August birthdays, action alerts, upcoming events, and more!

Dear community,

Join us in sending cards to our incarcerated LGBTQ+ and HIV+ community members in California who have birthdays in August, to remind them that they are loved and that we are together in this fight for our collective liberation.

If you can sign up to send a card or two from home, please fill out this form. We will send you the address(es) - and some tips if it’s your first time.

You will need to provide your own stamps and supplies, though we have plenty of both and can absolutely coordinate to get you some, if needed. 


***COMMUNITY NEWS & RESOURCES***

This month is Black August, and we are inspired to share this reflection from Critical Resistance on the 50th year anniversary of both the assassination of George Jackson and the following Attica Rebellion:

"In a time in which we’re seeing a surge of interest in prison industrial complex (PIC) abolition, it is a priority to continue to anchor it in some of its foundational political lineage and history. This past year was one of devastation from the ravages of capitalism and the manifestations of its latest set of crises, COVID19, poverty, climate catastrophe - which have moved through the PIC to irrevocably harm countless lives. It was also a year of mass uprising and resistance to capitalism and the PIC. It is necessary to ground today's abolitionist movement firmly in the tradition of Black August, the call for a recommitment to sharpening collective political analysis, and a deepening of political rigor and discipline. Read more here.
Action alert from CURB regarding the Dixie Fires. CDCr has yet to make their emergency evacuation plans or safety protocols public, or offer regular updates related to the #DixieFire. Families are being left in the dark with zero access to crucial information about the health of their loved ones. Reports from the inside include: Hazardous smoke and no available N95 masks; ash from the fire blanketing the prisons; swamp coolers and electricity systems completely broken and malfunctioning; full lockdowns; loved ones being cut off from communications because the phones are located outdoors; and an end to video visits. Some family members report that they have not been able to contact their loved ones for more than ten days. Learn more and find ways to take action here: http://bit.ly/DixieFireDanger

Join in demanding Biden grant clemency for thousands of elders today! Biden said he'd be the President to end mass incarceration. Instead, he’s sending thousands of our elders back to prison. Demand clemency for 4,500 people today!


Come find us on September 3rd - we'll be tabling at A.B.O Comix's First Fridays Fundraiser for Queer Prisoners! Dancing, DJ, food and drinks, and a unique inside-outside art show! Artwork from a selection of A.B.O's 215 incarcerated contributors will be on view in the Classic Cars West Gallery, along with local vendors and raffle prizes.

For those in the bay, join us in marching in the 3rd annual Oakland Trans March on Saturday, September 4th. Check out the link to get details as they develop and donate to support. 

From our comrades at Prison Radio: "Leonard Peltier is a 76-year-old Indigenous prisoner and member of the American Indian Movement (AIM) who’s been unjustly held in detention for over 45 years...'Peltier is in need of IMMEDIATE medical attention and has been waiting for his request to get approved for months. We must continue to fight for him by pushing President Joe Biden to FREE LEONARD PELTIER!'...Despite the crushing reality of imprisonment, Leonard has flourished in his talents as an artist. Art has given him a purpose during internment, and his paintings are even available for sale online on a site hosted by the International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee. Sales of his art go to fund his legal defense. You can also donate directly to Peltier's commissary funds, his inmate number is #89637-132."

A community member, Morion Jones, has been serving time, unjustly. Morion is a Black Trans Woman born and raised in New Orleans.  For the past seven years, due to the deeply racist and transphobic prison industrial complex, Morion has been serving time at the Ellen Hunt facility, and is finally getting ready to come home! The barriers to re-entry, and barriers in general for Black Trans people are immense, let alone entrepreneurs and creatives. Help bring Morion's dreams to fruition. Now is the time, invest in Black Trans Futures!  Go Fund me link: gf.me/u/zk8ugz 
Our partner collective, A.B.O. Comix, publishes the work of incarcerated queer and trans people with profits going back to them and their families. They have comic anthologies written and drawn by LGBTQ+ prisoners, including Confined Before COVID-19, as well as zines, artwork and merch. You can support the artists and buy copies for yourself or your penpals here.


***BECOME A PENPAL***

It is always a great time to become a penpal. If you want to start a penpal relationship, you can learn more and sign-up here anytime. Or if you want us to match you with a penpal, just reach out to us! Or check out our instagram page where we highlight potential penpals (@FlyingOverWalls). Once you become a penpal, you can join this fb group to stay connected to other outside penpals for support and resources.

***SUPPORT OUR CHAPTER***

You can donate here to support our local chapter, and we will continue to prioritize using these funds to support our incarcerated members as well as any support we can offer to our formerly incarcerated community.


We have shirts (sliding scale $15-30) and tote bags (sliding scale $5-20) available by donation! The online store cannot take purchases yet, but you can contact us directly if you would like to order anything. 

Towards a world without prisons,
Flying Over Walls