Keep on Calling to Free Oscar López Rivera!

Students, senators, family, friends, celebrities, and other community members from the U.S., Puerto Rico, and beyond who support the release of Political Prisoner Oscar López Rivera have been continuing to call in to the US Parole Commission. (To see Oscar’s art, learn more about his contributions to the community, and his case, see my earlier blog posts at Freedom for Oscar López Rivera and The Campaign to Free Oscar López Rivera Continues! or visit the Boricua Human Rights website)

East Coasters (U.S.) - Tuesday is our day! Those calling from the Midwest have been calling on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and the West Coast as been calling Thursdays or Fridays. Please mark your calendars and take a few moments to call into the USPC to call for the end to Oscar’s nearly 30 years of incarceration for his commitment to the liberation of the people and land of Puerto Rico. The USPC may tell you that you must put your comments into writing. You can print out a letter to sign and mail in. I’ve printed out extra letters and have been carrying them with me to work, on errands, and to events that I attend to share with others and mailing in the signed letters. If you can let the Boricua Human Rights Network know the number of letters you’re sending in, it helps them keep track of how many supporters are in touch with the USPC. Also, continue to call! Leave a message with the operator if you can, or leave a message on their voicemail if they put you through or if you call outside of business hours. Your calls, your letters, and your faxes really do count. Asking friends, family members, co-workers, and people in organizations that you’re a part of to sign letters of support for Oscar not only builds a stronger movement calling for his release, it is also a great way to spark conversations about US Political Prisoners, incarceration, and issues affecting communities near and far.

If you’re already familiar with the case, you can call (301) 492-5990 and hit 0 to speak to operator or leave a voicemail. You can simply say “Hello, I’m calling for the release of Oscar López #87651-024 and I live in Vermont [NY, ME, MI, etc.] The Parole Commission should reconsider its order denying him parole, and grant him immediate parole.” For a phone script and for the letter to print out and mail in and/or fax, please click here.

Another way to show some love and raise awareness about Oscar’s (and others’) incarceration is to wear your message. May 29^th marks the 30^th anniversary of Oscar López Rivera's arrest, and to commemorate this a new OLR t-shirt (image above) has been created and is on sale now! The t-shirt is available in med, large, XL, and 2XL. Each shirt costs $20 plus $5 shipping and handling in continental US and Puerto Rico. The designer, Michael Reyes, is Oscar's nephew and a portion of the sale of each t-shirt goes to the campaign to free Oscar.

To order, please mail your check and t-shirt size to:

National Boricua Human Rights Network
2739 W. Division Street
PASEO BORICUA
Chicago, IL 60622

I know I’m sending my check in soon and hope to see others rocking one soon, too! Many thanks for taking the time to support our community members who are locked up for their political belief, community actions, and dedication to freedom.

Please be in touch if you have questions or comments!