From ABC Halifax:

Hi Comrades and Friends,

The Halifax Anarchist Black Cross is holding an art auction on May 1st as a fundraiser for Oso Blanco (Byron Shane Chubbuck), a Native American political prisoner. All the money raised will go towards Oso Blanco’s legal fees. He has been forced to hire a lawyer due to consistent mistreatment and abuse by prison authorities. To do this, we need your help! We cannot make all the art ourselves and are asking people to contribute artwork to the cause. We are looking for art of any medium including but not limited to drawings, paintings, photography, silk screenings, super 8 films, ready-mades, ceramics, sound sculptures; if its art, we want it! Ideally, we are hoping to get all the potential pieces in our grubby little hands by April 14th so we can have them up on our online gallery before the auction. More information will be available closer to May 1st. If you’re interested and curious, we can be contacted at halifaxabc@riseup.net.

Here’s some info on Oso Blanco:

Oso Blanco is a Cherokee/Choctaw political prisoner currently incarcerated for robbing banks in order to funnel money to the EZLN (Zapatista Army of National Liberation) in Mexico and poor barrios in New Mexico. For these deeds, Oso was dubbed “Robin the Hood” by the FBI. Federal agents captured Byron the day after a gun battle on August 13th, 1999 at his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Byron was then sentenced to forty years hard time in New Mexico’s state Penitentiary. After serving just over a year Byron escaped from a prison transport van and began robbing banks once again. He was recaptured a short time later. Oso has been assaulted three times by prison authorities at USP Lewisburg where he is currently serving time.

The Halifax Anarchist Black Cross in conjunction with other ABCs and the Jericho Movement is asking for help in raising funds for a lawyer for Oso Blanco (aka
Byron Shane Chubbuck).

An account of the latest assault on Oso Blanco is included below:

On Nov/07/09 at Hour of 11:00am myself and my cellmate were assaulted
by Lt. Galletta and Lt. Sassaman and many staff. We were shot, gassed with a
Rapid Fire pepper-ball gun – same as a paint ball gun but with pepper agent
powder inside not paint. Then we were sprayed with oc agent a lot. I cuffed
up and was being shot and gassed anyway. My cellie coyote hardly had time to
cuff up and they started shooting us in the cell. Its very painful then they
stopped shooting so my cellie came to the door and cuffed up. They put us in
a freezing cold cell and they then cam and rushed in(goon squad) the cell
and took us to a mop closet where they forced my head back as the guard was
digging his fingers under my side jaw bone, pulling my head back, and 7 or 8
were holding my arms, legs – they squirted hot water on my face and up my
nose. I let out a native war cry scream and yelled to all the men here to
stay strong! This was all on camera. They then took me on camera to the four
point cell where its very cold and stripped me naked and put very, very,
very tight restraints on me. Locking the belly chain and black box cuffs
down to the bone. I told Lt. Sassamen, “What you're doing to me is a
violation of the U.S. Constitution, a violation of my human rights! It's
wrong and evil what you are doing to me!” All on Camera. Sovereign Cherokee
Nation citizen have the full protection of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of
Rights.

Then they held me down on the cement table and PA Potter cut off 4 inches of
my ponytail braid. This is an illegal act and crime committed against an
enrolled Native American! To cut off part of my ponytail. And a great
insult! We were left in separate freezing cold cells in tight restraints
cutting into our wrists for 9 hours. After the 4th hour a Spanish Lt. came
and told my cellie across the hall we were being charged with assaulting Lt.
Galletta, that he was in the hospital and the FBI would be coming to see us.
And he gave me a false charge – writeup for a weapon.

The sun went down and the cold cell had its large window 2 feet by 3 feet
wide open and its Nov in PA. I was laying on the floor with these cuffs and
belly chain and shackles cutting into me. So I prayed in Cherokee – “CREATOR
why is this happening? I have done nothing! Why are you letting my oppressor
hurt me without cause and torture me?" A few min later they came and let me
out of restraints, and told me I was going back to the cell. It was full of
about 50 pepper call rounds and OC Agent. One young guard said in a low
voice, “They messed up doing this to you guys.” He said he is tired of this
place and he is going to quit his job. The next shift staff who took our
cuffs and restraints off 9 hours later looked at my hands ballooned up and
looked at each other – with a shake of the head and one said, “Who did
Chubbuck piss off?” asking the other guard. The guard just looked away
shaking his head. I have at least 20 witnesses. It was unprovoked 100
percent. I have statements.

More information on Oso Blanco can be found at osoblanco.org

Thanks for your support,

The Halifax Anarchist Black Cross