Join the fight against the 13th Amendment and its modern implications

SF Bay View is publishing this press release as a courtesy to our partner organizations, California Prison Focus (CPF), KAGE Universal, All Of Us Or None (AOUON) and Liberate Our Elders.

Oakland, Calif. — Today at 11:30 a.m. come join California Prison Focus/K.A.G.E. Universal and All Of Us Or None in an impromptu gathering at the headquarters of the CDCR. Be a part of the call for the immediate review and repeal of laws such as Penal Code 4571 that reinforce structural inequalities and racialized control. 

Come join the post rally agitation, as these organizations advocate for the dismantling of the prison-industrial $lave complex and demand policies that prioritize racial equity, economic justice and fair treatment for all, regardless of their background or history of incarceration.

Here’s an excerpt of our manifesto drafted by the New Afrikan collective, who have been discriminated against historically up until the present, culturally, socially, physically, philology and economically: Bomoni Uhuru Shakur, Yusuf Bey, Abdul Shakur, Sitawa Natombu Jamaa, Louis Powell, Mutawali Kambone, Baridi X, Joka Heshima, Zahribu, Ajene, Mutope Duguma, Tashiri Askari, Keelon Jenkins, Donald “C – Note” Hooker, Kwame “lil Beans” Shakur, Ansar El Muhammad, Doshmond lil D Johnson, W.E. stand on the shoulders of our elders with the aim to eliminate racial injustice, both inside and outside the KAGE.

Institutionalized racism and capital racism: Exposing the legacy of racial fascism and chattel slavery in America

Oakland, Calif. — A powerful statement from California Prison Focus/K.A.G.E. Universal draws attention to the deeply rooted systems of institutionalized racism and capital racism that continue to target New Afrikans and other oppressed groups in America. The statement highlights how these systems, shaped by the 13th Amendment, are perpetuated through laws such as California’s Penal Code 4571, fueling a modern-day version of racial fascism and chattel slavery under the guise of the New Jim Crow.

Code 4571 of the California Penal Code prohibits convicted felons from being adjacent of any California state prison, county jail, or other penal institutions without written consent from the institution’s authorities. This law has been criticized for penalizing ex-felons who unknowingly violate this statute, as it is often not disclosed until they are apprehended on or after being Adjacent to the grounds of such institutions. PC 4571 is often used to criminalize and further penalize formerly incarcerated individuals, particularly those from Black and Brown communities, for simply being Adjacent in spaces where they may have familial ties or are involved in rehabilitation efforts.

“Institutionalized racism and capital racism were created against New Afrikans and other oppressed people that were subjected to the 13th Amendment; meant to be utilized as utilities for the slave catchers to uphold the covert and overt slave codes and economic violence. Penal Code 4571 is all a part of their scheme for racial fascism chattel slavery under the New Jim Crow,” -Minister King X

This call to action denounces the exploitation embedded in legal frameworks that disproportionately target Black and Brown communities. Specifically, Penal Code 4571 serves as a continuation of the racialized control mechanisms that began with the abolition of slavery but were reinforced through the prison-industrial slave complex.

As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This quote resonates deeply with our ongoing fight to dismantle the structures of oppression that institutionalized racism and capital racism have built and maintained for centuries.

In 2021, Minister King X was arrested by plainclothes U.S. Marshals working on behalf of CDCR for participating in a peaceful protest outside the Vacaville Facility, advocating for the release of political prisoner Ruchell “Cinque” Magee. Court documents later revealed that he was detained at Solano County Jail for violating Penal Code 4571. The protest called attention to Magee’s 67-year imprisonment; Magee later passed away in 2023. Additionally, Elder Louis Powell, who has spent 38 years in solitary confinement, remains incarcerated. Minister King X’s police report by CDCR officials also revealed institutionalized racism, as they labeled him a “Black Identity Extremist.”

CDCR’s report for Minister King’s arrest describes King, and many other activists, public figures, and organizations, as “Black Identity Extremists” and “Black Supremacist Extremists”. These racist terms were used to label organizations such as Black Lives Matter as domestic terrorist organizations and their use was abandoned by the FBI in 2019.

Reclaiming Justice and Dismantling Racial Oppression

The legacy of the 13th Amendment’s “exception clause” has allowed the United States to continue exploiting the labor and freedom of formerly enslaved peoples, creating what activists term a “new form of slavery” via mass incarceration. This systemic abuse, coupled with capital racism, enables the commerce of Black bodies for economic gain—mirroring the atrocities of chattel slavery. California adopted this language 17 years prior to the 13th Amendment being enacted see: Amend13th.org.

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Penal Code 4571’s enforcement disproportionately affects Black and Brown individuals, particularly New Afrikans, reinforcing segregation and exclusion from societal reintegration opportunities. The criminal justice system’s reliance on these laws perpetuates economic violence against marginalized communities, trapping them in cycles of poverty and disenfranchisement.

Legislative efforts to dismantle Penal Code 4571

In recent years, there have been attempts within the California Legislature to dismantle or revise Penal Code 4571 due to its ambiguity and the inconsistent enforcement against ex-felons. Critics argue that many formerly incarcerated individuals are unaware of the existence of this law until they are arrested for violating it. Often, ex-felons are not informed of the restrictions upon release and only learn of the law’s provisions after being detained at a correctional facility, which disproportionately affects those seeking to visit family members or participate in reentry programs.

Despite these legislative efforts, Penal Code 4571 continues to be a tool for further disenfranchising individuals who have already served their sentences. California Prison Focus/K.A.G.E. Universal and All Of Us Or None calls for the immediate review and repeal of this law, emphasizing that such statutes perpetuate systemic racism such identifying ex-felons as “Black Identity Extremist and/or Black Supremacist” and economic violence against marginalized communities.

In 2013, California Congresswoman, Barbara Lee in session on the House floor called out Secretary of Department of Justice, Jeff Sessions who utilized this racist trope to stigmatize Black and Brown people of color. In 2017, the Congressional Black Caucus, in a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray, said the report “conflates black political activists with dangerous domestic terrorist organizations” and would further erode the frayed relationship between police and minority communities.

About California Prison Focus/K.A.G.E. Universal

Since 1994, California Prison Focus/K.A.G.E. Universal have been consistently fighting for the rights of marginalized communities and dismantling systems of oppression. Through advocacy, education, and policy reform for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated Black and Brown people, such as our notable accomplishment, 2011-2013 Hunger Strikes. There were over 30,000 incarcerated inmates from multicultural backgrounds who set aside their quarrels with a unitarian purpose to end long-term solitary confinement and promote the historical Agreement To End Hostilities.

One of our latest accomplishments in advocating for the liberation of our elders was the recent liberation of Sitawa Nantambu Jamaa, who was part of the 2011-2013 Hunger Strikes. California Prison Focus/K.A.G.E. Universal works to create a just and equitable society where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity while working with other organizations with the same mission.

“The time for change is now,” says Minister King X. “We will not stand by while the mechanisms of the New Jim Crow continue to strip our communities of their dignity and true freedom ”

For media inquiries, please contact Minster King X at 510-213-4008 and at KAGEUNIVERSAL@gmail.com.

The post Join the fight against the 13th Amendment and its modern implications appeared first on San Francisco Bay View.

Source: https://sfbayview.com/2024/09/13th-amendment-cdcr-4571/