Regarding The State of Minnesota v. Christina Vana & Karen Meissner
Today, the chains were not lifted from our friends lives’, but perhaps the
weight of their bonds are more defined, more certain. Today, Tuesday, September
1st, 2009, Christina Vana and Karen Meissner pled guilty to felony assault in
the 2nd degree, for their part in the massive demontrations during the 2008 RNC
in St. Paul, Minnesota. They received a plea deal, with the State agreeing to
grant them a Stay of Imposition (meaning the felony charge will be dropped to a
misdemeanor after succesful completion of probation), a maximimum of 90 days
jail time, and the possibility of doing Sentence to Serve as a jail
alternative. They face up to 7 years probation. This was a departure from the
sentencing guidelines, which would normally call for prison time. Their
Sentencing is on Tuesday, November 10th, 2009, at 1:30 p.m in front of Judge
Warner at the Ramsey County Courthouse. Please show up and make court a slighty
more festive endeavor!
There are several ways to view a plea agreement. From one perspective, it is a
generous offer from the State, when they have the ability and intention to
quench any inkling of resistance and throw us in jail. On the other hand, when
we take a deal instead of going to trial, we participate in our own
prosecution. It’s just a step away from locking ourselves into our own jail
cells. That’s not to say we aren’t forced into these situations, and when
we can keep ourselves or friends out of jail without incriminating others,
it’s a wise decision.
Despite the judge’s praise of the many supporter’s cooperative behavior,
let’s not forget that our outward docility is just a façade, a strategic
decision and a postponement of our true feelings towards the cops and courts.
It makes a Judge’s job much easier if we sit back quietly while the “fair
and impartial” trial railroads free human beings. Of course a Prosecutor will
appreciate our silence as he slanders our friends to their faces, drags our
names through the mud and convicts us with a Powerpoint Presentation.
In the past year we’ve seen many friends ensared by the wide nets of state
repression. The unfortunate rioters filter in and out of Ramsey County Jail,
and the question remains,: Where do we go from here? How do we continue to
build networks of resistance and foment social change and rebellion in the wake
of such widespread repression? Tomorrow Dave Mahoney will be released from
captivity, but the jails are still filled with kindred spirits. The Milwaukee
Three’s cases may be resolved, but their convictions and the evidence
mentioned by the prosecution will be used to vilify and prosecute the RNC 8.
Jesse James Forrey faces up to 5 years in jail after being convicted of
property damage in St. Paul. We’ll need all the strength and support we can
muster in the coming months and years. The path of resistance is a rocky one
that rambles on, but for ourselves, our wild companions and wilder creatures,
we’ll keep stumbling forward and perhaps find pieces of a world we want.
Those who know Christina and Karen are encourage to write character letters to
the Judge, requesting a sentence with no jail time. These must be addressed to
The Honorable Judge Teresa Warner, Ramsey County Court and can be sent as an
attachment to helpmkegirls@gmail.com, or inquire by email where to mail or fax
letters. Also feel free to donate any amount to help with Karen and
Christina’s legal costs, estimated at $40,000, via their website.
Also, please show up to the sentencing of Jesse James Forrey, on September 17th
at 1:30 p.m in front of Judge Flynn at the Ramsey County Courthouse. He faces
up to 5 years in jail and appreciates any support we can give him.
http://helpmkethree.blogspot.com/
http://supportjessejames.wordpress.com/
http://rnc8.org
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Tiga and Hugh's first court date
Tiga and Hugh's first court date is next Tuesday, where a motion to dismisssome of the charges will be presented. Originally scheduled for July 14, thecourt date was moved at the last minute, and is now scheduled for Tuesday,August 25th at 9am at the Pike County Courthouse (801 E Main St, Petersburg, IN- (812) 354-6026). We believe the best way to show our support at this eventis by packing the courthouse. The lawyers have emphasized that all supportersshould be well-dressed, polite, and on time. After the court hearing,supporters will meet in a park near the courthouse for a picnic andget-together.If you'd like to car pool from Bloomington, please meet us at 6:15 am at theEco-Center parking lot (323 S. Walnut). If you'll need a ride from Bloomingtonor Indianapolis, or if you plan to drive and have extra room in your vehicle,please e-mail michael.luurtsema@gmail.com so we can plan accordingly. If youwould like to carpool from Evansville, or have any other questions, pleasewrite: freetigaandhugh@mostlyeverything.net.Thanks for everything! And, as always, please check out the website forupdates and more info - http://www.mostlyeverything.net/
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Dave Mahoney Takes a Plea Bargain ( and Still Has a Posse)
Monday morning in Ramsey County District Court, RNC activist Dave Mahoney pled
– under pressure and significant duress – to a single count of second
degree assault, a felony. Instead of going to trial on the 10 felony counts
stemming from a single invented incident, Dave and the office of Ramsey County
Attorney Susan Gaertner agreed to a plea bargain. Given the disproportionately
ferocious, political prosecution, Dave and his attorney evidently found it in
their best interest to agree to a 90-day cap on jail time, reduction of the
(single) felony charge to a gross misdemeanor after the sentence is served, and
the ability for Dave to return to his native England after the jail term. With
credit for good behavior and time served, Dave is looking at 56 days or less in
jail, as opposed to the decades possible if he had lost at trial.
***
Dave Mahoney Still Has a Posse: Solidarity in the Face of Vindictive
Prosecution
a message from the Community RNC Arrestee Support Structure (rncaftermath.org)
***
Of the dozens of RNC charges heard in open court, authorities have not won a
single conviction. The manipulation and reliance on overtly authoritarian
pressure evidenced in Dave’s case is indicative of the only tactic the state
has left to justify the police brutality and fiscal waste characterizing the
RNC and its aftermath. Dave faced two, then six, and ultimately ten charges.
First accused of aiding and abetting the drop of a bag of sand in front of a
slow-moving delegate bus on a closed highway exit ramp, authorities then levied
a count of terroristic threats and assault for each so-called "victim" on the
bus who claimed to feel "terrorized." All together, Dave eventually was looking
at decades behind bars and a dramatically tainted jury pool until the
prosecution made the sudden plea offer last week. The absurdity of the state's
persecution should be apparent, but so should the impossible position in which
Dave was placed. Indeed, what would you do under similar circumstances?
In a letter to his lawyer last December, prosecutor Richard Dusterhoft called
his case "by far the most serious RNC case I have" (an assertion we find silly
at best). He has referred to Dave as the "poster boy of the RNC" in open court.
Similarly, during the presentation of the Heffelfinger-Luger Report in January,
Andrew Luger called the alleged bag of sand incident "the most frightening
moment of the convention," apparently overlooking the pre-emptive raids,
state-sponsored shutdown of downtown, and hundreds of brutal injuries caused by
police.
It is, of course, too much to ask that agents of the state consider such
things. The cognitive dissonance could prove fatal, what with so many careers
to further, so many dollars to grab, so many atrocities to excuse. If an
activist like Dave -- whose community believes him, as we do, completely
innocent of the anything resembling assault or terror crimes (if in fact there
was ever a crime at all) -- has to serve months in jail on a politician's whim,
so be it. There are, of course, priorities. That those priorities fail to align
with common sense or justice is neither here nor there.
Back in reality, Dave, his comrades, and friends -- from England to the Twin
Cities and beyond -- are not guilty of assaulting delegates. Rather, they and
we are launching assaults on the interlocking systems of injustice and
oppression which keep all of us in one form of prison or another. Like Dave, we
didn’t and don’t commit this assault with bags of dirt or pointed fingers;
we attack the system with continuous, relentless organizing in a diversity of
forms, seen and unseen. That those who benefit most from temporary power fail
to recognize this should surprise no one.
The state-sanctioned kidnappings of our friends by cartoonishly villianous
stooges like Bob Fletcher – the very embodiment of corruption and
contemptible, scabrous sleaze, as even the mainstream press and the FBI are
starting to realize – and the subsequent legitimizing of these crimes by
other criminally smarmy agents of the state should not stop anyone. Until
borders have been broken and police prevented from terrorizing our communities
in the manner they do every day, we will continue to assault any system that
withholds our basic needs and denies our wild dreams.
Due to the nature of these battles waged within the confines of the criminal
injustice system, there is of course more to be said -- but it must wait. If
you, too, have dreams of love, rage, and freedom, perhaps you too can say some
of it under your breath. More important than what we can or cannot say,
however, is what we can do.
The RNC happened in our community, but the interests it served and the
repression it entailed are fundamental to the structure of this society …
indeed, the world system. Don’t forget. From the RNC 8 to the RNC Others; the
Tarnac 9; the AETA 4; and all those past and present - defend ALL targets of
state repression.
RNC 8: rnc8.org
Jesse Forrey, currently on trial call: supportjessejames.wordpress.com
Christina Vana and Karen Meissner: helpmkethree.blogspot.com
Write to the Texas Two, Bradley Crowder and David McKay, serving 2 and 4 years
in prison, respectively, as well as Matt DePalma, at (this address will change
in a few weeks):
Sherburne County Jail
13880 Highway 10
13880 Business Center Drive
Elk River, MN 55330-4601
Write to Glenn Dyer, incarcerated in Ramsey County until at least June 13, at:
Glenn David Dyer
297 S. Century Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55119
More info about Glenn:
"dear friends and comrades,
1. yesterday our friend glenn was sentenced to 30 days in the ramsey county
correctional facility workhouse in minnesota for RNC 2008-related felony
charges. in addition to several thousand dollars in lawyer and court fees, we
just learned that he is being charged $3,000 in restitution costs. thus, glenn
could really use our support right now--all contributions to his legal fund,
large or small, will be a huge help. by clicking on the link below, you should
be able to donate funds easily with any credit or debit card. we will use all
donations towards lawyer and court fees, glenn's commissary account in the
jail, and the insane costs of making calls from the jail ($50/15 minutes)."
here's the link:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=UHSR98XC3N6LG&lc=US&item_name=cobra%20commander%20jail%20fund¤cy_code=USD&bn=PP%2dDonationsBF%3abtn_donate_LG%2egif%3aNonHosted
Julien Coupat (of the Tarnac 9) Released
"French authorities on Thursday authorized the release of Julien Coupat, who
has been detained for more than six months on suspicion of sabotaging
high-speed train lines, the Paris prosecutor’s office said.
Julien Coupat, 34, was arrested by anti-terrorist police in November 2008 and
his lengthy detention without charges being filed had become highly
controversial.
His arrest was part of a wider swoop on members of what Interior Minister
Michele Alliot-Marie described as an “anarcho-autonomous” movement that had
been under surveillance by domestic intelligence services for months
beforehand.
Coupat, the last of the 10 suspects arrested in November to remain in custody,
has always said he was innocent but he is still under investigation for
organized, terrorism-related destruction of property.
Under the terms of his release, he will have to stay in the Paris region and
surrender his passport and identity papers.
The failure to secure any convictions after a highly publicized raid by
hundreds of police has proved embarrassing to the government, which has been
accused of whipping up terrorism fears to justify tough new security measures.
In a written interview with the Le Monde newspaper this week Coupat described
his detention as a “petty revenge which is quite understandable given the
means that were deployed and the extent of the failure.”
Interview:
http://tarnac9.wordpress.com/2009/05/28/interview-with-julien-coupat/
And more information about the Tarnac 9:
http://tarnac9.wordpress.com/
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Letter from anarchist A.Kiriakopoulos from Koridallos prison
Five months after the explosive events of December, the mass arrests and the prosecutions that took place, six of us remain captives in the claws of the state.
Recently, the so called “justice state” and its servants decided to extend my pre-trial detention (remand) stating that what should come first is the extermination of my person and of my “criminal” activity and the protection of society. According to their characterization, I am a reckless and fanatical person. To sum it up they characterized me an enemy of society. But the enemies of society are all those who after the cold-blooded murder of comrade Alexis Grigoropoulos tried to repress the social phenomenon of the violent insurrection in December with the reckless and mass use of teargas to the extent of torture, the beating of protestors, and their swift imprisonment. Anyway, it is known for years now that the cops, especially when dealing with anarchists demos, unleash chemical warfare with the slightest pretext so they can torture people. Despite the vicious repression of December’s insurrectionary violence, it continues to persist and is proof that the fire that was lit cannot be put out. After all Alexis’ murder was the cause and at the same time the pretext for the outbreak of social rage.
As always, a special role was taken on by mass media and the lowlife journalists brought their propaganda to the limit of vileness. After the state murder of Alexis, they reported about the widespread destruction in the whole of Greece and that the police made no arrests. I believe that the fact that all of us imprisoned for the insurrection face the same charges is no coincidence. The line from the state was exactly the same for nearly all of us.
Inside prison, time is the worst enemy. Especially when you are in custody awaiting trial there is a continuous uncertainty as you never know exactly when you are going to be released. This is a situation that definitely wears you down psychologically. This is also an effect of being locked up against your will with four people for 14 hours a day in a 9 square meter cell designed to fit only one person. It is especially felt when relationships of camaraderie or even of understanding are rare as they are outside the prison bars. Of course there are always those who choose to stand in dignity and struggle.
Incarceration is an everyday psychological warfare enforced upon you by the system when you are in prison. On top of this you also have the screws usually treating prisoners who take part in struggles (hunger strikes, refusal of prison food, demanding their printed material from the censorship) in a derogatory and sly way. One typical example is the last time prisoners were refusing prison food as a protest for the murder of Alexis, the warden of the wing came in together with other screws and threatened the prisoners taking part in the protest with disciplinary prison transfers.
Generally, when you are not subjugated to their correctional system they try to create a climate of fear. Anyway prison is like a large melting pot of souls. If you are a coward it will mince you up and make you even more of a coward but if you are tough it will make you even tougher and colder as a person. The cell makes the prisoner suffocate. Outside in the prison yard is the illusion of freedom…
Still through all of this nothing has ended, the struggle continues
Those who are right are the rebels
not the snitches and those who bow down
(a popular greek anarchist chant)
Recently, the so called “justice state” and its servants decided to extend my pre-trial detention (remand) stating that what should come first is the extermination of my person and of my “criminal” activity and the protection of society. According to their characterization, I am a reckless and fanatical person. To sum it up they characterized me an enemy of society. But the enemies of society are all those who after the cold-blooded murder of comrade Alexis Grigoropoulos tried to repress the social phenomenon of the violent insurrection in December with the reckless and mass use of teargas to the extent of torture, the beating of protestors, and their swift imprisonment. Anyway, it is known for years now that the cops, especially when dealing with anarchists demos, unleash chemical warfare with the slightest pretext so they can torture people. Despite the vicious repression of December’s insurrectionary violence, it continues to persist and is proof that the fire that was lit cannot be put out. After all Alexis’ murder was the cause and at the same time the pretext for the outbreak of social rage.
As always, a special role was taken on by mass media and the lowlife journalists brought their propaganda to the limit of vileness. After the state murder of Alexis, they reported about the widespread destruction in the whole of Greece and that the police made no arrests. I believe that the fact that all of us imprisoned for the insurrection face the same charges is no coincidence. The line from the state was exactly the same for nearly all of us.
Inside prison, time is the worst enemy. Especially when you are in custody awaiting trial there is a continuous uncertainty as you never know exactly when you are going to be released. This is a situation that definitely wears you down psychologically. This is also an effect of being locked up against your will with four people for 14 hours a day in a 9 square meter cell designed to fit only one person. It is especially felt when relationships of camaraderie or even of understanding are rare as they are outside the prison bars. Of course there are always those who choose to stand in dignity and struggle.
Incarceration is an everyday psychological warfare enforced upon you by the system when you are in prison. On top of this you also have the screws usually treating prisoners who take part in struggles (hunger strikes, refusal of prison food, demanding their printed material from the censorship) in a derogatory and sly way. One typical example is the last time prisoners were refusing prison food as a protest for the murder of Alexis, the warden of the wing came in together with other screws and threatened the prisoners taking part in the protest with disciplinary prison transfers.
Generally, when you are not subjugated to their correctional system they try to create a climate of fear. Anyway prison is like a large melting pot of souls. If you are a coward it will mince you up and make you even more of a coward but if you are tough it will make you even tougher and colder as a person. The cell makes the prisoner suffocate. Outside in the prison yard is the illusion of freedom…
Still through all of this nothing has ended, the struggle continues
Those who are right are the rebels
not the snitches and those who bow down
(a popular greek anarchist chant)
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Anarchist in Chile dies from explosive device
Comrades,
We bear tragic news from here in Chile.
During the early morning of May 22, we lost our beloved comrade Mauricio Morales Duarte. According to the bourgeois press, Mauricio was transporting an explosive device in downtown Santiago. The device exploded unexpectedly, and our comrade died in combat.
Long live comrade Mauricio Morales! Mauricio joins the list of fallen combatants under the democratic regime in Chile. He was a dedicated and militant anarchist. We remember Mauricio as a youth combatant like so many before him.
Over the last three years, there have been countless non-lethal and low intensity attacks on capital across Chile. These attacks have often fallen near the anniversaries of various days of combat, and they have occurred without arrests.
Police are currently searching for a second person present at the scene of Mauricio's death. They are also raiding various anarchist squats across Santiago.
Over the last three years, there have been countless non-lethal and low intensity attacks on capital across Chile. These attacks have often fallen near the anniversaries of various days of combat, and they have occurred without arrests.
Police are currently searching for a second person present at the scene of Mauricio's death. They are also raiding various anarchist squats across Santiago.
Please check: Hommodolars.org for more information in spanish.
[Article translated from the bourgeois press]
Name revealed of individual who died from the explosion of bomb that he transported
27 year old man from the southern part of the capital
Francisco Águila, El Mercurio Online
Santiago.-This afternoon the name was finally revealed of the 27 year old individual who died last night from the explosion of a bomb that he transported, while he traveled near the School of Prison Guards, located in downtown Santiago.
According to sources connected to the investigation, it was Mauricio Andrés Morales Duarte, with a home address on María Graham street in the San Bernardo community.
At this time members of the Police of Investigations are at the home of the subject, who was identified this morning by his fingerprints.
According to the reports, Morales Duarte died instantly from head trauma caused by the explosion.
His name was known by prosecutors who are investigating the explosive attacks that in recent times have impacted various areas of the capital.
In fact, the sub-secretary of the Interior, Patricio Rosende, affirmed that “there is an evident connection with anarchist groups,” and “without a doubt” it will help clarify the events of this type that have occurred in the past.
Also, the prosecution will investigate the participation of another subject in the incident, who appears in images captured by the security cameras of a business located in front of the site of detonation.
Name revealed of individual who died from the explosion of bomb that he transported
27 year old man from the southern part of the capital
Francisco Águila, El Mercurio Online
Santiago.-This afternoon the name was finally revealed of the 27 year old individual who died last night from the explosion of a bomb that he transported, while he traveled near the School of Prison Guards, located in downtown Santiago.
According to sources connected to the investigation, it was Mauricio Andrés Morales Duarte, with a home address on María Graham street in the San Bernardo community.
At this time members of the Police of Investigations are at the home of the subject, who was identified this morning by his fingerprints.
According to the reports, Morales Duarte died instantly from head trauma caused by the explosion.
His name was known by prosecutors who are investigating the explosive attacks that in recent times have impacted various areas of the capital.
In fact, the sub-secretary of the Interior, Patricio Rosende, affirmed that “there is an evident connection with anarchist groups,” and “without a doubt” it will help clarify the events of this type that have occurred in the past.
Also, the prosecution will investigate the participation of another subject in the incident, who appears in images captured by the security cameras of a business located in front of the site of detonation.
[Article translated from the bourgeois press]
Man who transported homemade bomb dies by explosion in downtown Santiago
The detonation occurred this morning, while the individual circled near the School of Prison Guards, located on Avenue Matta.
Santiago.-Dead and severely mutilated by an explosion: this was the result this morning of a man who transported a homemade bomb in downtown Santiago.
The subject traveled by bicycle towards the School of Prison Guards, located on Avenue Matta, when close to 1:30 in the morning, the artifact detonated. According to radio Bío-Bío, it was made of a fire extinguisher--filled with gun powder—that the subject transported in a backpack.
Inhabitants in the area awoke, because of the loud noise. When arriving at the area of the explosion, they saw with horror the dismembered body of the subject, without hands and legs, and with a burned face.
Police cordoned off the area, searching for human remains in a radius of seventy meters, while they investigated the identity of the victim and the characteristics of the bomb. After five hours of analysis by specialists, they believe that the man was an adult, and he may have wanted to attack the School of the Prison Guards.
In addition to the homemade bomb, a .38 caliber revolver was also found on the deceased. According to the reports, before the explosion, a telephone call was made to the School of the Prison Guards altered of a possible attack.
According to radio Bío-Bío, there is hope that the tragic event will help reveal information about the bombings that have occurred during recent months in the capital.
The explosion caused damage to several nearby structures, including a childcare center.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
The Sentencing of David Mckay: Towards a More Empowering Militancy
On May 22nd, 2009, David Guy McKay was brought before Judge Michael J.
Davis and given 48 months behind bars -- double the sentence given to
Bradley Neal Crowder a week ago. Davis ruled that McKay had obstructed
justice and had not fully accepted responsibility for his actions.
During his sentencing, the judge pondered how this person, whose family
testified as being a good-natured and ambitious young man, could have come
to the Republican National Convention with a group of anarchists and
planned to firebomb a police checkpoint. The exact words uttered by Judge
Davis were, “Who is this anarchist?”
Now it’s time for us to critically examine that same question. Who is this
anarchist? What passions allowed him to meet Brandon Darby’s militant
challenges with action? And how will we respond to the 48 month sentence
handed down to him today? For the past 8 months we’ve been shouting at the
media and federal judiciary in hopes that McKay’s trial would produce an
entrapment acquittal, and after he plead guilty we still hoped for a light
sentence. However, he’s in custody now, facing 4 years in prison and
having admitted guilt on all the charges. Let’s start to take his actions, all of
our actions, more seriously, and let’s stop playing the game of being
victims.
It seems fairly clear that David McKay and Brad Crowder’s choice of
actions were influenced by the government’s informants, as was the
situation in the case of Matt DePalma. We all agree that this has been and
will continue to be a government tactic to land convictions when they need
them, but we shouldn’t discount the autonomy of the individuals caught in
this twisted puppet show. In the videos shown at trial depicting McKay in
the streets on September 1st, even the judge could tell that the rage
exhibited ran far deeper than any informant could fabricate and cull in 6
months. Judge Davis thought McKay looked like a very angry man, and
commented that he could see from the footage that McKay wasn't caught up
in a mere drunken frat riot, but was clearly “doing anarchy against the
system.”
As we look back on these tragic cases, we have to remember that Brandon
Darby wasn't the person to invent discontent, or political engagement, and
he most definitely did not invent the molotov cocktail. Although it is
unfortunate how misguided militancy and poor security culture can result
in long jail times for young activists, we should not deny the fact that
McKay was angry about something tangible. It's that idea that
differentiates 4 years in prison from academic probation due to a frat
riot.
Another important lesson we can take from these events is how we define
militancy in our communities, and what context we can provide for
explosive passions like McKay's. Obviously, as long as people are
permitted to posture about the guns they carried, or celebrated for their
stories of clandestine action, the Darbys in our world will always get
what they want. But militancy doesn't have to fit the athletic/competitive
parameters we generally use to describe it, which isn't to say that we
shouldn't also work on creating contexts in which to act more safely
outside the legal boundaries. Even if our acts won't warrant years in
prison we should not allow them to fall within liberal boundaries that
don't challenge our creativity.
(This is a repost..)
Davis and given 48 months behind bars -- double the sentence given to
Bradley Neal Crowder a week ago. Davis ruled that McKay had obstructed
justice and had not fully accepted responsibility for his actions.
During his sentencing, the judge pondered how this person, whose family
testified as being a good-natured and ambitious young man, could have come
to the Republican National Convention with a group of anarchists and
planned to firebomb a police checkpoint. The exact words uttered by Judge
Davis were, “Who is this anarchist?”
Now it’s time for us to critically examine that same question. Who is this
anarchist? What passions allowed him to meet Brandon Darby’s militant
challenges with action? And how will we respond to the 48 month sentence
handed down to him today? For the past 8 months we’ve been shouting at the
media and federal judiciary in hopes that McKay’s trial would produce an
entrapment acquittal, and after he plead guilty we still hoped for a light
sentence. However, he’s in custody now, facing 4 years in prison and
having admitted guilt on all the charges. Let’s start to take his actions, all of
our actions, more seriously, and let’s stop playing the game of being
victims.
It seems fairly clear that David McKay and Brad Crowder’s choice of
actions were influenced by the government’s informants, as was the
situation in the case of Matt DePalma. We all agree that this has been and
will continue to be a government tactic to land convictions when they need
them, but we shouldn’t discount the autonomy of the individuals caught in
this twisted puppet show. In the videos shown at trial depicting McKay in
the streets on September 1st, even the judge could tell that the rage
exhibited ran far deeper than any informant could fabricate and cull in 6
months. Judge Davis thought McKay looked like a very angry man, and
commented that he could see from the footage that McKay wasn't caught up
in a mere drunken frat riot, but was clearly “doing anarchy against the
system.”
As we look back on these tragic cases, we have to remember that Brandon
Darby wasn't the person to invent discontent, or political engagement, and
he most definitely did not invent the molotov cocktail. Although it is
unfortunate how misguided militancy and poor security culture can result
in long jail times for young activists, we should not deny the fact that
McKay was angry about something tangible. It's that idea that
differentiates 4 years in prison from academic probation due to a frat
riot.
Another important lesson we can take from these events is how we define
militancy in our communities, and what context we can provide for
explosive passions like McKay's. Obviously, as long as people are
permitted to posture about the guns they carried, or celebrated for their
stories of clandestine action, the Darbys in our world will always get
what they want. But militancy doesn't have to fit the athletic/competitive
parameters we generally use to describe it, which isn't to say that we
shouldn't also work on creating contexts in which to act more safely
outside the legal boundaries. Even if our acts won't warrant years in
prison we should not allow them to fall within liberal boundaries that
don't challenge our creativity.
(This is a repost..)
Friday, May 15, 2009
Jeffrey "Free" Luers Dispach From Prison
This will be my last June in prison but I ask and I hope that henceforth June
12th will serve as the International Day of Action and Solidarity for Earth
Liberation Prisoners. I hope that each year the events, benefits, rallies, and
actions grow stronger until all our warriors come home. I hope June 12th serves
as an inspiration to future warriors who know that should they face
imprisonment they will have the support of an entire movement behind them.
Jeffrey Free Luers Dispatch from Prison May 5, 2009
It has been a long time coming but this June friends, allies, comrades,
supporters, and fellow resisters will celebrate the seventh and final
international day of solidarity with me, Jeffrey Luers.
This June will also mark my 9th and final year in prison as my scheduled
release date in December draws steadily closer. The years have left their toll
on me both physically and emotionally. I came to prison an idealistic young man
of 21 and I will be leaving a hardened, more cynical man in my early 30's.
From behind these walls, I have watched the struggle for my freedom and
recognition as a political prisoner grow from a handful of friends into an
international campaign. It has been a heart warming, awe inspiring, joy to
watch.
Your support, encouragement and dedication have fueled my will to continue to
struggle for earth liberation and social and climate justice from within this
cage. Without you my friends I would not be who I am today and I would be lost.
Few (fortunately) will ever truly know the heartache, loss, courage and pure
determination a political prisoner experiences. Nor the challenges one must
face. Sadly, during my incarceration I have witnessed a startling increase in
the number of our brothers and sisters locked up for their resistance. Many of
these people have been convicted of terrorism charges or simply branded a
terrorist. A stigma I am only all too aware of myself.
I am coming home, but the need for prisoner support is far from over. Now, more
than ever our movement needs to show continued solidarity for our political
prisoners many of whom still face years in maximum security prisons and control
units.
The annual June solidarity events have been a crucial component of my support.
They have served to raise much needed funds, expand awareness of my case and
above all provide invaluable inspiration for countless activists including
myself. The events have been a rallying cry for action and solidarity. I firmly
believe that it was this international pressure and attention that resulted in
my drastically reduced sentence.
This will be my last June in prison but I ask and I hope that henceforth June
12th will serve as the International Day of Action and Solidarity for Earth
Liberation Prisoners. I hope that each year the events, benefits, rallies, and
actions grow stronger until all our warriors come home. I hope June 12th serves
as an inspiration to future warriors who know that should they face
imprisonment they will have the support of an entire movement behind them.
Until all are free the struggle must continue, help bring each and every one of
us home.
With the deepest love and gratitude,
Jeffrey Free Luers
www.freejeffluers.org
write to Jeff:
Jeffrey Luers # 13797671
CRCI
9111 NE Sunderland Ave
Portland, OR 97211-1708
donate to Jeff:
http://freejeffluers.org/donate.html
12th will serve as the International Day of Action and Solidarity for Earth
Liberation Prisoners. I hope that each year the events, benefits, rallies, and
actions grow stronger until all our warriors come home. I hope June 12th serves
as an inspiration to future warriors who know that should they face
imprisonment they will have the support of an entire movement behind them.
Jeffrey Free Luers Dispatch from Prison May 5, 2009
It has been a long time coming but this June friends, allies, comrades,
supporters, and fellow resisters will celebrate the seventh and final
international day of solidarity with me, Jeffrey Luers.
This June will also mark my 9th and final year in prison as my scheduled
release date in December draws steadily closer. The years have left their toll
on me both physically and emotionally. I came to prison an idealistic young man
of 21 and I will be leaving a hardened, more cynical man in my early 30's.
From behind these walls, I have watched the struggle for my freedom and
recognition as a political prisoner grow from a handful of friends into an
international campaign. It has been a heart warming, awe inspiring, joy to
watch.
Your support, encouragement and dedication have fueled my will to continue to
struggle for earth liberation and social and climate justice from within this
cage. Without you my friends I would not be who I am today and I would be lost.
Few (fortunately) will ever truly know the heartache, loss, courage and pure
determination a political prisoner experiences. Nor the challenges one must
face. Sadly, during my incarceration I have witnessed a startling increase in
the number of our brothers and sisters locked up for their resistance. Many of
these people have been convicted of terrorism charges or simply branded a
terrorist. A stigma I am only all too aware of myself.
I am coming home, but the need for prisoner support is far from over. Now, more
than ever our movement needs to show continued solidarity for our political
prisoners many of whom still face years in maximum security prisons and control
units.
The annual June solidarity events have been a crucial component of my support.
They have served to raise much needed funds, expand awareness of my case and
above all provide invaluable inspiration for countless activists including
myself. The events have been a rallying cry for action and solidarity. I firmly
believe that it was this international pressure and attention that resulted in
my drastically reduced sentence.
This will be my last June in prison but I ask and I hope that henceforth June
12th will serve as the International Day of Action and Solidarity for Earth
Liberation Prisoners. I hope that each year the events, benefits, rallies, and
actions grow stronger until all our warriors come home. I hope June 12th serves
as an inspiration to future warriors who know that should they face
imprisonment they will have the support of an entire movement behind them.
Until all are free the struggle must continue, help bring each and every one of
us home.
With the deepest love and gratitude,
Jeffrey Free Luers
www.freejeffluers.org
write to Jeff:
Jeffrey Luers # 13797671
CRCI
9111 NE Sunderland Ave
Portland, OR 97211-1708
donate to Jeff:
http://freejeffluers.org/donate.html
Eric McDavid Update
Hello everyone,
There are a few things we would like to share with you in this update. Below you will find information on Eric's current situation, the tour in June, site updates, and the status of the appeal. Eric sends his hellos to you all. Thanks so much for your continued support. We hope to see many of you soon!
The Mail Situation
------------------
Eric would like for us to let you all know that he is currently unable to respond to snail mail. Victorville has recently implemented a new, illegal mail policy that requires prisoners to submit a list of people to whom they would like to send mail. This list is kept on file in the prison's Trulincs system, which was originally setup as an email system for prisoners. The BOP has since expanded it's use of the system as a way to keep track of prisoner phone lists, mail lists, and as a log-in system for prisoner access to the legal library. The use of the system for these purposes has numerous legality issues, and Eric and a couple of other prisoners are attempting to fight the new rules from the inside. In the meantime, Eric will not be using the mail-labeling system set up by Trulincs, which means he is unable to send any written correspondence. This does NOT mean that he cannot receive mail - so please keep those letters coming.
The Northwest in June
---------------------
Some of us from Eric's support crew will be touring the northwest in June. We will be talking about Eric's case - how it was created, how Eric was targeted by the government and entrapped by an undercover informant, how he was convicted in a trial fraught with error, then sentenced to an outrageous 19 years and 7 months in prison. We will also be talking about entrapment and the use of government informants, and government repression in general.
The presentation will be followed with amazing musical performances by folks from the Anarchozarkian Music Collective - Spokepants of the Flowering Skillet and Nora and Gnoll. Other local musicians will be joining us along the way. You don't want to miss it!
Here is a quick list of what we've got so far:
June 5: Reno, NV
June 7: East Bay, CA (The Longhaul infoshop)
June 9: Arcata, CA
June 12: Portland, OR (The Red and Black Cafe, 6pm)
June 13: Eugene, OR
June 20-22ish: Seattle area? Bellingham?
June 25: Portland, OR (The Black Rose)
Early July: Modesto, CA
San Diego, CA
More dates are in the works. You can check out www.supporteric.org for updates about the tour.
Site Updates
------------
We are in the process of some major additions to Eric's website. Soon you will have access to all of the transcripts from Eric's trial, sentencing, the plea agreements from his co-defendants, and more. We are also adding a section for writings from Eric to make them more accessible. Check out www.supporteric.org soon to get the latest.
Appeal Status
-------------
As you know, Eric is in the process of appealing both his conviction and sentence. We were hoping to be able to post the appeal with this alert, but are awaiting word from the court. Eric's lawyer filed the appeal on May 6, but also had to file a motion to file a brief that is twice the length of a normal appeal. If the court accepts this motion, then the appeal will officially be filed and we can post it for you all to read. This is nowhere near the end of the process, however. The government will have a month to respond to the brief once it is filed, and then Eric's lawyer will have another two weeks for his final response. We fully expect more delays (the brief was originally due last September). We will keep you posted as things develop.
Eric has been in jail or prison for 3 1/2 years now. His strength and courage continue to remind us all of what it means to stay true to ourselves and the things we hold dear. Our sincerest thanks to all of you who have helped make this journey more endurable.
Yours,
SPS
There are a few things we would like to share with you in this update. Below you will find information on Eric's current situation, the tour in June, site updates, and the status of the appeal. Eric sends his hellos to you all. Thanks so much for your continued support. We hope to see many of you soon!
The Mail Situation
------------------
Eric would like for us to let you all know that he is currently unable to respond to snail mail. Victorville has recently implemented a new, illegal mail policy that requires prisoners to submit a list of people to whom they would like to send mail. This list is kept on file in the prison's Trulincs system, which was originally setup as an email system for prisoners. The BOP has since expanded it's use of the system as a way to keep track of prisoner phone lists, mail lists, and as a log-in system for prisoner access to the legal library. The use of the system for these purposes has numerous legality issues, and Eric and a couple of other prisoners are attempting to fight the new rules from the inside. In the meantime, Eric will not be using the mail-labeling system set up by Trulincs, which means he is unable to send any written correspondence. This does NOT mean that he cannot receive mail - so please keep those letters coming.
The Northwest in June
---------------------
Some of us from Eric's support crew will be touring the northwest in June. We will be talking about Eric's case - how it was created, how Eric was targeted by the government and entrapped by an undercover informant, how he was convicted in a trial fraught with error, then sentenced to an outrageous 19 years and 7 months in prison. We will also be talking about entrapment and the use of government informants, and government repression in general.
The presentation will be followed with amazing musical performances by folks from the Anarchozarkian Music Collective - Spokepants of the Flowering Skillet and Nora and Gnoll. Other local musicians will be joining us along the way. You don't want to miss it!
Here is a quick list of what we've got so far:
June 5: Reno, NV
June 7: East Bay, CA (The Longhaul infoshop)
June 9: Arcata, CA
June 12: Portland, OR (The Red and Black Cafe, 6pm)
June 13: Eugene, OR
June 20-22ish: Seattle area? Bellingham?
June 25: Portland, OR (The Black Rose)
Early July: Modesto, CA
San Diego, CA
More dates are in the works. You can check out www.supporteric.org for updates about the tour.
Site Updates
------------
We are in the process of some major additions to Eric's website. Soon you will have access to all of the transcripts from Eric's trial, sentencing, the plea agreements from his co-defendants, and more. We are also adding a section for writings from Eric to make them more accessible. Check out www.supporteric.org soon to get the latest.
Appeal Status
-------------
As you know, Eric is in the process of appealing both his conviction and sentence. We were hoping to be able to post the appeal with this alert, but are awaiting word from the court. Eric's lawyer filed the appeal on May 6, but also had to file a motion to file a brief that is twice the length of a normal appeal. If the court accepts this motion, then the appeal will officially be filed and we can post it for you all to read. This is nowhere near the end of the process, however. The government will have a month to respond to the brief once it is filed, and then Eric's lawyer will have another two weeks for his final response. We fully expect more delays (the brief was originally due last September). We will keep you posted as things develop.
Eric has been in jail or prison for 3 1/2 years now. His strength and courage continue to remind us all of what it means to stay true to ourselves and the things we hold dear. Our sincerest thanks to all of you who have helped make this journey more endurable.
Yours,
SPS
Bash Back! Targeted by Subpoenas
Authorities have attempted to deliver subpoenas to at least three midwesternactivists as of early Wednesday afternoon in relation to a Bash Back! action atan anti-queer megachurch in Lansing in November of 2008. Activists disruptedthe church service by demonstrating both outside and inside the building. Therelated complaint lists 14 names, Bash Back! and Bash Back! Lansing, and "JohnDoes 1-20."Prevailing advice early this afternoon is to reject delivery of the subpoenasif one comes to your door.If you have more information, please publish it to TCIMC. A copy of thesubpoena will be posted once it has been obtained.UPDATE #1: The subpoenas are in relation to a lawsuit filed by the right-wingAlliance Defense Fund. The Christian ADF, which filed the suit on behalf ofMount Hope church in Lansing, also is encouraging criminal charges. Numerousunnamed individuals in the suit may be sought in relation to the Mount Hopeaction or other church actions.The press-release from ADF, which you can read here, describes the Bash Back!News website - also targeted by the subpoena - as featuring "terrorist-likegarb." Read more about the history of ADF here.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Alliance_Defense_Fund
View a PDF of the complaint filed in U.S. District Court here. The documentfails to respect the gender identities, preferred pronouns or chosen names ofthose subpoenaed/allegedly involved in the activities in question - a perfectexample of why direct actions like the one at Mount Hope church are taken byBash Back! and others. (The complaint is also linked on the ADF website.)http://twincities.indymedia.org/files/MtHopeComplaint-red.pdf
Statement made by Bash Back! News
ADF Fuckers Suing BasThe work of devoted Bash Back!ers and allies determined
that this morning’s hysteria is the result of the Alliance Defense Fund, a
notorious anti-womyn, anti-queer, racist organization. The ADF decided to sue
Bash Back!, Bash Back! Lansing and individuals because the authorities would
not file a single criminal complaint regarding an action at the Mount Hope
Church in Lansing last fall. But that’s not all! Those pesky evange-fascists
are trying to identify and out up to 20 other people involved with Bash Back!
in the hopes that criminal charges will be placed against them. Fourteen people
and 1-20 Jesse “John” Does are named on the complaint.
You can find the ADF press release on their website.
*Warning this Site is an overt manifestion of THE Patriarchy. It may be
offensive and enraging*
www.alliancedefensefund.org
Bash Back! and radical transfolk/queers cannot and will not be intimidated.
Some of us face life and death on a daily basis. This lawsuit aint shit.
BB! News will be setting up an account to raise funds in the near future. Lets
fill our pocket books and resist this suit.
Attached to this posting is a copy of the complaint so the entire world can see
that it is riddled with inaccuracies and out-right lies.
Disclaimer: This Lawsuit does NOT respect the chosen identities of the people
named. Names, gender pronouns, and identities were purposely disrespected by
the complaint. Please keep this in mind when reading and discussing the
lawsuit.
That’s Some Bull Shit!
Bash Back! News
Here is a copy of the complaint.
http://twincities.indymedia.org/files/MtHopeComplaint-red.pdf
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Alliance_Defense_Fund
View a PDF of the complaint filed in U.S. District Court here. The documentfails to respect the gender identities, preferred pronouns or chosen names ofthose subpoenaed/allegedly involved in the activities in question - a perfectexample of why direct actions like the one at Mount Hope church are taken byBash Back! and others. (The complaint is also linked on the ADF website.)http://twincities.indymedia.org/files/MtHopeComplaint-red.pdf
Statement made by Bash Back! News
ADF Fuckers Suing BasThe work of devoted Bash Back!ers and allies determined
that this morning’s hysteria is the result of the Alliance Defense Fund, a
notorious anti-womyn, anti-queer, racist organization. The ADF decided to sue
Bash Back!, Bash Back! Lansing and individuals because the authorities would
not file a single criminal complaint regarding an action at the Mount Hope
Church in Lansing last fall. But that’s not all! Those pesky evange-fascists
are trying to identify and out up to 20 other people involved with Bash Back!
in the hopes that criminal charges will be placed against them. Fourteen people
and 1-20 Jesse “John” Does are named on the complaint.
You can find the ADF press release on their website.
*Warning this Site is an overt manifestion of THE Patriarchy. It may be
offensive and enraging*
www.alliancedefensefund.org
Bash Back! and radical transfolk/queers cannot and will not be intimidated.
Some of us face life and death on a daily basis. This lawsuit aint shit.
BB! News will be setting up an account to raise funds in the near future. Lets
fill our pocket books and resist this suit.
Attached to this posting is a copy of the complaint so the entire world can see
that it is riddled with inaccuracies and out-right lies.
Disclaimer: This Lawsuit does NOT respect the chosen identities of the people
named. Names, gender pronouns, and identities were purposely disrespected by
the complaint. Please keep this in mind when reading and discussing the
lawsuit.
That’s Some Bull Shit!
Bash Back! News
Here is a copy of the complaint.
http://twincities.indymedia.org/files/MtHopeComplaint-red.pdf
To our Judges (from "The Tarnac 9")
For four months, the mediatic-judicial serial[1] entitled "The Tarnac Affair" has not wanted to come to an end. Will Julien [Coupat] come home for Christmas? For New Year's? Another chance on Friday the 13th. No, in the end, they kept him in prison for a little while longer, locked up in his new role as leader of an invisible cell. Since it seems that several people are still interested in perpetuating this masquerade, even beyond the point of being grotesque, it is once again necessary for us to take on the responsibility of the role that they have tailored for us ("The Tarnac 9") and make a necessary collective clarification. Here it is. . . .
First: while the journalists have gone as far as combing through our trashcans, the cops have gone as far as eyeing our rectums. It has been quite disagreeable. Over the last few months, you have read our mail, eavesdropped on our telephones, tracked our friends and filmed our houses. You get off on it.
We, the nine, have been subjected to these means, as have many others. Atomized by your procedures, nine times one,[2] while you are an administration, a police force, and the logic of a [certain] world. From our point of view, the dice are loaded, the pyre is already built. And so, do not ask us to be good sports.
Second: of course you need to have "individuals," constituted into a "cell," belonging to a "circle of influence" among a faction on the political chessboard. You need all this because it is your one and only and last hold on a growing part of the world that is irreducible to the society that you claim you defend. You're right, something is happening in France, but it is certainly not the re-birth of the "ultra-left."[3] Here we are only figures for a rather vulgarized crystallization of a conflict that traverses our entire era. [This crystallization is] the mediatic-judicial spearhead of a merciless confrontation that leads an order to collapse in the face of all that claims to have the ability to survive it.
It goes without saying that, in the context of what is going on in Guadeloupe, in Martinique, in the banlieus and the universities, among the fishermen, rail workers and undocumented immigrants, it will soon be necessary for you to be profs[4] as well as judges. But you understand nothing of these things. And don't count on the clever sleuths in the DCRF[5] to explain it to you.
Third: we have found that there is more joy in our friendships and our "associations of evil-doers" than in your offices and courtrooms.
Fourth: if it seems self-evident to you that the seriousness of your jobs allows you to question our political thinking and our friendships, we do not feel the duty to speak to you of them. No life will ever be absolutely transparent to the eyes of the State and the justice system. There, where you wanted to see the clearest, you have instead propagated opacity. And they tell us that, henceforth, so as to not come under your surveillance [votre regard], there will always be more people who will come to demonstrations without cellphones, which encrypt the texts that they send and cleverly detours them before they arrive. As one says: it's a shame.[6]
Fifth: since the beginning of this "affair," you seem to have wanted to accord great importance to the testimony to a mythomaniac, also called "X." You are obstinate; it is courageous of you to have some faith in this pack of lies and in the practice that has honored France for several centuries: paid informants. This would almost be touching if it did not justify the accusation that Julien [Coupat] is the leader and thus [justify] his continued detention in jail; if this kind of "testimony" did not justify arbitrary arrests -- for example, arrests for allegedly sending bullets through the mail to the police stations in l'Herault and Villiers-le-bel.
Finally: it being understood that the margin of liberty that remains to us is henceforth greatly reduced, the single place from which we could extricate ourselves from your control[7] resides in the interrogations to which you will subject us at regular intervals. Julien has already had four demands to be released denied. He is our friend. He is nothing more than what we are. We have decided that, from now on, in the heroic tradition of Bartleby "we prefer not to."[8] In sum, we will say nothing more and will stay silent until you free him, stop calling him our leader, and stop calling all of us terrorists. In short, until you abandon these persecutions.
For all those who, wherever they are, fight and do not give up. For all those who haven't been suffocated by resentment and who make joy a question of attack. For all our friends, our children, our brothers and sisters, [and] the support committees. No fear, no pity. No heroes, no martyrs. It is precisely because this affair has never been legal that we must transport the conflict to the terrain of politics. What the multiplication of attacks by an always-more-absurd power calls upon us to do is nothing other than generalize the collective practices of self-defense everywhere it is necessary to do so.
There aren't nine people to save, but an order to bring down.
Along with Julien Coupat, Aria, Benjamin, Elsa, Gabrielle, Manon, Matthieu, and Yidune have been questioned in the "Tarnac Affair." Monday 16, March 2009.
(Also published in the 17 March 2009 issue of Le Monde. Translated from the French by NOT BORED! 15 May 2009.)
[1] The French here is le feuilleton mediatico-judiciare. A feuilleton is a serialized show. There is no adequate equivalent in English for mediatique, which not only refers to the media, but the spectacle, as well.
[2] The French here is neuf fois un, which might also be rendered as "one nine times."
[3] Despite what Patrick Marcolini says about them.
[4] Short for professors?
[5] Direction centrale du renseigement interier (DCRI) is the French domestic-intelligence agency.
[6] The French here is c'est ballot.
[7] The French here is emprise, which can also be rendered as "expropriation."
[8] An allusion to Herman Meville's short story "Bartleby the Scrivener" (1853-1856) and, no doubt, the commentary upon it made in 1989 by Gilles Deleuze's essay "Bartleby, ou la formule" and in 1993 in Giorgio Agamben's "Bartleby, or On Contingency."
This post was taken from infoshop.org
First: while the journalists have gone as far as combing through our trashcans, the cops have gone as far as eyeing our rectums. It has been quite disagreeable. Over the last few months, you have read our mail, eavesdropped on our telephones, tracked our friends and filmed our houses. You get off on it.
We, the nine, have been subjected to these means, as have many others. Atomized by your procedures, nine times one,[2] while you are an administration, a police force, and the logic of a [certain] world. From our point of view, the dice are loaded, the pyre is already built. And so, do not ask us to be good sports.
Second: of course you need to have "individuals," constituted into a "cell," belonging to a "circle of influence" among a faction on the political chessboard. You need all this because it is your one and only and last hold on a growing part of the world that is irreducible to the society that you claim you defend. You're right, something is happening in France, but it is certainly not the re-birth of the "ultra-left."[3] Here we are only figures for a rather vulgarized crystallization of a conflict that traverses our entire era. [This crystallization is] the mediatic-judicial spearhead of a merciless confrontation that leads an order to collapse in the face of all that claims to have the ability to survive it.
It goes without saying that, in the context of what is going on in Guadeloupe, in Martinique, in the banlieus and the universities, among the fishermen, rail workers and undocumented immigrants, it will soon be necessary for you to be profs[4] as well as judges. But you understand nothing of these things. And don't count on the clever sleuths in the DCRF[5] to explain it to you.
Third: we have found that there is more joy in our friendships and our "associations of evil-doers" than in your offices and courtrooms.
Fourth: if it seems self-evident to you that the seriousness of your jobs allows you to question our political thinking and our friendships, we do not feel the duty to speak to you of them. No life will ever be absolutely transparent to the eyes of the State and the justice system. There, where you wanted to see the clearest, you have instead propagated opacity. And they tell us that, henceforth, so as to not come under your surveillance [votre regard], there will always be more people who will come to demonstrations without cellphones, which encrypt the texts that they send and cleverly detours them before they arrive. As one says: it's a shame.[6]
Fifth: since the beginning of this "affair," you seem to have wanted to accord great importance to the testimony to a mythomaniac, also called "X." You are obstinate; it is courageous of you to have some faith in this pack of lies and in the practice that has honored France for several centuries: paid informants. This would almost be touching if it did not justify the accusation that Julien [Coupat] is the leader and thus [justify] his continued detention in jail; if this kind of "testimony" did not justify arbitrary arrests -- for example, arrests for allegedly sending bullets through the mail to the police stations in l'Herault and Villiers-le-bel.
Finally: it being understood that the margin of liberty that remains to us is henceforth greatly reduced, the single place from which we could extricate ourselves from your control[7] resides in the interrogations to which you will subject us at regular intervals. Julien has already had four demands to be released denied. He is our friend. He is nothing more than what we are. We have decided that, from now on, in the heroic tradition of Bartleby "we prefer not to."[8] In sum, we will say nothing more and will stay silent until you free him, stop calling him our leader, and stop calling all of us terrorists. In short, until you abandon these persecutions.
For all those who, wherever they are, fight and do not give up. For all those who haven't been suffocated by resentment and who make joy a question of attack. For all our friends, our children, our brothers and sisters, [and] the support committees. No fear, no pity. No heroes, no martyrs. It is precisely because this affair has never been legal that we must transport the conflict to the terrain of politics. What the multiplication of attacks by an always-more-absurd power calls upon us to do is nothing other than generalize the collective practices of self-defense everywhere it is necessary to do so.
There aren't nine people to save, but an order to bring down.
Along with Julien Coupat, Aria, Benjamin, Elsa, Gabrielle, Manon, Matthieu, and Yidune have been questioned in the "Tarnac Affair." Monday 16, March 2009.
(Also published in the 17 March 2009 issue of Le Monde. Translated from the French by NOT BORED! 15 May 2009.)
[1] The French here is le feuilleton mediatico-judiciare. A feuilleton is a serialized show. There is no adequate equivalent in English for mediatique, which not only refers to the media, but the spectacle, as well.
[2] The French here is neuf fois un, which might also be rendered as "one nine times."
[3] Despite what Patrick Marcolini says about them.
[4] Short for professors?
[5] Direction centrale du renseigement interier (DCRI) is the French domestic-intelligence agency.
[6] The French here is c'est ballot.
[7] The French here is emprise, which can also be rendered as "expropriation."
[8] An allusion to Herman Meville's short story "Bartleby the Scrivener" (1853-1856) and, no doubt, the commentary upon it made in 1989 by Gilles Deleuze's essay "Bartleby, ou la formule" and in 1993 in Giorgio Agamben's "Bartleby, or On Contingency."
This post was taken from infoshop.org
New Marie Mason Support Zine
Thanks to the work of a supporter the recent Fifth Estate article on Marie
is now available in zine format through the links below. Please download
and distribute. More zines on Marie are in the works.
Struggle,
Got Your Back Collective
For reading on the computer:
bamfproductionz.wordpress.com/2009/04/27/crucifixion-of-marie-mason-zine/marie-mason/
Imposed pdf version for printing:
bamfproductionz.wordpress.com/2009/04/27/crucifixion-of-marie-mason-imposed-pdf/marie-mason-imposed/
is now available in zine format through the links below. Please download
and distribute. More zines on Marie are in the works.
Struggle,
Got Your Back Collective
For reading on the computer:
bamfproductionz.wordpress.com/2009/04/27/crucifixion-of-marie-mason-zine/marie-mason/
Imposed pdf version for printing:
bamfproductionz.wordpress.com/2009/04/27/crucifixion-of-marie-mason-imposed-pdf/marie-mason-imposed/
Monday, May 11, 2009
Two I-69 Resisters Arrested
Two anti-I-69 organizers in Indiana were arrested by state police with the
assistance of the FBI Friday. Tiga and Hugh are both being charged with two
counts of conversion, two counts of intimidation and one count of corrupt
business influence, stemming from actions surrounding the I-69 campaign. Both
are being held in the Pike County, Indiana jail; the phone number there is
812-354-6024.
Support site plus donation info Questions: freetigaandhugh [at]
mostlyeverything.net
Original story posted at Chicago Indymedia/Infoshop.org Tiga's Arrest Warrant
PDF Hugh's Arrest Warrant PDF
Indiana statutes: Corrupt Business Influence (Class C Felony; Min. 2 years)
Intimidation (Class A Misdemeanor, Max 1 year) Conversion (Class A
Misdemeanor)
UPDATED INFORMATION 4/25:
In what appears to be the culmination of a several year long case the state has
been building against I-69 resistance, two Indiana residents, Tiga and Hugh,
were arrested this afternoon. Although the charges against the two include
individual acts, for the majority they are trumped up charges of conspiracy
leveled against any movement against I-69. You can read the sordid details in
their arrest warrants at mostlyeverything.net
In what appears to be the culmination of a several year long case the state has
been building against I-69 resistance, two Indiana residents, Tiga and Hugh,
were arrested this afternoon. Although the charges against the two include
individual acts, for the majority they are trumped up charges of conspiracy -
fairly explicitly, conspiracy to collectively organize, to challenge
environmental and social devastation perpetrated by the state and capital -
leveled against any (not easily recuperative) movement against I-69. Although
it appears that no other warrants have been issued, that for now no other
individuals will be facing the severe penalties these charges carry, it must be
noted that this brash move by the state is a most blatant affront to any
initiative towards social organization.
Tiga, a long time Indiana resident, was arrested early today as she appeared in
Gibson County court on charges stemming from anti-I-69 actions this past
summer. The arrest was made by the Indiana State Police, including Officer Brad
Chandler, a particularly slimy scumbag whose full time job it is to harass
environmental activists. Tiga is being held on $10,000 cash bond by the state
police on five charge: 2 counts of intimidation, 2 counts of conversion (all
misdemeanors) and 1 count of corrupt business influence (a class C felony). She
is currently being held in the Pike County jail (812-354-6024), though it’s
possible she’ll be moved around.
A couple hours after Tiga was accosted at the courthouse, Hugh was arrested in
northern Indiana by a US marshal driving an unmarked vehicle. Rather than
pulling over the vehicle Hugh was traveling in, the cop trailed the car for
some unknown duration waiting for it to stop, then arrested Hugh outside of a
gas station. He was then taken to join Tiga in the Pike County jail, where he
is being held on $20,000 cash bond. His charges are the same as Tiga's, though
many of the details of their warrants differ.
Clearly, lots of help is needed to come up with the $30,000 bond. Whether or
not we can get this figure lowered (included in the state's reasoning about
having such a high bond was the fact that Hugh was known to distribute
anarchist literature), much financial support will be needed for legal fees, as
the two fight charges carrying a maximum of eight years. You can donate online
at
mostlyeverything.net
, or via mail to The Future, PO Box 3133, Bloomington, IN, 47402. Emails can be
sent to freetigaandhugh@
mostlyeverything.net
These arrests are an obvious continuance and escalation of the harassment of
anti-I-69 activities in southern Indiana. People in both Evansville and
Bloomington have been systematically targeted by myriad law enforcement
agencies from throughout the state as well as by federal agencies. Nearly 20
folks are still held captive by the court system, facing both criminal and
civil legal pressures stemming from last summer. As the state tries to squash
its opposition by ensnaring individuals in isolating court cases, by monitoring
and threatening individuals to try to pinpoint ‘leaders’ or groups
responsible, it is important to recognize that every such instance of
individual repression is easily and effectively repression of all resistance.
To counter such repression with honest reflection on its functioning and on how
action might challenge rather than support this repression, is to stand in
solidarity with Tiga and Hugh, with the best things they or we might fight for.
http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20090424221248188
assistance of the FBI Friday. Tiga and Hugh are both being charged with two
counts of conversion, two counts of intimidation and one count of corrupt
business influence, stemming from actions surrounding the I-69 campaign. Both
are being held in the Pike County, Indiana jail; the phone number there is
812-354-6024.
Support site plus donation info Questions: freetigaandhugh [at]
mostlyeverything.net
Original story posted at Chicago Indymedia/Infoshop.org Tiga's Arrest Warrant
PDF Hugh's Arrest Warrant PDF
Indiana statutes: Corrupt Business Influence (Class C Felony; Min. 2 years)
Intimidation (Class A Misdemeanor, Max 1 year) Conversion (Class A
Misdemeanor)
UPDATED INFORMATION 4/25:
In what appears to be the culmination of a several year long case the state has
been building against I-69 resistance, two Indiana residents, Tiga and Hugh,
were arrested this afternoon. Although the charges against the two include
individual acts, for the majority they are trumped up charges of conspiracy
leveled against any movement against I-69. You can read the sordid details in
their arrest warrants at mostlyeverything.net
In what appears to be the culmination of a several year long case the state has
been building against I-69 resistance, two Indiana residents, Tiga and Hugh,
were arrested this afternoon. Although the charges against the two include
individual acts, for the majority they are trumped up charges of conspiracy -
fairly explicitly, conspiracy to collectively organize, to challenge
environmental and social devastation perpetrated by the state and capital -
leveled against any (not easily recuperative) movement against I-69. Although
it appears that no other warrants have been issued, that for now no other
individuals will be facing the severe penalties these charges carry, it must be
noted that this brash move by the state is a most blatant affront to any
initiative towards social organization.
Tiga, a long time Indiana resident, was arrested early today as she appeared in
Gibson County court on charges stemming from anti-I-69 actions this past
summer. The arrest was made by the Indiana State Police, including Officer Brad
Chandler, a particularly slimy scumbag whose full time job it is to harass
environmental activists. Tiga is being held on $10,000 cash bond by the state
police on five charge: 2 counts of intimidation, 2 counts of conversion (all
misdemeanors) and 1 count of corrupt business influence (a class C felony). She
is currently being held in the Pike County jail (812-354-6024), though it’s
possible she’ll be moved around.
A couple hours after Tiga was accosted at the courthouse, Hugh was arrested in
northern Indiana by a US marshal driving an unmarked vehicle. Rather than
pulling over the vehicle Hugh was traveling in, the cop trailed the car for
some unknown duration waiting for it to stop, then arrested Hugh outside of a
gas station. He was then taken to join Tiga in the Pike County jail, where he
is being held on $20,000 cash bond. His charges are the same as Tiga's, though
many of the details of their warrants differ.
Clearly, lots of help is needed to come up with the $30,000 bond. Whether or
not we can get this figure lowered (included in the state's reasoning about
having such a high bond was the fact that Hugh was known to distribute
anarchist literature), much financial support will be needed for legal fees, as
the two fight charges carrying a maximum of eight years. You can donate online
at
mostlyeverything.net
, or via mail to The Future, PO Box 3133, Bloomington, IN, 47402. Emails can be
sent to freetigaandhugh@
mostlyeverything.net
These arrests are an obvious continuance and escalation of the harassment of
anti-I-69 activities in southern Indiana. People in both Evansville and
Bloomington have been systematically targeted by myriad law enforcement
agencies from throughout the state as well as by federal agencies. Nearly 20
folks are still held captive by the court system, facing both criminal and
civil legal pressures stemming from last summer. As the state tries to squash
its opposition by ensnaring individuals in isolating court cases, by monitoring
and threatening individuals to try to pinpoint ‘leaders’ or groups
responsible, it is important to recognize that every such instance of
individual repression is easily and effectively repression of all resistance.
To counter such repression with honest reflection on its functioning and on how
action might challenge rather than support this repression, is to stand in
solidarity with Tiga and Hugh, with the best things they or we might fight for.
http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20090424221248188
Update for the MK3
Just a quick update for the MK3...
Dave had a pre-trial date today at 9am. He still faces trial beginning June1st. Everyone please mark your calendars and come hang out at the courthousefor his trial! He's facing six felonies at this point and needs all supportpossible. Also if anyone is willing to write a character reference for Dave,please let us know. These can be very helpful at sentencing.Christina and Karen have another pre-trial date May 29th at 9am. Their trialhas been set for August 31st.Funds are still needed for Dave, Christina and Karen. Their court costs havebeen estimated around $40,000! There are paypal buttons set up on their bloghelpmkethree.blogspot.com. Thanks to everyone who has taken time to fundraiseand donate thus far; the response and support is truely inspiring!If there is anyone who would like to be updated from this email, send theiraddress our way and we will add them to the list.Glen Dyer has plead guilty to his felony charge and is facing sentencing.Please come and support him at the courthouse Thursday, May 28th at 11am.Take care, friends!
In solidarity,
*Friends of the MK3
Dave had a pre-trial date today at 9am. He still faces trial beginning June1st. Everyone please mark your calendars and come hang out at the courthousefor his trial! He's facing six felonies at this point and needs all supportpossible. Also if anyone is willing to write a character reference for Dave,please let us know. These can be very helpful at sentencing.Christina and Karen have another pre-trial date May 29th at 9am. Their trialhas been set for August 31st.Funds are still needed for Dave, Christina and Karen. Their court costs havebeen estimated around $40,000! There are paypal buttons set up on their bloghelpmkethree.blogspot.com. Thanks to everyone who has taken time to fundraiseand donate thus far; the response and support is truely inspiring!If there is anyone who would like to be updated from this email, send theiraddress our way and we will add them to the list.Glen Dyer has plead guilty to his felony charge and is facing sentencing.Please come and support him at the courthouse Thursday, May 28th at 11am.Take care, friends!
In solidarity,
*Friends of the MK3
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