Who is Russell Maroon Shoatz?

My name is Russell (Maroon) Shoatzand I am a New African PoliticalPrisoner of War, who at this moment isserving a prison sentence at theWaynesburg, Penna. state institution. Iwas originally locked up in January of1972, and have since spent over 33years in 15 different state, county, andfederal prisons, jails, and a maximumsecurity prison/mental institution. Over17 of these years were spent in the"holes" of these various facilities lockeddown for 23 or more hours daily.

I was born in Philadelphia, PA., inAugust of 1943, one of 12 children inthe household of Gladys & RussellShoats. I attended school there untilthe age of 15, after which I was in andout of reform schools and youth institu-tions until the age of 18, mainly due togang related activities. These gangactivities, though not drug related asthe bulk of similar activities are today,still had the same root causes of lackof comprehensive youth oriented pro-grams in the schools and neighbor-hoods, coupled with high unemploy-ment and police repression in the NewAfrican communities.

I was married twice and became thefather of 7 children between the yearsof 1964 and 1970. During the early tomiddle 1960's, I became increasinglypolitically aware and active in the NewAfrican liberation movement. I was afounding member of The Black UnityCouncil, a Philadelphia grouping thateventually merged with the

Philadelphia Chapter of the BlackPanther Party in 1969.

In August of 1970, at the height ofthe nationwide repression of the NewAfrican liberation movement, 4 othersand I became fugitives (known as the“Philly 5”) after a Philadelphia police-man was killed and another was

wounded in a retaliatory attack on aPhiladelphia police station. In responseto the heightened repression of theNew African liberation movement ingeneral, and the unjustified killing of aNew African youth by the repressivepolice in that local community, fromAugust of 1970 until January of 1972,(the date of my capture and arrest) Iwas active on the armed front of theNew African Liberation Army. All of myactions and activities during this periodwere in direct response to, and in directsupport of the movement's activities. Iwas tried and convicted for the attackon the police station and sentenced toLife-Plus Imprisonment.

In September of 1977, myself andthree other New African PoliticalPrisoners of War liberated ourselvesfrom the state prison at Huntingdon,Pennsylvania. Two of these brothers

were recaptured and a third was killedduring the escape. However, Iremained at large for a month, in theteeth of a massive "slave style" hunt bylocal, state and federal forces, who hadalso recruited large numbers of thelocal rural white populace to help intheir search.

From my capture in October of 1977,until November of 1989, I was kept invarious "holes" in numerous state,county, and federal prisons, and a max-imum-security prison/mental institution.During this period I was locked downdaily at the state prisons atHuntingdon, Pittsburgh, Camp Hill,Dallas, Rockview, and Graterford,Pennsylvania, as well as the Allegheny,Wayne, Washington, Lackawanna,Montgomery, and Philadelphia countyprisons and the US penitentiaries atLewisburg, PA and Leavenworth,Kansas.

In 1979, I was forcibly transferred tothe maximum-security prison/mentalinstitution at Waymart, PA known as"Fairview." During my over one yearstay at this facility I was forciblydrugged and on one occasion was hos-pitalized from a hospital induced over-dose of these drugs.

In March of 1980, myself and anotherNew African Political Prisoner of Warwere able to liberate ourselves fromthis institution after a female NewAfrican activist smuggled a revolverand sub-machine gun into the institu-tion for our use. Three days later allthree of us were captured after a gunbattle with local, state and countypolice, and F.B.I. agents.

In the wake of the historic Camp Hillrebellion, during October of 1989, atthe state prison at Camp Hill,Pennsylvania, I was transferred fromthe state prison at Dallas,Pennsylvania, to the U.S. Penitentiaryat Lewisburg, PA, and then to the U.S.Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas.Although I had no part in this rebellion(having been at Dallas at the time) Iwas nevertheless singled out by theprison administration to be transferredover 1,000 miles from family, support-ers, and friends with a view towardsultimately having me confined at thenotorious federal prison at Marion,Illinois.

While being kept on 23 hours a daylockdown at Leavenworth, duringNovember of 1989, my relatives andsupporters mounted a campaign toreveal the lies and falsified records thePennsylvania prison administration hadused to implicate me in the Camp Hillrebellion, which was used as a basisfor my transfer to Leavenworth andthere to be evaluated for placement atMarion, Illinois. These efforts were suc-cessful and I was finally released to thegeneral prison population in Decemberof 1989.

Since 1991 I have been locked downin solitary confinement and am present-ly at SCI Greene in Waynesburg, PA. Iremain a committed New African free-dom fighter, who will not rest until theNew African peoples are free fromoppression, and a free and self-govern-ing nation.

If you wish to write to Shoatz, writeto him at:

Write to Russell Marooon Shoatz at:

Russell Marooon ShoatzAF-3855

175 Progress Dr.Waynesberg, PA 15370

Local groups working with Sekou:

JERICHO AMNESTY COALITIONPO Box 34186

Los Angeles, CA 90034

Anarchist Black Cross Federation(ABCF)

PO Box 11223Whittier, CA 90603email: la@abcf.net

YOU CAN HELP BY GIVING POLITICALPRISONERS A VOICE AND VISIBILITY

THE TRUTH CAN SET THEM FREE!

RussellMaroonShoatz

Black Liberation ArmyNew Afrikan

Prisoner of War

Free Russell Maroon Shoatz