BY MARK CURTIS
"From behind prison walls" is a regular column written by framed-up political and trade union activist Mark Curtis. To write to Curtis, send letters to him at #805338, Iowa State Penitentiary, Box 315, Fort Madison, IA 52627.
FORT MADISON, Iowa - Getting mail is the high point of the average day in prison. In my case, I get an astounding number of letters from people I've never met, but who want to personally let me know that I have their support.
The contents of my mailbag, then, can be a gauge of the support for my defense campaign, and an interesting look at the many different people who are finding out about it. I thought readers of this column might like to hear about some of them.
After an article about the campaign for my parole appeared in the Des Moines Register, a man living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, wrote to me. "When you were sentenced, I was running our family hardware store business," he started. "I took an interest in the case but not knowing you personally I didn't seek involvement or enlist support. I read [Bill] Petroski's piece in the morning's Register and saw your photo and I'm ashamed that seven years have elapsed; I also wish I had enlisted my support with that of many others at the time of your sentencing.
"If you direct me to John Studer," he closes, "I'd like to contribute something to the Defense Committee." I did direct him to the Defense Committee and he's written a letter on my behalf to the Iowa State Board of Parole.
What this particular letter confirmed to me was that there are people in Iowa and elsewhere who heard about my frame-up years ago but are unknown to my defense committee. When they hear again that I'm still in prison they see more clearly the political motivations that put me here and keep me here.
From a tiny town in Labrador, on the eastern coast of Canada, came a letter from a Native man who pointed out, "You're not the only person that is struggling with the Justice system. All across Canada the Native people are suffering from this kind of Justice system. Our Chief was locked up for one week without breaking our law.
"Our people have been prosecuted for feeding our children from our Mother Earth. We are struggling against low level flying in our land."
He found out about my case while at a conference for Native rights in Alaska, where he read the pamphlet about it. I had to break out the world atlas to locate the village in Labrador.
I was more familiar with the origin of the message signed by participants in the International Festival "Cuba Lives," since I had visited Cuba almost 15 years ago. About a dozen delegates signed the message after learning of my case from the North Americans who attended. They pledged to "definitely join the campaign for your cause and hope some day justice will come out of it." They also hope I'll come to Cuba when I'm free. I plan on it!
Also from Cuba a letter arrived from the general secretary of the Ghana Students Union of Cuba. He pointed out that "the struggle of the working class is universal," and promised to make known "your name and what you represent throughout Africa."
"I write to send my warm regards to a comrade and victim of capitalist justice," begins a letter from a member of the national executive of Britain's largest civil service union, which represents the workers of the Land Registry. The unionist from Lancashire is a member of Left Unity and he also wrote a letter requesting my release by the Iowa Board of Parole. "Please let me know if there is anything further I can do to assist from this side of Atlantic," he ends.
To round up this batch of letters comes one from Farmington, Pennsylvania. The author explains that, "A few weeks ago I was at a rally in Philadelphia to protest the death penalty, and specifically to protest Mumia Abu-Jamal's impending execution on August 17." (Since then Abu-Jamal's execution has been postponed.)
From the rally he "brought home a leaflet from your Defense Committee and I read it with shock and horror. Although after having been involved recently in Mumia's case, I was not as surprised at what happened to you as I would have been a few months ago. It is hard to believe what is happening today in our country which professes `liberty and justice for all.' "
He and his wife are members of the Bruderhof community movement, a communal Christian organization which came to the United States to escape persecution by the Nazis. Their seven-year-old daughter drew a mountain scene with crayons for me, which is now up on my cell wall.
This small sample shows why it is not at all surprising that such a large number of people have written to the Iowa Board of Parole asking that I be released. The biggest number this year is from peasants in Brazil, and many others come from people new to this fight and some from places unexpected.
At the annual meeting with my counselor to discuss my parole plan, a positive change in the prison evaluation that is forwarded to the parole board was made. Last year's summary claimed that I have a "significant" psychological problem. The reason? Because I maintain my innocence of the charges against me. This contradicted the most recent psychological evaluation I've had, in 1993, when the visiting psychologist said there were "no issues" in my case and that no further evaluation was necessary. According to my counselor, this year's summary will list no such problem.
There is still time to write to the Iowa Board of Parole on my behalf. The counselor let me know that the Board will be reviewing my case on October 18. If they agree to give me a hearing it would be held here in Fort Madison on November 21.
Thanks to all of you who have written so far!