security Housing Unit, along with an outside mediation team. Advocates working on behalf of the strikers continue to rail against the CDCR’s slow movement over the past two weeks in addressing the prisoners’ demands, expressing grave concerns about the strikers’ rapidly deteriorating health. Hundreds of prisoners at Pelican Bay remain on strike, with thousands more participating in prisons throughout California's 33 prisons. Dorsey Nunn, executive director of Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, and a member of the prisoner-selected mediation team says that leaders are determined to keep up their strike, but worries about the CDCR’s willingness to move negotiations forward. “Both parties are dug in,” says Nunn. “The CDCR is not offering anything substantial, and the strikers aren’t receiving anything substantial. So they’ll keep going. And we don’t know how long it’ll be before people start dying.” Earlier this week, advocates and supporters received word that some of the strikers’ health had deteriorated to near-fatal levels. With the CDCR slow to move on negotiations, and with already poor health conditions at the core of the prisoners’ demands, many fear that time is running out. “The strikers’ claims of substandard and prejudicial medical care at Pelican Bay are certainly true.” says Dr. Corey Weinstein, a correctional medical consultant and human rights investigator with 40 years experience providing health care to CA prisoners. Weinstein continues, “Given my long history of working with California prisoners I have grave doubts about the Department of Corrections’ ability to adequately carry out their own guidelines and protocols even during this urgent and public moment.” Meanwhile, organizations and individuals have held demonstrations throughout the US, in Canada, and in Australia, and have flooded CDCR headquarters and Gov. Jerry Brown’s office with demands for negotiation. Strike supporters are urging people to take further action to have the strikers’ demands met. “Everyone who is against torture needs to support this hunger strike by matching the courage of these prisoners,” says Molly Porzig of Critical Resistance, a member of the Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity coalition. “Historically, people have taken up civil disobedience to prevent mass death, and we're in such a moment now.” Negotiations are set to continue Friday. Mediator Dorsey Nunn says the team will continue to urge the CDCR to negotiate in good faith: “The strikers’ demands are so minimal, they want to have hope like anyone else. The CDCR could end the strike by providing even a little bit of hope for these prisoners.” Updates on the hunger strike can be found at http://www.prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com

29 June 2011 PELICAN BAY SHU HUNGER STRIKE STARTS JULY 1, 2011 "Attend" in Solidarity and Rally in Your Communities! Prisoners in the Security Housing Unit (SHU) at Pelican Bay State Prison (California) have called for an indefinite hunger strike as of July 1, 2011 to protest the cruel and inhumane conditions of their imprisonment. The hunger strike was organized by prisoners in an unusual show of racial unity. The prisoners developed five core demands: 1. Eliminate group punishments. Instead, practice individual accountability. When an individual prisoner breaks a rule, the prison often punishes a whole group of prisoners of the same race. This policy has been applied to keep prisoners in the SHU indefinitely and to make conditions increasingly harsh. 2. Abolish the debriefing policy and modify active/inactive gang status criteria. Prisoners are accused of being active or inactive participants of prison gangs using false or highly dubious evidence, and are then sent to longterm isolation (SHU). They can escape these tortuous conditions only if they "debrief," that is, provide information on gang activity. Debriefing produces false information (wrongly landing other prisoners in SHU, in an endless cycle) and can endanger the lives of debriefing prisoners and their families. 3. Comply with the recommendations of the US Commission on Safety and Abuse in Prisons (2006) regarding an end to longterm solitary confinement. This bipartisan commission specifically recommended to "make segregation a last resort" and "end conditions of isolation." Yet as of May 18, 2011, California kept 3,259 prisoners in SHUs and hundreds more in Administrative Segregation waiting for a SHU cell to open up. Some prisoners have been kept in isolation for more than thirty years. 4. Provide adequate food. Prisoners report unsanitary conditions and small quantities of food that do not conform to prison regulations. There is no accountability or independent quality control of meals. 5. Expand and provide constructive programs and privileges for indefinite SHU inmates. The hunger strikers are pressing for opportunities “to engage in self-help treatment, education, religious and other productive activities..." Currently these opportunities are routinely denied, even if the prisoners want to pay for correspondence courses themselves. Examples of privileges the prisoners want are: one phone call per week, and permission to have sweatsuits and watch caps. (Often warm clothing is denied, though the cells and exercise cage can be bitterly cold.) All of the privileges mentioned in the demands are already allowed at other SuperMax prisons (in the federal prison system and other states). ~ If you are in contact with any California prisoners it is urged that you let them know that outside support groups are drafting litigation to contest the constitutional validity of certain CDCR practices inside California’s Security Housing Units. And that any prisoner having information on this subject, or who is seeking to learn more about this law suit, should use confidential legal mail to contact: Marilyn McMahon Attorney at Law PO Box 5187 Berkeley, CA 94705-0187 --- More info: https://prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com/ Sign the petition!: http://www.change.org/petitions/support-prisoners-on-hunger-strike-at-pelican-bay-state-prison We're also trying to get as many folks as possible to do solidarity events on July 9th. So far, there are events planned in SF, NYC, Toronto & a few more cities. We're trying to get even more actions on the map for that day so spread the word! http://prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com/take-action/call-for-action/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On July 9, members of Toronto ABC will be taking a 24-hour fast in solidarity with participants of a hunger strike in the Security Housing Unit (SHU) at Pelican Bay State Prison (California). They are protesting deplorable prison conditions - see below for details. We invite you to participate, wherever you are, however you are able (for example, people with health restrictions can modify the fast as needed). The important thing is to express our solidarity, to reflect on the physical sacrifice of our imprisoned comrades, and to take the opportunity to explain the reasons for your fast to your friends, family and co-workers. We will be sharing our solidarity statements on http://prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com/. We encourage you to write about the fast, and your reasons for participating, and email us at torontoblackcross@gmail.com. Toronto ABC

16 May 2011 Ottawa Movement Defense invites you to a film screening & discussion: Fighting for Freedom: Political Prisoners in Canada Featuring a talk by Ann Hansen, short Film about former Black Panther Jalil Mutaqim, & updates on the J18 defendants <--><--><--><--><--><--><--><--><--><--><--><--><--><--> 7:00pm Wednesday, May 18th Royal Canadian Legion 395 Kent Street (One block South of Somerset East) Ottawa, ON <--><--><--><--><--><--><--><--><--><--><--><--><--><--> This coming May 18th will mark the one year anniversary of the fire bombing of an Ottawa Royal Bank of Canada Branch, an event that led to the arrest of three local activists. Roger Clement, one of the three arrested, is currently serving a sentence in a Kingston prison, while the two other accused face ongoing state repression and surveillance. Ottawa Movement Defense invites you to join us for an evening of discussion about what it means to be a political prisoner in Canada. The evening will feature *a talk by Ann Hansen*, who numerous years in prison for her role in the bombing of a plant producing cruise missile components in Rexdale, Ontario. We will also show a *short film about Jalil Mutaqim, titled Voice of Liberation*. Mutaqim was 19 years old when he was arrested. He is a former member of the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army, and is one of the longest held political prisoners in the world. Ottawa Movement Defense will also discuss the current status of the RBC defendants. For more information, contact ottawamovementdefense@gmail.com

22 March 2011 J18 UPDATE: Roger Clement's address and changed FPS number: Joseph Roger Clement (FPS-666866F) Pittsburgh Institution Highway 15, No. 3766 PO Box 4510 Kingston, Ontario K7L 5E5 For more information about the J18 or Ottawa Movement Defense, get in touch with us at ottawamovementdefense@gmail.com. In struggle, Dan OMD

24 February 2011 J18 UPDATE: Roger Clement's transfer Roger Clement has been transferred from the Millhaven Assessment Unit to the Pittsburg Institution in Joyceville, Ontario. Pittsburg is a minimum security facility located just north of Kingston and housing about 250 inmates. For more info on Pittsburgh, visit http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/facilit/institutprofiles/pittsburgh-eng.shtml Roger appreciates receiving mail from the outside. While he can't always reply to every bit of correspondence, having access to letters and other reading material really help him cope with his time in prison.

17 February 2011 Ottawa Movement Defense is having a letter writing night! Tuesday, 22 February · 19:00 Cinnemon Xpress 665 Bronson (Bronson and Renfrew) Ottawa, ON We will have envelopes, stamps, and addresses for people to write to roger, other g8/g20 prisoners and political prisoners.

19 January 2011 Honouring Unfree Friends Prison solidarity for man charged in RBC arson by Sara Falconer TORONTO—It’s two days before Christmas, and it's Matthew Morgan-Brown’s birthday. It’s hard for him to celebrate, however; his friend, Roger Clement, is being transferred to Millhaven Institution, where he will begin serving the rest of his three-year, six-month sentence for the firebombing of a Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) branch in Ottawa in May 2010. No one has heard from Clement for over a week, which isn’t unusual during transfers, but that doesn’t make it any easier for Morgan-Brown. “It’s that time of year,” Morgan-Brown says. “It’s difficult to be separated from family and friends.” (... read full story in The Dominion)

13 January 2011 Join Toronto Anarchist Black Cross for a night of inspirational discussion and prisoner support. Sunday, 30 January · 6:30pm - 9:00pm Beit Zatoun (Bathurst Station), 612 Markham St., Toronto, ON Matthew Morgan-Brown of Ottawa Movement Defense will share his experience of arrest, and explain how we can support Roger Clement, who was recently sentenced to 3.5 years after pleading guilty to arson at an RBC branch in May. Revolutionary rapper Testament will speak about his arrest in the days leading up the the G8/G20 summit in Toronto, and the need to support the remaining G20 defendants. We'll provide everything you need to get started - including a delicious vegetarian dinner courtesy of Food Not Bombs. Please RSVP so that we can be sure to have enough food. Hope to see you soon! Toronto ABC

10 January 2011 Both events are part of OPIRG Week - Tools for Change, Jan. 24 - Feb. 6 Burn, Baby, Burn featuring Three Little Birds and Testament Jail Solidarity, Prisoner and Court Support

1. Burn, Baby, Burn Live music and Party Fund Raiser for Ottawa Movement Defense Thursday, Jan. 28 at 8:30pm at Cafe Nostalgica (TBC) Featuring: Three Little Birds and Testament THREE LITTLE BIRDS are a rabble rousing musical troupe who, in their insightful lyrics reflect the honest humanity of their audiences. Hailing from Ottawa, this trio shares captivating vocal harmonies over adept acoustic instrumentation and their natural knack for sticking it to The Man. They are: Erin Saoirse Adair, kazoo enthusiast and charming shit disturber; Amelia Leclair, world-wandering ragamuffin and student of Brazilian rhythms; and Angela Schleihauf, extroverted introvert and bringer of oboe fiyah. Bringing together three songwriters/vocalists/multi-instrumentalists, Three Little Birds is an innovative project and a nascent idea. TESTAMENT: I am not a rapper, I am just a revolutionary that raps GOOD. My lyrics are bricks I use to shatter apathy and the status quo. Wether I'm spittin to a live DJ scratchin, acapella spoken word style, a beat-boxer on the street, or a punk-rock drum beat, I never pull punches or shy away from spreading confrontational dissent through powerful, thought-provoking rhymes. I'm here to change hip-hop and steal its soul back from the glorified violence, materialism, sexism, and racism that the music industry creates promotes and markets for their own capitalist purposes. The revolution will not be signed to a record deal... DIY or die. Raised Fist Collective coming soon.. This is the party for OPIRG Week - Tools for Change.
2. Tuesday, Jan. 25 at 7pm Location TBC Jail Solidarity, Prisoner and Court Support - Tara Lyons - Books 2 Prisoners - Elke Dring - Exile Infoshop - Ottawa Movement Defense http://www.criticalresistance.org/ http://www.abcf.net/ "THE WALLS, THE BARS, THE GUNS AND THE GUARDS CAN NEVER ENCIRCLE OR HOLD DOWN THE IDEA OF THE PEOPLE. AND THE PEOPLE MUST ALWAYS CARRY FORWARD THE IDEA WHICH IS THEIR DIGNITY AND THEIR BEAUTY." --Huey P. Newton Prison Abolition aims to end the prison industrial complex (PIC). The PIC is a system that uses policing, courts, and imprisonment to “solve” problems. We don’t agree that we need the PIC to keep us safe. Instead, we work to build safe and healthy communities that do not depend on prisons and punishment. This workshop focuses on doing jail solidarity - ensuring that friends and family that have been arrested are as safe as we can make them, supporting prisoners, and providing court support for defendants who are currently going through through the criminal injustice system.

7 January 2011 [Hi all -- Please read the below article concerning a prison uprising in the Millhaven Assessment Unit where Roger is currently being held. We have no further details at this time, but hope that our friend is okay.] Kingston Whig-Standard article

3 January 2011 This week: 1. Olympic Resistance in Vancouver 2. RBC gets torched 3. They few, we many 4. Talkin' bout a revolution 5. Matthew Morgan-Brown speaks to subMedia Interview with MMB about being arrested, updates regarding Roger's situation and regarding the police infiltrator, "Francois Leclerc". subMedia's Stimulator interviews MMB and more

31 December 2010 Roger was transferred to Millhaven mid-December and it is expected that he will be there for 2-3 months before being transferred to the federal penitentiary where he will stay for the rest of his 3.5 year sentence. Roger thanks everyone for all their support. Donations for outstanding legal expenses can be made to "Ottawa Movement Defense" c/o the Ottawa Women's Credit Union. Donations can also be made online using Paypal. Ottawa Movement Defense OPIRG-GRIPO Ottawa 631 King Edward Ave. (3rd floor / 3ième étage) Ottawa, ON, K1N 7N8 Canada In solidarity, Ottawa Movement Defence

29 December 2010 Roger is still in prison. Claude is still going to court. People still need your love and support. OMD is still fund raising. Join the FB group, donate, write a letter to roger, get involved, support prisoners and political prisoners. FB group We will be organizing a letter writing night for roger and other prisoners in early - mid january. And we are planning to have a fund raising party in the spring, hopefully around march. The J18 defendants still have significant legal costs, so if you can donate, it is much appreciated. Better yet, organize a fund-raiser in your community. Let us know what you are doing, and feel free to contact us if there is anything we can do to help, or if you would like someone from OMD to speak at your event. Below is a recent article by Sara Falconer December 16th, 2010 Community Garden Sara Falconer Matthew Morgan-Brown is getting ready to visit Roger Clement in jail. It's only been a few short weeks since Morgan-Brown's own charges in the May 18 RBC firebombing were stayed due to lack of evidence, but already he is focused on making sure that his friend has the support he needs. Indeed, talking to him, it's clear that one of the things he found most difficult in the months following his arrest was not being able to help others. "Not being able to organize was really shitty. It's very important to me," he says. "The day they lifted my conditions I started organizing again." He has long been an active member of Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement Ottawa (IPSMO), and has now joined Ottawa Movement Defense, a group originally formed to support the three people arrested on June 18: himself, Joseph Roger Clement and Claude Haridge. On Dec. 7, Clement was sentenced to a term of three years and six months, having pled guilty to the arson at the Glebe branch of the Royal Bank, as well as smashing windows and ATMs at a different branch in February. It's an unusually harsh sentence for property damage crimes, given that both the defence and Crown attorneys acknowledged he took great care to eliminate any possible injury to people. In a statement, Ottawa Movement Defense said that they were inspired by Clement's strength of character: "Even when offered the chance to apologize for his role in the firebombing, Roger refused to do so, even though his liberty was on the line." The 58-year-old former civil service employee is well known to local activists from years of social justice organizing. "I think he's a really principled person," says Morgan-Brown, who has known Clement for several years. Haridge, who was never charged with arson, has his last day in court this week. Most of the charges against him have been stayed, other than a charge for improper storage of ammunition, and unrelated charges from a protest several years ago. The publication ban on the case has finally been lifted, but Morgan-Brown still finds it hard to speak freely. He's on a relatively short leash, as his charges have only been stayed, not dismissed - the Crown still has a year in which it can reinstate them. Having spent time in jail before being released on bail, he knows first-hand how much community solidarity can mean. "When I was inside, I definitely felt like there was quite a bit of support," he says. "I enjoyed getting lots of letters." Now working at his job again and devoting his spare time to activism, he says he is grappling with the psychological scars of the arrest and months of uncertainty. "The only concern I have is to avoid pushing myself too hard. It was definitely a traumatic experience." As he looks forward to speaking to Clement for the first time since their arrests - albeit through a heavy plastic visiting window - he hopes that the community will continue to support them and other organizers fighting charges across the country. "My thoughts are with the people who were arrested on conspiracy or other G20 charges, with massive bail restrictions," he says. "People are looking at trials two years from now, because part of their punishment is those conditions, regardless of anything else around their cases."

7 December 2010 ===================== STAY UP-TO-DATE ===================== If you would like to be added (or removed) from the Ottawa Movement Defense announcements list, please write to us: ottawamovementdefense@gmail.com The purpose of the announcements list to provide information to the friends and supporters of the June 18th Defendants. Ottawa Movement Defense is a legal and political support committee for the June 18th Defendants. We take direction from the June 18th defendants. Our support activities include: coordinating visits, fundraising towards legal and support costs, informing friends and supporters of the court proceedings, etc. We do not provide legal advice to the defendants. Currently, we are not making any statements to the media.