The roots of the contemporary movement to free all political prisoners lie with the very first political prisoner. The origins of the struggle to free Shaka Shakur go back decades and have taken a variety of forms. Be sure to check out the “resources” tab on the main menu for a more comprehensive list.
The following organizations are some of the groups supporting Free Shaka Shakur, which is part of the Shaka Shakur Freedom Campaign.
IDOC Watch
IDOC Watch does not view reform as a means of eliminating systemic violence against incarcerated people. However, they support various reforms that facilitate the transformation of prisons into spaces of liberatory education. How can prisoners learn together and work toward abolition if they don’t have proper medical care or nutrition, if they are constantly shaken down and brutalized by C.O.s, or if they are censored and cut off from people and materials on the outside? Reform and policy changes can help create the conditions for revolutionary, abolitionist action, but we are under no illusion that the work ends there.
They are actively supporting reforms, rollbacks of harmful initiatives and policies, and encouraging communication between prisoners and their loved ones and comrades in order to foster the conditions in which people can transform themselves and others into revolutionaries through education. You can read their political line here.
The Pendleton 2 Defense Committee
The Pendleton 2 Defense Committee is being organized by friends and family of John “Balagoon” Cole and Christoper “Naeem” Trotter, the leaders of the 1985 rebellion against white supremacist guard brutality at Pendleton CF.
The Pendleton 2 were wrongfully convicted on charges related to the rebellion in 1987 and remain in prison to this day. They are now elders with serious medical issues, so we are organizing to demand that the Governor of Indiana release them from prison immediately. A great place to start learning about the Committee is by watching their award-winning documentary, “They Stood Up.”
FOCUS Initiatives, LTD
FOCUS, which stands for Forever on Course United in Solidarity, overall works to meets the needs of our people and communities who were or are subjected to the carceral state in any capacity. At the same time, this is a means to the real end: eliminating the root cause of mass incarceration in the U.S.: racist capitalism. Re-entry programs serve a vital need in our communities, attempting to help people leaving prison to rejoin “free” society. What sets FOCUS Re-entry apart is their orientation to move from addressing the immediate and long-term needs of formerly incarcerated individuals and their loved ones to abolishing the fundamental cause of mass incarceration: racism and capitalism.
FOCUS Families Initiative directly provides a support system for those with loved ones on the inside, helping them navigate the myriad, arbitrary, and punitive obstacles the Indiana Department of “Corrections,” and the mass incarceration system overall, use to isolate, demoralize, and dehumanize our people. They have support groups, financial aid and technical support, educational programs, and more. Like FOCUS Re-entry, the goal is more than helping individuals one at a time, but to do away with the underlying causes of mass incarceration in the U.S.
You can learn more about both wings of the organization here.
Indianapolis Liberation Center
Founded in January 2021, the Indianapolis Liberation Center is a physical and virtual community hub dedicated to advancing the causes of all oppressed and exploited people in Indianapolis and beyond by uniting and working to overcome the divisions imposed on us by the oppressing classes. The Center is maintained solely by the work of volunteers and the donations of individuals in the community, their member organizations, and affiliated groups. While posing significant obstacles, it is the only way to ensure their complete political independence.
By engaging in regular and various kinds of educational, cultural, social, political, and other work, their mission is to foster a sense of collectivity and revive our community’s long-standing belief in the possibility and necessity of creating a new, better world. When they moved to their current location at 1800 N. Meridian St., in the center of downtown Indianapolis and right across from the IndyGo Red Line, they started building with the above organizations and officially launched “Free Shaka Shakur.” You can read more about their history here and see their member-organizations and events here.
