Suns Of Re-Awakening

African political prisoner Russell Maroone Shoats or Maroon, last week was released from solitary confinement after being there for 23 years. Solitary confinement results in being locked up in isolation for 23 hours every day.

 

Russell was born August 1943 in Philadelphia. Bro. Maroon, a community organizer from Philadelphia was the founder of the Black Unity Council that eventually merged with the Philadelphia Chapter of the Black Panther Party that included in its ranks another political prisoner Mumia Abu Jamal. In the 1970's when Philadelphia was under the guns of the police chief Frank Rizzo, Black groups were outlawed. The Black Panther Party had planned a national convention to be held in Philadelphia for September of 1970. As is normal in Philadelphia, the police killed a Black youth resulting in the organized community attacking the police station in which a cop was killed in the process. Rizzo responded by raiding the Black Panther Office. The Panther members that were captured were stripped of all their clothing and paraded outside to be photographed by the local news media with the humiliating photos being plastered in newspapers all across the country. Rizzo was truly a pig. Bro. Maroon and four other were become known as the Philadelphia Five got away and joined up with the Black Liberation Army a courageous group of young African freedom fighters that included the parents of Mutulu and Afeni Shakur the parents of Tupac. Maroon was captured in 1977 but was able to escape his captures with the help of fellow BLF members but was captured shortly after.

 

His time behind bars was not wasted pumping iron, he carried out his of organizing our people while incarcerated. He organized the group, Lifer Association of Pennsylvania, and the day after being elected its president he was thrown in solitary confinement that didn't end until last week. It was the organizing effort of his children, his fiancée, and some artist in the hip-hop community and the masses of African people throughout the world that helped bring an end to his isolation. The work isn't over for Maroon, Mumia and hundreds of others whose only reason for being locked away is that they refused to stand by while our people were being victimized.

 

Please write to this courageous freedom fighter at:

 

RUSSELL MAROON SHOATS

#AF-3855

SCI Graterford PO Box 244

Graterford, PA 19426 – 0246