There is a superstition that says we should leave money outside and bring it in on New Year’s Day to insure financial prosperity for the year. We in NYC ABC are hoping this idea can be extended. On January 1st, NYC had Lynne Stewart brought home and we hope this is an omen that many more of our imprisoned comrades come home to us this year.

On the night before Lynne Stewart’s flight from Texas, we heeded the international call for a night of New Year’s Eve noise demos. We held ours outside of MCC New York— the federal Metropolitan Correctional Center that currently holds local anarchist grand jury resister Jerry Koch and until the time of his recent sentencing imprisoned anarchist hacker Jeremy Hammond.

The night was raucous, with over 70 folks coming to show solidarity with prison rebels on the other side of the wall. Warehoused in a brick and mortar tower, we could see the silhouetted outlines of prisoners in their cells.

Photo courtesy of Tim Eastman

Occasionally lights would flicker, letting us know that we were connecting. As a makeshift marching band members of Rude Mechanical Orchestra— augmented by air horns, pots & pans, and an assortment of drums, forced lower Manhattan awake, some folks from Stop the Anarchist Witch-hunt (SAW) served up hot cocoa.

Amidst anti-police and anti-prison chants, folks were making their solidarity known— with raised voices and the clamor of assorted noise-makers.

By about 11:00pm, with the crowd energetic, but on the verge of hypothermia, the following statement was read as a call and response, insuring that our comrades inside could hear it:

“To many it feels like we live in a time like no other with surveillance and repression at every turn, but also resistance, rebellion, and open revolt. This is neither the new golden nor dark age, it is simply another moment in time where we can collectively force conflict with a fucked up system.

Every day there are revolts of varying scale, most of which you never hear about. For those captured in revolt, we come together in protest and celebration. Through the din of revelry and rage, we tie ourselves to those who suffer systematized white supremacy and war against the working class, behind steel bars and safety glass.

Prison is a means of social control to be absolutely destroyed.

Here’s to the total destruction of a prison-based society!

Tonight we bring with us the courage of Sundiata Acoli, the ferocity of Joe-Joe Bowen, the wisdom of Russell Maroon Shoatz.

We remember in every act of rebellion against the state, our deceased comrade Herman Wallace— your legacy will never be forgotten.

We hold in our hearts comrades soon to be or recently imprisoned: Jerry Koch, Kevin Olliff, Rebecca Rubin, and Brian Vaillancourt.

YOU. ARE NOT. ALONE.”

The refrain of those last four words was screamed out, time and again. Not long after, folks left in small groups, making sure not to be snatched up by any of the myriad cops who would happily see us on the other side of the wall.