Ruchell “CINQUE” magee is the longest-held political prisoner in the united states.
60 years behind bars. no justice.
Ruchell Magee was unjustly captured in 1963 on trumped-up charges related to a marijuana deal. He is now 84 years old, forced to suffer mentally and physically due to the poor conditions inside California’s prison camps. As the COVID-19 crisis rages on, Ruchell needs your support and action so that he can be released, spend time with his loved ones, and better his community.
After 60 years of injustice, enough is enough.
Free Ruchell Magee now!
about ruchell
Ruchell Magee was born an only child on March 17, 1939 in the small town of Franklinton, Louisiana. Across the Deep South, Jim Crow laws, white supremacist lynchings, KKK terror, segregation, and legal bias against Black people were common. In 1955, at the young age of 16, Ruchell was accused of aggravated attempted rape due to his relationship with a white girl in KKK territory. For context, Emmett Till was lynched, mutilated, and murdered in August 1955 for allegedly whistling at a white woman. Magee was given a completely bogus trial with an all-white jury who sentenced him to eight hard years in the notorious Angola State Prison, a former plantation. In 1962, the state deprived him of his inherited property and ordered that he leave Louisiana and go to Los Angeles.
Ruchell wanted to share some words to those of us on the outside:
“I’m still fighting to get the truth to the real people, who want growth in the human race! Truth is the right medicine. We must fight to WIN!”
On July 15, 2021, Ruchell “Cinque” Magee was denied parole for the 13th time. December 17, 2021 marked 40 years since his first parole suitability hearing. Ruchell, who is currently 84-years-old and has been incarcerated for 60 years, will not be eligible for parole again until July 2024. The parole board’s decision to delay any chance of parole until after Ruchell’s 85th birthday is shameful.
Cinque is continuing the fight, and so must we. We are encouraging everyone who supports Ruchell to sign and share our petitions (bit.ly/freeruchell + bit.ly/write4ruchell), do an outreach session with flyers (email [email protected] for a copy), create banners, hold public education events, bring this issue to the media, and do whatever else it takes to raise awareness about brother Ruchell’s decades of cruel treatment by this prison system.
We want to remind the world that Ruchell has been locked down for 60 years stemming from a bogus charge of kidnapping to rob during an alleged $10 marijuana deal in 1963. Cinque was bound and gagged and betrayed by his own court-appointed attorney, like many Black defendants in the Jim Crow era and today. After the 1970 Marin County Courthouse Rebellion, where Ruchell attempted to liberate himself and speak directly to media since he was never given a fair trial, he was acquitted of murder charges but convicted of kidnapping. 60 years far exceeds the average punishment for kidnapping, which shows that Ruchell’s persecution is about his political views rather than any crime.
Time is not on our side - we don’t have 1 more year to wait. We have far too often lost our elders, like Romaine “Chip” Fitzgerald, at the hands of the state apparatus. Ruchell must be freed NOW!
TAKE ACTION!
contact GOVERNoR newsom
Governor Gavin Newsom
1303 10th Street, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 445-2841, press 1 for English or 2 for Spanish, press 6 to speak with a representative and wait for someone to answer (Mon. - Fri., 9 AM - 5 PM PST)
Call Governor Newsom’s office and use this script: “Hello, my name is ________ _______ and I’m calling to encourage Governor Gavin Newsom to commute the sentence of prisoner Ruchell Magee #A92051 #T 115, who has served 60 long years in prison. Ruchell is 84 years old, so as an elderly prisoner he faces health risks every day from still being incarcerated for so long. In the interests of justice, I am joining the global call for Ruchell’s release due to the length of his confinement and I urge Governor Newsom to take immediate action to commute Ruchell Magee’s sentence.”
Also: You can write a one-page letter to Governor Gavin Newsom about your support for Ruchell and why he deserves a commutation of his sentence due to his length of confinement (over 60 years), his age (84), and the health risks of an elderly person staying in California’s prisons. Digital letters can be sent at bit.ly/write4ruchell
WRITE TO RUCHELL magee
Ruchell Magee
CMF - A92051 - T-123
P.O. Box 2000
Vacaville, CA 95696
Write Ruchell uplifting messages! Be sure to ask questions about his well-being, his interests, and his passions. Be aware that any of his mail can be read by correctional officers, so don’t use any violent, explicit, or demoralizing language. Don’t use politically sensitive language that could hurt his chances of release. Do not send any hard or sharp materials.
contact DISTRICT ATTORNEY GASCON
District Attorney George Gascon
211 West Temple Street, Suite 1200
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Write a one-page letter to D.A. George Gascon requesting that he review Ruchell’s sentence due to the facts that he was over-charged with kidnapping and robbery for a dispute over a $10 bag of marijuana, a substance that is legal now and should’ve never resulted in a seven-years-to-life sentence. Ruchell’s case should be a top priority because of his age (84) and the length of time he has been in prison (60 years).
other ways to support:
All of our supporters are encouraged to get creative: host letter writing parties, phonebanking, teach-ins, and talk to folks in your organizing spaces or workplace. Thank you!
Print a two-sided flyer to spread the word and build power to free Ruchell Magee!
Contact for questions or more outreach materials: [email protected]
