The Struggle of an Anarchist Radical

BY COYOTE

I am a 31 year old, self-defined anarchist, social prisoner and a self-proclaimed imprisoned radical intellectual, and because my activism within these suffocating walls, it has been declared – through their actions – that the administration who run this maximum security gulag, most definitely hate me and want to break me, and they have even tried on a couple of occasions to do me in.

I want to make it clear here, to my comrades out there, some of the reasons they have been coming down on me so hard. Here are a few:

Because, while captured and confined, under the thumb of their oppression, I have been agile enough to start my own prison chapter of Anarchist Black Cross, which they consider a threat to safety and security of their institution.

Because I have successfully organized, politicized and educated other prisoners here at Ely State Prison.

Because I have successfully helped politicize, educate and organize other prisoners in various other prisons across the United States, including Texas, California, and Pennsylvania, just to name a few. And because I have assisted some of these prisoners in starting up their own prison chapters where they are at.

Because I undermine the administration’s agenda to keep its prisoners stagnant. I have done this by holding study groups and having study sessions with other prisoners in here, having long political, philosophical, theosophical and intellectually stimulating discussions and dialogue over the tier, while through the cracks of the side of our doors (we are all locked down in single cells) and also engaging in written study sessions with some of these comrades, conducting book reviews, chapter summaries, writing essays and articles together, and doing all I can do to raise radical awareness in the minds of these oppressed men, even sharing and passing out literature (even though sharing is against the rules) and sometimes even engaging in group exercise with several different comrades, each in their own cell, all simultaneously doing the same exercise routine together (this type of radical, militant organizing frightens these pigs).

Because I’ve made successful attempts to connect and network with serious comrades on the outside, who were inspired by our plight and our strength in the face of adversity and who wanted to get closely involved in our activism and who wanted to assist us on our paths to betterment and personal enlightenment.

Because I’ve saved lives, stood up to the oppressors, tried to bring racial solidarity to all of these prisoners, and because I’ve connected with good people in real and meaningful ways.

Because I write zines, booklets, pamphlets, essays and articles (which the admin. here calls “poison”) that touch people’s hearts and open people’s minds far and wide, reaching people on both sides of the prison walls. And because I’ve used the written word as a weapon, exposing the injustices and the oppressive, unconstitutional and cruel acts of the warden, the assistant wardens, the guards and the prison administration, and even the medical staff, in different newspapers (see my article “They can’t kill a revolutionary” on sfbayview.com) and on the internet (check out makethewallstransparent.org and nevadaprisonwatch.blogspot.com).

I am putting all this out there, because I want the comrades out there to get a truthful, in-depth understanding of why the administration at ESP has tried to set me up, once to get attacked by other prisoners (which did not work out too well for the would-be attackers) and once more recently they’ve made an attempt to set me up on bogus criminal charges (by planting numerous so-called “weapons” in my cell). I’m a revolutionary; this is what I’ve become through years of confinement, constant study and from-the-heart activism, therefore if I were to commit any type of radical or political act against the state, I’d be the first one to let it be known that I did that and why I did it. I’m not a criminal; I’m a revolutionary. But, I will not let these people set me up on bogus, criminal charges for something I did not do. Not without a fight.

I want the comrades out there to understand that, because of my activism and because of my anarchist beliefs, the admin here have labeled me a “threat to the safety and security of the institution” and placed me on “high risk potential” status. This means, basically, that I am on supermax custody level, and therefore, any time I leave my cell to go to the shower, or the rec yard, I have to be escorted by 3 guards dressed in helmets, vests and full riot gear, while they cuff my hands behind my back, make me kneel down on my knees so they can place shackles around my legs and then attach a leash to my handcuffs. Any time I have to leave the unit, for medical, a visit, or a bed move, I’m escorted by two specially trained officers, called c.e.r.t. officers (correctional emergency response team) also known as the “goon squad,” and these officers are also dressed in full riot gear, using the cuffs, the leash and the shackles to escort me. If I am ever fortunate enough to receive my visitors, all my visits would be non-contact visits, behind glass, while I am to remain cuffed and shackled for the duration of the visit.

So this is my struggle and these are just some of the things I have to endure because of my beliefs and the actions behind my beliefs. I have to suffer through all kinds of psychological abuse, harassment, and degradation, while trying to stay strong, focused and determined to not let them break my spirit through it all. Every day is a struggle, just to make it to the next day without loosing my cool, or my sanity.

But I also want all of you guys, my comrades, to understand that none of what these pig muthafuckas do to me is going to stop me from doing what I do. Yes, there are real abuses of authority going on in these American death camps, every day. And if I don’t stand up for the oppressed and downtrodden – whether I’m on this side of the razor wire, or out there on the other side – then I would feel like shit. I can’t just sit here and act like nothing’s happening.

This is my struggle, the struggle of an anarchist radical, the Coyote who howls in darkness. I invite any and all comrades to get involved in something real. Much love to all of you.

In Struggle, and towards Anarchy,
Coyote, 2009
ABC-Nevada Prison Chapter