Support and Collective Healing for US Political Prisoner Herman Bell

Update!:  Herman Bell is now in general population! He was told that the charges will be dropped! Visit Free Herman Bell for more information on how to best support him.

From Herman (written earlier) with many thanks for all of our efforts:

September 27, 2017

My dear brothers and sisters,

Thank you for the outpouring of cards, letters, healing-love and energy that you sent me in response to the unprovoked brutal assault on me by NYS prison guards at Comstock, NY – a vicious slap aside the head from behind and shoved to the ground. I protected myself as best as I could. I sustained multiple kicks, punches to the face and eyes, repeated head slams into concrete, and 2 cracked ribs. They tried to bury me with raining blows, not knowing that I am a seed. But the burning pepper spray sprayed into my eyes and mouth is what did me in – and yet, here I am.

Now I know why visitors bring flowers and candy to the hospital. I was immediately sent, however, not to a hospital but to the Box for “assault on staff,” so the cards and letters and love you sent me were my flowers and candy. You did great!

I was astonished, not by the outpouring of your support, but by the enormity of it.

People are coming together and are standing up. They are finding that they are not entitled to the rights and freedoms they think they have as americans. Instead of the consideration americans – many of them voters – deserve, they are ignored by authoritarian and elected officials.

They lack healthcare, suffer from unrestrained police violence, mass incarceration, lack a living wage, experience poverty and homelessness, and suffer from a toxic environment. People are standing up against these injustices, insisting that their demands be respected and addressed.

The social injustice, jackboot repression, racist attacks, discrimination, wealth disparities, unemployment, lack of affordable housing (the list doesn’t just end there), creates waves of fierce discontent which ls gaining steady momentum, becoming a full-blown cleansing tsunami, the force of which is irresistible.

And that force is you, the People, coming together and taking a stand. My flowers and candy is your outpouring of support for me, our political prisoners, the mass incarcerated and the voiceless.

To write each of you (I’ve literally received hundreds of letters) a personal “thank you” at this time would be impossible. So, I send this “thank you!” instead.

Thank you! I thank you deeply one and all for the empathy, outrage, love and support you’ve expressed in the face of the assault on me. May our resolve to produce social change remain unshakeable.

Herman Bell
79C0262
​Shawangunk Correctional Facility
P.O. Box 700
Wallkill, New York 12589
(most updated addresses for U.S. Political Prisoners, with birthdays, posted here)


Some of you may know Herman Bell, who is a US Political Prisoner, former Black Panther, movement elder, Victory Gardens Project co-founder, Certain Days: Freedom for Political Prisoners Calendar co-creator, father, grandfather, husband, and mentor to many both on the inside and the outside.  How is Herman connected with herbs and herbal justice?  In the 15 years since I was a volunteer at the Victory Gardens Project, near my hometown in Maine, Herman and I have corresponded.  He is a friend and mentor to me.  The Radherb Collective, which I was a part of for many years, took inspiration from the Victory Gardens Project.  Over the years, though our letters and face-to-face visits, Herman has helped shape who I am as an herbalist, how I make remedies, and my understanding of the the way herbs and social justice are completely entwined.  

Herman is 69 years old, has been incarcerated for 43 years and has been denied parole 7 times.  On Sept 5th Herman was assaulted by a group of officers at Great Meadow Correctional Facility.  He was singled out, brought to an area away from all the other inmates to where there is no video surveillance, and guards began beating him.  The account is personally really difficult for me to read, and the thought that he could have died in the attack is beyond upsetting.  He did survive the attack.  He was then taken to the infirmary where he waited for hours and did not receive adequate medical care for the beating he had just endured.  He had the medical staff note that there were no abrasions on his hands or any other indication that he assaulted a guard.  He was transferred to another facility hours away where he has been held in solitary, continues to be denied medical care for the head trauma and other injuries inflicted on him by the guards, and he is also facing the serious charge of assaulting an officer.  He continues to experience headaches, his vision is affected from being maced at close range, and two ribs were broken in the attack.

Anyone who knows Herman knows he did not assault an officer.  Herman is an elder who has not had an infraction for over 20 years (when he participated in a strike over inmate conditions), he was only days away from finally having a family visit (which he'd been denied without justification for over two and half years), and he has been preparing for his next parole hearing in early 2018.

Immediate action is needed

1.  We need to flood the Commissioner with messages of support demanding that Herman receive medical attention, be removed from solitary, have the charges against him dropped, have access to family visits, and that the officers who attacked him be fired.  You can simply cut and past the sample letter here, or add your own personal message.  Here is a pdf of the letter that you can print out, sign/address/date, and send.  If you are able, please print out extra copies for friends and family to also sign and send in.  Also, if you are able, please send this same letter to: Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of New York State, NYS State Capitol Building, Albany, NY 12224.

2.  Please take a few minutes to send an email to the Commissioner and Governor.  (Sample email below)

3.  People are also encouraged to write to Herman to show support.  (Address below)

4.  Please spread the word!!!  If you have other organizations that you are connected with, please share this message with them and encourage friends and family to send letters as well.  This information can be found online here.

Here is a sample email that you can simply cut and paste:

_________________________________________________

Anthony Annucci

Commissioner

Department of Corrections and Community Supervision

anthony.annucci@doccs.ny.gov

(518) 457-8134

Cc: Governor Andrew Cuomo

https://www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form

(212) 257-6405

Dear Commissioner Annucci (Governor Cuomo):

I am writing in concern and outrage over the unprovoked beating by Great Meadow C.F. correctional officers of Herman Bell, #79C0262.

On September 5th, with no provocation, five or six correctional officers assaulted this widely respected elder. These guards punched and kicked Mr. Bell all over his body while he was on the ground. He was kneed in the chest and stomach, breaking two of his ribs. One guard then grabbed his head and slammed it into the ground three times, at which point Mr. Bell thought his life would be ending. He was excessively maced at close range all over his face and eyes, causing temporarily blindness and inability to breathe.

Mr. Bell is accused of assaulting one of the officers. This charge is absurd. The assault on Herman Bell is part of an epidemic of violence by NYS prison guards against the incarcerated population--an epidemic documented by the New York Times and other journalists, as well as by criminal justice agencies.

The idea that this 69-year-old man would have hit an officer is ludicrous, as he was about to have a family visit (the first in two and a half years) and was beginning preparations for an appearance at the Board of Parole this coming February. Mr. Bell was looking forward to the family visit with great anticipation, and he is optimistic about his chances at the Board, given recent changes in parole regulations and the appointment of new commissioners. There is absolutely no doubt that he did not commit any infraction on September 5th; he also has not had a ticket in the past 20 years. Mr. Bell has been imprisoned in the NY State system for over 38 years and has never been accused of assaulting staff.

This brutal assault by Great Meadow guards constitutes not only staff abuse but also elder abuse. Mr. Bell will be 70 years of age in four months. He was badly injured in the beating. Mr. Bell requires both a CT scan of his head and an ophthalmology examination.

I write to demand that you take these actions:

That Herman Bell be immediately given adequate medical screening and attention at an outside hospital;

That CO J. Saunders and the other officers responsible for the beating be fired;

That the ridiculous charges brought against Herman Bell be dropped immediately and that he be returned at least to general population (he 

had been on the Honor Block at Great Meadow and despite his request was never given a reason for being moved to general population);

That Mr. Bell’s family visits be reinstated;

That Mr. Bell be moved to a facility where his family visiting can take place and be rescheduled at the earliest possible date.

Sincerely,

NAME/ADDRESS

_________________________________________________

More info about the assault and a longer sample letter (which points out that the attack is a form of elder abuse) to print out and send to the Commissioner available here.

_________________________________________________

Herman's new address:::

Herman Bell
79C0262
​Shawangunk Correctional Facility
P.O. Box 700
Wallkill, New York 12589

(most updated addresses for U.S. Political Prisoners, with birthdays, posted here)

_________________________________________________

For anyone reading this during the weekend of Sept 23-24, feel free to join us in the Collective Healing for Herman Bell from wherever you are.  People are gathering together from across Turtle Island/the US, Lebanon, Ireland, and possibly beyond to send Herman healing energy to heal and strengthen his body and spirit. Emails and letters to the Commissioner and Governor are vital.  Sending Herman our love in this collective way is another that we can manifest our support and solidarity.

For those in Central Vermont, there will be a Letter Writing Event to Support Herman Bell on Sunday Oct 29, 2017 from 2-4pm at the Christ Episcopal Church, 64 State St, Montpelier, VT.  More info to come.

at the park sitting with the oak trees to draw strength to send to herman. 

with protective and healing herbs. yarrow, calendula, & plantain. and healing waters.

For more information and updates:

FreeHermanBell.org website

Weeks After Guards Attacked Him, Political Prisoner Herman Bell Is Being 

Denied Family Visits: Bell’s daughter-in-law, kihana miraya ross, reflects on how vital visits are for both Bell and their family

The Scourge of Racial Bias in New York State’s Prisons: A New York Times investigation draws on nearly 60,000 disciplinary cases from state prisons and interviews with inmates to explore the system’s inequities and the ripple effect they can have. 

Certain Days: Freedom for Political Prisoners Calendar Facebook page

Video of Herman and his family here

Release Aging People in Prison: RAPP Campaign

Jericho Movement working for the freedom of all political prisoners

The Freedom Archives 12,000 hours of audio and video recordings and thousands of documents about social justice movements locally, nationally, and internationally from the 1960s to the present. The Archives features speeches of movement leaders and community activists, protests and demonstrations, cultural currents of rebellion and resistance.

Video of Herman and his family here

Arnica Drops and Lavender Spray: Creating Herbal/Emotional Support at Marches and Demonstrations

Yesterday I participated in the Not One More Deportation march and rally, where Migrant Justice/Justicia Migrante, DREAMers MOMS USA, Massachusetts Jobs with Justice!, and other grassroots organizations shut down ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and 19 protesters who participated in civil disobedience were arrested.  My photos, with captions, are posted here.  More here.  More information here and with links to the press here.  Here's a bit of what the day was like:

More videos here and here.

This event was really inspiring for me.  Children, babies, youth, adults, and elders joined together for hours outside the Suffolk County detention center in Boston in the forceful wind in solidarity with organizations and families all over the US and beyond.  President Obama has deported over 2 million people during his presidency, and he continues to deport 1,100 people every single day.  These unjust policies and practices are separating families and communities.  Millions of people - many of whom do the work that makes this nation function - are living in the shadows, forced to live in fear.  Children are afraid that their parent(s) won't be there when they come home from school because they may have been pulled over on their way home from work in a routine traffic stop that leads to them being detained. Partners are afraid that their families will be split apart if one is detained and deported.  Victims, witnesses, and family members are afraid to call the police in domestic violence situations and other emergencies for fear of being arrested and deported.

I heard about this protest many weeks before, but didn't know that allies/accomplices were welcome alongside undocumented activists until just days before.  My first thought: food!  The second: herbal first aid kit!

With little time between work shifts, I pulled out my street medic kit to take stock.  I wish I had time to make a patch that said "Remedies/Remedios" (remedies in Spanish) with a green leaf.  But alas, I ended up bringing my pack with a red cross and 'Street Medic' sign on it.  I contacted an event organizer, to be sure that it was okay to bring some first aid supplies and herbal remedies, and to see if there was going to be a planned street medic/health care presence that I could connect with.  There wasn't, but she gave me the green light to offer remedies to folks, so I started gathering the bits and pieces for my kit.  I was a bit nervous that folks would see the street medic sign and red cross and think I was an EMT or had other such medical training beyond my scope (I'm a community herbalist with some street medic training - see Mountainsong Expedition's classes).  It felt important, though, to bring along some remedies for people's emotional health.

Rallies can be intense.  Just having a large group of people together for any reason can create a lot of energy that can be overwhelming, especially to those of us who are sensitive to the energies of people and places.  A large group coming together specifically to speak out and take action against injustices can bring up a lot of different emotions.  Gathering in front of a detention center, especially with heavy police presence, can be triggering for many, even for those who themselves have not been detained or who don't have loved ones who have been or who currently are locked up.  Bearing witness to the personal stories of the daily wearing stress of the ever-constant threat of deportation many families face can be painful.  Listening to how deportations tear families apart is heartbreaking.  Acknowledging this and supporting each other to feel and express these emotions (if they want or can) can help create a caring, supportive culture at events. 

People locked up inside the detention center hold up "Ni 1 +" 

~ Ni Una Mas, Not One More (Deportation) ~ 

signs, showing solidarity through the bars.

I wanted to bring remedies that would help create emotional support for those participating in the day's events - whether they were participating in the civil disobedience, joining in the march, or showing support from the sidelines.  I packed up some basic first aid supplies - bandaids, gauze bandage, a cool pack, gloves (to protect myself and others in case there were open wounds, blood, or other body substances present-very important to remember!), samples of organic pads and tampons (to stanch bleeding and apply pressure to wounds, or in case someone has their period), sunscreen, benadryl and ibuprofen.  (Sometimes people feel sheepish when telling herbalists that they want some Advil or need to take antibiotics.  Yes, herbs are incredibly powerful and healing, but this does not mean that mainstream/allopathic medicine doesn't have its place.  No judgement - there's space for all kinds of remedies and all kinds of healing modalities.  It's both/and, not either/or!)

I brought some Ginger chews to settle the stomach if someone is feeling nauseous or car-sick.  I also included pouches of Yarrow leaf and flower (to chew and apply to open wound to stop bleeding), Plantain leaf (Plantago, not the banana-like fruit - to chew up and apply to skin to draw out splinters, stingers, even poison!), Goldenseal root powder (cultivated - not wildcrafted, as this plant is at risk - I have rarely used this, but it's helpful if someone has intense diarrhea and becoming dehydrated) and Slippery Elm bark powder (to add to water to soothe irritation in the throat or digestive tract, please use cultivated as it's at-risk, or you can use Marshmallow root instead).  I brought a few capsules of Activated Charcoal for food poisoning or chemical exposure.   Chamomile is such a fabulous herb and familiar to many people - I brought it in tea bags for easy use.  As a tea it's anti-spasmodic for muscle or menstrual cramps, calming to the nervous system, and soothing to the digestive system.  When it's in a tea bag it can also be moistened to apply to irritated eyes or irritated/inflamed skin.  We didn't have hot water at the march for tea, but many fast food restaurants and gas stations have hot water you can use.

I brought remedies that I make such as:  Global Citizen herbal first aid salve and Tigress Balm warming muscle rub, Speak Truth! Throat Spray dedicated to whistleblowers and truth-tellers,  Crampease blend for menstrual cramps, Calm the Rage to cool hot emotions, Elderberry Ginger Elixir for immune support, and Heart Elixir for emotional support.  I often carry Yarrow flower essence with me and include it in many of my remedies for immune support, relaxation, and emotional support, as it creates clear, strong boundaries and energetic protection.  Many of these remedies are available at my Dandelioness Herbals online Etsy shop and the listings contain information about the ingredients.  I'd be happy to co-create an herbal remedy kit if you'd like.  If you would like to make your own remedies, there is a resource list at the bottom of this post with links to various pages on herbal medicine-making.  

The tinctures, elixirs, and throat spray I brought were all alcohol-based and for internal use.  They're convenient for travel and demonstration-situations as they are ready to take, not requiring hot water or other such supplies/preparation, but not everyone may feel comfortable taking them.  They may be on medications that may interact negatively with certain herbs, they may not want any alcohol, or they may not want to ingest something (especially if given to them from a stranger).  If folks would prefer a non-alcohol remedy, you can make or buy herbal extracts that are made with glycerine, vinegar, or a vinegar/honey blend (this is called an oxymel).  

In case folks didn't want to take a remedy internally, I wanted to create some external remedies to bring as well.  I made a relaxing, grounding spray with homemade Rose and Lavender flower water (hydrosol, instructions here), Lavender and Chamomile essential oils, and homemade Corn and Yarrow flower essences.  I wanted a mist that could be sprayed around or on people who wanted to shift the energy of the event a bit, center, to create a bit of calm if need be.  I love that Rose, Lavender, and Chamomile are all flowers that are familiar to many peoples and cultures.  I added the Corn flower essence to help stay grounded, especially in an urban environment, and the Yarrow flower essences to help create an energetic shield/clear boundaries.  I chose Chamomile (Manzanilla) and Corn (Maiz) flower essences as I knew a lot of the people attending the rally are from Latin American countries/cultures where these are common plants that are not only used as food and remedies, but also have spiritual significance.  If there are plants with ancestral ties ~ from your own ancestry and/or from those who are receiving the remedies ~ that you can incorporate into your first aid kit, the medicine will be all the stronger for it. 

 Chamomile and Lavender harvest     

Someone asked me to take a photo of her and her friend with a sign, in front of the detention center.  She gave me her camera to take the photo and told me the reason she wanted a photo here was because her husband had been detained in this very facility.  He was deported and now she is alone raising their four children.  I asked if she wanted some relaxing spray and she said yes.  A small gesture, but hopefully a comforting one.  I also showed the kids the spray and they wanted me to mist it on them and they liked it.  (Just make sure to check in with their grownups and tell folks to close their eyes and mouth before misting!)

With children in mind, I wanted to bring something fun for the long drive and the rally.  I figured Legos would be a nightmare and my board games were too big.  So I made some aromatherapy bubbles by adding a few drops of pure Sweet Orange essential oil and Yarrow flower essence to the bubble container, and put a rainbow sticker on it for fun.  They were a pretty big hit.  (Just try to guide young kids from inadvertently blowing bubble-soap into their siblings eyes when blowing really hard!)  I brought an extra bottle of bubbles in case I wanted to send it home with a kid (or grownup!) who was having a hard time and needed some cheering up.  The kids I went with also brought some little matchbox cars which they shared with other kids there.  

Which reminds me - snacks and water!!!  When I was caring for the kids on the sidelines at the beginning of the rally, I noticed a little girl in a stroller that looked upset.  She started to cry.  Her mom was near, but caring for her little brother and so my 3 and 5 year old friends and I helped cheer her up.  We stood near her in a line to shield her from the wind, in case she was crying because she was cold.  A passing protester gave us a bag of chips (it was unopened and I checked in with the parent) and the kids all opened their mouths to be fed!  I wasn't sure if they wanted to keep their fingers warm in their coat pockets on this wicked windy day, or if they were feeling like baby birds.  I was happy to feed the baby-bird-protesters.  My friend then shared her gorp (good old raisin and peanuts - with m&m's) with them.  Then the 5 year old started rolling his little car on top of the little girl's head.  By then she had stopped crying and they were playing together.

After that, I found someone to watch the kids so I could get closer to the civil disobedience and document it.  After I captured the scene with some photos, my friend who was participating in the action motioned to me for water.  Of course!  They're out in the elements, singing and chanting and shouting, surrounded by armed law enforcement officers.  And if they're taken into custody, who knows if they'll have any access to food or water.  They definitely needed some water.  Luckily I had in my pack a sports bottle so that folks could squeeze water into their mouth without spreading germs.  It got passed around.  Then my friend shared the rest of her gorp with the protesters.  Note to self:  always bring more water and snacks - for kids, protesters, folks who may get low blood sugar, anyone really!  (I did bring plenty of food and fluids for myself, knowing that I cannot be a calm, supporting presence for others if I'm hungry and ungrounded.  Next time I'll bring more easy-to-share snacks.)

After those participating in the civil disobedience were arrested, many officers in full riot gear appeared, facing us with batons drawn.  There was a fence behind us and though I felt the safety of numbers and a supportive collective of people, literally having your back up against a fence with police threatening violence (despite our entirely peaceful presence) can be very triggering for many reasons.  My first thought was for the children, elders, and folks with disabilities who may not be able to disperse quickly if need be.  Fortunately they were just trying to intimidate us and didn't charge.  But it's good to keep in mind at and before such events that this situation may come up and how it can affect people (ourselves included) so that we can take care of each other.

We marched to the back side of the detention center to let those detained out of view of the demonstration know that we were there, and that they are not forgotten.  We stood on a bridge beside traffic and held signs, sang, and chanted.  Community members locked up on the inside gathered at the windows and held up signs.  We held up signs facing them as well as towards the road behind us so that those passing by knew why we were there.  We received many waves, honks, and smiles from drivers and passengers.  I like taking this role at events - being on the fringes and interacting with people passing by, even if the people are in moving vehicles.  Sometimes people are interested in knowing what's going on, but may feel shy or intimidated by a large group.  In these situations, I feel aware of my privilege and a good way to use it strategically seems to be to reach out to people by making a sign visible, greeting them, and engaging them in conversation if they seem interested.  Being an English-speaking, white cisgender woman with US citizenship, I feel like I can use this privilege to be a bridge to other people with privilege who may not understand how their/our liberation is connected with the liberation of communities of color, queer, transgender and gender variant folks, youth, and other groups most impacted by systematic oppression. 

As we left the bridge, I realized my throat was sore from hours of singing and chanting.  We had raised our voices strong and loud.  For many hours.  I pulled out my Speak Truth! Throat Spray and the soothing herb and honey blend was just what my raspy throat needed.  I brought the remedy to those with bullhorns (as well as others), imagining that their throats may have been even more sore than mine.  Many accepted and appreciated the remedy.

Someone needed a bandaid.  Someone else needed some herbal first aid salve for skin irritation.  No major medical situations.  Still, bringing that herbal first aid kit and checking in with folks that looked stressed or cold or thirsty helped contribute to a culture of self-care and community-care.

As we march by the detention center, Dandelion stays rooted 

beside us, embodying persistence and resistance, sending forth
its seeds across borders and prison walls.

When I got home that night, like many others, I called the jails to call for the release of our friends who'd been arrested for participating in the civil disobedience.  I was glad to hear, just before I crawled into bed exhausted from the day, that they had all just been released and in were in good spirits.  

The next morning I heard from a friend who the arresting officers had put in too-tight zip tie police cuffs.  Aye!  Why hadn't I thought of that?!  Whether folks resist arrest or not, this is a common occurrence.  I wish I had left my Arnica drops with someone who was greeting the activists upon their release from jail. I made the drops by infusing the fresh flowers from my garden in brandy and then homeopathically diluting it, to be used both internally and externally.  Be sure not to take Arnica tea/tincture internally at full strength!  Just one drop of the diluted tincture in water is plenty.  Or you can buy homeopathic Arnica at a Coop or natural food store - usually in little blue tubes.  Get 5 Arnica tablets into the cap and, without touching them, place them under your tongue to dissolve.  Wait a few minutes before drinking water or eating.  Arnica drops can also be massaged into bruises, strained muscles or ligaments, and injured/inflamed hands or feet (just not on open wounds).  Arnica is also available as cream, gel, or salve/ointment.  I wanted to give my friend fresh St.Johnswort oil in case the too-tight zip ties had caused any damage to the nerves when they cut off circulation.  St. Johnswort is great for nerve damage (sciatica, post-surgery wound healing), and also helps with inflammation response.  It can be used both externally, and internally in homeopathic form under its botanical name, Hypericum perforatum.  (The tincture taken internally can interact in a negative way with certain medications, so homeopathic pills or external remedies are best for demonstration situations where you may not know folks' health history)  Calming/grounding/protective spray and Heart Elixir would be great emotional after-care.  I hadn't thought before of making an herbal first aid kit/care package to be there when people were released to help heal the physical and emotional trauma that is common during arrest and while locked up.  I am excited about the idea and look forward to putting such a kit together for next time.

Note: Don't forget that cacao/chocolate and coffee are medicinal!  When you have long rides home after big events, make sure the driver has energy.  Having some form of caffeine can help fuel the trip home so everyone arrives back safely.  Luckily I happened to have some fair-trade chocolate this time and will be sure to bring some next time, too!  Chocolate is also medicinal and grounding.


Herbal First Aid Kit list and considerations:
-Connect with organizers out of courtesy and to receive consent.  If you're welcome to be part of the event in the role of community herbalist, street medic, etc, connect with others who may have a similar role at the event to collaborate in a good way.  If you're someone with privilege (white, US citizen, cisgender, etc), be clear about your role as an ally /accomplice and respect and follow the leadership of the communities most impacted by detention, deportation, transphobia, police violence, etc.  

-Choose what to bring based on the community attending, what form of remedy is easiest to distribute in the particular setting Do you have access to hot water to make teas?  Will you be in the streets or in an indoor community space?  What form is easiest to transport, carry, distribute?  Does the community wish there to be no alcohol?  What herbs are people familiar with?  If folks aren't as familiar with herbs, how can you be a bridge and introduce herbs in an empowering and good-tasting way?  What will the weather be like - lots of sun (extra water, sun protection), cold (extra layers, warming remedies)?

-Label things well with all ingredients listed (folks may have allergies to particular plants, bee products, nuts, etc) and directions as to when, how, and how much to take.  Some folks have sensitivities to scents, so be sure to check in before using scented items, like a spray.  Or just leave essential oils out of your blends.  Label if a remedy is only for external use.

-Arrive at event as present as you can be.  If possible: try to get a good night's sleep, eat nourishing food, hydrate yourself, breathe/pray/meditate/burn a candle or herbs, whatever you do to ground yourself so that you can be present for others and yourself.  If you're feeling overwhelmed or out of your body at the event, take some time if possible to re-ground, re-group.  Breathe deep, check in with a friend.  You can use this In Case of (emotional) Emergency: self-care form to fill out beforehand to help remember how to center yourself.

______________________________________________________________

What To Bring
-Basic First Aid supplies such as bandaids, gauze bandage, a cool pack, gloves, pads and tampons, sunscreen, benadryl and ibuprofen. 

Dried herbs/capsules

-Ginger chews to settle the stomach if someone is feeling nauseous or car-sick
-Yarrow leaf and flower to chew and apply to open wounds to stop bleeding 
-Plantain leaf -Plantago- to chew up and apply to skin to draw out splinters, stingers, poison
-Goldenseal root powder cultivated, if someone has intense diarrhea and is becoming dehydrated
-Slippery Elm bark powder cultivated, to add to water to soothe irritation in the throat or digestive tract. Or Marshmallow root powder as an alternative 
-Activated Charcoal for food poisoning or chemical exposure  
-Chamomile tea bags to make a tea (if there's access to hot water) for muscle or menstrual cramps, calm to the nervous system, soothe the digestive system, or to moisten and apply to irritated eyes or irritated/inflamed skin.

Tinctures
-Throat Spray and/or Immune Support tincture
-Relaxation remedy to support the nervous system, calm, and ground
-Anti-spasmodic remedy for menstrual cramps/muscle tension (Skullcap - Scutellaria lateriflora- is nice and calming and people don't tend to be stimulated/agitated by it like some are with Valerian root)
-Heart Elixir for emotional support

For External Use
-Herbal Salve for minor skin irritations 
-Sore Muscle rub/Salve for Pain and Nerve Damage ie Arnica and St. Johnswort (oil can be used, but salves are less spill-y if you're on the go)

-Spray to Relax and Ground to mist on the body or in an area

-Aromatherapy Bubbles or something fun for kids

-Homeopathic Arnica for strains, sprains, physical trauma, police violence, pain from being hand-cuffed.  Tablets for internal use or diluted Arnica drops (homeopathic dosage, preserved in brandy) for internal or external use. 

-Water preferably in a squeeze-bottle, and back-up jugs for refills   

-Snacks for protein, sugar (in case someone's feeling low-blood sugar), avoid common allergens like nuts and dairy if possible.  Chocolate for grounding, Chocolate or Coffee for energy/caffeine in case of needing to stay awake and drive after the event

What would you pack in your herbal first aid kit?  Your just-released-from-jail after-care kit?  Please share suggestions in the comments below or by emailing dandelion778 (at)  yahoo (dot)  com

Also see:
-Herbal Crisis/Trauma Kit by Berenice Dimas of Cantos de la Tierra
-Caring for Ourselves as Political Warfare by Adrienne Maree Brown
-In Case of (emotional) Emergency: self-care form to fill out

Herbal medicine-making posts:
-(Im)migration and Lip Balms for Social Justice?!  with directions for making infused oils and salves
-Heart Elixir: to open, heal, and protect the heart with directions for making tinctures and elixirs
-Elderberry (and other) Syrup Recipes
-Do-It-Yourself Hydrosols - Making and Using Flower Waters for Community Health and Self-Care
-Winter Immune Health: Tonic Not Toxic and Idea and Remedies for When You're Home Sick... and Ginger Lovers Unite!: Medicinal and Culinary Uses of Ginger Root with immune-supporting recipes/practices

(more info added to blog post on 4/24/14 * 12/17/14 * 4/18/17)

Talking Plants/Talking Justice: Plant Medicine and Social Justice Interview with Dana Woodruff of Dandelioness Herbals

I was recently interviewed by Ann Armbrecht, co-creator of Numen: The Nature of Plants!  You can check out the full interview here: Plant Medicine and Social Justice with Dana Woodruff. Ann Armbrecht also interviewed folk herbalist and food activist Sandra Lory of Mandala Botanicals here.  Thank you, Ann, for supporting grassroots community herbalism!


Plant Medicine And Social Justice With Dana Woodruff

From the first time I met Dana, I have been so impressed with both her knowledge of and dedication to the plants and herbal medicine and her willingness to talk about topics that herbalists don’t tend to talk about: healthy sexuality, gender identity, social justice and power, and more (you can read about some of those on her blog!). I have especially been interested in her work in prisons and with migrant farm workers, teaching them about herbs, learning from them, and helping them get rights they are often denied. Like Sandra Lory’s work (with whom Dana often teaches workshops), Dana is doing incredibly important work educating about self care and building community health and making sure that this knowledge is accessible to whoever wants it. I was thrilled to finally be able to hear about Dana’s work. Dana’s blog, Dandelioness Herbals is an incredible resource with recipes, resources, reflections and more. Dana also sells her herbal remedies at her Etsy shop. Check them out!

Ann: To start, I’d love to hear how you first got interested in herbal medicine, a bit about the training that you’ve had, and the focus of your work with plants.

Dana: Like so many raised in the US, much of my ancestral lineage has been lost by the process of assimilation.  My childhood in Central Maine wasn’t infused with the plant medicine traditions of my ancestors from Ireland, Scotland, and England. Living rurally, though, I was surrounded by plants.  My mom took us out on wildflower walks, in the spring Grammy and Pop-Pop took me to harvest Dandelion greens. We’d eat fiddleheads and we’d eat out of the gardens in the summer. I grew up in a family with a history of being healthworkers, crafters, and farmers.

Click here to read the entire interview...

31 Days for 31 Years: Free Oscar López Rivera!

I am heartened to see such creativity and solidarity - youth and elders, Mexican and Muslim, students and organizers, poets and relatives - joining together to support and raise awareness about Puerto Rican US Political Prisoner Oscar López Rivera.  Thank you to all the organizers and participants for all their work and energy in creating this.  If you're in Chicago, go witness and be a part of this!  Please see the press release from the project and some of the short videos documenting it below:
  
“31 DAYS FOR 31 YEARS”
A Multimedia and Interactive Exhibit for the Release of Oscar López Rivera

The National Boricua Human Rights Network (NBHRN), Batey Urbano and Latin@ Coalition have commenced “31 Days for 31 Years” in which 31 activists and community residents will spend 24 hours each in a makeshift storefront cell with guard, for a total of 31 days. The exhibit, starting April 29th, also features an exhibition of Oscar’s artwork (he is a prolific painter) as well as literature and posters from the campaign to free Puerto Rican political prisoners for the past 30 years and a wall of Oscar’s letters to his supporters as well as a station where people may write to Oscar, in the Batey Urbano, located at 2620 West Division St. Chicago, IL 60622. Batey Urbano is in the heart of “Paseo Boricua” in Chicago’s Humboldt Park Neighborhood.

The purpose of this is to call attention to the continued unjust incarceration of Oscar López Rivera. The ambitious joint effort of the Latin@ Coalition, Batey Urbano and NBHRN will culminate in a major event commemorating his arrest and 31 years of imprisonment on Tuesday, May 29.

Oscar, a decorated Vietnam veteran, has been imprisoned since his arrest on May 29, 1981. Subsequently, he was charged and convicted for seditious conspiracy and minor arms charges and sentenced to 55 years. The other Puerto Rican political prisoners of his generation, arrested in 1980 and 1983 and also convicted of seditious conspiracy, were released in 1999 by President Clinton, due to mass international and domestic pressure. Oscar rejected the offer at that time because 2 others, Carlos Alberto Torres and Haydee Beltrán, were not included. Both of them have since been freed on parole.

Another creative way folks have organized to show Oscar support and educate the people about his incarceration and Puerto Rico's struggle to be free:

Not yet fluent in Spanish?  You can learn more about the mural here.

For more information, please see:

National Boricua Human Rights Network 

Previous Dandelioness Herbals blog posts about Oscar López Rivera, including his artwork:

Freedom for Oscar López Rivera!

The Campaign to Free Oscar López Rivera Continues!

Keep on Calling to Free Oscar López Rivera!

Interested in writing to Oscar López Rivera?  Please see: 

Writing to (Political) Prisoners

Writing to (Political) Prisoners

The Hour of Sun Light In Prison by Erik Reuland

Abolish the Prison Industrial Complex by Nicolas Lampert, Transcending
Walls and Bars Molly Fair, and As We Wait By Colin Matthes

When I share stories about the U.S. Political Prisoners that I write to, people often ask how I got started writing to folks and what I write about.  People often express interest in supporting these community organizers who've been incarcerated, but are unsure of where to begin.   I heard about Amnesty International when I was maybe in 8^th grade, and learning about such injustices really affected me.           I got on their mailing list and signed some petitions.    It wasn’t until years later when I became involved in activism/community organizing that I began to understand that political prisoners don’t exclusively exist in faraway nations.    I attended a rally for Mumia Abu Jamal at Madison Square Garden (which wasn’t a garden at all or even square, go figure?!), read the autobiography of Assata Shakur’s in a Civil Rights Movement and Black Power class, and learned about Leonard Peltier's case. Despite this involvement and education, it wasn’t until a few years later more when I got involved with the Victory Gardens Project in Central Maine that I began to learn the extent to which the US government (through the FBI's COINTELPRO program) has targeted and infiltrated organizations working for social justice, playing on divisions and fueling disagreements, tampering with written correspondence and wire tapping phone conversations, framing individuals and assassinating people.       (It was before Sept 2001 that I was learning about all this, and the meaning of political prisoner has since changed/grown.)   I definitely recognized the importance of maintaining communication with those who are incarcerated – to let them know they aren’t forgotten; to give appreciation for their dedication to community health, education, etc; to let them know about projects happening on the outside, to learn history directly from the people that were part of shaping it.   I knew all this, still I didn’t write.    I didn’t feel like I was ever doing enough, especially compared to the sacrifices they’d made to their own freedom in their commitment to their own communities, and ones faraway, such as South Africa during apartheid.

And to be honest, another motivation for writing to U.S. Political Prisoners is that I don’t like being told what to do.      Never have.    The powers that be lock people in cages, feed them nasty food, deny them medical attention and education, surveil every aspect of their life and communications with the outside world, deprive them of fresh air and sunlight, deem them criminals (often based solely on the color of their skin, nationality, and/or class background), all the while profiting from this dehumanizing system.  Political prisoners in particular are targeted by officials, harassed, and often held in solitary confinement without reason. And me?  Growing up white and in a family who isn't seen as criminals because of our skin color and class background, I’m just supposed to forget about them all.  Fear them, vote for harsher sentencing, believe what the media tells me, and feel safer because they’re kept behind bars.    I’m supposed to dismiss this nation’s violent history which began with the genocide of indigenous people, and then built by the labor of Africans who were stolen from their home, brought here in horrific conditions, and then those who survived the voyage enslaved, bought and sold, and bred like cattle.    There are many other groups that have been exploited, yet we're supposed to ignore the fact that the U.S. is built on exploitation of people and nature.    We're supposed to believe that that’s all just in the past now.  We’re supposed to believe that everyone is born with the same opportunities, privileges, resources, and options.  I know none of this is true, so I don’t buy into what I was taught, such as the image of Black Panthers being thugs.   They have rarely been recognized for their community organizing efforts focused on creating community health centers, day care centers, breakfast programs so that the kids could go to school with full bellies and learn, transportation and housing services, and many many other programs to provide for the community. (Other programs listed here)

The criminalization and incarceration of people of color in general and community organizers of color specifically divides people who actually, truly have much in common.  Mass incarceration tears apart families, isolates community members, and it deprives us of our elders who have much insight to offer into social justice movements past, present, and future. We have much to learn from Political Prisoners who the powers that be deem criminals and seek to make invisible.

_______________________________________________________

Drop a Line to a Prisoner from the Slingshot Planner 2010

"Many people in radical circles spend a bit of their time doing prisoner support activities. This can range from joining a books-to-prisoners project that mails free books to inmates, to individually becoming penpals with a prisoner. Some people focus on political prisoners — prisoners held because of their involvement in radical actions or framed because of their beliefs. Other people see the entire prison-industrial complex as illegitimate, criticize the way that it targets marginalized communities, and/or believe that it is wrong to imprison people at all. Many people are in prison because of the war on drugs, or because economic inequality under capitalism impoverishes entire communities and pushes people to do illegal things to survive.
A key way we can support prisoners is by communicating with them. Prison is a deeply isolating environment. In an email-dominated world, writing an old-fashioned letter on paper can be surprisingly rewarding for you as well as a prisoner. There are many penpal networks that connect prisoners with those on the outside.

Here are some tips on writing letters to prisoners.
• When writing to prisoners, you have to put their prisoner number on the first line of the mailing address to get it through.• Make sure to put a return address on your letter. If you are writing to a prisoner you don’t know, it may be best to use a PO box or other neutral address.

• If you’re writing to a prisoner, keep in mind that the prison officials or other authorities may read your letter. Don’t discuss anything sensitive. If the prisoner is waiting for trial or sentencing (or on appeal), it may be better not to discuss the details of their case.

• Prisons prohibit mailing certain items like books, food, money, etc. Ask the prisoner for the rules.

• Don’t make promises you can’t keep like offering to find a lawyer to take their case, sending them money or expensive items, offering them housing on release, organizing a support campaign, etc.— being let down when you’re locked up can be especially devastating. Be clear about your intentions. If you’re not looking for a romantic relationship, it can be helpful to all involved to say so right off.

• While the state locking people up is shitty, it doesn’t follow that all prisoners are angels. They are people just like everyone else, and some of them are flawed or can be manipulative. If you think about prisoners as just like everyone else, it will help you to use reasonable caution without treating them better or worse than you would another penpal.

• Be careful about accepting collect phone calls from jail — prison collect calls are usually absurdly expensive.

Here are some resources to get started:
Critical Resistance - www.criticalresistance.org Anarchist Black Cross - www.abcf.net

Anti-Copyright. Borrow whatever you want. We did. Slingshot is a quarterly, independent, radical, newspaper published in the East Bay since 1988 by the Slingshot Collective. For more information: Write to Slingshot or visit at: 3124 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94705 slingshot@tao.ca http://slingshot.tao.ca/ Or call us at 510-540-0751 ext. 3. Subscriptions are FREE to USA prisoners or USA low income persons - just let us know if you are either. We also send out FREE packages of the paper if you will distribute them for free to other folks in your area. Slingshot Newspaper is always on the lookout for writers, artists, editors, photographers, distributors and independent thinkers to help us put out this paper. If you have such skills and would like to contribute we'd greatly appreciate it. Please let us know if you have article ideas, artwork, calendar items, spots to add to the radical contact list, suggestions for distribution, thoughts about what we should be doing next . . ."

___________________________________________________________

Prison Communication Details:


Books ~ Check in with your friend or the jail/prison to see what books, magazines, art supplies, etc. that they may be able to receive.      Some facilities only allow new, softcover books sent directly from the publisher, a book store, or Amazon.com.   Check in with your friend or call the jail/prison to see if you can send a new, softcover book from your local independent book store!  Or ask the publisher to make a donation. Unfortunately, some publishers (at least Penguin/DK, who I called and spoke with) actually have a policy against sending books into correctional facilities. P/DK said it was because so many were rejected due to content, shipping, yada yada yada. With educational opportunities constantly being cut back in prisons, creating policies that make it even more difficult for people to pursue education and read for enjoyment is just hateful.  Feel free to contact publishers to inquire about their policies and encourage their support of our incarcerated community members!  And support small, local, independent businesses, too! Magazines may need to come directly from the publisher. The Sun Magazine provides free subscriptions to those incarcerated! Slingshot too!  You can also send in a Certain Days: Freedom for Political Prisoners Calender (see "Order for Prisoners" for the special reduced rate).

Photos ~ If you'd like to send photos to your friend, check to see if there are any restrictions. Often they can't be nude photos, Polaroids, and some places the photos need to be color-copied, not actual photos. There also may be a limit to the number of photos or pages of color-copies that you can send and/or that they can have in their cell.

Articles ~ Again, check with your friend or the facility, as sometimes there are limits to the number of pages you can mail to your friend at once. Also, some facilities don't allow any articles at all, or anything that looks as though it was printed from the internet. (Some places only allow articles if it's in a magazine that's sent from a publisher)  If printing something down from offline, you can copy and paste it into a document so that it doesn't show any hyperlink info that may get it taken away.

Don't get discouraged!  Get creative!  Maybe you can color-copy 
a homemade collage?! Maybe you have a friend that works at 
a bookstore that can help you get good books to your friend!  
Look into what publications or organizations offer free subscriptions, 
books, and other resources to prisoners, and spread the word!

What do you love? As a community herbalist and health educator, I often write about the community health projects I'm involved with and what's growing in my garden when I write to friends/mentors in prison. I first started corresponding with Political Prisoners when I was working with the Victory Gardens Project and we asked "If you were a plant, which would you be and why?" We received many poetic responses that inspired us to rename certain plants. The first year after that season that I had my own spacious garden I also grew a "three brothers" planting, based on the three sisters traditional method of growing corn, beans, and squash together, a relationship with is mutually beneficial for all plants, from the Haudenosaunee/Iroquois peoples. Three of those who's responded to our "which vegetable?" question had decided on: corn, beans, and watermelon (not quite squash, but in the same family). I grew these plants in their honor and drew up this collage and map to show them:

The prison industrial system seeks to cut off prisoners not only from their loved ones, but also from nature. My friend that I just heard from today has been incarcerated for 18 months - 18 months without sun. This has serious negative effects not only on the body (no vitamin D from the source!), but on the spirit as well. In the notecards, the words, and even the stamps that I send to my friends, I seek to carry the vitality of the trees, my garden, the sunlight, and snow all into them behind bars. The system doesn't make it easy, but it's worth the effort because it's a beautiful thing to be part of maintaining a connection which strengthens the spirit, and for prisoners to feel that support and nourishment!

Names ~ Some people have chosen their own names or have been given names which are different from those that the government uses for them. Check to see - list their government name on the envelope so that they are sure to receive the letter, and address the letter to the name they choose to be called by. Using their own chosen name (just as you would for someone who's transgender - using the pronoun and/or name that they identify as and wish to be called by), rather than the one they were given without choice, is a sign of respect. For example, in writings by and/or for Political Prisoners you may see the abbreviation sn, which means "slave name."  In the US slave-masters gave enslaved Africans their European last name and denied people the freedom to carry the African name of their ancestors. Some people have reclaimed African names for themselves.

Connect with other supporters~ Keep up on your friend's case, find ways that you can lend your support. Spearheading a national campaign for your friend's liberation is not the only way of being involved. Connect with others who are working on your friend's particular campaign or those working for prison justice/prison abolition at the community/state/nation/global level. This may include helping to organize a fundraiser for their legal fees, writing a letter of support to the parole board when they're up for parole, contacting the US Parole Board as part of an organized campaign, etc. Also, seeking out information about the details of their case/campaign from someone who's organizing on behalf of your friend can save your friend a lot of time hand-writing details that may already be available online. Also, if you're mailing packages to your friend it's good to check in to see if there's anyone that coordinates what they are receiving. Some facilities have limits on the weight and/or number of packages that can be received per month or year, so sometimes it's better to mail your gift, food, etc. to a person that's sending a larger package. Likewise, if you're visiting your friend, it's good to find out if there's a limit to the number of visitors that they can receive in a given time and just to check in with them to see if it's a good time for a visit. Again, don't get discouraged, get creative! I've gotten good food, including herbal-food-medicine for health conditions, to the inside. Find out the rules and then work with them!  (While also being mindful that pushing the limits too much can possibly lead to negative repercussion for your friend on the inside!)  Also, it's good to be in communication with other friends/supporters so that you can receive news of transfers - and the change of address, change in what people can receive, visiting and calling situations, etc. that may happen with being moved to a new facility.

Use your Privilege! ~ If you are on the outside, and especially if you are from a more privileged background where you are not targeted by police, not portrayed as a criminal in the media, and the life-path created for you by the education system, law enforcement, and other social forces was not pointing straight to prison (see School-to-Prison Pipeline info), as it is for many people, use your privilege! Have conversations - speak up - challenge racist/classist/hateful thinking and speech!  Lift up the voices of those most impacted - those who are incarcerated, those who've been released, and those who have loved ones who are locked up - and also, relieve some of the emotional labor of those most impacted having to speak up by addressing racism and lock-them-up-and-throw-away-the-key thinking and actions.  If you are connected to prisons out of choice, rooted in a sense of justice, rather than having loved ones being targeted and incarcerated, it's important to talk with folks in your circles - friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, people on the bus, etc. about prisoners rights, in solidarity with those who are isolated and silenced, and to resist the stigma and shame placed upon those incarcerated.  I am not speaking about condescending charity work and speaking for other people.  I'm talking about speaking from your own experience (because that's the only one we can really know and speak from), using I-statements to express why maintaining communication with someone held within prison walls is important to you. How do you benefit from this correspondence and relationship? How is your liberation entwined with theirs?

"If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time.
But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with
mine, then let us work together."
~ Lilla Watson, Indigenous Australian visual artist, activist, and academic

Envision a Better Future for Women in Prison by Lydia Crumbley,

End the Attack on Our Communities: Build Families Not Prisons!
by Melanie Cervantes, and Assata Shakur by Melanie Cervantes

Away from this computer now, it's time to sit down and hand-write a proper letter, some people have birthdays this month! (See the  NYC Jericho Movement's Prisoner page, with up-to-date addresses of prisoners and many of their birthdays as well!)

Additional Resources:

*Certain Days: Freedom for Political Prisoners Calender - joint fundraising and educational project between outside organizers in Montreal, Hamilton, New York, and Baltimore, and political prisoners being held in maximum-security prisons: David Gilbert and Xinachtli (s/n Alvaro Luna Hernandez).
*More images at: Just Seeds' Critical Resistance page
*The Gendered Nature of Prisoner Resistance and the Invisibility of Women Prisoners' Organizing
*NYC Jericho Movement's Prisoner page is great with keeping prisoner addresses up-to-date and also lists their birthdays
*Earlier blog post: The Radical Roots of Community Acupuncture in the US
*Freedom Archive - 10,000 hours of audio and video recordings documenting social justice movements locally, nationally, and internationally from the 1960s to the present. The Archives features speeches of movement leaders and community activists, protests and demonstrations, cultural currents of rebellion and resistance.
*Critical Resistance: a national, member-based grassroots organization that works to build a mass movement to dismantle the prison-industrial complex.
*Dignity and Power Now: For All Incarcerated People, Their Families, and Communities

*Initiate Justice: Activating the Power of People Impacted by Incarceration

Much gratitude to Burning Books radical, independent bookstore in Buffalo, NY and all the other small, independent book stores that take the time to send (and re-send and re-send again) books in to our loved ones who are locked up.

Image from Critical Resistance website.

updated: 12/19