"Toward Abolitionist Horizons" is a CR fundraiser on May 5, celebrating 25 years of strategy & struggle for prison industrial complex abolition.

You're Invited: "Toward Abolitionist Horizons"
Celebrating 25 Years of Critical Resistance
Friday, May 5 in San Francisco, California
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Dear Friends and Comrades,

This year marks 25 years since Critical Resistance's inaugural conference "Beyond the Prison Industrial Complex" in 1998 ([link removed]) , where thousands of people came together to boldly challenge what we now call the "prison industrial complex ([link removed]) " or PIC. A few years later, organizers from the Critical Resistance (CR) Conference Organizing Committee formed a national grassroots organization with the mission of building an international movement to abolish the PIC.

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Over the past 25 years, what has become CR has seeded organizing across various geographies that challenges the idea that policing, surveillance, and imprisonment make us safe; resists institutions and state projects that wreak premature death on our communities; wins grassroots multi-pronged campaigns that can be models across time and place; and generates countless organizing resources, abolitionist organizing frameworks, points of analysis, and tools to equip communities anywhere to fight against the PIC and for community self-determination. Through the last two decades, we've seen PIC abolition move from the margins and into the mainstream, becoming more and more common sense.
Now in our current landscape of converging crises between late stage capitalism, climate catastrophe, and the strengthening of the far-right, CR is asking what will the next two decades require of PIC abolitionists given this tough terrain? Join us on Friday, May 5, at McKenna Theater on San Francisco State University's campus in San Francisco, CA to celebrate our first 25 years and to look forward for the next 25 years of struggle.

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Toward Abolitionist Horizons:
25 Years of Critical Resistance

When: Friday, May 5, from 6pm-9:30pm PST

Where: McKenna Theater, SFSU - 1600 Holloway Ave, San Francisco, CA
& Online via LiveStream

Featuring
: Angela Davis, Andrea Ritchie, Ny Nourn, Dancing Through Prison Walls project ([link removed]) & more!
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To inspire strategy & freedom through a night of performances ([link removed]) , discussion, and a special conversation between Angela Davis, Andrea Ritchie and Ny Nourn, we will take stock of the gains we have made building a movement to abolish the PIC over the past 25 years, assess our current conditions of struggle, and envision the next two decades of PIC abolitionist organizing.
Buy Tickets Now ([link removed])

While we will be livestreaming the event and posting to our Facebook and YouTube pages, we hope you join us in-person if possible. All proceeds from ticket sales, merch, and additional donations go to CR and the fight for PIC abolition. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. If you have some extra to spare, please donate to the collective by purchasing an additional ticket to sponsor another community member.
Live Spanish translation will be provided for the in-person event, along with ASL interpretation and closed-captioning (the livestream will only have closed-captioning available). Free child care will also be provided during the event for in-person attendance. Face masks are required inside the venue for COVID-19 safety. We also encourage in-person attendees to take a COVID-19 test a few days in advance and to not attend in-person if you have any covid-related symptoms or are feeling unwell.

See you on Friday, May 5!

- Critical Resistance


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Spanish language materials coming soon, and sponsorship packets are being sent to close movement partners. Email us if you'd like your organization to sponsor the event: [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]?subject=Requesting%20CR25%20Sponsorship%20packet)


** MORE ANNOUNCEMENTS
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URGENT ACTION ALERT: ([link removed]) Phone & Email Zap to Support Stevie Wilson, columnist of The Abolitionist newspaper!

Stephen Wilson, prolific writer and abolitionist educator locked up in Pennsylvania— who is a dear comrade of CR— has been getting harassed by guards after getting transferred these past few weeks. The guards at SCI Dallas have now fabricated evidence of misconduct against him, saying he threatened one of the guards.

Not only did Stevie not threaten a guard, but this accusation could be further used against him— a conviction of misconduct could prevent him from receiving parole. We need as many people as possible to make calls and emails ([link removed]) demanding the charge of misconduct be reversed immediately! More info & toolkit for action here ([link removed]) .
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Tomorrow, April 6 in New York: Press Conference for Civil Rights Lawsuit Filed Against ICE and NY Officials

While CR New York City (CRNYC) has been organizing with for the last few years to pass Dignity Not Detention legislation in the state of New York ([link removed]) , local and federal immigration officials have responded with retaliation and retribution in an effort to silence resistance against ICE detention. Earlier this week, member organizations of the Abolish ICE New York New Jersey coalition filed a lawsuit on behalf of and in coordination with six plaintiffs who seek damages and declaratory relief under the First Amendment.

Join CRNYC and Abolish ICE NY NJ at Foley Square in Lower Manhattan on Thursday, April 6th from 11-12pm for a press conference ([link removed]) to learn more about the lawsuit and how you can support our work to advance PIC abolition by getting New York out of the business of ICE detention! If you are based outside of New York or otherwise unable to attend, please consider materially supporting the work by donating to our welcome home fund for Ms. Q and Junior ([link removed]) , two of our organizers that were recently released from OCCF.
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Tuesday, April 11 in California for Prison Closure: Roadmap Report Back with Californians United for a Responsible Budget (CURB)

In March, we released a roadmap for prison closure in CA ([link removed]) as part of the campaign with CURB to close at least 10 prisons in the state by 2025. Join us on Tuesday, April 11 at 6pm PST for a virtual community Report Back

featuring two recently dropped groundbreaking reports, From Crisis to Care: Ending the Health Harm of Women’s Prisons and CURB’s Prison Closure Roadmap! Authors will give an overview of each report, answer questions, and lead us in collective action to #CloseCAPrisonsNow! RSVP here. ([link removed])
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Stop Cop City: Match your support for CR & Donate to the ATL Solidarity Fund
As repression and violence escalate in the fight to #StopCopCity and defend the Atlanta forest from a $90 million, 381-acre police training fortress, Critical Resistance is calling on all of our allies to match your support for CR and take action in solidarity with ATL now. ([link removed]) Give to local bail funds and make as many calls as you can to drop the charges for forest defenders facing domestic terrorism charges. Details to take action here. ([link removed])

Critical Resistance is majority grassroots-funded. Donate today!

#SustainCR with monthly donations or a one-time gift here. ([link removed])
Mural by Leslie “Dime” Lopez at 4400 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA, 2019.
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