Rattling the Cages: Looking Back at the George Jackson Brigade

In this Rattling the Cages panel talk, Eric King speaks with former political prisoners and George Jackson Brigade members Janine Bertram and Mark Cook. Perhaps the most prolific of the revolutionary groups in the Pacific Northwest, the George Jackson Brigade described itself as, "We are cozy cuddly / armed and dangerous / and we will / raze the fucking prisons / to the ground."

Published by AK Press, is a project of abolitionists Josh Davidson and Eric King. The book is filled with the experience and wisdom of over thirty current and former North American political prisoners. It provides first-hand details of Pr*son life and the political commitments that continue to lead prisoners into direct confrontation with state authorities and institutions.

If you missed the previous panel discussions you can watch the recordings here.

Janine Bertram was active in Seattle-area queer and leftist communities in the 1960s and 70s. She co-founded the Seattle chapter of COYOTE (Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics) and worked to collectivize the group. Janine was a member of the George Jackson Brigade (GJB) and spent over four years in Pr*son for political work. The majority of her imprisonment was at FCI Pleasanton. In Pr*son she helped found the first U.S. Pr*son parenting program (Pr*son MATCH) and made it a collective with women of all races actively participating. She also held small study groups reading and discussing George Jackson’s work. Janine was heavily involved in the Disability Rights movement and helped pass the ADA. Her activism in Disability Justice and Rights continues to this day.

Mark Cook co-founded the first Pr*son chapter of the Black Panther Party at Walla Walla State Penitentiary in Washington and worked tirelessly on behalf of prisoners’ rights. Mark was a member of the George Jackson Brigade (GJB) in the Pacific Northwest during the 1970s. He spent four decades behind bars, more than half of which was for his political work. The majority of his imprisonment was in federal facilities, namely Leavenworth, Lompoc, and Lewisburg, and Walla Walla. Now in his late 80s, Mark continues to be active and involved in movement work.

Eric King is a father, poet, author, and activist. In December 2023 he was released from the supermax ADX Pr*son after spending nearly ten years as a political prisoner for an act of protest over the police M**der of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. He was held in solitary confinement for years and was met with violence by guards throughout his incarceration. Eric has published three zines: Battle Tested (2015), Antifa in Pr*son (2019), and Pacing in My Cell (2019). His sentencing statement is included in the book (2019). Eric now works as a paralegal for the Bread and Roses Legal Center.

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