As a part of the Shut ‘Em Down 2021 mobilization, some ABOLISHmke collaborators put together an art build to make a banner big enough to blow some minds.
It’s easy to read and the message is clear: there is no fixing the humanitarian crisis that is wisconsin prisons unless we abolish wisconsin prisons, because they are a crisis, they are not in crisis.
Continue reading “Big Ol’ Banner, a How To”
This is an audio version of “Big Ol’ Banner, a How To” published at ABOLISHmke.com on September 10, 2021.
Continue reading “Ep17- Big Ol’ Banner, a How To”
Around noon on Saturday, August 28, 2021, dozens of activists descended on the sprawling maximum-security Green Bay Correctional Institute (GBCI) in Allouez, WI. The direct action event was organized autonomously by a coalition including ABOLISHmke and members of the local Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL). Our goals were manifold: to expose the routine atrocities committed by staff with tacit support of local and state authorities; to confidently assure those still trapped inside that we love, care for, and honor them; and to highlight and signal boost the experiences of formerly incarcerated people and loved ones of current captives. We also came with a set of demands for Warden Dylon Radtke and executives like Governor Tony Evers which we attempted to deliver to the front office.
Continue reading “Reportback: March on GBCI”
This is an audio version of “Reportback: March on GBCI” published at ABOLISHmke.com on September 2, 2021.
Music thanks to snag. snagmke.bandcamp.com
ABOLISHmke, news and analysis from a bad place. We write from an anti-authoritarian perspective on police, prisons, and more in the so-called state of Wisconsin.
We will publish anything sent to us that conforms to our editorial standards for authenticity, conflict, and rigor. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions: abolishmke [at] protonmail [dot] com.
These are resources to help participants prepare for our interactive abolitionist workshop on Tuesday August 31, 2021.
TUESDAY AUG 31, 6PM
Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts
926 E Center St, Milwaukee, WI
Donations accepted for JGCA and SHUTEMDOWN2021
Description: Join us for a potluck and interactive two-part abolitionist workshop. In part one, we envision prison abolition not as an abstract ideal or long-term aspiration, but as a force growing within from the rebellions of prison captives. In part two, we learn practical lessons about how to achieve restorative justice through international solidarity with Indigenous-led anticolonial autonomous movements in northeast Syria and the southeast Mexican region of Chiapas.
Continue reading “Workshop resources for Tuesday August 31”Join us on August 28, 2021 as we march on the prison to confront and expose the routine atrocities staff commit with the tacit support of local and state authorities.
Staff at GBCI have been abusing and killing people with no repercussions or even public scrutiny for too long. Join us on August 28, 2021 as we march on the prison to confront and expose the routine atrocities staff commit with the tacit support of local and state authorities. Read more about, and help share the action on Facebook or instagram. To coordinate transportation or ask questions, contact us at abolishmke@protonmail.com, or send Ben a text or signal message: 614-704-4699.
Continue reading “March on GBCI!”
On July 31st, Jailhouse Lawyers Speak announced plans for an “Abolition on Every Block Party,” and a handful of collaborators with both ABOLISHmke and the MKE Lit Supply put one together for 2pm-10pm on the 3000 block of Buffum street in Harambee, Milwaukee.
In preparation for #ShutEmDown2021, we’ve been working for a couple months on building coalitions throughout the city to see what kind of support we can pull together. In addition to spreading the SED2021 message with our community, this block party was also a good opportunity to continue the ongoing conversations and planning for August 21st — September 9th.
Continue reading “Block Party SED 2021”
Leading up to Milwaukee’s Shut Em Down 2021 mobilization, it’s important to remember that there are rebels and fighters in Wisconsin prisons. We don’t often hear about the kinds of massive strikes, uprisings, and escapes that are tracked at Perilous Chronicle, but that doesn’t mean people are safe or passive within Wisconsin prisons. Part of the Shut’Em Down mobilization in Milwaukee will include holding up the sacrifices and struggles of Wisconsin prison rebels in greater depth, but here is a start.
During the 2020 pandemic, documented resistance to prison increased dramatically, but Wisconsin’s prisons were very effectively locked down. The the DOC put security and control over health and safety. We heard of little direct action other than a brief, staff-assisted escape. Meanwhile, outside solidarity during the pandemic included home demos targeting DOC secretary Kevin Carr and Governor Evers, a COVID Compassion Campaign demanding Evers issue emergency pardons, and body bags dropped on secretary Carr’s lawn. None of these efforts proved effective. The George Floyd marches and the Kenosha uprising also overshadowed the prison crisis for many, while Evers and Carr allowed DOC staff to neglect prevention and punish prisoners for getting sick. More than half of the DOC population were infected, no pardons were granted, and an unknown number of deaths piled up.
Continue reading “Resistance, solidarity, and repression in Wisconsin”
Find SHUTEMDOWN Wisconsin events here or on the sidebar menu (bottom of page if on phone). We are planning more actions, workshops, and events.
Wisconsin organizations that have sponsored the strike and are working with us to make things happen include: MKE Lit Supply, Party for Socialism and Liberation-Milwaukee, Prison Action Milwaukee, Black and Pink: Milwaukee, and others. We’re also excited to have also partnered with local creatives who are setting up concerts and events.
More about SHUTEMDOWN: Jailhouse Lawyers Speak is calling on organizations and coalitions to host demonstrations around the country that highlight historic and current struggles of incarcerated people and call for abolition of the prison industrial complex. The demonstrations are set to take place on August 21st, the anniversary of George Jackson’s assassination, and on September 9th, the anniversary of the uprisings at Attica.
Continue reading “Shut’em Down Wisconsin”
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