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Ain't I A Woman? newspapers, June 1970-July 1971
1971-03-12 "Ain't I a Woman?" Page 3
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[photo] CONNIE TRIMBLE, an 18-year old black woman, is being held in Ramsey County jail in St. Paul on charges of murdering a St. Paul policeman last year. The police and court authorities treatment of Connie is typical of the treatment given to all female and black prisoners. The bail, set at $50,000 insures that she will remain in jail. This means that she is not allowed to visit with her fifteen-month old child. At her pre-trial hearing, when her mother came into the courtroom with the baby, Connie cried and asked to hold him. The court refused. Despite the seriousness of the charges, the evidence presented by the prosecution in pretrial hearings is very questionable. Their main pieces of evidence are two voice prints they are trying to match up. Voice prints are very unreliable. One person's voice can make two different prints and two people's voices can make similar prints. The print of Connie's voice was obtained in a typically sneaky way. At the request of the St. Paul police, Connie's welfare worker called her into his office saying he needed more information to decide on her welfare status. While there, Carolyn Bailey, a policewoman posing as a welfare statistician called to talk to Connie and made several tapes of her voice. By helping the police in this trickery, the welfare department showed its true face. The crime of Connie Trimble is that she stepped out of her role. Connie is a black woman who has engaged in political activity in her community, something women are not supposed to understand and blacks are not supposed to do. An appeal sent by the Women's Action Committee, Box 7193 Powderhorn Station, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55407 says: "We know that the St. Paul Police Department was under tremendous pressure to make arrests in connection with this case. Their target was a group of people working for human liberation. Prior to her imprisonment, Constance Trimble worked with a group of young blacks in St. Paul doing community organizing, the Inner City Youth League (ICYL). In recent months, the St. Paul Police Dept. has moved to frame other members of this same group. Ronald Reed, arrested for conspiracy to kidnap the governor of Minnesota and hijack a plane (these charges were later dropped), and Gary Hogan arrested for bombing Drayton's in St. Paul, we also members of the ICYL. It is no coincidence that the charges should be similar to those being brought against others in other parts of the country . Women are attempting to help Connie by raising money for her defense and support for her in court. Expert witnesses in linguistics, ballistics, etc.,- services which are automatically available to the prosecution - must be paid for. Collateral and money for bail are needed. Women are encouraged to come to the trial . There is a poster on sale to raise funds for Connie Trimble. See page 3. ALDERSON IS A WOMEN'S PENITENTIARY IN WEST VIRGINIA. WHOEVER & WHEREVER YOU ARE, PAULINE, THANKS FOR THE LETTER. Sisters in Alderson, and sisters around the world, this is Pauline Collins speaking. I am now what our decadent system of prison would call a fugitive. I will not dignify this by the term "fugitive from justice." As things stand now there is no justice for Black sisters in this country. Actually, I was "liberated" from Alderson by revolutionary forces. This country is still holding fast to the "master-slave" syndrome in the treatment of its people. To quote a very fine person who happens to be locked up for his beliefs, "The mark of inhuman treatment of humans in the mark of the beast" whether it's insignia is political procrastination or judicial double talk. I could have stayed in prison, but I know I could never be free in a society such as this. The same uptight living conditions, rotten courts, different strokes. Women are pretty far down in their scheme. Black women even further. And a Black woman convict or ex-convict at the very bottom.. The "beast mark is shown through economic enslavement, social prejudices, barbaric prison system (And take it from me three hots and a cot don't make for a human prison system); whether it's outright murder of young intellectuals and students for no other reason than their political beliefs this is still "the mark of the beast." Whether it be continued perpetuation of ghettoes and what they breed, rationalization of police brutality, antiquated criminal and corrections system for the Blacks and Puerto Ricans and poor in our courts, while there is the extension of fast and liberal treatment to the white collar criminal "the mark of the beast is still there." The beast tries to be cunning in his propaganda too. Dig the following: In New York City recently it was revealed that the system was paying for a welfare family to live in a vermin infested hotel to the tune of what would have been $4,000 dollars at the end of a year. This, rather than use the same amount of money to make several of these families self sufficient maybe. Their plan depends on keeping you in your place, you see. Nixon states that he would raise the poverty standards, while at the same time Reagan is cutting welfare checks. Medicare and Medicaid take a cut while Appollo 14 zooms to the moon. They now want to make John Connally secretary of the treasury, a man who obviously can't keep his own financial affairs straight. They claim inflation is tied to defense cuts. This so they can attempt to show that when you make illegal wars and keep them going it boosts the economy. Then they have to name a panel, get this, to find jobs for the veterans of that war. Of course, some of them won't need jobs. A lot of our Black brothers won't. They are usually up front on the firing lines over there ; the only time a matter of fact we have ever been up front for anything. Let me tell you how the beast leaves his stamp on 800 sisters in Amerika in the Federal-Prison system... These few forgotten souls, (and they are just that, souls I know I lived with them and many are pure soul) have the mark of the beast on their minds and bodies forever, Make no mistake, the structure has on intention of giving up any of that power willingly. For those few who may not know it, there is a movement, a revolution going on right now to do something about this medieval system . There is a group near each person listening to my voice. You have merely to look around. We do not play chiefs and peasants or any of the games of the system .We work side by side to help each other. Naturally my primary interest is Black Sisters. We are the most downtrodden, oppressed of all. The bottom of the heap in their weird priorities. Now that we stand up and refuse to pay any more dues, don't think the beast isn't frightened. Why do you think they are trying to get Angela? They have always known that if and when we realized our potential, they were in trouble, bad! It is a known fact that the beast has a fear of coalitions of oppressed groups; but you can imagine how he feels about such a coalition with one of the most potent ingredients imaginable, the Black Woman. I can't stand behind a brother in this revolution, but I will stand beside one; and everytime he fires on the beast, I'll fire. I will stand beside a sister when I know she's "aware" If a sister who hasn't suffered at the hands of this monster can do battle, can I do any less? And believe me, "If I cannot bend the higher powers, I'll shake the lower roots!" I'm sure you already know these things are true but just knowing they exist is not enough anymore. Now you have to stand up and be counted, and you have to act... Sisters, when you salute and say power remember that these are not empty phrases. There is power at the roots. Then too, the fist would not be necessary if this sick, psychotic dying excuse for a nation had not started it all in the first place. I feel absolutely no pity for what is happening to this republic. If the powers currently operating are not scared and running by now, they should be, because it's late, very late, In closing I would like to Say: the underground already realizes what hour this is, They understand: they dig their strength which is beautiful. They have given me love, help, and care, ad an inside view of togetherness, They operate efficiently and intelligently and I am a living witness to this. When woman is beaten and pounded and scarred for any length of time, sometimes this has the effect of a chisel on rock and the shape that emerges is beautiful in form and strength, through the sculptor may have intended to create an animal Pauline Collins A WOMAN? , MARCH 12, 1971, PAGE 3
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[photo] CONNIE TRIMBLE, an 18-year old black woman, is being held in Ramsey County jail in St. Paul on charges of murdering a St. Paul policeman last year. The police and court authorities treatment of Connie is typical of the treatment given to all female and black prisoners. The bail, set at $50,000 insures that she will remain in jail. This means that she is not allowed to visit with her fifteen-month old child. At her pre-trial hearing, when her mother came into the courtroom with the baby, Connie cried and asked to hold him. The court refused. Despite the seriousness of the charges, the evidence presented by the prosecution in pretrial hearings is very questionable. Their main pieces of evidence are two voice prints they are trying to match up. Voice prints are very unreliable. One person's voice can make two different prints and two people's voices can make similar prints. The print of Connie's voice was obtained in a typically sneaky way. At the request of the St. Paul police, Connie's welfare worker called her into his office saying he needed more information to decide on her welfare status. While there, Carolyn Bailey, a policewoman posing as a welfare statistician called to talk to Connie and made several tapes of her voice. By helping the police in this trickery, the welfare department showed its true face. The crime of Connie Trimble is that she stepped out of her role. Connie is a black woman who has engaged in political activity in her community, something women are not supposed to understand and blacks are not supposed to do. An appeal sent by the Women's Action Committee, Box 7193 Powderhorn Station, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55407 says: "We know that the St. Paul Police Department was under tremendous pressure to make arrests in connection with this case. Their target was a group of people working for human liberation. Prior to her imprisonment, Constance Trimble worked with a group of young blacks in St. Paul doing community organizing, the Inner City Youth League (ICYL). In recent months, the St. Paul Police Dept. has moved to frame other members of this same group. Ronald Reed, arrested for conspiracy to kidnap the governor of Minnesota and hijack a plane (these charges were later dropped), and Gary Hogan arrested for bombing Drayton's in St. Paul, we also members of the ICYL. It is no coincidence that the charges should be similar to those being brought against others in other parts of the country . Women are attempting to help Connie by raising money for her defense and support for her in court. Expert witnesses in linguistics, ballistics, etc.,- services which are automatically available to the prosecution - must be paid for. Collateral and money for bail are needed. Women are encouraged to come to the trial . There is a poster on sale to raise funds for Connie Trimble. See page 3. ALDERSON IS A WOMEN'S PENITENTIARY IN WEST VIRGINIA. WHOEVER & WHEREVER YOU ARE, PAULINE, THANKS FOR THE LETTER. Sisters in Alderson, and sisters around the world, this is Pauline Collins speaking. I am now what our decadent system of prison would call a fugitive. I will not dignify this by the term "fugitive from justice." As things stand now there is no justice for Black sisters in this country. Actually, I was "liberated" from Alderson by revolutionary forces. This country is still holding fast to the "master-slave" syndrome in the treatment of its people. To quote a very fine person who happens to be locked up for his beliefs, "The mark of inhuman treatment of humans in the mark of the beast" whether it's insignia is political procrastination or judicial double talk. I could have stayed in prison, but I know I could never be free in a society such as this. The same uptight living conditions, rotten courts, different strokes. Women are pretty far down in their scheme. Black women even further. And a Black woman convict or ex-convict at the very bottom.. The "beast mark is shown through economic enslavement, social prejudices, barbaric prison system (And take it from me three hots and a cot don't make for a human prison system); whether it's outright murder of young intellectuals and students for no other reason than their political beliefs this is still "the mark of the beast." Whether it be continued perpetuation of ghettoes and what they breed, rationalization of police brutality, antiquated criminal and corrections system for the Blacks and Puerto Ricans and poor in our courts, while there is the extension of fast and liberal treatment to the white collar criminal "the mark of the beast is still there." The beast tries to be cunning in his propaganda too. Dig the following: In New York City recently it was revealed that the system was paying for a welfare family to live in a vermin infested hotel to the tune of what would have been $4,000 dollars at the end of a year. This, rather than use the same amount of money to make several of these families self sufficient maybe. Their plan depends on keeping you in your place, you see. Nixon states that he would raise the poverty standards, while at the same time Reagan is cutting welfare checks. Medicare and Medicaid take a cut while Appollo 14 zooms to the moon. They now want to make John Connally secretary of the treasury, a man who obviously can't keep his own financial affairs straight. They claim inflation is tied to defense cuts. This so they can attempt to show that when you make illegal wars and keep them going it boosts the economy. Then they have to name a panel, get this, to find jobs for the veterans of that war. Of course, some of them won't need jobs. A lot of our Black brothers won't. They are usually up front on the firing lines over there ; the only time a matter of fact we have ever been up front for anything. Let me tell you how the beast leaves his stamp on 800 sisters in Amerika in the Federal-Prison system... These few forgotten souls, (and they are just that, souls I know I lived with them and many are pure soul) have the mark of the beast on their minds and bodies forever, Make no mistake, the structure has on intention of giving up any of that power willingly. For those few who may not know it, there is a movement, a revolution going on right now to do something about this medieval system . There is a group near each person listening to my voice. You have merely to look around. We do not play chiefs and peasants or any of the games of the system .We work side by side to help each other. Naturally my primary interest is Black Sisters. We are the most downtrodden, oppressed of all. The bottom of the heap in their weird priorities. Now that we stand up and refuse to pay any more dues, don't think the beast isn't frightened. Why do you think they are trying to get Angela? They have always known that if and when we realized our potential, they were in trouble, bad! It is a known fact that the beast has a fear of coalitions of oppressed groups; but you can imagine how he feels about such a coalition with one of the most potent ingredients imaginable, the Black Woman. I can't stand behind a brother in this revolution, but I will stand beside one; and everytime he fires on the beast, I'll fire. I will stand beside a sister when I know she's "aware" If a sister who hasn't suffered at the hands of this monster can do battle, can I do any less? And believe me, "If I cannot bend the higher powers, I'll shake the lower roots!" I'm sure you already know these things are true but just knowing they exist is not enough anymore. Now you have to stand up and be counted, and you have to act... Sisters, when you salute and say power remember that these are not empty phrases. There is power at the roots. Then too, the fist would not be necessary if this sick, psychotic dying excuse for a nation had not started it all in the first place. I feel absolutely no pity for what is happening to this republic. If the powers currently operating are not scared and running by now, they should be, because it's late, very late, In closing I would like to Say: the underground already realizes what hour this is, They understand: they dig their strength which is beautiful. They have given me love, help, and care, ad an inside view of togetherness, They operate efficiently and intelligently and I am a living witness to this. When woman is beaten and pounded and scarred for any length of time, sometimes this has the effect of a chisel on rock and the shape that emerges is beautiful in form and strength, through the sculptor may have intended to create an animal Pauline Collins A WOMAN? , MARCH 12, 1971, PAGE 3
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