This week political prisoner and CLDC client Malik Muhammad will be celebrating his birthday in the Snake River Correctional Institute in Ontario, Oregon, far from his family, friends and supporters (which is why the prison industrial complex transferred him there last month). We honor him by sharing a fierce poem he wrote that aligns with CLDC’s anti-snitching ethics. See below for more info on Malik and how to send him a letter or donation for his prison commissary account for his birthday!

If the pigs catch you
Say it wasn’t you
Listen to me
Because I’m telling you the truth
Keep your mouth shut
Make them bare proof
If the pigs catch you
Remember ACAB includes rats too
So. If the pigs catch you
Stay solid we got you
Our memory is longer than the state
Your birthday, likes, dis-likes, friends, family
We remember EVERYTHING
If the pigs catch you it’s not over
Liberation has only just begun
Political prisoners are number 1
Assata was sprung.
It can be done
Again and again
We fight and win or lose again
TOGETHER in the end
Like Johnathan in Marion
If the pigs catch you
And we show at your courthouse
We get out or fall TOGETHER
Cuz if the pigs catch you
They’ve stolen family
They’ve taken my (our) (your)
Brother
Sister
Mother
Father
Son
Daughter
Lover
Friend
Comrade
PEOPLE
And for the people I’ll love
For the people I’ll fight
For the people I’ll ride
For the people I’ll lie
For the people I’ll steal
For the people I’ll die
For the people I’ll love
For the people I love

From Malik: If the pigs catch you is inspired by statements made by Dequi Kioni-Sadki commenting on her husband Sekou Odinga’s release after 33.5 years in prison and the continued state repression they faced after his release until his death. As she says, we MUST have a memory LONGER than the state.

Within the last month, political prisoner Malik Muhammad was subjected to a retaliatory transfer from Oregon State Prison in Salem, to Snake River Correctional Institution in Ontario, Oregon (far eastern Oregon—closer to Idaho than Portland or Eugene). Before his transfer, Malik was subjected to cruel and unusual torture by being housed in solitary confinement for over 250 days—at times being forced to sleep on the floor, without hygiene supplies, or any of his property including books. This abuse and neglect by the O.D.O.C. was instituted despite the fact that Malik suffers from PTSD in part because of his time spent in Army combat. Malik is an individual who has fought for justice whether on the inside or outside of prison, and has been forced to engage with the system by enduring hunger strikes– not only to protest his own cruel and unusual punishment but also to improve the lives and conditions for his fellow prisoners. Malik continues to be unabashedly for the people. Unfortunately, this move by the Department of Corrections has only added insult to injury as he’s been ripped away from his family and support system and sent to the borderlands between Oregon and Idaho.

If you’re unfamiliar with Malik’s powerful story please click here for an archived write-up from CLDC:

Malik’s birthday is rapidly approaching on Saturday, 2/15, so were asking that you stop what you’re doing RIGHT NOW, and take a few minutes to pen him a letter (birthday cards not allowed—see below). A movement is only as strong as its care for our political prisoners so let him know he remains firmly in our hearts. As CLDC has said many times before, the work of supporting political prisoners does not end when a sentence is handed down, or even when a prisoner is released. True political prisoner solidarity extends to every facet of support both for the individual incarcerated, their families, and the networks that work behind the scenes to do the heavy lifting for those waiting for their moment of liberation.

None of us are free until we all are free.

Take special note: recently Malik was designated a ‘Security Threat Management’ prisoner which subjects him to greater scrutiny and harsher conditions, particularly when it comes to incoming and outgoing communications. This is Malik’s punishment for being an organizer and true to his political ideals on the inside. When writing Malik please keep in mind that every piece of mail coming in and going out will be monitored by STM personnel and kept indefinitely on file. There is no need to edit the passionate support but please remember that the content of your words will reflect on the conditions in which Malik continues to persevere. Below you’ll find Malik’s address and the rules for D.O.C. correspondence, thank you so much for your care and action. Here’s a comprehensive instructional page on communicating with a prisoner at Snake River Correctional Institution.

Malik Muhammad #23935744
Snake River Correctional Institution
777 Stanton Blvd
Ontario, OR 97914-8335

Instructions for letter writing.

-Full address and SID# as written above

-Complete return address of sender including name

-Incoming mail must be in pen, pencil, or typewritten (Crayon, marker, etc. NOT ALLOWED)

-Incoming mail must be written on standard-weight white paper (copy paper)

-As of 1/13/2025 greeting cards and postcards no longer allowed

-Incoming mail must be enclosed in a commercially produced envelope that is standard-weight white paper

As always, any media like books etc. must be sent directly from publisher or officially recognized site. Please support Tiny Raccoon Books (former Green Scare political prisoner Daniel McGowan’s bookshop) or Burning Books for your book buying and sending needs.