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<font size=3><br><br>
</font><font size=2>Locked down for more than a
lifetime</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>Soliciting letters of support for a U.S. political
prisoner Robert Seth</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>Hayes's Parole - June 2006</font><font size=3>
<br><br>
</font><font size=2>A letter from the Robert Seth Hayes Support Committee
-</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2><a href="http://www.sethhayes.org/" eudora="autourl">
www.sethhayes.org</a> | info@sethhayes.org</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>Robert "Seth" Hayes is a U.S. political
prisoner and former member of</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>the Black Panther Party who has been imprisoned in
New York state for</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>more than three decades. When Seth was
convicted in 1974, his sentence</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>was 25 years to life. The implicit understanding at
the time of his</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>sentencing was that Seth would serve 25 years as a
minimum, after which</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>time he would be eligible for release based on his
record and conduct in</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>prison.</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>In July, 2006, Seth will be going before the parole
board for the fourth</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>time. At each of Seth's previous parole hearings, he
was denied release</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>due to the serious nature of the crime he was
convicted for and given</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>another two years in jail. The refusal of
parole for the serious nature</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>of the crime seems contrary to the spirit of the law,
for it is</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>something that a prisoner can never change, and the
giving of parole is</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>based upon the prisoner's behavior while behind
bars.</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>Seth is not the only one being subjected to these
unfair rules. This has</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>become common practice for the New York state parole
board, who, by</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>denying parole based on the seriousness of the
conviction, are defacto</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>re-sentencing many prisoners to life in prison
without the possibility</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>of parole.</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>Seth's prison record is exemplary, and if a decision
about Seth's parole</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>were to be based on his conduct and personal growth,
he would have</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>rejoined his family and his community years
ago.</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>Please write a letter to the parole board to let them
know that you</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>think Seth deserves to be released. Write your
own letter, or use the</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>sample letter that has been included in this
document.</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>If you have a personal relationship with Seth, please
consider writing</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>about this relationship in your letter. If you
work with a community</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>organization or union, have a professional job, or
are a rock star,</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>please consider mentioning this in your letter (or
writing on</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>letterhead, etc.).</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>If you decide to personalize your letter, you may
choose to include</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>information drawn from the short biography also
included in this</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>package, where some of Seth's accomplishments are
highlighted.</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>More information about Seth can be found on a web
page that has been put</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>together by his supporters at
<a href="http://www.sethhayes.org/" eudora="autourl">www.sethhayes.org</a>
</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>All letters should be mailed or faxed to Seth's
lawyer, Susan Tipograph,</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>by no later than June 30th, 2006 as Seth's parole
hearing is taking</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>place on July 15, 2006. Please send all of your
letters to:</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>Susan Tipograph</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>Attorney At Law</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>350 Broadway</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>New York, NY</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>10013</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>fax (212) 625-3939</font><font size=3> <br><br>
<br>
</font><font size=2>Sample Letter</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>Re: Robert Seth Hayes</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>#74A2280</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>Dear Senior Parole Officer of Wende Correctional
Institute,</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>I am writing on behalf of Robert Hayes who is
scheduled to appear before</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>the parole board for the fifth time in July of
2006.</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>Robert Hayes' application for parole was denied when
he last appeared</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>before the board two years ago. At the time of that
appearance, his</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>record was excellent. However, since that time his
record is</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>outstanding. Mr. Hayes has continued to work to help
others and improve</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>himself. While at Clinton Correctional Facility, he
facilitated in the</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>HIV Educators program to assist others as well
as becoming a member of</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>the Lifer's and Long Termers Organization whose
primary goal is to</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>educate and instruct newly arriving inmates in
adjustment to and</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>preparation for final release from incarceration.
Since his transfer to</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>Wende Correctional Facility, he has coached
basketball and participated</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>in a local restorative justice project. These
are but a few of his many</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>accomplishments over his years of incarceration. I am
confident that</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>were he to be released, he would be a great asset to
the community and</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>to society at large.</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>There is no question that the crime for which Mr.
Hayes was convicted</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>was a serious crime. However, he has shown remorse
and takes full</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>responsibility for his acts. I am sure that you will
agree that after</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>serving almost 33 years Mr. Hayes' release at this
time would not so</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>deprecate the seriousness of the crime so as to
undermine respect for</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>the law. Moreover, if you examine all of the factors
that are used to</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>predict whether person is most likely to recidivate,
those factors</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>indicate that Mr. Hayes will not engage in any
criminal activity. His</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>disciplinary history during his incarceration
indicates that he obeys</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>the rules in prison; he has a supportive network of
family and friends</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>on the outside available to assist him in his
reintegration back into</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>society and he had an extensive work history prior to
being incarcerated</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>in addition to obtaining marketable skills in prison
that will help him</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>to obtain employment. Nothing is gained by his
continued incarceration,</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>and much is lost, as he has much to offer the
community upon his</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>release.</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>By the time that Mr. Hayes appears before the parole
board, he will be</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>58 years old - more than 30 years older and
considerably wiser than the</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>man who was charged with committing the crime. He is
a compassionate,</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>caring individual and deserves a second chance.
Please grant Mr. Hayes</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>parole and give him that second
chance.</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>Sincerely,</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>_____________________</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>Biography</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>Robert Seth Hayes was born in Harlem, New York in
October 1948. His</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>father, John Franklin Hayes, was the child of
sharecroppers and came to</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>New York City from South Carolina; his mother,
Francine Washington</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>Hayes, moved to New York from Pittsburgh. Both
of Mr. Hayes' parents</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>worked for the U.S. Postal Service, trying to provide
a better life for</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>Seth and his four brothers and sisters. They
also instilled in their</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>children the desire to work for the betterment of
their community. Seth</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>writes, "My mother taught me to visualize
family universally, not</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>individually." Seth's father was a World
War II veteran and a member of</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>the United Negro Improvement Association, the Black
Nationalist</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>organization founded by Marcus
Garvey.</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>Growing up in New York City, first in Harlem, later
in the Bronx and</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>Queens, Mr. Hayes saw one Black neighborhood after
another suffering</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>from neglect, despair, anger and defeat. During 1950s
and 1960s with the</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>growing rise of the civil rights and Black power
movements Seth recalls</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>witnessing over the years a birth of hope and
determination to overcome</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>these conditions.</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>After his schooling in New York City, Mr. Hayes
worked as a psychiatric</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>aide at Creedmoor Hospital. He was drafted into
the U.S. Army and sent</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>to Vietnam. He saw combat, was wounded and
awarded the Purple Heart,</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service
Medal and the</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>Vietnam Campaign Medal.</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>In the armed forces, Seth underwent a change of
consciousness. After</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>the death of Martin Luther King Junior in 1968,
Seth's troop was ordered</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>to patrol the city streets with fixed bayonets to put
down the</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>rebellions resulting from Dr. King's
assassination. "It was the saddest</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>day of my life," Seth remembers, "and I
could never identify again with</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>the aims of the armed forces or the
government."</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>Upon returning to the United States from Vietnam,
Seth was swept up in</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>the Black Liberation movement and joined the Black
Panther Party. He</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>worked in the free breakfast for children program and
began dedicating</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>his life to the betterment of Black people. His
knowledge of the</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>effects of racism on the Black community convinced
him that the Black</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>Panthers' program of community service ad community
self-defense was</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>what was needed. His work, like that of so many
others, was disrupted</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>by COINTELPRO. Fearing further attacks, he went
underground, believing</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>it to be the only way to protect the work of the
Black Panther Party and</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>the Black movement in general.</font><font size=3>
<br><br>
</font><font size=2>Robert Seth Hayes had two children prior to his
arrest and imprisonment,</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>and he has remained closely involved their lives and
upbringing, despite</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>the difficulties presented by his long
incarceration. His son, Chunga,</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>lives and works in Atlanta. His daughter,
Crystal, herself mother of</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>14-year-old Myaisha, is a student at the Smith
College graduate school</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>of social work in Western Massachusetts. Seth
calls his family "the</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>loves of my life." He describes his
relationship with Crystal this way,</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>"She has had the most intense impact on my life,
always questioning,</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>full of joy and insight, grasping lessons and
maintaining her own</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>dreams. She has kept me striving always to
expand my knowledge and</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>illuminate my principles, as I struggle to stay
abreast of her</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>questioning mind."</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>Seth has been diagnosed with Type II diabetes and
Hepatitis C. He has</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>been extremely ill and had great difficulty procuring
the necessary</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>healthcare and has needed the help of his lawyers and
some state</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>political leaders in order to get adequate
treatment.</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>While in prison, Seth continues to work for the
betterment of the</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>community in which he lives. He has
participated in programs with the</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>NAACP, the Jaycees and other organizations and has
worked as a</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>librarian, pre-release advisor and AIDS counselor.
Whenever possible, he</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>has taken college courses. He is also a longtime
advisor and</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>collaborator in the annual "Certain Days"
Political Prisoner calendar</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>project. He is dedicated to continuing to work for
social justice when</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>he gets out of prison. At Wende correctional facility
where he is</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>currently incarcerated, Seth is working to put
together a "lifers</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>program" to help rehabilitate prisoners and
prepare them to reenter the</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>community. Seth also coaches basketball and works on
assisting a local</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>restorative justice project taking place in
Buffalo.</font><font size=3> <br><br>
</font><font size=2>For more information about Seth, please check out
<a href="http://www.sethhayes.org/" eudora="autourl">www.sethhayes.org</a>
or</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2>e-mail info@sethhayes.org.</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
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