By David Lee #AS3041 and Nyako Pippen #HQ6180, both are members of One Hood United and the Coalition to Abolish Death By Incarceration
June 6th 2015 marked the official launch of a monumental movement known as (CADBI) the Coalition to Abolish Death By Incarceration. CADBI is a coalition comprised of a core group of solid and committed organizations. Human Rights Coalition, Decarcerate PA, Fight For Lifers, and rounding out the coalition is Right to Redemption.
David Lee - as a Lifer with almost 28 years of captivity, I understand the vital need of this coalition evolving into existence as this crucial leg of our struggle to exit our cages alive.
Nyako Pippen - A loved one of mine recently joined CADBI, and her support has done a great deal to motivate me to higher levels of involvement with the struggle against DBI and mass incarceration in general.
Whether you are serving time on death row, doing a wheel/life sentence, or have the sort of numbers that calls for human beings to languish in prison cells until death enters the equation, this movement has been designed as a tool to change the equation, and to possibly save us from a lonely death in one of Pennsylvania’s many prisons There are three basic principles of CADBI: 1. Parole eligibility after 25 years; 2. Presumptive parole: people are paroled at their eligibility date, unless the prison administration can prove serious unresolved disciplinary infractions; 3. A maximum sentencing law that wills top the commonwealth from indefinitely incarcerating individuals.
The CADBI movement serves as a huge opportunity for us to accomplish something truly significant, however, we have some serious challenges which confront us. The forces which oppose our release from agony are very powerful, and they will resist all of our efforts with intense passion. So we need all of our brothers and sisters trapped in these cages along with us, can we afford any more divisions at this critical juncture in our struggle? Can we afford to gamble this opportunity away because of methods, strategies, or philosophies? If ever there were a time to come together, it is now! Our various perspectives and approaches should not serve as an obstacle to our much needed unity. The ultimate goal of freedom is much more important than any particular method. All genuine methods and efforts are valuable and we need them! Just because we cannot devote our time, resources, and energy to each method does not mean that we are not in support of those approaches and efforts.
Each group in this struggle has a vital role to play, and that role should be respected by all who cherish their freedom. If we, for whatever reasons, fail to take full advantage of this opportunity, we shall surely regret that we allowed this important opportunity to slip away from us. Therefore we need all who want to see the light of day again to join us in this struggle. Our unity is a powerful tool, and we need that tool more than ever before because our lives are at stake. We do not want our comrades, or others whom we love and care about to perish in these lonely cages of anguish, so we are asking for everyone to band together as brothers and sisters, and not allow anything to divide us. Our unity can save our lives, so let us unite!
Also we want to state that our outside activists/supporters are being overwhelmed with work. We are talking about people who care enough about us to take time out of their lives to help save ours. They make tremendous sacrifices to do this work, and it is very tedious work. Therefore, we cannot continue to overwhelm them with every personal issue under the sun. If we do so we tie them up doing unnecessary opening of mail and reading the mail, and then we have the audacity to get upset with them when they are unable to respond to us. we must be mindful of all the challenges they are dealing with already!
Also we must remind our families and other loved ones of how important their role is to this struggle. It is imperative that our families unite with us in this fight. They bring a certain power to the equation that we must have. Moreover, they can tell the story of how our imprisonment has affected their lives. The pain that they too deal with on a daily basis. Also they can express the profound damage our imprisonment has had on our families and communities alike. So we are asking that we finally unite and work together toward creating a powerful presence in this state. And that our loved ones create the type of voting block needed to bring about legislative changes.
Both Nyako Pippen #HQ6180 and David Lee #AS3041 are located at 1 Kelly Drive Coal Township PA. 17866-1021