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Date: Sat, 20 Sep 2008 13:57:45 -0400<br>
Subject: [ABCF] Robert Seth Hayes' Parole Hearing postponed - A
Message from Seth - Letters still needed ASAP<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Dear friends, please pass this on as far as you can. Please note
that<br>
we're currently experiencing problems with Seth's website<br>
<a href="http://www.sethhayes.org/" eudora="autourl">
www.sethhayes.org</a> but we should have those fixed shortly. Please send
in<br>
letters in support of Seth's parole as soon as possible as the
hearing<br>
could happen anytime between September and December of 2008. For
more<br>
information please email torontoabcf@gmail.com<br>
<br>
In solidarity,<br>
<br>
<br>
the Toronto Chapter of the Anarchist Black Cross Federation<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
From Robert Seth Hayes<br>
#74A2280, Wende Corr. Facility<br>
P.O. Box 1187, Alden, NY<br>
14004-1187, USA<br>
<br>
<br>
September 8, 2008<br>
<br>
Dear friends and supporters,<br>
<br>
This brief letter wishes to update you about my strategy to
gain<br>
immediate release from confinement and return to working in
the<br>
community. Many of you know that I was expecting a parole board
hearing<br>
in September 2008. As it was, I was belatedly informed that the
hearing<br>
would commence on September 3, 2008. On the second of September
I<br>
reached out to my attorney Susan Tipograph to discuss the
hearing<br>
schedule and then learned of the passing of Comrade Bashir Hameed
a.k.a.<br>
James York. A strong and positive Brother in our struggle to free
the<br>
land, spirit and inhabitants, Bashir joined our ancestors on August
30,<br>
2008. I ask you to join me in sending up prayers of rejoicing to
a<br>
soldier whose contributions have sustained many of us.<br>
<br>
As I struggled with the news of Bashir, I pondered the input of
Susan on<br>
seeking a second installment from the parole board as we again
seek<br>
information promoting a stronger defense at a future parole
board<br>
hearing. I listened, contemplated and decided such a proposal
was<br>
necessary. I went to the parole board hearing on the third of
September<br>
and sought a postponement for at least 30 days, pending advice from
my<br>
attorney. It was granted. I received confirmation on September
5<br>
informing me that postponement was granted for December 2008 or
sooner.<br>
<br>
What does that mean? It means we must consolidate our efforts to
put<br>
forth a stronger position than initiated before. Quality is a must.
For<br>
those of you out there with connections in the political arena,
you<br>
should connect with political representatives and instruct them
to<br>
submit letters of assurance to the parole board on my behalf,
offering<br>
housing, jobs, education opportunities and any potential help that
would<br>
result in a smoother transition back to the community.
Community<br>
activists, church leaders, politicians, etc. should all be
contacted and<br>
asked for their support. What we need are issues that parole<br>
commissioners can view and recognize as serious and unwavering
support.<br>
I will do my part in making a presentation suitable to our
task.<br>
<br>
Please visit my webpage
<a href="http://www.sethhayes.org/" eudora="autourl">www.sethhayes.org</a>
for background information.<br>
Remember, “many are called, few are chosen.” If you are one of
those who<br>
step up (the chosen), I thank you and honor your support. For those
who<br>
in the past absently committed without maintaining their support
(the<br>
many), here is your chance to redeem self and reputation.<br>
<br>
This missive must remain brief, as there are many awaiting word
that I<br>
must reach out.<br>
<br>
My love and respect to you.<br>
Forward our righteous struggle to its conclusion!<br>
My love,<br>
<br>
Robert Seth’ Hayes<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
*PLEASE FORWARD*<br>
<br>
Support Parole for US Political Prisoner Robert 'Seth' Hayes! -
Letters<br>
needed by May 30th 2008<br>
<br>
Locked down for more than a lifetime: Soliciting letters of support
for<br>
a U.S. political prisoner Robert Seth<br>
Hayes’s Parole – May 2008<br>
<br>
A letter from the Robert Seth Hayes Support Committee -<br>
<a href="http://www.sethhayes.org/" eudora="autourl">
www.sethhayes.org</a> | info (at) sethhayes.org<br>
<br>
Robert “Seth” Hayes is a U.S. political prisoner and former member
of<br>
the Black Panther Party who has been imprisoned in New York state
for<br>
more than three decades. When Seth was convicted in 1974, his
sentence<br>
was 25 years to life. The implicit understanding at the time of
his<br>
sentencing was that Seth would serve 25 years as a minimum, after
which<br>
time he would be eligible for release based on his record and
conduct in<br>
prison.<br>
<br>
In June of 2008, Seth will be going before the parole board for
the<br>
fifth time. At each of Seth’s previous parole hearings, he was
denied<br>
release due to the serious nature of the crime he was convicted for
and<br>
given another two years in jail. The refusal of parole for the
serious<br>
nature of the crime seems contrary to the spirit of the law, for it
is<br>
something that a prisoner can never change, and the giving of
parole is<br>
based upon the prisoner's behavior while behind bars.<br>
<br>
Seth is not the only one being subjected to these unfair rules.
This has<br>
become common practice for the New York state parole board, who,
by<br>
denying parole based on the seriousness of the conviction, are
defacto<br>
re-sentencing many prisoners to life in prison without the
possibility<br>
of parole.<br>
<br>
Seth’s prison record is exemplary, and if a decision about Seth’s
parole<br>
were to be based on his conduct and personal growth, he would
have<br>
rejoined his family and his community years ago.<br>
<br>
Please write a letter to the parole board to let them know that
you<br>
think Seth deserves to be released. Write your own letter, or use
the<br>
sample letter that has been included in this document.<br>
<br>
If you have a personal relationship with Seth, please consider
writing<br>
about this relationship in your letter. If you work with a
community<br>
organization or union, have a professional job, or are a rock
star,<br>
please consider mentioning this in your letter (or writing on<br>
letterhead, etc.).<br>
<br>
If you decide to personalize your letter, you may choose to
include<br>
information drawn from the short biography also included in
this<br>
package, where some of Seth’s accomplishments are highlighted.<br>
<br>
More information about Seth can be found on a web page that has
been put<br>
together by his supporters at
<a href="http://www.sethhayes.org/" eudora="autourl">www.sethhayes.org<br>
</a> <br>
All letters should be mailed or faxed to the Senior Parole Officer
at<br>
Wende Correctional facility with a copy going to Seth’s lawyer,
Susan<br>
Tipograph, as soon as possible, as Seth's parole hearing could
take<br>
place any time between September 30th and December 31st of 2008.
Please<br>
send all of your letters to:<br>
<br>
Senior Parole Officer<br>
Wende Correctional Institute<br>
P.O. Box 1187, (3622 Wende Road) Alden, NY<br>
14004-1187, USA<br>
<br>
and send a copy or a fax to:<br>
<br>
Susan Tipograph<br>
<br>
Attorney At Law<br>
350 Broadway<br>
New York, NY<br>
10013<br>
fax (212) 625-3939<br>
<br>
<br>
Sample Letter<br>
<br>
Re: Robert Seth Hayes<br>
<br>
#74A2280<br>
<br>
Dear Senior Parole Officer of Wende Correctional Institute,<br>
<br>
I am writing on behalf of Robert Hayes who is scheduled to appear
before<br>
the parole board for the fifth time in July of 2006.<br>
<br>
Robert Hayes' application for parole was denied when he last
appeared<br>
before the board two years ago. At the time of that appearance,
his<br>
record was excellent. However, since that time his record is<br>
outstanding. Mr. Hayes has continued to work to help others and
improve<br>
himself. While at Clinton Correctional Facility, he facilitated in
the<br>
HIV Educators program to assist others as well as becoming a member
of<br>
the Lifer's and Long Termers Organization whose primary goal is
to<br>
educate and instruct newly arriving inmates in adjustment to
and<br>
preparation for final release from incarceration. Since his
transfer to<br>
Wende Correctional Facility, he has coached basketball and
participated<br>
in a local restorative justice project. These are but a few of his
many<br>
accomplishments over his years of incarceration. I am confident
that<br>
were he to be released, he would be a great asset to the community
and<br>
to society at large.<br>
<br>
There is no question that the crime for which Mr. Hayes was
convicted<br>
was a serious crime. However, he has shown remorse and takes
full<br>
responsibility for his acts. I am sure that you will agree that
after<br>
serving almost 33 years Mr. Hayes’ release at this time would not
so<br>
deprecate the seriousness of the crime so as to undermine respect
for<br>
the law. Moreover, if you examine all of the factors that are used
to<br>
predict whether person is most likely to recidivate, those
factors<br>
indicate that Mr. Hayes will not engage in any criminal activity.
His<br>
disciplinary history during his incarceration indicates that he
obeys<br>
the rules in prison; he has a supportive network of family and
friends<br>
on the outside available to assist him in his reintegration back
into<br>
society and he had an extensive work history prior to being
incarcerated<br>
in addition to obtaining marketable skills in prison that will help
him<br>
to obtain employment. Nothing is gained by his continued
incarceration,<br>
and much is lost, as he has much to offer the community upon his
release.<br>
<br>
By the time that Mr. Hayes appears before the parole board, he will
be<br>
58 years old – more than 30 years older and considerably wiser than
the<br>
man who was charged with committing the crime. He is a
compassionate,<br>
caring individual and deserves a second chance. Please grant Mr.
Hayes<br>
parole and give him that second chance.<br>
<br>
Sincerely,<br>
<br>
_____________________<br>
<br>
Biography<br>
<br>
Robert Seth Hayes was born in Harlem, New York in October 1948.
His<br>
father, John Franklin Hayes, was the child of sharecroppers and
came to<br>
New York City from South Carolina; his mother, Francine
Washington<br>
Hayes, moved to New York from Pittsburgh. Both of Mr. Hayes’
parents<br>
worked for the U.S. Postal Service, trying to provide a better life
for<br>
Seth and his four brothers and sisters. They also instilled in
their<br>
children the desire to work for the betterment of their community.
Seth<br>
writes, “My mother taught me to visualize family universally,
not<br>
individually.” Seth’s father was a World War II veteran and a
member of<br>
the United Negro Improvement Association, the Black
Nationalist<br>
organization founded by Marcus Garvey.<br>
<br>
Growing up in New York City, first in Harlem, later in the Bronx
and<br>
Queens, Mr. Hayes saw one Black neighborhood after another
suffering<br>
from neglect, despair, anger and defeat. During 1950s and 1960s
with the<br>
growing rise of the civil rights and Black power movements Seth
recalls<br>
witnessing over the years a birth of hope and determination to
overcome<br>
these conditions.<br>
<br>
After his schooling in New York City, Mr. Hayes worked as a
psychiatric<br>
aide at Creedmoor Hospital. He was drafted into the U.S. Army and
sent<br>
to Vietnam. He saw combat, was wounded and awarded the Purple
Heart,<br>
National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal and
the<br>
Vietnam Campaign Medal.<br>
<br>
In the armed forces, Seth underwent a change of consciousness.
After<br>
the death of Martin Luther King Junior in 1968, Seth’s troop was
ordered<br>
to patrol the city streets with fixed bayonets to put down the<br>
rebellions resulting from Dr. King’s assassination. “It was the
saddest<br>
day of my life,” Seth remembers, “and I could never identify again
with<br>
the aims of the armed forces or the government.”<br>
<br>
Upon returning to the United States from Vietnam, Seth was swept up
in<br>
the Black Liberation movement and joined the Black Panther Party.
He<br>
worked in the free breakfast for children program and began
dedicating<br>
his life to the betterment of Black people. His knowledge of
the<br>
effects of racism on the Black community convinced him that the
Black<br>
Panthers’ program of community service ad community self-defense
was<br>
what was needed. His work, like that of so many others, was
disrupted<br>
by COINTELPRO. Fearing further attacks, he went underground,
believing<br>
it to be the only way to protect the work of the Black Panther
Party and<br>
the Black movement in general.<br>
<br>
Robert Seth Hayes had two children prior to his arrest and
imprisonment,<br>
and he has remained closely involved their lives and upbringing,
despite<br>
the difficulties presented by his long incarceration. His son,
Chunga,<br>
lives and works in Atlanta. His daughter, Crystal, herself mother
of<br>
14-year-old Myaisha, is a student at the Smith College graduate
school<br>
of social work in Western Massachusetts. Seth calls his family
“the<br>
loves of my life.” He describes his relationship with Crystal this
way,<br>
“She has had the most intense impact on my life, always
questioning,<br>
full of joy and insight, grasping lessons and maintaining her
own<br>
dreams. She has kept me striving always to expand my knowledge
and<br>
illuminate my principles, as I struggle to stay abreast of her<br>
questioning mind.”<br>
<br>
Seth has been diagnosed with Type II diabetes and Hepatitis C. He
has<br>
been extremely ill and had great difficulty procuring the
necessary<br>
healthcare and has needed the help of his lawyers and some
state<br>
political leaders in order to get adequate treatment.<br>
<br>
While in prison, Seth continues to work for the betterment of
the<br>
community in which he lives. He has participated in programs with
the<br>
NAACP, the Jaycees and other organizations and has worked as a<br>
librarian, pre-release advisor and AIDS counselor. Whenever
possible, he<br>
has taken college courses. He is also a longtime advisor and<br>
collaborator in the annual “Certain Days” Political Prisoner
calendar<br>
project. He is dedicated to continuing to work for social justice
when<br>
he gets out of prison. At Wende correctional facility where he
is<br>
currently incarcerated, Seth is working to put together a
"lifers<br>
program" to help rehabilitate prisoners and prepare them to
reenter the<br>
community. Seth also coaches basketball and works on assisting a
local<br>
restorative justice project taking place in Buffalo.<br>
<br>
For more information about Seth, please check out
<a href="http://www.sethhayes.org/" eudora="autourl">www.sethhayes.org</a>
or<br>
e-mail info (at) sethhayes.org.<br><br>
<br><br>
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