Update: The Interim Parole Hearing for Dr. Mutulu Shakur

The Interim Parole Hearing for Dr. Shakur was held on December 11, 2007 at USP-Florence ADMAX. Mutulu and I thank each of you for your letters, prayers and support. Below is my report of the Hearing.
[History of the Case]

Federal law provides, in relevant part, that a federal inmate who is eligible for parole may be released on parole after completion of one-third of his prison term or after 10 years of any sentence over 30 years. Dr. Shakur was eligible for parole in 1996. However, his efforts to have a parole hearing in 1996 were blocked by various forces.
In 2002, an Initial Parole Hearing was finally convened. The Parole Commission denied parole to Dr. Shakur and ordered a 15 year reconsideration date. Therefore, Dr. Shakur is not eligible for parole reconsideration until 2017. We have always maintained that because of the 6 year delay, Dr. Shakur should be eligible for parole in 2011.
In 2004, we filed a Petition of Writ of Habeas Corpus in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia to address, inter alia, the six year delay in having a parole hearing (from 1996 to 2002). Despite our legal battles which ultimately took us to the United States Supreme Court, the highest court declined to hear our case in 2006.
Even though Dr. Shakur was given a 15 year "hit" in 2002, federal law provides Interim Parole Hearings every 2 years. In 2005, after the Interim Parole Hearing, the Parole Commission refused to acknowledge the 6 year delay, and maintained that Dr. Shakur would not be eligible again for parole until 2017.
[2007 Interim Parole Hearing]
On December 11, 2007,the Interim Parole Hearing was held at the country’s most isolated dungeon, USP-Florence, or "Supermax," as it is commonly referred to, located in the mountains of Florence, Colorado. There is absolutely no human contact or interaction. In fact, our Hearing was held inside of an attorney’s booth; Dr. Shakur was separated by glass and handcuffed.
The Hearing Officer began by reciting the standard rules of Interim Parole Hearings: To determine whether there have been any rule changes and to review any and all "positive and negative adjustments" since the 2005 Interim Parole Hearing.
Ironically, the Hearing Officer commented that the recent allegations that are documented in the two disciplinary reports that Dr. Shakur received which resulted in his transfer to the Supermax facility were "minor infractions" in his opinion. He further stated that Dr. Shakur’s transfer to Supermax was also "not significant" and the fact that we were convened inside of the Supermax facility was not relevant to his decision.
We argued again for the record that the 6 year delay from 1996 to 2002 was unlawful and that Dr. Shakur should have a parole reconsideration date of 2011, rather than 2017. The Hearing Officer stated that he was bound by the previous decision of the Parole Commission.
We also argued that the recent allegations contained in the recent disciplinary reports were false and that we were actively appealing each allegation through all available administrative channels. We also maintained that the transfer to Supermax was unjustified.
We raised each of the positive contributions made by Dr. Shakur at USP-Atlanta and USP-Coleman, highlighting his continuous service to rebuilding men. We also covered his detailed plans for release and reentry into society.
[Conclusion]
While the Hearing Officer appeared attentive and impressed by our presentation, Interim Parole Hearings generally serve to review an inmate’s file and to determine whether there is enough evidence to modify the 15 year "hit." The Hearing Officer noted that while he found no cause to change the previous decision, the final decision, referred to as a Notice of Action, will be released in approximately 30 days. We will appeal any adverse decision.
I have been proud to serve as Dr. Shakur’s attorney over the years despite the number of legal battlefields we have encountered. I encourage each of you to continue to support him in the midst of such times as these. Every single letter counts; I was proud to introduce over 20 letters from various supporters throughout the country and from all walks of life to the Hearing Officer. They will be a part of his file in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Shakur extends his gratitude and love to each one of you. Dr. Shakur remains a bulwark of strength and a never-ending diplomat for peace.
ABOUT THE CASE
Dr. Shakur was sentenced in 1988 on charges of Conspiracy to aid bank expropriation as well as under the U. S. conspiracy laws known as "Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization" or 'RICO' laws (8 counts). The U.S. government alleged that Mutulu's political associates constituted a racketeering enterprise. He was also charged with aiding in the escape of Assata Shakur (Joanne Chesimard). Prosecutors failed to provide key evidence such as electronic telephone interceptions, fingerprints, hair, or eyewitness identification of Mutulu at any crime scene by any third party, etc.
His efforts in the black community have been essential and liberating. Dr. Mutulu Shakur's contributions include but are not limited to:
• Employment at the Lincoln Detoxification Community (addiction treatment) Program as acupuncturist, counselor, and political education instructor.
• Managing a detoxification program recognized as the largest and most effective of its kind by the National Institute of Drug Abuse, National Acupuncture Research Society and the World Academic Society of Acupuncture.
• Treating thousands of poor and elderly patients who would otherwise have no access to acupunctural treatment.
• Developing the anti-drug program for the Charles Cobb Commission for Racial Justice for the National Council of Churches.
• Dedicating his life and struggle against the political imprisonment of Black Political Activists.
Please take the time to recognize a leader in the community and help fight for his freedom. Address the letters to:
Edward F. Reilly Jr.
Chairman,
U.S. Parole Commission
5550 Friendship Blvd, Suite 420
Chevy Chase, MD 20815-7201
Please include the federal government's identification number for Dr. Shakur: 83205-012
4. To write to Dr. Mutulu, here is the address.
If sending books, you can ONLY send three soft cover books per package:
Dr. Mutulu Shakur #83205-012
USP FLORENCE ADMAX
U.S. PENITENTIARY, PO BOX 8500
FLORENCE, CO 81226
Do not send commissary $ directly to the prison. Commissary must be sent to

Federal Bureau of Prisons
Dr. Mutulu Shakur
# 83205-012
PO Box 474701
Des Moines, Iowa 50947-0001
The deposit must be in the form of a money order made out to the inmate's full name and eight digit register number. The Bureau of Prisons will return funds that do not have valid inmate information to the sender provided the envelope has an adequate return address. Personal checks and cash can not be accepted for deposit.
The sender's name and return address must appear on the upper left hand corner of the envelope to ensure that the funds can be returned to the sender in the event that they can not be posted to the inmate's account. The deposit envelope must not contain any items intended for delivery to the inmate. The Bureau of Prisons shall dispose of all items included with the funds.
OR
Send money immediately and conveniently online (or via telephone 1-800-CALL-CASH) through Western Union. You need to know:
Code City is FBOP
State Code is DC (even though he is in Louisiana)
Mutulu's id number is 83205-012
There is a fee of $8 to use Western Union. You can use a debit or credit card.
Here's a screenshot of the service:

If you want to read the Bureau of Prisoners rules about sending money to prisoners, check out their website.

Comentarios

Putting Money on the books is deep

Submitted by BS (no verificado) on Mié, 01/16/2008 - 8:52pm

This is what it takes to send funds to a family member or neighbor incarcerated.
AT&T and Western Union is getting rich with the charges to families and inmates alike.

This is a story we must keep alive. Please send letters and supports no matter how big or small.

Prayers work well too.

responder

William Mayo is still in prison

Submitted by bs (no verificado) on Jue, 01/17/2008 - 6:28pm

William Mayo is still in prison. Nov. 2007
By James Clingman Jr.

Not that he is the only person in prison for something he did not do, but for crying out loud, y’all, can a brother get the same attention and support that Genarlow Wilson got. William Mayo has been locked up for 15 years; he received two life sentences plus 40 years in prison for a robbery he did not commit. He sits in a Georgia prison, rotting away, having been sent there in his 20’s; he is now in his 40’s. He prays for the day he will be free, but he admits that his hope is fading. What will we do for this brother?

We put a great deal of energy into the Shaquanda Cotton, Genarlow Wilson, and the Jena Six cases, which was commendable and indeed worthwhile. But their cases came to the forefront long after Mayo was sent to prison. There has been a campaign for justice for Mayo ever since he was “convicted,” but without the fanfare and celebrity of those we have seen in the recent past. Why is that? . Nov. 2007
By James Clingman Jr.

responder

Knowing the Details

Submitted by KellyP (no verificado) on Lun, 01/21/2008 - 10:51am

Mutulu Shakur (born August 8, 1950 in Baltimore, Maryland as Jeral Wayne Williams and is also known as Dr. Mutulu Shakur) was a member of the Republic of New Africa and a close friend of Geronimo Pratt. Shakur is best known for planning the infamous 1.6 million dollar robbery of a Brinks armored truck in New York that left three persons dead. One of his accomplices in the holdup was Kathy Boudin, a member of the Weather Underground and a fugitive on the FBI's Most Wanted List for 11 years. Boudin was arrested at the scene of the crime, but Shakur escaped. Shakur had been a leader of an offshoot of the Black Liberation Army. He is currently incarcerated in the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prison's "Administrative Maximum" (ADX) facility in Florence, Colorado [1]. His projected release date is 10 February 2016. [2]
On October 20, 1981, after 6 previous unsuccessful attempts to rob a Brinks truck, Shakur and five or six other men succeeded in robbing the Brinks truck, killing one of the Brinks guards. They drove to another location where they transferred the money to a U-Haul truck driven by Boudin and her husband David Gilbert. However, the transfer was seen and called in to the police, who set up a roadblock at the Tappan Zee bridge. A shootout occurred in which two Nyack policemen were killed and Boudin captured.
In the 1980s, he was arrested on RICO charges of bank robbery and aiding his sister, Assata Shakur, in her escape from prison. While at large, on July 23, 1982 he became the 380th person added by the FBI to the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
He was arrested February 11, 1986 in California and was found guilty. His case is currently on appeal. He served several years at the infamous ADX Florence, but later transferred to Coleman II USP.

responder

Recent Similar Articles

Comentarios

Putting Money on the books is deep

William Mayo is still in prison

Knowing the Details

Enviar un comentario nuevo