resources
In the last 3+ years, the On the Eve of Abolition creative team has been researching, discussing and growing our collective understanding and praxis of Prison Industrial Complex (PIC) abolition. We’re grateful to the longtime revolutionary thinkers, organizers and scholars who’ve informed our work including bell hooks, Angela Davis, Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Albert Woodfox, Mariame Kaba, Elizam Escobar, and many more.
Below is a list of articles, zines, books, podcasts, toolkits, artwork and more resources we’ve engaged with in the making of On the Eve of Abolition. As cultural workers committed to grassroots organizing, Papel Machete’s work has always supported and uplifted struggles for the working class in Puerto Rico. We share Angela Davis’ belief that “knowledge is built through struggle” and encourage folks who are new to PIC abolition to follow and find access points into grassroots organizing efforts to dismantle and abolish prisons, police and surveillance. We’ve listed a few on our Actions for Abolition page and will continue to update that page as we learn of new campaigns and actions within abolitionist movements in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
Please keep in mind, this is not an exhaustive list of PIC abolition resources. Critical Resistance and other abolitionist organizations have done an amazing job compiling resources and we encourage folks to dive deep into those materials. What you’ll find on this page are simply the resources we’ve engaged with directly for this project.

“where life is precious, life is precious.”
– ruth wilson gilmore
abolitionist organizations / collectives / groups
Critical Resistance – building an international movement to end the prison industrial complex (PIC)
Prison Radio – commentaries & media by and for incarcerated people
#LoveNotPhear – campaign to #FreeMumiaAbuJamal
International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
Black Mama’s Bail Out / National Bail Out
Project NIA – working to end the incarceration of children and young adults by promoting restorative and transformative justice practices
PARC National Prisoner Resource Directory – Oakland, CA-based abolitionist exposing and challenging the institutionalized racism, sexism, ableism, heterosexism, and classism of the Prison Industrial Complex.
ote research & art influence buckets

WHAT IS PRISON / PIC ABOLITION?

STORIES FROM INSIDE

TRANSFORMATIVE JUSTICE

REALISMO MAGICO RADICAL IMAGINARY SCIENCE FICTION

COVID-19 + PRISON RAPID RESPONSE

POLITICAL FRAMING
&
THEORY

“a people’s art is the genesis of their freedom.”
– claudia jones