PP Seth Hayes' Parole Updates-gctid30939

[nattyreb]

via:  Freedom Archives
==================

Dear friends, please pass this on as far as you can. Please note that
 we're currently experiencing problems with Seth's website
  www.sethhayes.org but we should have those fixed shortly. Please send in
 letters in support of Seth's parole as soon as possible as the hearing
 could happen anytime between September and December of 2008. For more
 information please email torontoabcf@gmail.com
 
 In solidarity,

the Toronto Chapter of the Anarchist Black Cross Federation
======

From Robert Seth Hayes
 #74A2280, Wende Corr. Facility
 P.O. Box 1187, Alden, NY
 14004-1187, united snakes

September 8, 2008
 
 Dear friends and supporters,
 
 This brief letter wishes to update you about my strategy to gain
 immediate release from confinement and return to working in the
 community. Many of you know that I was expecting a parole board hearing
 in September 2008. As it was, I was belatedly informed that the hearing
 would commence on September 3, 2008. On the second of September I
 reached out to my attorney Sunited snakesn Tipograph to discuss the hearing
 schedule and then learned of the passing of Comrade Bashir Hameed a.k.a.
 James York. A strong and positive Brother in our struggle to free the
 land, spirit and inhabitants, Bashir joined our ancestors on August 30,
 2008. I ask you to join me in sending up prayers of rejoicing to a
 soldier whose contributions have sustained many of us.
 
 As I struggled with the news of Bashir, I pondered the input of Sunited snakesn on
 seeking a second installment from the parole board as we again seek
 information promoting a stronger defense at a future parole board
 hearing. I listened, contemplated and decided such a proposal was
 necessary. I went to the parole board hearing on the third of September
 and sought a postponement for at least 30 days, pending advice from my
 attorney. It was granted. I received confirmation on September 5
 informing me that postponement was granted for December 2008 or sooner.
 
 What does that mean? It means we must consolidate our efforts to put
 forth a stronger position than initiated before. Quality is a must. For
 those of you out there with connections in the political arena, you
 should connect with political representatives and instruct them to
 submit letters of assurance to the parole board on my behalf, offering
 housing, jobs, education opportunities and any potential help that would
 result in a smoother transition back to the community. Community
 activists, church leaders, politicians, etc. should all be contacted and
 asked for their support. What we need are issues that parole
 commissioners can view and recognize as serious and unwavering support.
 I will do my part in making a presentation suitable to our task.
 
 Please visit my webpage www.sethhayes.org for background information.
 Remember, "many are called, few are chosen." If you are one of those who
 step up (the chosen), I thank you and honor your support. For those who
 in the past absently committed without maintaining their support (the
 many), here is your chance to redeem self and reputation.
 
 This missive must remain brief, as there are many awaiting word that I
 must reach out.
 
 My love and respect to you.
 Forward our righteous struggle to its conclusion!
 My love,
 
 Robert Seth' Hayes

*PLEASE FORWARD*
 
 Support Parole for US Political Prisoner Robert 'Seth' Hayes! - Letters
 needed by May 30th 2008
 
 Locked down for more than a lifetime: Soliciting letters of support for
 a U.S. political prisoner Robert Seth
 Hayes's Parole – May 2008
 
 A letter from the Robert Seth Hayes Support Committee -
  www.sethhayes.org | info (at) sethhayes.org
 
 Robert "Seth" Hayes is a U.S. political prisoner and former member of
 the Black Panther Party who has been imprisoned in New York state for
 more than three decades. When Seth was convicted in 1974, his sentence
 was 25 years to life. The implicit understanding at the time of his
 sentencing was that Seth would serve 25 years as a minimum, after which
 time he would be eligible for release based on his record and conduct in
 prison.
 
 In June of 2008, Seth will be going before the parole board for the
 fifth time. At each of Seth's previous parole hearings, he was denied
 release due to the serious nature of the crime he was convicted for and
 given another two years in jail. The refunited snakesl of parole for the serious
 nature of the crime seems contrary to the spirit of the law, for it is
 something that a prisoner can never change, and the giving of parole is
 based upon the prisoner's behavior while behind bars.
 
 Seth is not the only one being subjected to these unfair rules. This has
 become common practice for the New York state parole board, who, by
 denying parole based on the seriousness of the conviction, are defacto
 re-sentencing many prisoners to life in prison without the possibility
 of parole.
 
 Seth's prison record is exemplary, and if a decision about Seth's parole
 were to be based on his conduct and personal growth, he would have
 rejoined his family and his community years ago.
 
 Please write a letter to the parole board to let them know that you
 think Seth deserves to be released. Write your own letter, or use the
 sample letter that has been included in this document.
 
 If you have a personal relationship with Seth, please consider writing
 about this relationship in your letter. If you work with a community
 organization or union, have a professional job, or are a rock star,
 please consider mentioning this in your letter (or writing on
 letterhead, etc.).
 
 If you decide to personalize your letter, you may choose to include
 information drawn from the short biography also included in this
 package, where some of Seth's accomplishments are highlighted.
 
 More information about Seth can be found on a web page that has been put
 together by his supporters at www.sethhayes.org
 
 All letters should be mailed or faxed to the Senior Parole Officer at
 Wende Correctional facility with a copy going to Seth's lawyer, Sunited snakesn
 Tipograph, as soon as possible, as Seth's parole hearing could take
 place any time between September 30th and December 31st of 2008. Please
 send all of your letters to:
 
 Senior Parole Officer
 Wende Correctional Institute
 P.O. Box 1187, (3622 Wende Road) Alden, NY
 14004-1187, united snakes
 
 and send a copy or a fax to:
 
 Sunited snakesn Tipograph
 
 Attorney At Law
 350 Broadway
 New York, NY
 10013
 fax (212) 625-3939

Sample Letter
 
 Re: Robert Seth Hayes
 
 #74A2280
 
 Dear Senior Parole Officer of Wende Correctional Institute,
 
 I am writing on behalf of Robert Hayes who is scheduled to appear before
 the parole board for the fifth time in July of 2006.
 
 Robert Hayes' application for parole was denied when he last appeared
 before the board two years ago. At the time of that appearance, his
 record was excellent. However, since that time his record is
 outstanding. Mr. Hayes has continued to work to help others and improve
 himself. While at Clinton Correctional Facility, he facilitated in the
 HIV Educators program to assist others as well as becoming a member of
 the Lifer's and Long Termers Organization whose primary goal is to
 educate and instruct newly arriving inmates in adjustment to and
 preparation for final release from incarceration. Since his transfer to
 Wende Correctional Facility, he has coached basketball and participated
 in a local restorative justice project. These are but a few of his many
 accomplishments over his years of incarceration. I am confident that
 were he to be released, he would be a great asset to the community and
 to society at large.
 
 There is no question that the crime for which Mr. Hayes was convicted
 was a serious crime. However, he has shown remorse and takes full
 responsibility for his acts. I am sure that you will agree that after
 serving almost 33 years Mr. Hayes' release at this time would not so
 deprecate the seriousness of the crime so as to undermine respect for
 the law. Moreover, if you examine all of the factors that are used to
 predict whether person is most likely to recidivate, those factors
 indicate that Mr. Hayes will not engage in any criminal activity. His
 disciplinary history during his incarceration indicates that he obeys
 the rules in prison; he has a supportive network of family and friends
 on the outside available to assist him in his reintegration back into
 society and he had an extensive work history prior to being incarcerated
 in addition to obtaining marketable skills in prison that will help him
 to obtain employment. Nothing is gained by his continued incarceration,
 and much is lost, as he has much to offer the community upon his release.
 
 By the time that Mr. Hayes appears before the parole board, he will be
 58 years old – more than 30 years older and considerably wiser than the
 man who was charged with committing the crime. He is a compassionate,
 caring individual and deserves a second chance. Please grant Mr. Hayes
 parole and give him that second chance.
 
 Sincerely,
 
 _____________________
 
 Biography
 
 Robert Seth Hayes was born in Harlem, New York in October 1948. His
 father, John Franklin Hayes, was the child of sharecroppers and came to
 New York City from South Carolina; his mother, Francine Washington
 Hayes, moved to New York from Pittsburgh. Both of Mr. Hayes' parents
 worked for the U.S. Postal Service, trying to provide a better life for
 Seth and his four brothers and sisters. They also instilled in their
 children the desire to work for the betterment of their community. Seth
 writes, "My mother taught me to visualize family universally, not
 individually." Seth's father was a World War II veteran and a member of
 the United Negro Improvement Association, the Black Nationalist
 organization founded by Marcus Garvey.
 
 Growing up in New York City, first in Harlem, later in the Bronx and
 Queens, Mr. Hayes saw one Black neighborhood after another suffering
 from neglect, despair, anger and defeat. During 1950s and 1960s with the
 growing rise of the civil rights and Black power movements Seth recalls
 witnessing over the years a birth of hope and determination to overcome
 these conditions.
 
 After his schooling in New York City, Mr. Hayes worked as a psychiatric
 aide at Creedmoor Hospital. He was drafted into the U.S. Army and sent
 to Vietnam. He saw combat, was wounded and awarded the Purple Heart,
 National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal and the
 Vietnam Campaign Medal.
 
 In the armed forces, Seth underwent a change of consciousness. After
 the death of Martin Luther King Junior in 1968, Seth's troop was ordered
 to patrol the city streets with fixed bayonets to put down the
 rebellions resulting from Dr. King's assassination. "It was the saddest
 day of my life," Seth remembers, "and I could never identify again with
 the aims of the armed forces or the government."
 
 Upon returning to the United States from Vietnam, Seth was swept up in
 the Black Liberation movement and joined the Black Panther Party. He
 worked in the free breakfast for children program and began dedicating
 his life to the betterment of Black people. His knowledge of the
 effects of racism on the Black community convinced him that the Black
 Panthers' program of community service ad community self-defense was
 what was needed. His work, like that of so many others, was disrupted
 by COINTELPRO. Fearing further attacks, he went underground, believing
 it to be the only way to protect the work of the Black Panther Party and
 the Black movement in general.
 
 Robert Seth Hayes had two children prior to his arrest and imprisonment,
 and he has remained closely involved their lives and upbringing, despite
 the difficulties presented by his long incarceration. His son, Chunga,
 lives and works in Atlanta. His daughter, Crystal, herself mother of
 14-year-old Myaisha, is a student at the Smith College graduate school
 of social work in Western Massachusetts. Seth calls his family "the
 loves of my life." He describes his relationship with Crystal this way,
 "She has had the most intense impact on my life, always questioning,
 full of joy and insight, grasping lessons and maintaining her own
 dreams. She has kept me striving always to expand my knowledge and
 illuminate my principles, as I struggle to stay abreast of her
 questioning mind."
 
 Seth has been diagnosed with Type II diabetes and Hepatitis C. He has
 been extremely ill and had great difficulty procuring the necessary
 healthcare and has needed the help of his lawyers and some state
 political leaders in order to get adequate treatment.
 
 While in prison, Seth continues to work for the betterment of the
 community in which he lives. He has participated in programs with the
 NAACP, the Jaycees and other organizations and has worked as a
 librarian, pre-release advisor and AIDS counselor. Whenever possible, he
 has taken college courses. He is also a longtime advisor and
 collaborator in the annual "Certain Days" Political Prisoner calendar
 project. He is dedicated to continuing to work for social justice when
 he gets out of prison. At Wende correctional facility where he is
 currently incarcerated, Seth is working to put together a "lifers
 program" to help rehabilitate prisoners and prepare them to reenter the
 community. Seth also coaches basketball and works on assisting a local
 restorative justice project taking place in Buffalo.
 
 For more information about Seth, please check out www.sethhayes.org or
 e-mail info (at) sethhayes.org.

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