Thursday, December 7
6:30 – 8:00 pm
Indianapolis Liberation Center
This December, we’re organizing a three-part series of events to better understand the contemporary phenomenon of mass incarceration so we can more effectively struggle against and, ultimately, defeat it. The three events in the series, “The Path To and Beyond Mass Incarceration,” moves from analysis to intervention and, finally, to launching a campaign for yet another brave victim of local state violence who is committed to speaking out about what happened to him and what we can do to support him–and others– yet another victim of local state violence next step in an ongoing campaign.
For our first event, we’re hosting a panel and discussion so we can better understand the evolution of U.S. prisons, their relationship to changes in society and capitalist production, and what role they play in contemporary racist capitalism in the U.S. In other words, is mass incarceration really just a “New Jim Crow,” or something distinct?
After brief presentations and collective readings on the construction of crime, we’ll debunk capitalist theories of “crime” and “criminal justice,” with a particular eye on the criminalization of children.
Studying to change the world
Black people make up 10 percent of Indiana’s population but comprise 34 percent of the 47,000 people incarcerated in the state. While these statistics are overwhelming, only through understanding and acknowledging the racial and capitalist functions of the current US prison system can we move beyond it to create a new, truly just system.
As a result, our first event will engage in analysis and understanding with an eye towards how we can create a new system that better protects everyone and provides real public safety. All are welcome to the discussion and no prior reading is required!
The rest of the series
The next two events will take place the following two Thurdays at the same location. On December 14 at 6:30 pm, we’ll screen “The Pendleton2: They Stood Up” before engaging with Co-Producers TOO BLACK and THEKINGTRILL. Then, on December 21 at 12:00 pm, we’re going to host a press conference where another victim of Indiana’s repressive forces is bravely speaking out about his story.
Stay tuned for information about the upcoming events!
