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<font size=3>Revolutionary Greetings, to all my family, friends, and
supporters. The last few months have been a very busy time for me. I am
very happy to report that some progress has been made in several areas.
The best news to date is the progress with my parole situation. Since my
last update letter, my lawyer filed a request for a parole hearing for
me. I had the hearing on November 30, 2011. I met with two commissioners
and they decided to advance my case to the next level of the parole
process for persons with life sentences. That level requires a
psychological evaluation, which means that sometime in the near future I
will be transferred to another institution for a three month evaluation.
This whole process is called a Risk Assessment, and once this level is
completed the case goes before the full body of the parole commission.
There are ten commissioners and a majority vote is required before the
case can be sent to the governor who has the final right to approve or
deny.<br>
<br>
Thanks to all of you who wrote support letters or sent cards. One of the
key reasons for moving my case forward was the enormous amount of
community support reflected by those letters and cards. You all really
helped, thank you once again. For those who did not know that this
process was underway, it happened fast, but there is still time for you
to write. The case will go before the full commission and the members
will once again read the letters of support. So please continue to send
letters requesting parole
to:
<br>
<b>Mr. David Bloomberg<br>
6776 Reisterstown Rd.<br>
Baltimore, MD. 21215<br><br>
</b>My lawyer, Phillip Dantes and his legal team has committed to filing
my case in court by the end of this year 2011. As of this writing, that
schedule is still being honored. We are looking forward to being in court
sometime in 2012. Once we have a date, I will make you all aware via
facebook and an update letter. We will be organizing a fundraiser in the
spring to help with legal and court costs.<br>
<br>
Since my last letter I have had the opportunity to speak at a number of
events. I spoke with students and activist at University of Michigan-Ann
Arbor, University of California at Riverside, and Students Against Mass
Incarceration at Howard University. I also spoke at several community
events and book readings of <i>Marshall Law The Life and Times of a
Baltimore Panther</i>: the Urban Network in Detroit, MI.,
Internationalist Books in Chapel Hill, N.C., and readings in Chicago,
Ill., and in Baltimore, MD. Some of these events also included large
groups form Occupy Riverside, CA. and Occupy Chicago, plus students from
University of North Carolina. In October I participated in a conference
of community leaders and activists like Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle
organized by Dylan Rodriguez with the American Studies Association; their
annual meeting was held in Baltimore. I also had the opportunity to meet
and speak with National Black United Front members who visited me and
offered some encouragement for the survival of our community.<br>
<br>
The work we are doing with the Friend of a Friend (FOF) mentoring
organization is going very well. The organization has developed so many
positive community leaders and mentors that I can no longer keep up with
all the new people around the system and out in the community; that is a
good thing and I am happy with both the group’s growth and direction. The
(FOF) prison project is expanding into another prison- with one more
wanting the program; it is currently in five Maryland prisons. <br>
<br>
I will never be able to thank the American Friends Service Committee
(AFSC) for taking on this task and helping us save hundreds of lives and
put many positive activists back into the community. We are now
organizing our families outside with the support of a local church,
Pleasant Hope Baptist Church and Pastor Heber Brown. Members of a Friend
of a Friend are working with a local school to help provide guidance to
youth; they are starting a Freedom School in 2012, and are also speaking
at colleges in the region. <br>
<br>
Our Neutral Grounds project has opened up a snack and beverage stand to
demonstrate our concept of <b>“Do for Self”. </b>Since unemployment is
highest among people of African descent and even higher among former
prisoners we have to think of ways to employ ourselves, and create our
own economic opportunity. My family is okay in general. However, I
recently lost a brother-in-law; he was married to my sister for
thirty-nine years. Many of the family are planning a large holiday dinner
and I plan to call in to the gathering. I am still struggling with high
blood pressure, but I am exercising and trying to eat right, but prison
food only allows so much right eating. <br>
<br>
One thing I wish I could do better is write everyone as soon as the mail
comes in, it’s just not possible, but I greatly appreciate every letter -
thank you all. I am looking forward to the coming year, and hope to see
positive changes in the world. 2012 is an important year for our
community and as the economic picture continues to change and capitalism
collapses, food and basic needs will be in greater demand for the most
vulnerable people in our communities. We need to learn and teach everyone
how to grow our own food in local city gardens, and meet our needs
collectively. Block by block - help rebuild the community- grew something
to eat!<br>
<br>
<b>In Struggle,<br>
Eddie Conway<br><br>
</b></font>via - <font size=3>Dominque Stevenson
<DStevenson@afsc.org> <br><br>
<br>
</font><x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
<font size=3 color="#FF0000">Freedom Archives<br>
522 Valencia Street<br>
San Francisco, CA 94110<br><br>
</font><font size=3 color="#008000">415 863-9977<br><br>
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