As part of Montreal's Week Against Prisons
Saturday, 10 August 2013, 10am to 5pm
Parc Lafontaine (Sherbrooke or Mont Royal metro)
Look for us near the corner of Parc-Lafontaine and Napoleon.
Full day of workshops from an anti-capitalist perspective on the theme of prisons.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1375771172646543/
Childrens' activities and childcare
Free lunch and snacks
Whisper translation EN-FR
Any specific accessibility needs? Please contact us (see below).
SCHEDULE
10 to Noon
::: Activist Experiences of Prison :::
Presented by: Mandy Hiscocks and Alex Hundert
Language: English
Former political prisoners Mandy Hiscocks and Alex Hundert were both imprisoned as a result of organizing against the 2010 Toronto G20 summit. As many anti-capitalists in Quebec find themselves in similar positions in the aftermath of the 2012 student/social strike, Mandy and Alex will share their experiences of having served almost a year each in Ontario provincial prisons. They'll talk about what they did to prepare, what worked well for them and what didn't, how their privilege affected how they did time, what kind of support they received and, of course, the continuation of their political work behind bars.
The workshop is geared towards people who are engaged in anti-capitalist struggle, who are facing prison time or supporting someone who is. The workshop will include a discussion period after an informal presentation, with a chance for people to share their own experiences and reflect on the material presented.
::: Prisoner Strikes in the United States and their Strategic Significance Here :::
Presented by: Karl Kersplebedeb
Language: French
The workshop will discuss the prisoner strikes that have taken place over the last several years in the United States, including those undertaken in California in 2011 and again this year. We will look at the role of prisons in the United States in relation to the hyper-racialized form that capitalism takes in that country, whether these strikes have relevance to struggles here in Canada, and whether it is useful to organize in support of prisoners struggling in another country as well as the limits and possibilities of this solidarity.
Karl Kersplebedeb is a Montreal activist who has worked in solidarity with prisoners - particularly in the United States - for many years.
::: Abolition for Kids :::
Co-presented by: the Childcare Collective and the Termite Collective
Language: bilingual English-French
This is a workshop about prison and abolition for people between the ages of 6 and 12. The workshop will begin by exploring themes around prison, what is it and what ideas people have about it, and then, keeping in mind the age range, move into themes of transformative justice and community-based strategies for dealing with violence and justice. The workshop will involve games, skits and role playing and breaking up into small groups for group discussion.
Noon to 1pm
LUNCH
Commemoration of people who have died in prisons, as part of Prisoners Justice Day.
1pm to 3pm
::: Legal self-defence against the P-6 Bylaw :::
Presented by: members of the Legal Support and Self-defence Committee of the CLAC
Language: French
The city of Montreal has used its P-6 bylaw to prevent us from protesting for many years. Since the expanded P-6 was brought into force last year, hundreds of people have been ticketed under this bylaw. The Legal Support and Self-Defence Committee of the CLAC invites you to a workshop on challenging these tickets and the different options for self-defense or counter-attack (constitutional challenge, collective recourse, etc.).
::: Double Punishment :::
Presented by: members of Solidarity Across Borders and No One Is Illegal - Montreal
Language: English
Canada has a policy of punishing "immigrants" twice for the same criminal conviction: once through the criminal system and a second time through the immigration system. This often means a second period of detention followed by deportation. The workshop will explore this intersection of the criminal and immigration systems in Canada. Details forthcoming.
3pm to 5pm
::: The Prison Industrial Complex :::
Presented by: Jean-Claude Bernheim
Language: French
The prison is the ultimate point of the system of penal justice. The penal justice system is composed of penal law, police, courts and a system of sanctions, including prison. We will look at each one of these elements before examining the prison system in greater detail, as well as the economic and political interests underlying it.
Jean-Claude Bernheim is a critical criminologist and a prison specialist.
::: Criminalization of immigration: art, activism and intervention :::
Presented by: Collective of Artists and Community Activists of the Immigrant Workers' Centre (IWC)
Language: Spanish and French
Last year, we saw a growing number of migrants detained. Between 2004-2011, around 82,000 migrants were detained by the Canadian Border Service Agency, with an average of 400 to 500 detained on any given day. Given that detention is a multi-million dollar industry, many question whether the expansion of this system is linked to business interests. Moreover, we deplore the fact that migration, a natural phenomenon in the past, has become criminalized in the current capitalist system. How can this injustice be denounced while re-negotiating our relations of force and collective solidarity? Members of the artists' bloc of the Immigrant Workers Centre invite you to a collective reflection through theatrical games, creative exercises and sharing of experiences. This workshop aims to denounce this injustice and strengthen our creative forces of solidarity in face of their degeneration within current capitalist relations.
-----
This teach-in is the third in a series organized by the CLAC. If you would like to get involved in organizing the teach-in, please contact us! You can also contact us if you would like to have an info-table during the teach-in:
educationpopulaire@clac-montreal.net
* Browse a database of anticapitalist workshops available in Montreal or register your own workshop: our Anticapitalist Workshop Database is a popular education tool to help make anti-capitalist workshops offered by various groups more accessible to anyone interested in hosting them (e.g. student movement, neighbourhood assemblies, community centres, etc.). http://ateliersanticapitalistes.wordpress.com
Organized by the
Popular Education Committee of the CLAC
educationpopulaire@clac-montreal.net
www.clac-montreal.net
In the context of
Montreal's Week against Prisons
http://contrelesprisons.blogspot.ca
montrealcontrelesprisons@gmail.com