HAVOQ’s Prison Abolition and Letter Writing Workgroup was formed at the end of 2011 with the vision of building up enough knowledge through organizational collaboration, study groups and direct action to begin offering teach-ins, popular education workshops and street theater about the Prison Industrial Complex (PIC) – and specifically issues within the PIC as they relate to queer and trans folk. We hope to bring queer visibility to the issue as well as HAVOQ’s signature ferocity and fabulosity!
At the moment, our focus is on letter writing as a means to develop solidarity with folks on the inside and an understanding of their lived experiences. We join TGI Justice Project once monthly (every 1st Wednesday) for legal support letter writing clinics and have our own monthly penpal nights (with potential penpals provided by the Montreal Prisoner Correspondence Project and Black & Pink).
Past actions and events include a banner drop and contingent in support of the February 20th Occupy San Quentin event, hosting a valentines for prisoners event with CCWP and showing up in support of the valentine’s day fundraiser put on by Justice NOW!, CURB, TGIJP, and others by hosting a valentines for prisoners table and a photo booth.
If you’re interested in getting involved with us in this work, please email bejalovesyou [at] gmail [dot] com or charliefredrick83 [at] gmail [dot] com.
Beyond Walls and Cages: Prisons, Borders, and Global Crisis was released by the University of Georgia Press. This collection of essays, edited by Jenna Loyd, Matt Mitchelson, and Andrew Burridge, brings together organizers, researchers, and journalists to develop abolitionist, no borders, and decolonial strategies for social justice and liberation. The cover for the book is [...]
This month, SFPAW/HAVOQ joined a broad coalition of community groups opposing the acquisition and use of tasers by the SFPD. (Read some powerful words from the Coalition on Homelessness here and from Poor Magazine here) Tasers are a deadly weapon and do not make our communities safer. SFPAW/HAVOQ opposes tasers because they contribute to and [...]
Join TGI Justice Project and HAVOQ/SF Pride at Work for an awesome afternoon of responding to mail from queer & trans prisoners around the country. If you’ve never made it out on one of our Wed night Prison Mail Evenings, or if you just can’t get enough of it, please join us for this one-off [...]
CHOWCHILLA FREEDOM RALLY Saturday, January 26, 2013 March at 2PM, Rally begins at 3PM at Valley State Prison. In less than two weeks people from throughout the state will gather in Chowchilla and march from Valley State Prison to Central California Women’s Facility–now the most overcrowded prison in California–to demand an end to this gender [...]
Wednesday, December 26, 6-8 pm: Every month we will gather and begin the night with a short political education discussion of current issues within the criminalization system/prison industrial complex. This month, CCWP joins us to discuss realignment and the upcoming demonstration being planned in Chowchilla in response to the women’s prison closure and resultant massive overcrowding.
Wednesday, November 28, 6:00-8:00pm Modern Times Bookstore Collective 2919 24th Street, San Francisco, California 94110 RSVP on Facebook Join HAVOQ’s Prison Abolition & Prisoner Solidarity Workgroup for our November monthly penpal night. We have letters from queer & trans prisoners from around California who are looking for everything from personal to political to romantic exchanges. [...]
Please join us for our 6th Annual Variety Show and Fundraiser to support all of the work we do. Dancing, live music, burlesque, drag, gay haircuts, delicious food, raffle, and more!
The Allied Media Conference offers hands-on trainings and strategy sessions in a wide-range of media practices. This year, for the 14th annual Allied Media Conference, five of us trekked to Detroit to attend the conference and present on Fabulosity and our various media work. Check out the livestream/ recording of much of our talk below! [...]
FROM JULY 1- AUGUST 31ST, Café Gabriela will showcase artwork by activists whose work reflects the daily and historic resistance of many communities, including members of HAVOQ’s Prison Abolition workgroup. “United in the Struggle” is an art show fundraiser for Ms. Crystal and Cece McDonald; both transgender women of color imprisoned in the U.S. In [...]
Join HAVOQ’s Prison Abolition & Letter Writing Workgroup for our SECOND monthly penpal night as we… “create relationships of friendship, support, and solidarity between inside and outside folks and help break isolation for incarcerated members of our communities.” (MPCP) Wednesday, June 30th 6pm – 8pm We’ll be at Modern Times Bookstore for a choose your [...]