BY REBECCA GETTLEMAN
DES MOINES, Iowa - Supporters of Mark Curtis around the world are organizing events to prepare for the next stage of the union militant's defense fight, which will open up as soon as the socialist activist is released from prison.
Curtis was granted parole by the Iowa authorities November 21. He was framed up on rape and burglary charges in 1988 while working as a meatpacker in Des Moines. Supporters here are hosting a reception and program December 17 that will include speakers from area meatpacking plants, farm activists, and others. The program will combine new and longtime backers of Curtis's fight.
Des Moines activists recently distributed material on Curtis's parole victory at the plant gate of the Monfort packinghouse where Mark was working at the time of his frame-up. They got a positive response from a number of workers there. One woman who worked with Curtis prior to his arrest said, "We need him back in the plant." Supporters at Fawn Engineering in Des Moines, organized by United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 270, wore "Justice for Mark Curtis" stickers to celebrate the parole. Ernie Casen, a longtime Curtis supporter, said, "It's about time. Mark should have never been in prison for something he didn't do."
In Chicago a December 16 reception will include defense committee coordinator John Studer. In Houston, artist and political activist Gertrude Barnstone will speak along with prisoners' rights activist Ray Hill, Prof. Tom Kleven from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law, and well-known political figure Frances Farenthold. Other events prior to the holidays are also set for London, England; St. Paul, Minnesota; San Francisco; and elsewhere.
The Mark Curtis Defense Committee has set a goal of raising $25,000 by the end of the year. The funds are needed for Curtis's ongoing legal defense and in order to continue to get out the word on both the parole victory and the challenges ahead. A top priority is retaining an attorney for Curtis in Illinois, where he will be paroled to.
So far $6,800 has been raised in pledges and payments. Kitty Loepker, a steelworker in Granite City, Illinois, who attended Curtis's November 21 parole hearing, made some calls when she returned home and raised $300 for the defense effort. Committee backers in Des Moines report that the checks sent in are often accompanied by letters of congratulations.
Among the messages received is one from Robin Cash, a Cuba solidarity activist in Portland, Oregon. "I am so glad you will be getting out soon," Cash wrote. "You have been an inspiration to me these many years to `do the right thing.' I admire the courage, confidence and persistence you have shown."
Members of the Young Socialists National Committee sent another letter of solidarity right after their November 25- 26 leadership meeting. "One of the most important parts of the over seven-year fight has been you comrade," the YS message stated. "Facing the physical hardships and privations of prison, the frame-ups, the slanders, you refused to trade your convictions and your soul for an `easier' life or maybe an earlier release...you not only maintained your innocence, you refused to be cowed and continued to carry out political work."
On December 7 Curtis's lead attorney, William Kutmus, received a copy of the parole order released by the Iowa authorities that has been forwarded to officials in Illinois. The order stipulates 13 standard conditions for release that apply to all who receive parole. This order set no additional "special terms" for Curtis.
At this time it is not known how long Curtis will have to remain in prison prior to being released or exactly what additional restrictions may apply in Illinois. That state has laws on the books requiring anyone convicted of a "sex offense" to register with the local authorities for 10 years after the end of their imprisonment.