Friday, August 27, 2010

Dead Prez's M1 on Mumia Abu Jamal and Luqman Abdullah on Solitary Confinement in PA Prisons: Conversations

Welcome to On the Block, a radio show that looks critically at our criminal justice system.



On today’s show, we will listen to special east coast edition of Block Report Radio in which JR Valrey interviews M-1 of the Hip Hop group Dead Prez on the significance of the movement to free Mumia Abu Jamal.

Then, we will hear from Luqman Abdullah on his report at a special hearing on solitary confinement in the Pennsylvania Prison System that was convened by state representative Ron Waters.

All of that coming up On the Block on WPEB 88.1 FM, Philadelphia.

Special Thanks.

The PA Prison Reports are compiled by Andy and Bret of the Human Rights Coalition based on the accounts of prisoner correspondents and the investigations of HRC members. From the compiled data, the reports are re-written by Andy into the narratives you hear on "On The Block Radio." Many thanks. To access written transcripts of the PA Prison Reports, please go to: www.hrcoalition.org.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

A Conversation with the Partner of Lynne Stewart, Imprisoned Radical Lawyer and a Black August Tribute to George Jackson.

Welcome to On the Block, a radio show that looks critically at our criminal justice system. On today’s show, after the Human Rights Coalition News, we will listen to an interview conducted by JR Valrey of Block Report Radio with the husband of Lynne Stewart. Stewart, well-known as a lawyer who defended such individuals as Larry Davis and Sekou Odinga, was sentenced to 10 years in prison because of actions related to her defense of Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, also known as the blind sheikh.

Then, in recognition of Black August, a month when many in the African American community celebrate and commemorate black liberation struggles in the United States—many of which took place during the month of August—we will listen to an audio documentary in tribute to slain prison activist and social theorist George Jackson, produced by Jackson’s nephew, Jonathan Jackson, Jr. In August of 1971, George Jackson was killed in San Quentin Prison, where he was incarcerated. Prison authorities said he was attempting to escape and had been armed. Others contend that certain circumstances surrounding his death had been staged in order to give the impression that his death was justified.

The documentary was produced in 2001.

All of that coming up On the Block on WPEB 88.1 FM, Philadelphia.

Special Thanks.

The PA Prison Reports are compiled by Andy and Bret of the Human Rights Coalition based on the accounts of prisoner correspondents and the investigations of HRC members. From the compiled data, the reports are re-written by Andy into the narratives you hear on "On The Block Radio." Many thanks. To access written transcripts of the PA Prison Reports, please go to: www.hrcoalition.org.

Also, special thanks to JR Valrey of Block Report Radio. Block Report Radio podcasts can be found at www.blockreportradio.com.