2020 Goal: Greg Curry Needs an Attorney that will Fight for Freedom

I am a friend of Greg Curry, a Lucasville Uprising prisoner who is incarcerated at Toledo Correctional Facility in OH.  Greg is looking to connect with a civil rights attorney that will represent him or give him legal advice, in his fight for freedom.  Finding an attorney to overturn Greg's convictions will serve the important political purpose of building momentum towards amnesty/clemency for all Lucasville Uprising prisoners.

 

While being part of a prisoner advocacy group in Pittsburgh for the last 3 years, I visited and corresponded with some of the Lucasville Uprising survivors incarcerated in OH and got involved in the Lucasville Amnesty campaign.  If you're not familiar with that case, there was an uprising at Southern OH Correctional Facility (aka Lucasville) in 1993 that was sparked from horrendously inhumane prison conditions at the state prison.  The uprising resulted in the death of a correctional officer and nine prisoners. The investigation and trial were flagrantly flawed and relied on snitch testimony, which resulted in five innocent people on death row and others with life sentences.  A documentary on the case, The Shadow of Lucasville, is available on YouTube for more background.
 

One of those folks who received a life sentence is Greg Curry. In 2018, after 20 years of solitary confinement, Greg was transferred out of the supermax Ohio State Prison.  His supporters helped him win the transfer to Toledo Correctional Facility, which was a huge victory.  We want to keep the momentum going. Greg needs legal representation that will help him overturn the false convictions. Unlike the death row defendants, Greg has not been entitled to a state appointed attorney.  At Toledo Correctional, he has finally been able to access a law library, and would love to discuss his research with an attorney. 
 

His conviction should be easy to overturn, as prosecutors admitted to misconduct on appeal.  It's been difficult to find attorneys in OH that will pick up the case, because the case was so politically volatile.  Also, Greg has two simultaneous convictions for defending himself against the staff who targeted him because of the uprising. The Innocence Project said his case was very good and were ready to take it, until they learned that these other convictions would prevent Greg’s release even if they won. 

Finding an attorney to overturn Greg's convictions will serve the important political purpose of building momentum towards amnesty/clemency for all Lucasville Uprising prisoners.  Amnesty would also demand the dismissal of Greg's self defense convictions.  Bomani Shakur (Keith LaMar), one of the death row prisoners, recently received his execution date for November 16, 2023. Time is limited to raise the profile of the Lucasville case and push for amnesty before the ODRC claims lives. 

Alice and Staughton Lynd, renowned labor organizers and prisoner advocates, have been assisting Greg and other Lucasville Uprising prisoners with their cases and helping them battle the retaliation they have faced for decades now.  They have years' worth of research on the case, but being in their old age, they are looking for other attorneys onto which they could pass their knowledge. They would be a valuable resource for any interested attorney looking to take on Greg's case.  

Greg uses his website and social media platform to advocate for other prisoners and causes he cares about.  Please post this request for legal assistance on your social media and send emails out to your networks to help get the word out for Greg.  Any recommendations for attorney offices or legal advocates would be much appreciated.  You can also post about Greg's zine, Repression Breeds Resistance, so readers can hear his story in his own words.  Funds are being raised for Greg's legal representation.  

"Freedom First!"

Marisa E.
Lucasville Amnesty
ltp@riseup.net

Further reading:
gregcurry.org
Justice for Greg Curry Facebook    
Repression Breeds Resistance, Greg Curry (printer ready version)

Greg can be contacted online via JPAY, or sent mail at:

Greg Curry #213-159
Toledo C.I.
2001 East Central Ave.
Toledo, OH 43608

A message from Bomani/Keith to the many friends (70!) who contributed to the fundraiser for this his 50th birthday:

Hello Everybody,

If you are receiving this message it means you were secretly in on the most amazing birthday gift I have ever received, and I'm writing to personally thank each and every one of you for reminding me that there's still so much goodness in this world. More than the money attached, I'm humbled by the fact that so many people were involved in making my life a little better/easier.

Hasan's SMP Restrictions Lifted!

Here's a message Hasan sent to supporters last week:

Revolutionary Greetings!

Just a few lines to let you and others know that I have finally received my final appeal on my SMP hearing. On Thursday May 9, the chief legal counsel for ODRC reversed some of my convictions and upheld some. He ruled that all my privileges should be reinstated. While this is true, I am still dissatisfied with this and will be pursuing legal actions.

Updates on my appeal and situation should be coming soon. You should be able to stay posted by visiting LucasvilleAmnesty.org

I am doing well and remain hopeful about many things, so please do not worry about me.

Take care and keep the faith.

Imam Hasan

Greg Curry Mother’s Day Message

To the lady that woke up before her kids to prepare breakfast, layout school clothes, and be sure we got off to school on time, the lady who then also went off to work and returned home to cook dinner, check our homework, hug us an know where and who we was outside playing with. 

The woman that never mentioned being a feminist nor equal rights for woman but made sure her boys cooked/cleaned/washed clothes and went grocery shopping. Her reasoning was will share completely in domestic duties once we found a mate and not treat someone else’s daughter as a servant. 

This woman could punish me, then hug me to explain why and I’d know I was loved and protected by a strong beautiful mom she never made excuses for my behaviour in fact she was more likely than not to believe the cops. That is, until 1993 after the prison riot, she drove to southern Ohio and sat in the courtroom of some hostile people & cops listening to all the evidence and for the firsy time in my life of crime my mom was convinced that I was being lied on by people trying to save their own skin, but she never left me. 

To this day she’s always within reach. Once, many years ago I had been out all night and on the way home from the otherside of town I saw someone selling motherday flowers & paintings. I purchased both and drove to my mom’s place saying “happy mothers day” her glance told her I’d been out all night. She smiled, hugged me, took the gifts & said “boy you know I don't celebrate that stuff.” I could tell she appreciated the thought and I was happy to be her boy!!

Due to her faith, she doesn't celebrate holidays I hope my mom can hear my heart as I say happy Mother’s Day.

Greg Curry on how to observe Earth Day, 2019.

My ideals on how we can observe Earth Day 2019 and why:

1) Clean a elder neighbor’s yard

2) Make a list of fracking sites in your area and number of earthquakes since fracking began in that area, then tweet/use instagram about it


3) Research history of the land use before the prison in your area was built, connect that to complaints prisoners have with toxicity inside the prisons

4) Make others aware of enviromental regulations Trump has deregulated and the potential inpact of that

5) Create a small garden, help a elder maintain theirs.

We must be reactive and proactive! There are no border walls between good and bad air, good and bad water. The earth is ours, lets reclaim it!

Freedom First,
Greg Curry

Targeted Harassment of D Cannon

Lucasville uprising survivor Derek Cannon has again been target of harassment by staff at OSP.

Please write Derek a letter of support at:

Derek Cannon
#221-663
OSP
878 Coitsville Hubbard Rd
Youngstown OH 44505
Birthday07/21/1960

Here's his story about recent incidents...

Hello and how are you doing? First and foremost, "thank you" for your time, concern and offer of support!

Honestly I don't know what to do, I'm at witts end. It's like, I'm very clear on what I'm up against, but don't really know how nor have the resources to fight it. 

Reflection 26 years after the fall, by Greg Curry

Last year on the 25th anniversary the State of Ohio silenced me and my comrades whom are on death row from any communication with the outside world. Afraid our message of truth justice and equality for all would be too radical, as a result, our comrades Ben Turk and Joyce Jones was barred from our visit list. Siddique Hasan has been put on extended communications restrictions and Bomani Shakur (aka Keith LaMar) has officially been given a execution date. I’ve finally been transferred out of Youngstown only to find that the van carrying me out of Youngstown carried a load of ideas on how this prison in Toledo could further harass me.

Just a year ago we recognized 25 years since America’s longest prison riot. By now most of you know the details of the event that immediately brought in a unyielding era of state oppression from the selection of judges, and prosecutors to bribing witnesses to lie on us all while being harassed and assaulted by prison staff. Harassment that has been constant for 26 years now for those of us that speak out, that refuse 2 accept unjust verdicts as legally binding.