March 21, 2023
Dear Mongoose and Comrades,
Today I started my hunger strike. Yesterday I was attacked by a white Christian Nationalist trump supporter, who was put in my SHU cell in spite of my protests. Despite my injuries I am full of determination, bloodied but unbroken. But, this is a small amount of suffering compared to friends like Gultan Kisanak, a Kurdish woman and political prisoner. I drew her portrait and wrote some of her quotes. Every day of my hunger strike I will draw a Kurdish woman who is a political prisoner and send her inspiring words to different friends. I ask that you all post them all online for me to raise awareness.
My struggles are not unique. I am fasting in solidarity with Alfredo Cospito, anarchist comrade who has been on hunger strike for 158 days, all the Atlanta Weelaunee Forest defenders and captured protestors, all the 2020 Uprising arrestees, Zapatista Manuel Gomez Vasque, political prisoner Fidencio Aldama, Emily Murphy, Keith Lamar (also on hunger strike), Jane’s Revenge, Caleb Freestone and Amber Smith-Stewart, and so many others – I love and admire you all!
As I write this I’m overwhelmed by the number of friends in cages. So I want to urge everyone who reads this to take 5 minutes to write to a different political prisoner every single day. I’ll end with a quote from Figen Yuksekdag, a Kurdish woman and political prisoner, “History has no love for those who stop and keep quiet. And it definitely has no love for women who stop and keep quiet. After all, everyone in this country is likely to face prison at some point, just as they’ll face death one day. So, I cannot say that I find my situation here too strange. If you view prison as a sight of compulsory duty, it won’t be unbearable.”
Actually, one more quote, to honor Tortuguita:
“To live like a tree – alone and free, and like a forest, in solidarity” -Nazim Hikmet
It is only by organizing politically, socially and organically that we will succeed in our mutual aid and efforts for the liberation of all beings.
Untill all prisons are empty,
Dan
Dan Baker 25765-509
FCI Memphis
PO Box 34550
Memphis, TN 38184
Source: Mongoose Distro