Power Blossoms

Based in Southern California, Power Blossoms is an abolitionist organization bringing together queer and trans people on both sides of prison walls in the fight against hierarchies and State oppression. https://www.powerblossoms.org/

[powerblossoms]

General Info 🌸

Based in Southern California, Power Blossoms is an abolitionist organization bringing together queer and trans people on both sides of prison walls in the fight against hierarchies and State oppression.

We provide financial support to those inside, process and reply to mail, run a penpal program, coordinate parole and re-entry support, send out a quarterly newsletter, and send out birthday cards to LGBTQ+ prisoners in California prisons.

This is all done by volunteers funded by community efforts! For the cost of a stamp you can help support the necessary work we do to maintain connections in our community. Please consider donating to us here: https://www.powerblossoms.org/donate

We're always accepting new volunteers, even if you're outside California! All we ask is a 30 minute a week time dedication, check out our website to learn more!

Our penpal program can always need more penpals, and if you're able to support we greatly appreciate it. We accept individual penpals as well as penpods, so if you have a community queer group or a group of friends you can all take turns supporting your penpal!

And if you just have a few spare minutes write a birthday card! It only takes a few minutes but it can make someone else's day.

[powerblossoms]

Reading of the Week!

Hello! This week, we're looking at "Necropolitics" by Achille Mbembe, the article which proceeded his book of the same name.

Mbembe presents necropolitics as the production and regulation of death to the ends of imperial and colonial oppression. He argues necropolitics, while related to biopower (how socieities regulate the lives of their populations to the advantage of the state) is seperate because the aim of colonial and imperial states using necropower is not to regulate their oppressed populations, but to keep them in a "living dead" state where they have no power over their own bodies or actions to be disposed of by the state at will.

Necropolitics, he argues, guides the institutions of slavery and apartheid, and is epitomized by the Israeli occupation of Palestine. These examples are what Mbembe calls "death-worlds"- the populations subjected to these conditions are in perpetual states of death and their deaths serve to further the interests of the colonial, "civilized" metropole.

The United States has both a necropoloitical history and present. For the context of our work, the prison industrial complex creates "death worlds" within prison walls where prisoners are denied basic necessities, are tortured at the will of those around them, and they are receptacles for those left by the wayside in the wake of deindustrialization and the gutting of welfare, amongst other social fractures.

As a bit of a bonus reading, "Those Who Walk Away from the Omelas" by Ursula K LeGuin is a necropolitical story. It illustrates Mbembe's point very clearly, and is a useful tool for understanding this theory and the societies which make use of it, including our own.

[victusinveritas]

There's worse to come, folks. Strap in and stay strapped.

[hubblegleeflower]

All news posts are stronger with receipts:

8 convicted in Texas immigration center shooting and protest are sentenced to decades in prison

Eight people accused by the Justice Department of having ties to antifa have been sentenced to decades in federal prison over a shooting out

[auxryn]

You can support imprisoned people by sending them letters of support and money to use for the commisary and phone calls. Being in prison is expensive. Don't write anything that would get them in trouble. Prisoners' mail is read by guards.

[kayla-denker]

The issue of trans women being sent to men's prisons isn't brought up as being a monstrous thing because of the misgendering, it's monstrous because we're sent there to be legally sex trafficked.

That's what V-coding is. That is why they are so adamant about sending trans women to men's prisons, because sex trafficking trans women within the men's prison system is an essential part of that system. Being misgendered by this isn't even an issue that's on our radar!

[sick-jan]

[trannydurden]

happy juneteenth but dont forget that prisoners are legally allowed to be subject to slave labor and also black people are disproportionately arrested and subjected to that legality. happy juneteenth but slavery still lives in america. america is still dependant on slave labor.

[creatingblackcharacters]

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

bringing a sort of "slavery is still alive and well in US prisons" vibe to the office Juneteenth post that my higher ups don't really like

[hunter-gratzner]

From what I understand slavery was never actually abolished in the us. It is still legal and all.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

the amendment that "ended" slavery specifically left permission for slave labor as punishment for convinced criminals and our inmates have been legally exploited ever since, yes

[bebsi-cola]

actually pigs shouldn't be at pride even outside of uniform. fuck those guys

[bebsi-cola]

if you decide to become a police officer then that outweighs any other marginalised identity you can rustle up like. not sorry, who asked you to willingly become a pig

[pekkhum]

I have heard of black people warning their kids that the race of a police officer is cop and you should not expect solidarity from them. The same applies to other types of minorities.

The sexuality of a police officer is cop.

The gender of a police officer is cop.

When you become the enforcer and protector of capital, you are making the deal to be slightly favored by the system over others like you, in exchange for being its servant. Your solidarity is with the system that you serve, even if it hates you.

If you want solidarity with those the system hates, you cannot be the system's servant and defender.

[powerblossoms]

Reading of the Week!

Hello all! This week we're looking at "Instead of Prisons: A Handbook for Abolistionists" written collectively by the Prison Research Education Action Project in 1976.

This text was foundational to the formation of the abolitionist movement in the 70's going on to influence the work of Angela Davis. The glossary it provides is still what abolitionist vocabulary is largely drawn from, and its mission statement that “The abolitionist ideology is based on economic and social justice for all, concern for all victims, and reconciliation within a caring community.” still guides the abolishonist movement today.

It's nature as a historical text means many of the resources it describes are no longer available, some programs mentioned have been shut down as 'Tough on Crime" became increasingly popular, and this text is not able to anticipate the crisis of incentivized incarceration private prisons have been responsible for. That being said, when one is hoping to organize against entities which seem permanent, or inevitable, like capitalism or incarceration, it is strenghtening to see these things have always been vehemently resisted and sucessfully challenged.

We reccomend this text if you want somewhere to start or somewhere to find community with your convictions. This work is posted in the Anarchist Library, which is a resource we highly reccomend to access other works which help to challenge us and our world for free.

Instead of Prisons

Prison Research Education Action Project Instead of Prisons A Handbook for Abolitionists 1976

[powerblossoms]

Reading of the Week!

This week, we've decided to focus on "carceral feminism" an issue discussed by Elizabeth Bernstein in her article: "Militarized Humanitarianism Meets Carceral Feminism: The Politics of Sex, Rights, and Freedom in Contemporary Antitrafficking Campaigns"

Carceral feminism refers to the movement of radical feminists in the 1980's who belived in employing a carceral feminism to punish the patriarchy using the state to achieve gendered justice. In that context, it was radical feminists siding with conservative politicians on anti-pornography laws. This keeps feminism in a neoliberal space- directed towards individual actors, punishing individuals rather than dealing with social structures, and feeding into the profit machine of the prison industrial complex.

In the article, Bernstein specifically discusses how these feminists advocate for further state and punitive involvement in sex trafficking rather than recognizing factors such as imperialism and poverty. She discusses how these feminists are employing myths of white supremacy, such as protecting one's white wife or daughter from the violence of imagined black or brown abusers and keeping women in the subjected category of innocent beings needing protection.

Ultimately, carceral feminists are those who have "visons of social justice as criminal justice". Finishing this article, we hope you begin to question your own associations of punishment and justice. Is it just to control, observe, and regulate the behavior of all to be able to swiftly and thouroughly punish the few? Are we as feminists lashing out at those we can reach within the patriarchy because those truly responsible for sexual exploitation and the conditions which enable it are beyond our reach?

[cyanide-sippy-cup]

For anybody not caught up: Tennessee just passed a new map that pretty much makes it so black neighborhoods have no power in local votes. Two things about this. While protestors were chanting "No Jim Crow", white Tennessee lawmakers were caught laughing on video. On top of this, Representative Justin Pearson and his brother KeShaun Pearson were arrested for trying to give their takes on the matter (which is not only their legal right but literally his job). If you give a shit about black people, help fight this. We can't allow a return to Jim Crow.

[icemankazansky]

Heyyy guess where I live

A local paper had some great photographs, all taken by Nicole Hester:

The day before, Rep. Justin Pearson tries to attend a Senate Committee meeting and is barred access by the Sergeant at Arms.

Lawmakers and protesters link arms as the descend the capitol steps.

Once inside the chamber, Democratic representatives continued to stand together with arms linked.

They continued standing together with arms linked as votes were cast.

Democratic representatives take a group photo protesting the redistricting.

Rep. Justin Jones burns a photo of the Confederate flag with the words, We will not go back.

And stomps the ashes.

KeShaun Pearson being escorted from the building by the Staties.

KeShaun Pearson (left) being taken into custody. Rep. Justin Pearson (right) showing his support of his brother.

Additional information: State lawmakers have been gunning for Pearson and Jones nearly their entire terms. Most notably, in 2023, the House expelled them for participating in a protest at the Capitol. Their districts had to have special elections to have them reinstated.

Pearson is one of the plaintiffs of a lawsuit seeking an injunction against the redistricting.

The city most affected by the redistricting is Memphis, where locals are fighting against xAI's data center, which has been operating with very little oversight and is poisoning the people who live there. Here is a previous post on that with more information and more sources.

[powerblossoms]

Reading of the Week!

Hello! Some more fiction this week, specifically what author Leslie Feinberg describes as an "anti-oppression novel".

"Stone Butch Blues" tells the story of Jess, a young butch living in the second half of the 20th century. Feinberg uses the novel to dicuss the homophobia and misogyny present in this period, as well as discuss issues of class and race as Jess experiences the world around her. Trigger warnings for assault, police brutality, homophobia, racism, misogyny, and descriptions of injuries.

The novel is avialable on Feinberg's website for free, and you can also find resources about zir life and zir work with the Workers World Socialist party. Feinberg's last words were: “Remember me as a revolutionary communist.”

We chose this novel because in part because it acurately portrays the long-standing relationship between queerness and American law enforcement. Every pride, we see the debate on whether police officers should walk in Pride events, with those of more homonormative and liberal persuasions defending their right to attend. We hope in reading this work, some may begin to understand law enforcement can never be truly friendly to queerness and recognize it has no place in our celebrations of joy.

As this Pride season approaches, we earnestly reccomend this novel, which is a true source of queer pride and a historical text of queerness.

[lagonegirl]

i’m speechless

This is how the system of white supremacy  operates. The media is used 2 create stereotypes like blk on blk crime.They need black men to fill jail cells for the Prison Indstrial complex

You know what? I’m tired of this. I do not know what exactly they are waiting for. I mean our government comes up with “reasons” to invade other countries, such as Syria, like their government is allegedly violating human rights or something like that. but… I mean for other countries, they do not even have to go deep to bomb the fuck out of this place, they can just look at our media. And this has been happening to people of color since the media has existed.

I’ll never forget this 👇🏾

[avd-justin-deactivated20180723]

Did a research project on this in undergrad and the results are extremely alarming because it’s not just in imagery, it’s in language used even in the law making process and within our own communities in a completely different way than expected.

[king-shango-the-great]

This ☝🏿

[powerblossoms]

Reading of the Week!

Back to an article! "“You’re calling me a racist?” The Moral and Emotional Regulation of Antiracism and Feminism" by Sarita Srivastava is a discussion of resistance to antiracist politics in feminist organizations. While Srivastava is specifically discussing feminist organizing, this problem is broadly applicable to all factions of leftist organizations, but the unique morality complex of feminism presents an opportunity for nuanced investigation.

Srivastava argues that white feminists often reject accusations of racism within their organizations on the basis of their inherent morality as feminists. Sara Ahmed has made a complimetary argument throughout much of her career that we make an error to equate political descriptors, like "feminist", "racist", "misogynist" and "antiracist" with morality. In Srivastava's interviews, she finds when women of color in feminist organizations made complaints of racism, they were met with "white women's tears", remarks that the women weren't bad people, and displays of revulsion of racism, but no commitments to changing the environment.

To move forward, Srivastava suggests feminist movements begin to focus on "political analysis and action" rather than personal reflections. This approach allows for the community to learn and grow, rather than centering the individual. It's about being able to hear a criticism of racism so that one is able to re-examine their own biases and commit themselves to anti-racist action going forward, rather than denying the lived reality of another person to protect one's own self image as "good".

[quiddie]

*deep breath* If the antifascist (esp. American-centered) art you make or consume refuses to acknowledge the truth that framing this time period as the "sudden rise of fascism" along with its supposed volatility (i.e. "it can't last; that's not how its built") is just a comforting construct to keep white Americans from reckoning with their literal centuries of active and passive participation in this country's fascist, genocidal violence against Indigenous and Black people, your art isn't just wrong...it's worthless. How can you imagine dismantling unjust systems without seeing the blood on your own hands? How do you comprehend the size of the fight for mutual liberation without seeing that the scale of the threat is exponentially larger than your personal experience of the danger of state violence; or is your envisioned win condition only as shallow as the return to your previous sense of safety?

Ignoring the complexities and well-established enmeshment of fascism in Western culture for the sake of simpler stories to inspire rising to this moment in history only builds fair-weather fighters ill-prepared for the rigors of revolutionary action. It also widens the rift between those newly awakened to the struggle and their neighbors that have lived it for generations (and have built and maintained systems of community support and resistance that have protected them for just as long).

If antifascist art doesn't first demand you turn the eye inward, it is only escapist fluff.

[rudavoidish]

Y'all if you're American please email your politicians and senators against the parents decide act. I'm fucking begging because we're reaching a tipping point.

[hetrosjistin]

Call or Write Congress About H.R. 8250: Parents Decide Act - GovTrack.us

Quick and easy link to both find your congressmen/women and giving you a quick and easy way to copy / paste the message into it. You want to oppose. It's an act that will demand that all major OS makers integrate a direct forced age verification control into all OS.

[rudavoidish]

I received a comment on this that I figured would be very helpful- it's a template for communicating with your representatives. Be sure to use it for reference

Dear Representative [Name],

I am writing to express my strong opposition to H.R. 8250 (The "Parents Decide Act"). As your constituent and a concerned citizen, I believe this bill introduces unprecedented risks to digital privacy and security.

Specifically, I am alarmed by:

SEC. 2(a)(1)(B): Requiring age verification to even use an operating system creates a mandatory "hardware lockout" that ends anonymous computing and forces users to hand over sensitive identification data to major corporations just to power on their devices.

SEC. 2(a)(3): Mandating that OS providers create a system for all app developers to access verification data is a massive security vulnerability. This effectively creates a centralized API of user identities accessible to thousands of third-party developers, many of whom may lack adequate data protection.

This bill does not protect children; it creates a centralized surveillance infrastructure at the OS level. I urge you to protect the privacy of your constituents and vote NO on H.R. 8250.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Your Zip Code]

[willowtree1527]

This is a hell that us down under in Australia are already living in, and it’s not even effective at what it claims to do in protecting children.

Given that, in the wake of this mandatory identification policy, my country seems to be moving to hand over its citizens biometric data, like fingerprints, Face ID files, and identification documents, over to the USA and to ICE to maintain the visa free travel (ESTA) we have, I strongly urge any US resident to send these emails, or make calls.

But if you can’t do that, the most powerful thing you can do is spread the word. Tell your friends, family, coworkers, anyone who can help.

My reach will likely be small, and so I don’t know if this will mean very much in the grand scheme of things, but I cannot stand to see this tracking happen to another population as it did to mine.

And if you think it won’t affect you, it will. All anonymity goes out the window when your accounts can be linked via your personal ID

I wish you all luck in preventing this act from going through.

[powerblossoms]

Reading of the Week!

Hello! Something different again this week! We've chosen the poem "38" by Layli Long Soldier from her 2017 collection "Whereas". The collection is a response to S.J. Res 14, a 2009 Congressional Resolution signed by President Obama which is an apology for the generalized atrocities perpetrated by the United States to the indigenous communities of North America. It was closed to the public, and thus has gone largely unknown. The resolution pointedly does not say the U.S. should be held accountable for these attrocities, it only acknowledges they happened.

In "Whereas" Layli Long Soldier explores the lanaguage of apology and how it can be used as a tool of oppression. "38" is a poem about the Dakota 38, a group of Sioux men hanged for their part in the Sioux Uprising by Abraham Lincoln. Audre Lorde argued in her essay on poetry in "Sister Outsider" that poetry is the art of the oppressed because anyone with access to feeling can create it, and it can be created in the spare moments one has-in their mind, on scraps of paper, or in the corners of pages- in contrast to other froms of art which take time and money to produce. We hope you read this poem with that in mind as accessing anti-oppressive work and thought should not be something only achievable in academic texts, but also in art.

38

If this is the first time you’ve heard of it, you might wonder, “What is the Dakota 38?” The Dakota 38 refers to thirty­ eight Dakota men wh