2013 Virginia People’s Assembly!

Farewell to Johhny Ray

Our friend and comrade, Johhny Ray, passed away this weekend. Even though he only lived in Richmond for a couple years, he certainly left his mark on many hearts here. He was an incredibly genuine and kind person, who was always willing to tell a good story (no one ever knew how many were actually true), and he was always willing to lend a hand. Johhny could be frequently seen busking in Carytown, wearing a dirty suit and a handle-bar mustache. He was a founding member of the Wingnut Anarchist Collective, an organizer with Richmond Food Not Bombs, and was never a stranger to us here at the Flying Brick. Johhny didn’t put much stock in activism or politics, and never really saw himself as “someone who wanted to change the world”. He always maintained he just wanted to “build shit and be a good person”. His care for the people around him will forever be missed.

Rest In Peace, dear friend.

Socks for Inmates

 - Don’t have time to shop&drop? CASH DONATIONS ACCEPTED & ENCOURAGED: https://www.wepay.com/donations/socks-for-inmates

From Collective X:

Richmond City does not provide the men and women being held at the jail with basic personal necessities, including undergarment articles and socks necessary to maintain sanitary conditions as well as warmth. This holiday season, we are asking residents of Richmond, and surrounding areas, to help these imprisoned community members in need who have no means to help themselves. With no way to earn money during imprisonment, and given that many are in jail due to lack of funds, your help is the only means of support and generosity they might know.

A goal of 1,500 pairs of socks has been set in hopes of giving every man and woman held in the jail a pair of their own. All items must be new, white, and in their original, unopened packages. Collection boxes will be at the following locations between December 1st and December 14th:

- B-Sides Thrift Boutique – 2925 W. Cary Street
- Books, Bikes and Beyond – 7 W. Broad Street
- The ROC Richmond Outreach Center – 5501 Midlothian Turnpike
- 13ainbridge Collective – 1300 Bainbridge Street

Cash donations for purchase of socks* are also encouraged and are being accepted at:
https://www.wepay.com/donations/socks-for-inmates

*In the event that the funds exceed those necessary to provide every man and woman in the Richmond City Jail with a pair of socks, excess funds will be used to purchase undergarments approved by the Jail.

The Century of the Self: 4-Part Documentary Screening/Discussion

Join the Flying Brick Library for a four-part workshop/screening of “The Century of the Self,” a British documentary mini-series that covers the western psychological theories of the 20th century as they relate to capitalism and democracy… specifically, in terms of consumerism, propaganda, mass media, advertising and ideas about normalcy and identity.

Each session will start with a screening of an hour-long episode, followed by discussion. You don’t need to attend all four events to attend one, although each flows into the next.

When: 4pm on Dec 10, 13, 17 and 20 (Mon and Thurs)

Presentation and Discussion on the Corporate Transformation of Healthcare

Where: 13ainbridge Collective, 1300 Bainbridge St.

When: December 5th, 7pm

Health care: the art and budding science of caring for others. Yet, in the past half-century it increasingly became entangled with corporate interests and attempts to maximize profits at the expense of compassion and common sense. Now health care consumes almost 1/5 of our entire GDP, yet almost 20 million of us will still remain uninsured despite reform. As a nation, our health is average at best, trailing behind most industrialized countries on measures of infant mortality, lifespan, and other important indicators.

Come learn about how the quest for profit has affected American healthcare! We will talk about the roles that insurance companies, hospitals, and pharma have all played in making America’s health care system the world’s most expensive. Then we will go over previous attempts at reform and who the major drivers were at each point in time. Then we will talk about the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) and how it further solidifies the current system of private insurance while containing no proven cost-containment measures.

Finally and most importantly, we will discuss how to move forward and what some possible humanitarian solutions are for a just society. What does it mean for healthcare to be a right and not a commodity? What will we shape the future of American health care to be?

Health care professionals, students, and community members all encouraged to come! Non-traditional viewpoints respected and welcomed.

Facilitated by Victoria Powell, medical student at MCV and co-founder of VCU Student Chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program.

7:00 – 7:45 – presentation
7:45 – 8:30 – discussion

**Please take this totally optional, less-than-5-minute survey to better help shape the class to fit interests and background of participants!** Thank you!!
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WQKJRB5

Donate to Help New Yorker’s Devastated by Hurricane Sandy

Our friends at People’s Medical Relief of the Rockaways are doing a lot of relief work for residents of the Rockaways devastated by Hurricane Sandy. Please consider donating!

THE WAY TO DONATE is to go to:
http://www.pnhpnymetro.org click "donate", in the note section write 'for
people's medical relief.' IF YOU DO NOT WRITE THAT, THE MONEY WILL NOT GO TO THEM.

Please spread the word to friends and family!

Verdict Delivered in Greensboro ALKQN Case

From the ALKQN Support Site:

 

WINSTON SALEM — The jury handed down its final verdict in the North Carolina Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation federal racketeering conspiracy case about 4:45 p.m. Wednesday, November 21st.

Jorge Cornell, also known as “King J,” was found guilty on three counts of criminal racketeering.

Russell Kilfoil, also known as “King Peaceful,” was found guilty on one count of criminal racketeering.

Ernesto Wilson was found guilty on one count of criminal racketeering.

Randolph Kilfoil, also known as “King Paul;” Irvin Vasquez, also known as “King Dice;” and Samuel Velasquez, also known as “King Hype,” were found not-guilty and acquitted of all charges. Velasquez has been released. Randolph Kilfoil and Irvin Vasquez will be free after serving out the remainder of their terms for alleged crimes for which they were incarcerated before the RICO case began.

In addition to RICO conspiracy, Cornell was convicted of aiding and abetting assault with a dangerous weapon and knowingly carrying a firearm during a violent crime in aid of racketeering. He faces life in prison. Kilfoil and Wilson face up to 30 years in prison each. A sentencing hearing is expected sometime in January.

It remains unclear whether or not prison sentences will be assessed to Charles Moore, Luis Rosa, Richard Robinson, other cooperating witnesses who were arrested during the raid in December 2011, and other informants such as Robert Vasquez Jr., Allen Jordan, Anthony Vasquez, and Jose Lugo.

Jason Yates, also known as “King Squirrel,” awaits a separate trial for the same RICO conspiracy charges.

Cornell plans to appeal the decision. The defense coalition believes the jurors were erroneous in their verdict, and will campaign to bring together facts and resources to aid those who bring their case before an appellate court. The coalition will work to help ensure the justice system avoids another unjust and baseless conviction.

ALKQNSupport.com will remain active with news updates on the status of the falsely convicted kings. We will continue to seek and provide material and emotional support to these men, their families, and those who stand in solidarity with them.

More than half of the kings who pleaded not-guilty to RICO are exonerated. They are now — or will soon be — free. It’s clear that the government brought a weak, frivolous, and insubstantial case. With time, help, rigor, and expertise, it will become clear that each of the three remaining men is innocent. This case is not over. Invincible love to everyone who has supported the kings so far.