Reproduced below is a section from the October 18, 2025 publication of In Contempt, which is a now defunct monthly report on prison rebels, State repression, and news from an abolitionist perspective.
The Prairieland case is a political protest case wherein the defendants are facing extreme repression. Following the U.S. federal government’s designation of “Antifa” as a domestic terrorist organization, the September 22, 2025 White House press release titled “President Trump Isn’t Backing Down from Crushing Radical Left Violence“ lists the Prairieland case as its first example of Antifa “terrorizing” communities. The label of Antifa is not simply a condemning rhetorical device by the state. It is a categorization that is—and will be—used by the state to go after protestors and dissenters.
Practices common among anarchist and anti-authoritarian milieus, such as use of encrypted messaging platforms like Signal and distribution of zines and print literature, are being cited by the federal government as evidence of criminality and violent conspiracy. The fact that they point to zines as proof of intent to commit violence has broad implications for anarchist and leftist circles more broadly.
On October 1, the state of Texas indicted 14 people on their state charges, adding an additional charge of “engaging in organized criminal activity” for all of them. The charges of the released defendant indicted in August remain the same, while two defendants have no state indictments as of October 3. In total, 15 defendants have been indicted on state charges, so at least 13 people will be fighting concurrent federal and state cases and hence will require legal representation on both fronts.
During eight defendants’ preliminary federal hearings on September 30, the federal government presented a more elaborate legal case than one would typically expect at such a hearing, which is intended to determine whether there is enough evidence to proceed to a trial. The government aims to construct a grand tale about criminal conspiracy, shaped by a supposed violent ideology, all based on commonplace and benign practices within political anti-authoritarian spaces. In spite of this, from hearing attendees’ perspectives, the prosecution did not come across as very strong.
Regarding the Prairieland defendants themselves, by September 25, a majority of them were moved out of Johnson County Jail, the county where the Prairieland ICE detention center is located. This followed their arraignments on September 22 and 23; the arraignments were the first legal movement in the case since the initial arrests in July. Defendants were finally assigned federal public defenders.
6 people, arraigned September 22, were then moved to Wichita County Detention Center, whose conditions are in some ways better. However, the call signal is more unreliable, resulting in more dropped calls.
Furthermore, the jail is over 140 miles away from the Johnson County Jail, or 2+ hours northwest of the DFW metroplex, distancing defendants even more from their loved ones and imposing huge financial and time burdens on any DFW-local visitors. Additionally, the jail mandates that inmates do laborious tasks, like cleaning the yard, cells, and common areas, and it subjects them to random lineups. These demands frequently interrupt defendants’ phone calls. Taken together, these conditions result in less time for communication or other activities and greater isolation of the defendants from their loved ones as we try to stay in touch.
7 other people, arraigned on September 23, were later transferred to Federal Medical Center (FMC) Fort Worth, where they face increased bureaucratic hurdles to authorize visitors. The prison has indicated that the primary means of communication with defendants is through physical written correspondence rather than digital messaging (which was available at Johnson County Jail). This means greater delays in receiving and sharing information with family, friends, and attorneys.
As recently as October 2, at least 3 defendants were transferred back to Johnson County Jail. The repeated transfers have been wreaking havoc on defendants’ families and loved ones. We are left to scramble to locate them and update the public about the appropriate places to address letters to them to ensure they maintain a connection with the outside world. Changes in facilities have thrown the defendants’ schedules into chaos, and the items they have previously collected, such as clothes and books, have been taken away.
At these new facilities, defendants have been placed into general population, unlike in Johnson County where they were held in solitary, segregated, or medical units since their arrests.
One person, now released, has been subjected to GPS tracking and monitoring of and restrictions on their electronic device usage. They have been arrested and released a total of three times, with each arrest being incredibly disruptive to their life and the lives of their loved ones. The third arrest was for a false claim by the prosecution of bond condition violations, which it was forced to rescind when confronted with proof to the contrary.
Further, we wanted to highlight that this defendant’s charge revolves around the mere removal of an individual from group chats – not even the deletion of messages. The exaggerated construal of removal of a group chat member as “tampering with or fabricating physical evidence” (the defendant’s charge) also has terrifying implications for how the state intends to lock down control over digital messaging platforms.
Finally, in spite of nearly three months in jail, defendants have yet to be indicted.
The government has designated “Antifa” a terrorist organization with an extremely broad and vague definition. This leaves room for anyone who claims to be anti-fascist, anyone who disagrees with the government, who uses Signal or who shares literature that the government finds unappealing, to be labeled as a terrorist and locked away. This is not something that stops with this case: the state will continue extending its overreach to demonize more and more people. We must not shy away from this fight – it is a protracted struggle, and this legal case is only the beginning. We are witnessing a wave of widening and intensifying state repression against all dissent. That is why our solidarity in fighting for these defendants must be a catalyst in a larger, connected movement to stop authoritarianism in all its forms and to seize freedom for the defendants and all of us. This is not the first struggle for liberation, and it will not be the last. But this moment could be a turning point. We simply have to take our places on the front lines.
Steven Monacelli at the Barbed Wire has published an article examining the holes in the prosecution’s case.
You can find printable flyers for the International Day of Solidarity on October 3rd here, along with a printable support zine for the defendants and a zine version of an interview with the DFW Support Committee from the last edition of this column.