By Hassan Shabazz (VAPOC)
Amnesty International defined a Prisoner of Conscience as a person imprisoned and/or persecuted for their non-violent expression of their conscientiously held beliefs. Virginia Prisoner of Conscience (VAPOC) has been striving to fight for prisoner's rights and criminal justice reform for the past three years and we have endured many persecutions for our activism. We have always known that when you stand up for what is right the enemies of righteousness will always rear their ugly heads. We wouldn't expect anything less.
Recently I was written up on a charge for "Conspiracy to misuse the mail/telephone" due to an email that I wrote stating that I was striving to set up a conference call. This call was supposed to be for organizing the family members of prisoners and other citizens to be able to speak with activist organizations that specialize in civic engagement in order to mobilize towards the upcoming election and then rally in the new year. I never said that I would participate in the call, only that I was striving to set one up for the people. I guess no good deed goes unpunished, huh?
The crazy thing is that the "Intelligence Officer" who wrote this charge never investigated by talking to me even though he stated that an investigation had been done, and on top of that he falsely stated on the charge that his "Job Title" is "Institutional Investigator." His rank is that of a Corporal yet he has written the charge under the title of Investigator which is a Sergeant.
This is a clear violation of Virginia Code for forging a public document/impersonating a public official which is a class 4 felony. Well, if there is one thing that I know is true, when you point your finger at someone else there are 4 pointed back at you. Keep the struggle alive and organize with the Virginia Prison Justice Network. Let's make a difference this November onward into the upcoming year. "POC 4 Life"