This year marks 25 years since Critical Resistance's inaugural conference "Beyond the Prison Industrial Complex" in 1998, where thousands of people came together to boldly challenge what we now call the "prison industrial complex" 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.
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.
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
To inspire strategy & freedom through a night of performances, 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.
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
Spread the word!
Support the event by forwarding this email or posting the url to this message (located on top right corner of this email) or the event on our websiteon your social media, download & post the graphics below, or simply invite everyone you know!
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]
MORE ANNOUNCEMENTS
URGENT ACTION ALERT: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 demanding the charge of misconduct be reversed immediately! More info & toolkit for action here.
Tomorrow, April 6 in New York: Press Conference for Civil Rights Lawsuit Filed Against ICE and NY Officials
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.
