the ohio 7, united freedom front
historical note - what binds these people together may be the attempt to affirm a basic sense of right and wrong which the powerful have excluded from politics; they are anti-capitalist to spare their own people as well as victims throughout the world;. the government ended their normal lives as a severe warning to any american resistance effort which exceeded the bounds of nonviolent protest; activists from white working class backgrounds arrested in 1984 and '85 while living underground, they were essentially three married couples (with children) and a single father; they were charged with various crimes including bombing federal and military facilities and corporate centres of apartheid; called "blue collar revolutionaries," they provided resistance to america's steady progress toward fascism; the records of their free lives show years strengthening working class interests, taking risks in their work against racism, commitment to anti-poverty programs cross culturally, commitment to prison reform, to community education, and public service to the needs of the people while their political ethic cared for the global victims of corporate capitalism; they were tried as members of the united freedom front and sam melville / jonathan jackson bridgade, which took credit for numerous bank robberies and "propaganda bombings" through the 70's and 80's, which caused no deaths in a signature characteristic of american resistance; an unclaimed bombing attributed by government, incurrred casualties, and there were deaths of police in fire fights; under u.s. law none of the ohio 7 was/is allowed status as a political prisoner; there is evidence of persecution for their political convictions, to the point of torture.

ces gens sont liés un à l'autre par leur sens d'ethique qu'ils voulaient appliquer mais que le système américaine voulait excluire; ils sont des contre capitalistes pour epargner leurs propres peuples et aussi les victimes partout dans le monde; le gouvernement a terminé leurs vies normales comme avertissement à n'importe quelle resistance de l'amerique du nord qu'oublie la nonviolence; ce groupe des activistes était arrêté en 1985 et 1986; ils étaient trois couples avec leurs enfants et un parent; considérés "blue collar revolutionaries" ils faisaient la résistance contre l'entrée en fascisme des etats-unis, pendant qu'ils faisaient plus fort les intérêts de la classe ouvrière, le contre-racisme, le contre-pauvreté, la réformation des prisons, l'éducation de la communauté, le service publique aux besoins du peuple et des victimes du capitalisme des corporations mondiales; le gouvernement les a réclamés comme membres du united freedom front et du sam melville / jonathan jackson brigade, ces groupes ont pris responsabilité pour un nombre des vols (banques) et "bombes pour propagande" pendant les 70's et 80's; il n'y avait pas des fatalités à cause de ces bombes, (peut-être une signature soigneuse de la résistance américaine), quoiqu'il y avait des blessées avec une bombe pas réclamé, et aussi les fatalités des policiers en escarmouches; sous les lois des etats-unis aucun des "ohio 7" ne peut être classifié comme prisonnier politique; il y a évidence de persécution en prison jusqu'à la pointe de la torture, à cause de leurs politiques.

tom william manning , from boston, a vietnam veteran, is serving 53 years for actions with the united freedom front, and 80 years for armed robbery, escape, and police death (he claimed self-defense); an impartial medical exam should reveal physical injuries from law enforcement, without appropriate medical care. carol ann manning of maine was sentenced to 15 years for united freedom front actions. richard williams of massachusetts chose prison to vietnam service after an early marihuana arrest;.serving subsequent time for robbery he became chairperson of the new england prisoner association; into publishing activism, prisoner rights in maine, the amandla concert which provided aid to south african liberation, he's serving 35 to life for the death of a state trooper, to be followed by 45 years for 5 bombing actions with the united freedom front; recent abrupt release from isolation was followed by a coronary; impartial medical analysis may find a lack of appropriate medical treatment or precautions (update:aug. 26, 2005: we understand that he is currently receiving federal medical center treatment for severe health problems). raymond luc levasseur is a vietnam veteran of maine and french canadian heritage; as a student organizer in the 70's he received a five year sentence for selling a small amount of pot; in the tennessee state penitentiary he was noted for attempts to counter systemic racism and long solitary confinements; in maine he was active with the red star north book store, vietnam veterans against the war, prisoners rights (scar) and community based prisoner support; sentenced to 45 years for bombings, when he was subsequently tried for seditious conspiracy (and acquitted) his defense was based on morality and human rights law opposing u.s. government and corporate policies; incarcerated in marion penitentiary he refused defense industry labour and was kept in solitary through several prison transfers. patricia helen gros levasseur was convicted of harbouring a fugitive (her husband) and sentenced to five years. jean karl laaman from buffalo (an immirgant from estonia at three) attended cornell & university of new hampshire after time in new york state prison system for assault & burglary; he was imprisoned in new hampshire for bombing a nixon campaign headquarters; he became a draft counselor, worked anti-klan, and for the amandla concert; he's serving 45 years for the death of a state trooper, and 53 years for united freedom front actions. barbara curzi laaman, of east boston worked women's rights, anti-klan, the amandla concert and was sentenced to 15 years for united freedom front activities

*
as of sept. 2003; sources: "My Blood is Quebecois," by Ray Luc Levasseur, Marion Prison, May, 1992, [url: http://home.earthlink.net/~neoludd/qbq.htm ]. "People against Oppression and War," "The United Freedom Front" [url: http://www.paow.org/id16.htm] . The Valley Advocate, "Behind the Revolutionaries: The Ohio 7 Tell Their Stories,: Part I" and "Part II," by Kris Hundley. Aug. 24, and Aug 31., 1987 [url: http://old.valleyadvocate.com/25th/archives/ohio_seven.html] . The Valley Advocate, "Ohio 7: Not Guilty, the failure of the federal government's $50 million case," by Al Giordano,. Dec. 4, 1989. "Ray Luc Levasseur (October 10, 1946-)," by Daniel Schleifer [url: http://courses.brown.edu/Joy_Ann_James-AF0130_S02/materialadd10.pdf]. "Free North American political prisoner Ray Luc Levasseur!" by Ray Luc Levasseur [url: http://www.montrealabcf.org/levasseur/]. "Free North American political prisoner Jaan Karl Laaman," by Jack Laaman [url: http://www.montrealabcf.org/laaman/] . "Prison Activist Resource Center": "Richard Williams Anti-imperialist Political Prisoner." "Richard Williams in his own words" (-from "Can't Jail the Spirit") [url: http://www.prisonactivist.org/pps+pows/richardwilliams/]. "Tom Manning, A Short Biography" [url: http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Parliament/3400/tom-bio.htm]. "Tom Manning Homepage" [url: http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Parliament/3400/]. "Free all class war prisoners ! Ohio 7 fighters against imperialism, racism." [url: http://www.democracyunbound.com/laamanj.html].

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text by j.b.gerald w. drawing by j.maas
gerald and maas night's lantern

january 4, 2004
update august 26, 2005