A documentary and conversation about incarceration, political prisoners and abolition.
The Pendleton 2: They Stood Up documentary is presented by the Defense Committee to Free the Pendleton 2. The film details the stories of John “Balagoon” Cole and Christopher “Naeem” Trotter, the Pendleton uprising that saved the life of Lincoln “Lokmar” Love and the continued fight for freedom after four decades of unjust incarceration and solitary confinement.
Watch the Panel Discussion
Thursday, October 12, 2023
University of Orange (In-Person)/Zoom (Virtual)
47 Cleveland St, Orange, NJ
Doors open/Zoom starts at 5:30pm
Screening begins at 6pm
Panel immediately to follow
Watch the Trailer
More on the documentary:
On the morning of February 1, 1985, Lincoln “Lokmar” Love was doomed to the same fate as George Floyd, Tyre Nichols, and so many other Black men in the US. As he lay handcuffed and shackled, Pendleton Correctional Facility guards beat the prisoner beyond recognition as terrified bystanders watched from their cells. But Lokmar’s story ended differently, when 2 fellow prisoners sacrificed their freedom to save him from his assailants — a KKK-affiliated guard gang known as the Sons of Light. The Pendleton 2: They Stood Up tells the story of John “Balagoon” Cole and Christopher “Naeem” Trotter, the leaders of the Indiana prison uprising that rescued Lokmar, exposed Pendleton’s dehumanizing conditions, and unleashed the vindictive wrath of the Indiana Department of Correction. Presented by the Defense Committee to Free the Pendleton 2, They Stood Up features exclusive first hand testimony from Cole and Trotter, as well as interviews with family members and witnesses to the uprising who continue to fight for the Pendleton 2 after four decades of unjust incarceration and solitary confinement. Watch the full documentary.
To learn more about how you can support the Pendleton 2,
visit: pendleton2.com/take-action
About the Panelists
Too Black
Too Black, co-director of The Pendleton 2, is a poet, author, organizer and filmmaker who blends critical analysis with biting sarcasm. He has headlined various stages and events including the historic Nuyorican Poets Café in New York City, Princeton University, and Johannesburg Theater in South Africa. He is the co-author of the forthcoming book Laundering Black Rage: the Washing of Black Death, People, Property, and Profits. He is currently the host of the Black Myths Podcast, a podcast debunking the myths about Black people.
Leon Benson
Leon Benson is an activist, artist and public speaker. Incarcerated at age 22 for a crime he did not commit, Leon spent the next 25 years in the Indiana prison system. It was during this time, although well after the 1985 Pendleton, Indiana uprising, that he met John “Balagoon” Cole, Christopher “Naeem” Trotter, and Lincoln “Lokmar” Love. Leon considers all three to be friends, and mentors, whom assisted him through his own fight for freedom. Leon was finally released and fully exonerated on March 9 of this year.
Kalonji Changa
Kalonji Jama Changa, an organizer and founder of the FTP Movement, is author of How to Build a People’s Army and co-producer of the documentary Organizing Is the New Cool. He is also a co-founder of Black Power Media, and also serves as co-chair of the Urban Survival and Preparedness Institute. Kalonji has long dedicated his organizing and media efforts toward the plight of political prisoners.
Linda Carter, ESQ – Moderator
Linda McDonald Carter served as an Associate Professor of Paralegal Studies, Political Studies, Criminal Justice (Prison Subcultures & Corrections) and Director of the Paralegal Studies Program at
Essex County College. She served as a professor there for 30 Years. Her humble beginnings started over decades ago during the tumultuous 1950’s, during Republican U.S. Senator, Joseph McCarthy’s “Red Scare Period” and the Freedom Movement era that evolved into the Black Power Movement. Read full Bio.
