Below is the current schedule for the Bend the Bars conference. We are no longer scheduling content at the Sporeprint Infoshop. All content will be hosted at Barack Recreation Center at 580 E Woodrow Ave. Columbus, OH, 43207.
Friday, August 26: Barack Recreation Center
4pm Welcome!
Check-in for housing, registration, and the schedule for the weekend
5pm Dinner
6pm Health and Safety workshop
How to stay healthy and safe in the streets, in anticipation of Saturday’s demonstration
By: Street Medics & National Lawyers Guild
8pm History of Ohio Prison Struggles
By a former prisoner, about Ohio’s first “gang of 1,” the Dirty Dozen, prison production sabotage, and the strutucal pitfalls associated with anti-prison organizing
8pm Banner & sign making
Make banner, signs, noisemakers, and other party favors for Saturday’s demo
Saturday, August 27: Barack Rec Center
8:15 Doors open for tabling, snacks & coffee, registration
9am Orientation and introductions
Short orientation to Bend the Bars followed by 1-3 minutes introductions from
groups and individuals in attendance
10am Anti-Prison Organizing & Connection to Other Movements
Panel and discussion on how prisoner support and prison struggles are vital elements
of all movements for justice and autonomy and how those connections can strengthen all
of us. Hear from people involved in labor, BLM, queer and womyn, and environmental struggles.
By: Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee, Support Prisoner Resistance, Queer Prisoner Support, Black Lives Matter, and Fight Toxic Prisons
12pm Lunch
1pm Strategies for Communicating Through the Walls
As prisons are meant to silence dissent, establishing and maintaining contact with friends and
family inside can be challenging. Join a group to discuss things such as censorship, prison
publications, building contacts, books to prisoners programs, and taking advantage of new
technologies.
By: Midwest Pages to Prisoners, George Jackson University, and others
2:30 Dialogue with Prisoners
Join a video conference or a phone call with those resisting & organizing inside.
Hear from prisoners in Ohio, Colorado, Alabama, and Pennsylvania.
3:30 report-backs & discussion
Share with the group about the conversation you were a part of; hear from others about theirs
4:30 Snacks, preparation for demo, and shuttles downtown
5pm March & Demonstration
Join us for a march in downtown Columbus
Evening Dinner and debrief
Sunday, August 28: Barack Rec Center
8:15 Doors open for tabling, snacks, and coffee
9am Morning Plenary
Includes a review of Saturday’s demo, announcements, and an introduction of the call to
action for September 9th.
10am Stories and Experiences of Prison Uprisings and Prisoner Resistance
Join a group learn more about a variety of historical and contemporary prison struggles, including the 1993 Lucasville Uprising in southern Ohio, the Dodge Revolutionary Union Movement, and the role of jailhouse lawyers.
12pm Lunch
1:30 Movement Defense: Infrastructure for Anti-Repression within Prisons
Administrations will undoubtedly try to repress prisoners’ activities and resistance. Discuss what
we can and should be doing to build our power and minimize these repressive efforts.
3pm Outside Engagement with Sept. 9th
Discuss and strategize what participation ins Sept. 9th looks like for those of us not currently
locked-up.
4:30 Closing
Barack Recreation Center
580 E Woodrow Ave
Columbus, OH 43207
