Michael Kimble is a passionate freedom fighter and anarchist who has been held captive by the Alabama Department of Corrections since November 12, 1987. After defending himself and a friend during a homophobic attack by a known white supremacist, Michael was arrested, charged with murder, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison. His trial was typical of what could be expected from a racist criminal justice system in Jefferson County, Alabama.

Life in Prison

Since his conviction, Michael has been fervently involved in efforts to free himself and others, assisting in legal defense for fellow inmates, organizing reading groups and Black History events, speaking up for queer folks behind bars, and helping to organize and agitate alongside the Free Alabama Movement for the historic national prison strike of September 2016. In his own words, "Since my incarceration began I’ve completed numerous programs (University of Alabama at Birmingham lecture series, NA, AA, SAA, Personal Development, Financial Management, Shoe Making, Transactional Analysis, Criminal Thinking, Anger Management, Stress Management). I’ve been instrumental in organizing a number of collectives and actions, including the Prisoners Action Committee, AJAMU, BLA, the August 7th Movement, the Freedom and Independence Revolutionary Movement, and INACELL. I published and distributed INACELL Da Mag, a magazine of revolution, hip-hop, and Black history. As a part of INACELL I was the force behind the first Black August celebration in Birmingham, AL (my hometown) in August 2000. I’ve also organized numerous work-strikes as far back as 1987 and more recently with the Free Alabama Movement. I’ve also filed a number of lawsuits dealing with conditions of captivity. In late 2000 I was charged with possession of explosives at Limestone prison, but charges were subsequently dropped. In September of 2001 I was charged with assault on a number of guards and sentenced to another three years. Most recently, on December 2nd, 2019 I was thrown in lockup for coming to the aid of another prisoner who was being assaulted by a guard. But due to all of your outside support in calling and demanding that I be released from lockup, I’m now back in general population." He has been up for parole numerous times, but denied every time "due to the nature of the offense." Because the nature of the offense will never change, this is an unjust reasoning.

The Alabama prison system has recently come under fire from the federal government for its abhorrent conditions, and Holman Prison, where Michael is incarcerated, is being decommissioned and largely shut down. In this context, many Alabama prisoners have been successfully challenging the length of their original sentences. Support his legal efforts by using the donation link.

For more information, check out this interview with Michael, as well as his blog.