VAPOC Statewide Conference Call 11/12/17

Peace and Paradise! On the behalf of VAPOC (Virginia Prisoner of Conscience) I (Hassan Raashann Shabazz), Askari Donso, Infinite Allah, and Jerry Mendoza, would like to thank all of the organizations, and all of the concerned citizens that called and made the November 12th End Mass Incarceration conference call a success. We want to give a special thanks to our co-sponsor the Coalition For Justice (Margaret Breslau, Chair), guest speaker Bekura Shabazz, and switchboard operator Nicole Pughsley. Mass incarceration affects us all, and as we move forward we will find that when this problem is properly addressed many of the issues we face in our communities, from inadequate healthcare to incorrigible youth, can be solved. It makes no sense at all for Virginia to put forth over $1 billion to operate prisons but proceed to make cuts to healthcare and other needs when cheaper alternatives to just warehousing prisoners exist. We must all wake up and smell the obnoxious mendacity that is the Prison Industrial Complex. A threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, and that is not a cliche. The mass incarceration machine has become a beast(not just the belly) with an identity of its own due to policy and procedure, and it is no respecter of persons. It eats and never gets full, and in like manner those who profit from the beasts voracious appetite eat and get fat from our demise. It is time for us to stand up and say no more. Stand with us to end mass incarceration because whether you know it or not, it is at the foundation of the struggle for human rights, and how can humanity advance if the least of us is denied freedom, justice, and equality? Peace and Justice! Hassan Shabazz