[Ppnews] Panther Political Prisoner Eddie Conway's New Book:The Greatest Threat

[Political Prisoner News]

Via Kiilu Nyasha

Greetings All:

Be sure to check out the letter from Eddie.  Eddie had sent
it to me with a personal note prior to hearing from Erica Woodland, so
I asked if she had it online so I could share it with y'all.  You will
surely understand after reading it why brothers like Eddie are being
locked away from our oppressed communities, especially our "at risk"
youth.

Eddie has been incarcerated now for 40 years!

Free Eddie and all political prisoners.
Free 'em all!
Peace, power, and love,

Kiilu

SPRING LETTER from Eddie Conway

Greetings,
I hope this update finds everyone in good health 
and high spirits. April of 2010 will mark the 
fortieth (40) year that I have been held 
unjustly. I would say illegally but the fact is 
that, those in power change the definition of 
what is legal whenever it suits them. However, 
regardless of what definition they ascribe to my 
imprisonment, the facts remains, I am here 
because of what I believe not for anything that I 
have done. I have delayed writing this update for 
a couple months while waiting to release my book 
The Greatest Threat...  More on the book later


First, a look back to the last update and the 
progress made since then. In 2009, we started a 
mentoring project known as Friend of A Friend at 
the institution where I'm now housed. The last 
seven months of 2009 were spent training 20 
prisoners to be mentors. Eighteen of these men 
graduated with the help of the American Friend 
Service Committee's Peace with Justice Program in 
Baltimore. We are currently training twenty-five 
new mentees. Our goal: through our shared skills, 
experience and knowledge we will produce 
prisoners that are critical thinkers and able 
leaders. This will go a long way in changing the 
direction of the prison system and the 
communities from which these young men come.

During our initial training process, we worked 
with a local Baltimore production group WombWork 
Productions. Together we presented a play for the 
general population entitled THE BIRTH OF PEACE. 
The success of this collaboration can be measured 
by the feedback we got from the general 
population here. The men crave these type of 
activities because the help them overcome the 
boredom and monotony of incarceration, and this 
in turn helps to reduce the violence. We have a 
lengthy waiting list for new mentees and our 
current mentees are very enthusiastic about being 
a part of Friend of A Friend. The play was about 
finding a peaceful resolution to conflicts 
between the various street organizations in our 
communities, we intend on presenting this play again.

As the years have rolled by my concern for my 
family has grown significantly. Too many of my 
young family members are growing up and I am 
missing out on being there for them, or 
experiencing their progress. For example, some of 
my grandchildren are now going to school and 
others are going to college. These are memories 
I'm only able to experience from afar. My older 
family members (in particular my mother Eleanor) 
are experiencing some minor health issues. The 
fact is many of us are just getting old. 
Personally, I'm still struggling with high blood 
pressure, but I believe it is under control. 
Gaining my freedom will correct most of these things.

My new legal team is researching my case in order 
to wage the next legal battle to gain my freedom. 
My role in this effort will be focused on the 
fundraising activities. So far, we have been very successful in this endeavor.

The support committees in Oakland, Los Angeles, 
and individuals in Baltimore have done great 
fundraising work. Other supporters around the 
country and abroad, have helped with both large 
and small donations. I extend a heartfelt thanks 
to everyone. We are only $15,000 short of our 
goal, and hope to raise this amount during our 
next fundraising drive. To this end, we plan to 
use my new book, The Greatest Threat.

The Greatest Threat examines the plight of the 
Black Panther Party Political Prisoners/POW's and 
the role of the FBI's Counter-Intelligence 
Program in their imprisonment. It is my belief 
that we need to examine this phenomenon and how 
it has impacted anti-establishment activities and 
dissent. This book is my attempt to put into 
political perspective the system's response to any form of social discontent.

To help in our fundraising drive we are giving a 
copy of The Greatest Threat to anyone who donates 
$20.00 to the legal defense fund effort. Anyone 
who can pledge future contributions, please 
contact Erica Woodland at (410) 908-9865 or 
erica_woodland at hotmail.com, for additional 
information. Thanks for your continuing support.
In Struggle,
Eddie

The Greatest Threat: The Black Panther Party and 
COINTELPRO by Marshall Edward Conway
The Greatest Threat puts the government’s war on 
the Panthers into historical context. Marshall 
“Eddie” Conway, a veteran of the Black Panther 
Party who has been held as a political prisoner 
for four decades, has compiled the available 
documentation and research on COINTELPRO, and 
traced its dirty history, from the active 
repression of the black revolutionary movement of 
the 1960’s and 1970’s, to the conditions of Black 
America today and the dozens of political 
prisoners who remain in U.S. prisons on charges 
stemming from their involvement in the Black liberation movement.
iAMWE Publications, January 2010
PO 4628
Baltimore, MD 21212
Baltimore 21212
To order this book for donation of $20 contact 
Erica Woodland at (410) 908-9865 or erica_woodland at hotmail.com

Coming Soon:
Marshall Law: The Life and Times of a Baltimore 
Black Panther, by Marshall “Eddie” Conway.  The 
autobiography of Eddie Conway.   February 2011 | 
232 pages | $15.95   AK Press


In 1970, the feds framed Eddie Conway for the 
murder of a Baltimore City Police officer. He was 
24 years old. They threw him in prison, took him 
away from his family, his friends, and his 
organizing, and tried to relegate him to a life 
marked by nothing but legal appeals, riots and 
lockdowns, transfers from one penal colony to the next. But they failed.

Forty years later, still incarcerated for a crime 
he didn’t commit, Eddie Conway continues to 
resist. Marshall Law is a poignant story of 
strength and struggle. From his childhood in 
inner-city Baltimore to his political awakening 
in the military, from the rise of the Black 
Panther Party to the sham trial, the realities of 
prison life, escape attempts, labor organizing on 
the inside, and beyond, Eddie’s autobiography is 
a reminder that we all share the responsibility 
of resistance, no matter where we are.

M. Eddie Conway #116469
Jessup Correctional Institution
P.0. Boy 534
Jessup, MD  20794



Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110

415 863-9977

www.Freedomarchives.org  
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