MPLU Missouri Prison Labor Union
By Sidney Williams
The Missouri Prison Labor Union was organized by prisoners and supporters
in the hope of bettering the living and working conditions in the state of
Missouri prison system. One of our goals is to establish minimum wages for
all prisoners in Missouri and to stop all prison abuse. We were lawfully
given recognition by the Secretary of state in Missouri on August 3rd of
1998 and since our arrival on the scene, members have been subjected to all
forms of abuse and harassment by the Missouri Department of Corrections and
the prison officials of Potosi Correctional Center, Jefferson City
Correctional Center and Crossroads correctional Center.
The MPLU is an organization that fights against oppression, repression,
torture, brutality, rape, corruption and exploitation of prisoners both
male and female. In this struggle we seek to regain our human dignity. We
will seek to remove legislation which acts as a barrier to a prisoner's
right to vote. We'll work to procure the minimum wage pay scale for all
prisoners - to abolish all abuses of prisoners throughout the US and around
the world.
The MPLU is an anarchist driven prison initiative that strikes at the lore
of slave labor capitalism. Prisoners are openly considered slaves by the
very constitutional amendment 13 that supposedly abolished slavery.
Prisoners can be forced to labor, without pay, healthcare or safety
protections.
Jerome White-Bey, Bruce Cummings, Sheik M. Moore, and others are
horrifically oppressed, locked down in the hole, assaulted and otherwise
abused for their uncommonly courageous work in an unabashed effort to break
them. This is why I have chosen to not only support them but to establish
the MPLU-Texas local chapters so that Texas prisoners may strive and
accomplish those same goals.
When modern man looks at the problem of slavery with his 20th century
background and in the light of the hideous crimes perpetrated during the
slave trade and the abominable barbarous treatment that was meted out to
slaves he discovers it as a most shocking and horrid crime. He is at loss
and finds it extremely difficult to understand as to how such a thing can
be approved of by a nation that considers its self to be based on equality
and justice.
Slavery has been and still is a melee of treachery, surmise and violence of
one nation or group of people to another due to its expansionist designs
and the lust for exploitation in order to advance its own selfish ends.
Such practices are and have been the outcome of personal ambition, pride,
vanity or a wish for vengeance. It was because of these inclinations that
their consciences never twinged them when murdering, punishing, raping, or
making their slaves perform loathsome and burdening jobs.
The Hindus believed that the slaves (Sudras) had sprung from the feet of
the creator and hence they assumed that they were innately mean and low, a
fate they could never contend or change. Therefore, the only way open
before them was to suffer humiliation and chastisement patiently in the
hope that their souls may alter their death, transmigrate into a better
creation. They proceeded further to deprive them of even the will to rise
in revolt against the unjust social order that subjected them to
humiliation and misery. This is identical to what has taken place and
continues to take place here in Amerikkka, but what is more shocking is
that they use their perverted interpretations of biblical scriptures to
justify their inhumane acts. We need not discuss Roman civilization which
is being re-inked in modern day Amerikkka and Europe.
Although slavery was verbally outlawed, it is still a physical act being
carried out on the nation's people. It has been hidden in their
constitution under the cloak of the 13th amendment. "Chattel-slavery" was
outlawed only to be further carried out through "prison-slavery" by that
amendment. A fact which cannot be denied by those who profit from this
slavery.
Our captivity within itself should have been enough for their exploitation
in this "prison-slave-system," but it wasn't so they proceeded on to
"prison-slave-labor" monopolized by the corporate elite. To name a few of
these slave-holders: CMT Blues, Mecca (T-shirts), Seattle Cotton Works, Lee
Jeans, Revlon, Nordstrom's, Starbucks, Motorola, IBM and MCI. Some
corporations that underwrite prison construction bonds are Dole, Colgate,
Suave, Merrill Lynch, Prudential Insurance, Goldman Saths and Smith Barney
Shearson.
These are only a few reasons I have decided to help further the goals of
the MPLU. We will do what we can to help inmates stop further exploitation
of our labor and stop all inhumane atrocities that we are subject to by the
"prison-slave-system" from their prison slave jobs. We seek to be
adequately paid for our labor and not some 25 cents per hour while these
corporations are making $15+ for our labor. By being paid duly for our
labor while in prison, we can help support our families and better their
conditions by removing the burden of having to support us while in prison
which plunges them deeper into poverty. We are sent to prison for a crime
we committed and to serve time, not to be exploited by some corporate elite.
The Texas local chapter will diligently strive with Texas prisoners to
legally achieve our goals. If you have any input, ideas, offer of
assistance, donations or would like to know more about MPLU and/or Texas
local chapter MPLU please contact:
Sydney Williams
#563001
899 FM 632
Kenedy, Texas
78119
Link: www.anarchistblackcross.org
