Hey, everybody, jump in the car–we’re going on a road trip. Really? No. However, we are doing something fun and while we might not be heading cross country, the letters we write and mail at this weeks’ political prisoner letter-writing dinner are going all the way to…VIRGINIA. That’s because this week, NYC ABC is focusing our every-other-week event on Chelsea Manning, being jailed, in solitary confinement, for being principled in her resistance to a secretive federal grand jury.
Chelsea Manning, an anti-secrecy activist and former U.S. Army intelligence analyst whose release of classified information to WikiLeaks in 2010 sparked worldwide controversy over transparency in the military and whistleblower protections, was taken into custody at a federal court after a federal judge found her in contempt of court for refusing to answer questions before a secret grand jury. She can be imprisoned for the duration of the grand jury proceedings, up to 18 months. More information: https://xychelsea.is
If for whatever reason you cannot join us, we hope you will still write to Chelsea:
Chelsea Elizabeth Manning #AO181426
William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center
2001 Mill Road
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
The deal, as always, is that you come bringing only yourself (and your friends and comrades), and we provide you with a delicious vegan meal, information about the prisoners as well as all of the letter-writing materials and prisoner-letter-writing info you could ever want to use in one evening. In return, you write a thoughtful letter to a political prisoner or prisoner of war of your choosing or, better yet, keep up a long-term correspondence. We’ll also provide some brief updates and pass around birthday cards for the PP/POWs whose birthdays fall in the next two weeks thanks to the PP/POW Birthday Calendar.