Workers Vanguard No. 1024 |
17 May 2013
|
14,000 Demand: Free Lynne Stewart Now!
(Class-Struggle Defense Notes)
As we reported two months ago, the family of class-war prisoner
Lynne Stewart is waging a desperate fight for a “compassionate” release to
obtain critical medical treatment. The 73-year-old Stewart has been battling
breast cancer, which has metastasized and spread to her lymph nodes, shoulder
and lungs. Following bouts of debilitating chemotherapy, Stewart’s cancer
remains at Stage 4.
A radical lawyer with a history of defending leftists, black
militants and others in the crosshairs of the imperialist rulers, Stewart was
railroaded to prison on ludicrous “support to terrorism” charges for zealously
defending her client, a blind Islamic cleric. Over 14,000 have signed a petition
demanding Stewart’s release that was circulated by her family. Typical of the
many messages of support, famed actor Ed Asner stated: “In tormenting Lynne
Stewart the government seeks to terrorize all lawyers who would defend those
targeted by State repression. The treatment of Lynne Stewart is a threat to due
process, an assault on fundamental rights that date to Magna Carta.”
Last month, Stewart’s husband Ralph Poynter reported that the
warden of FMC Carswell recommended Stewart’s release. Standing in the way of
Stewart’s going home is the federal judge who resentenced her to ten years in
prison. We continue to urge readers of WV to sign the petition posted on
lynnestewart.org. Contributions to Stewart’s legal defense can be sent to: Lynne
Stewart Organization, 1070 Dean Street, Brooklyn, NY 11216.
We print below an appreciation of Stewart by Tom Manning dated
April 3 and sent to the Partisan Defense Committee. Like Stewart and his comrade
Jaan Laaman, Manning is one of 20 activists behind bars receiving stipends under
the PDC’s program of support to class-war prisoners. Manning and Laaman were
members of the group of anti-imperialist fighters that came to be known as the
Ohio 7, convicted for their roles in a radical group that took credit for bank
“expropriations” and bombings of symbols of U.S. imperialism, such as military
and corporate offices, in the late 1970s and ’80s.
Before their arrests in 1984 and 1985, the Ohio 7 were targets of
massive manhunts. Having already sentenced the Ohio 7 to decades in prison, the
Feds subsequently tried three of them on charges of “seditious conspiracy.”
Despite pouring $10 million into this effort, the government failed in its
ominous attempt to revive the sweeping McCarthy-era criminalization of left-wing
political activism. This was a victory for the working class and all oppressed.
Yet today Ohio 7 attorney Stewart has been condemned to what could be a death
sentence under the “war on terror,” presently a more effective means to isolate
and witchhunt left-wing activists. Free Lynne Stewart! Free Tom Manning and Jaan
Laaman! Free the class-war prisoners!
* * *
Dear Folks—
Your stipend gift arrived, again, welcome and useful as ever.
In appreciation I thought I’d copy something I’d written for
Mumia—back at ADX, and send it to you all. To do with as you will—a gift to a
supporter?
Thinking about Lynne, a dear friend, a part of our defense team in
all ten United Freedom Front trials—always bringing joy and solidarity into the
prisons for late night visits hours of travel time away from her home in
N.Y.C.—her children and her partner Ralph becoming part of the family—Ralph our
investigator, traveling back to Ohio, Pennsylvania, and wherever else need
checking on. Coming back with a report on how my Great Dane, Chico, was doing
five years after I had to abandon him as the FBI Hostage Rescue Team assaulted
our farm house with Huey helicopters bearing large Red Cross insignia—a
violation of the Geneva Convention.
Their positive spirits in the visiting room would get under the
skin of the guard that, one night they keyed Ralph’s car—all down the driver’s
side.
Twice, the judge ordered blood taken from me to use DNA in the
trial—knowing I’d resist to the best of my ability—in keeping with my vow of
total non-collaboration. Lynne came into the prison as moral support. On the
first occasion I was beaten so bad—the guys in the block rioted for four days,
and Lynne was badly shaken. The authorities lost the videotape of the event. On
the second occasion Lynne got a court order to bring a camera—and videotaped the
whole thing. On each blood taking, the shoulder of the arm they wanted—was badly
damaged—and both had to have open rotator cuff surgery. As I write I’m awaiting
a total reverse shoulder implant—stemming from the original damage. Lynne’s tape
of that day will always be there—as a piece of this history.
She would make sure we’d get to read any book we expressed interest
in, or that she thought we’d find interesting—especially anything on John Brown.
A man close to her heart.
So as I read of her troubles now—her health and captivity
situation—it galls me bitterly not to be able to bring her relief.
The struggle continues!
Tom Manning
Tom Manning
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