Biography
John C. Cole Jr., aka Balagoon, has been locked up in the corrupt Indiana Department of Corrections since the 70's, where he became a political mentor to many other prisoners. On February 1, 1985, he was a leader in the 1985 Pendleton Uprising where prisoners — in response to white supremacist guards beating jailhouse lawyer Lokmar Abdul-Wadood to near-death — took over a cellblock and held four guards hostage. They presented a list of demands to the media which included an end to censorship of letters and media, the ability to be politically active without reprisal, minimum wage for inmates, and a grievance committee for prisoners to safely bring forward issues to the DOC without fear of intimidation or violence from guards. During the trial, the judge and prosecution refused to hear testimony about systemic brutality and the white supremacist guard gang Sons of Light to be heard. He saved another man's life at the cost of his freedom, getting sentenced to 84 more years.
The need to get Balagoon free is urgent considering his physical condition. He has been illegally held in solitary confinement for 31 years. As an elderly man, he now faces severe respiratory issues often unacknowledged by IDOC.
