No Collaboration, Smash the Grand Juries

Primary Artist: Terry Forman

Created: San Francisco Collective, 1980s

Medium: Silkscreen

Dimensions: 17.75″ x 23.75″

In the United States, anyone refusing to cooperate with a Grand Jury can be held in jail with a civil, “non-criminal” charge for the duration of the Grand Jury (which can be more than 2 years). The US has used Grand Juries to imprison Puerto Rican independence activists starting in the 1930s with the Nationalist Party. In the 1970s and 80s the US convened several grand juries to investigate organizations of Puerto Ricans, US Black and Mexicano organizations, and white anti-imperialist groups. Subpoenas were issued for independence leaders in Chicago, New York, and Puerto Rico; as well as to Mexican activists in the Southwest. The FBI used these grand juries to gather information about the activities of their organizations and members. Many refused to cooperate and were jailed for the duration of the grand jury.

See this article for more about the Grand Juries: The Improper Use of the Federal Grand Jury: A Instrument for the Internment of Political Activists by Michael E. Deutsch

Image: Puerto Rican Flag and a hand holding a gun.