Robert Seth Hayes is a former member of the Black Panther Party and the
Black Liberation Army who has been imprisoned for the past 33 years. In
this video message he speaks about the Panthers, the struggle of the Six
Nations people and sends a message of solidarity to Trevor Miller, a Six
Nations political prisoner.

Locked down for more than a lifetime: Soliciting letters of support for a U.S. political prisoner Robert Seth Hayes’s Parole – June 2006 A letter from the Robert Seth Hayes Support Committee - www.sethhayes.org | info (at) sethhayes.org Robert “Seth” Hayes is a U.S. political prisoner and former member of the Black Panther Party who has been imprisoned in New York state for more than three decades. When Seth was convicted in 1974, his sentence was 25 years to life. The implicit understanding at the time of his sentencing was that Seth would serve 25 years as a minimum, after which time he would be eligible for release based on his record and conduct in prison. In July, 2006, Seth will be going before the parole board for the fourth time. At each of Seth’s previous parole hearings, he was denied release due to the serious nature of the crime he was convicted for and given another two years in jail. The refusal of parole for the serious nature of the crime seems contrary to the spirit of the law, for it is something that a prisoner can never change, and the giving of parole is based upon the prisoner's behavior while behind bars.

Seth is not the only one being subjected to these unfair rules. This has
become common practice for the New York state parole board, who, by
denying parole based on the seriousness of the conviction, are defacto
re-sentencing many prisoners to life in prison without the possibility
of parole.

Seth’s prison record is exemplary, and if a decision about Seth’s parole
were to be based on his conduct and personal growth, he would have
rejoined his family and his community years ago.

Please write a letter to the parole board to let them know that you
think Seth deserves to be released. Write your own letter, or use the
sample letter that has been included in this document.

If you have a personal relationship with Seth, please consider writing
about this relationship in your letter. If you work with a community
organization or union, have a professional job, or are a rock star,
please consider mentioning this in your letter (or writing on
letterhead, etc.).

If you decide to personalize your letter, you may choose to include
information drawn from the short biography also included in this
package, where some of Seth’s accomplishments are highlighted.

More information about Seth can be found on a web page that has been put
together by his supporters at www.sethhayes.org

All letters should be mailed or faxed to Seth’s lawyer, Susan Tipograph,
by no later than June 30th, 2006 as Seth's parole hearing is taking
place on July 15, 2006. Please send all of your letters to:

Susan Tipograph