On July 25th, 2021, Truth Never Dies (TND) and IDOC Watch hosted a rally for clemency and compassionate release at Tarkington Park in Indianapolis. The rally was attended by over 50 people who gathered together to hear from the families of Leon Benson, Christopher Trotter, and Aaron Isby Israel and to sign letters to the governor demanding that these men be granted clemency. Organizers agitated by displaying a banner that read “Free Leon Benson! Clemency and Compassionate Release Now!”, hanging posters around the neighborhood, and distributing flyers at a nearby Back to School event.
The rally began when Koby Bluitt, leader of Truth Never Dies and Leon Benson’s daughter, got on the megaphone to tell the people about Leon’s fight for justice and the way it connects to the greater struggle for Mass Release. Leon Benson is an innocent political prisoner who was sentenced to 60 years for a murder he did not commit. He has been an active mentor to other incarcerated men and spreads his message through writing, poetry, music. As Leon would say, “Truth never dies, it’s only rediscovered.” You can read about Leon’s fight here.
Cait from IDOC Watch took over after Koby, connecting Leon’s case to the wider issue of clemency and mass release in Indiana. She highlighted the fact that clemency is an action that can be unilaterally taken by the governor at any time to shorten or eliminate a person’s prison sentence. These individual cases were then connected to the IDOC Watch demands for mass release. Below are the first three, you can find the whole list here.
1. Release everyone who is over the age of 55 and/or is medically vulnerable.
2. Release everyone held in prison on a technical probation or parole violation and elimination of the possibility of re-incarceration on technical parole and probation violations.
3. Release everyone from prison who would already have been released if they weren’t serving disciplinary time ordered by a facility Disciplinary Hearing Board (DHB), restoration of good time across the board, and elimination of the DHB’s ability to revoke good time.
Next to speak was Patricia, Christopher Trotter’s ex-wife. Chris was originally sentenced to 4 years for a case of petty theft. On February 1, 1985. Chris and other inmates witnessed guards brutally beating to death another prisoner. Inmates then fought back to defend this man and themselves in what was later called a “riot” by prison officials. Though no one was killed and there were no premediated plans for a riot, Indiana sentenced Chris to 142 years for his alleged role in the chaos. Patricia railed against the injustice of confining a man for life because he defended himself and others, but spoke passionately about his political development and mentorship of others inside. Read more about Chris and donate to his fundraiser here.
The last family member to speak was the sister of Aaron Isby Israel. The entire crowd grew emotional as she described the anger and grief her whole family has experienced as a result of his incarceration. Israel has been confined to solitary confinement for 28 years after an exaggerated charge of “attempted murder” after defending himself against guards. He petitioned the governor for clemency in 2020 on the grounds of wrongful incarceration. The governor is supposed to respond to petitions for clemency within a matter of months. It has now been over one year since Israel filed his petition without any word from the governor. Read more about Israel’s petition for clemency here.
The rally came to an end with the attendees greeting each other and talking about how to take the next steps forward. Many knew each other from prison or personally knew the three men we rallied around. Organizers from IDOC Watch and TND shared literature on clemency and mass release with the people. Those at the rally were directed to a table where they could sign letters to Governor Holcomb demanding clemency, 50 each for Leon, Christopher, and Israel. We successfully got every letter signed and ready to send off to the governor, which organizers accomplished the next week.
The fight continues. IDOC Watch and TND will be hosting future events to agitate for clemency and mass release in Indiana. Follow IDOC Watch on Facebook or Instagram, or check the Truth Never Dies website or the Free Leon Benson Facebook page for more updates.
FREE THEM ALL!
FIGHT THE AMERIKKKAN INJUSTICE SYSTEM!
CLEMENCY AND MASS RELEASE NOW!
