into the prison recreation yard in Leavenworth in August 1985 Grenades and rocket launchers were to be used to attack the guard towers as both men escaped via the helicopter. The FBI claimed to have knowledge of the plot due to an in- formant._Undercover agents al- legely aided the plot by providing explosives. Police also placed tracking devices on the vehicles, but one of the devices was discov- ered. Police eventually charged seven individuals, including Oscar Lopez-Rivera and Kojo Sababu. Also charged were two Puerto Rican _independence ~ activists, Jaime Delgado and Dora Garcia; prison activist and revolutionaries, Claude Marks and Donna Wilmott; and Richard Cobb, who pled guilty and tesified against the others. Lopez-Rivera received an additional 15 years on his current sentence; Sababu reccived an ad- ditional three to five years in his sentence; Dora Garcia was sen- tenced to four years; Garcia re- ceived a three-year sentence, Claude Marks and Donna Wilmott went underground. They were able to avoid capture for six years until they turned themselves in to the FBI. Marks was sen- tenced to six years in prison; Will- mott to three years in prison. As aresult of the attempted self- emancipation, both Lopez-Rivera and Sababu were placed in solitary confinement at Marion Federal prison. The Last Remaining In August of 2009, Ojore Lu- talo, Sababu’s co-defendant from the bank expropriation was re- leased from prison. Conquest, hi co-defendant in the action against the drug dealer, was also released in the fall of 2015. Oscar Rivera- Lopez and all those associated with the attempted self-liberation at Leavenworth have also been re- leased from prison. Sababu, how- ever, remains behind bars for his participation in these actions. He remains commited and unwaver- ing despite his imprisonment Kojo Sababu is one of those comrades who receive little sup- port from the outside world - de- spite his commitment to the the struggle. We encourage peaple to take the take to reach out to the comrade and support him in every way you can, Kojo Bomani \ Sababu Black Liberation Army Prisoner of War Kojo Bomani Sababu is a New Afiikan Prisoner of War, currently serving a 55-year sentence for a series of actions carried out by the Black Liberation Army (BLA) and for an attempted self-liberation from prison with Oscar Lopez Rivera, a member of the Fuerzas Armadas de Liberacion Nacional (FALN). Kojo Sababu was bom as Grailing Brown on May 27th, 1953, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He was born to Clarence and Edna Brown. Kojo described them as good parents. His father was a “diligent worker whose only in- dulgence was loyalty to the bosses.” Sadly, tragedy would strike his family, fundamentally al- tering Sababu’s path in life. In 1962 his father died coming home from work. Two years later his mother was murdered. She was a guiding presence in his life and Kojo was devastated by her loss. Still, he continued to live out the lessons she taught him, specifi- cally around the importance edu- cation and it being a tool to change society. Ata very young age, he began to develop a New Afrikan con- . Growing up in Atlanta City, New Jersey, organizations like the Nation of Islam were strong within the Black commu- nity. The organization helped Sababu gain his first experiences in nation-building. The Nation of Islam also reinforced his passion for knowledge and education. In 1968, Sababu crossed paths with the Black Panther Party in At- lanta City. He began to participate in their political education courses. However, at that time, he was still greatly influenced by cultural and religious nationalism. In January 1972, Sababu and his brother were arrested for rob- bery and sentenced to three to five ‘years in prison. Sababu was sent o the New Jersey State Prison in usnes Los Angeles Anarchist Black Cross PO Box 11223 Whittier CA 90603 Los Angeles Anarchist Black Cross PO Box 11223 Whittier CA 90603 ‘Trenton, where he met two Black revolutionaries, Kuwasi Balagoon and Andaliwa Clark. These two in- dividuals greatly influenced his political development. Afier his re- lease in 1975, Sababu joined the Black Liberation Army (BLA). In September 1975, Sababu was charged as a material witness in the killing of two individuals dur- ing an attempted expropriation of drug dealers. Another individual Darryl Conquest was charged on two counts of homicide in the case. Sababu later described this action as one carried out by the Black Liberation Army to clean the streets of drugs that were poi- soning communities. He would later be charged in the case along side Conquest. On November 15th, 1975, Sababu and another BLA member, Ojore Lutalo, were arrested after a high-speed chase. The incident began when police received a re- port of suspicious occupants in a car. Sababu and Lutalo fled when the police approached the car but were captured after the car lost control and crashed. A third indi- vidual managed to avoid escape. ‘The men were charged with elud- ing police and resisting arrest. After they were bailed out, the two men went deeper underground. ‘On November 21, another attack on a drug dealer left two people dead in Atlantic City. Sababu would later be identified by eye- witnesses as being involves in this action. “Do not abandon the political prisoners and prisoners of war, they are still insightful with their knowledge and experience.” - Kojo Sababu One month later, on December 20th, four members of the Black Liberation Army expropriated funds from the Broad Street Na- tional Bank in Lawrence Town- ship, New Jersey. The action tumed into a shootout as police gave chase into Trenton. Three members of the BLA (Kojo Sababu, Ojore Lutalo, and Ken- neth Robinson) were arrested, while a fourth individual escaped. ‘The three men were charged with possession of stolen property, pos- session of a dangerous weapon and being fugitives. While in held in custody, Sababu, Lutalo and Kenneth Robinson, managed to barricade themselves in a corridor at the county jail. They were able keep ‘guards at bay for more than thirty minutes before seventeen guards overpowered them and placed them in solitary. All the men later received a 14-t0-17 years in prison for their involvement in the bank expropriation. Lutalo received an additional six-month sentence for contempt. Kenneth Robinson later escaped from prison in September 1979, In addition to the charges re- lated to bank expropriation, Sababu was also charged with the two separate attacks on the drug dealers. In May 1976, Kojo was sentenced to two life prison terms for September 1975 incident and would be sentenced to two addi- tional life terms for the November 1975 action two years, While in prison Sababu became active in the Inmate Legal Associ- ation (ILA), a non-profit legal aid organization that provided free legal assistance to prisoners at the New Jersey State Prison in Tren- ton, New Jersey. In 1981, he took on the role of the director. Condi- tions in the prison were dire. New criminal statutes in the state estab- lished mandatory minimums, cre- ating overcrowding of the prisons. Prisoners started to find ways of escaping, causing further tension between the guards and prisoners. Sababu, as a representative of the ILA, was quoted in the newspaper raising these concerns to the out- side world and warned that cond: tions were so severe that the “joint’s gonna blow.” Within a month of raising these concerns, Sababu was accused of being a ringleader in a plot to take over the state prison in Trenton. He denied the aceusation and argued that this was merely an attempt to silence those who were speaking out. He and two other leaders of the ILA were sent to a federal prison in Lewisburg, PA Months after the incident, the warden attempted to shut down the ILA by making accusations that its leaders were plotting to at- tack leaders of another prisoner rights organizations. Individuals from both organizations saw this for what it was - an attempt to u dermine avenues for inmates to have their voices heard. The War- den’s plans failed. and the organi- zation exists today. Plot to Self-Liberate In July 1986, the federal gov- emment claimed that a group of political prisoner supporters had organized a plot to liberate Puerto Rican Prisoner of War, Oscar Lopez-Rivera and Kojo Sababu from USP Leavenworth in Kansas. According to the government, the plan was to have a helicopter drop Los Angeles Anarchist Black Cross PO Box 11223 Whittier CA 90603 Los Angeles Anarchist Black Cross PO Box 11223 Whittier CA 90603