Daniel
McGowan's 34th birthday is on Friday, May 2nd.
Please send cards and letters with birthday wishes!
Daniel McGowan
#63794-053
FCI Sandstone, Unit I
PO Box 1000
Sandstone, MN 55072
Guidelines
can be found here
Urgent ELP! Bulletin (27th of March 2008)
Dear friends
An American 17 year old youth, Michael Sykes, has been
arrested accused of setting
fire to two newly constructed houses. The cops have
told the media that Michael has
admitted the arson attack saying he did it in protest
against urban sprawl. The
cops also state he has admitted to torching a supermarket
and a string of
vandalisms, including damaging an 80-foot utility pole,
painting an anarchist symbol
and burning the American flag.
Despite the cops claim that Michael has admitted these
offences he has pleaded not
guilty in court and has been remanded into custody.
Please send letters of support to:
Michael W. Sykes
100 East 2nd St
Monroe, Michigan 48161
ELP Information Bulletin (17th
March 2008)
Dear friends
ELP has received the following mailout
from Canadian Animal Rights Prisoner, Gabriel Villeneuve's
supporters.
1-Message from Gabriel Villeneuve
2-First court appearance this Thursday - come to show
your support!
3-Gabriel Villeneuve - political prisoner
-------------------
1-Message from Gabriel Villeneuve
Dear supporters,
Thank you for your kind words and your
support. I have been receiving a
lot of mail from all over the world. It's amazing to
see all the support
I get. You all make my time in jail a lot easier and
help me to keep my
focus. I feel a lot less alone in my cell with tons
of support of all of
you who fight for a common cause. You can't imagine
how good it feels to
receive letters of support. It's the only thing that
connects us
prisoners, to the rest of the animal right scene. Now
I know that I'm not
alone.
I'm doing well here; the first five
days were ruff because the jail staff
refused to give me vegan food so I starve until they
realize I was not
going to eat unless I was served vegan food. So now
I eat beans and salad
every single meal...at least I eat! I use this time
to do positive things
like exercising, reading, writing, sleep and rest. I
usually work more
than 60 hours a week on the SHAC campaign so it's appreciated
rest but I
feel a lot of frustration that I'm stuck here and no
longer useful for the
animals. However I know that when I will get out I will
have more energy
and rage to fight even harder.
As for my arrest and my imprisonment,
I obviously think it's totally
outrageous and a disgusting violation of the basic international
human
rights and the freedom of speech act guaranteed by the
Canadian
constitution. This situation is only making me stronger
and more
determined as an activist. I have food, a place to go
outside to work
out, people to socialize with, visits from my family,
and even more
important, the insurance that one day I will be free.
My situation is
luxury compared to what billions of animals have to
go through every
single day. They don't have that opportunity to be released
one day. For
them, the only way out is death. They only have us,
animal rights
activists that have the ability to shut down those animal
research labs,
fur farms, slaughterhouses and all the other industries
that abuse not
only animals but humans and Mother Earth too. It doesn't
matter if they
shut down because of boycott, political pressure, direct
actions or other
means. What matters is that they shut down as quickly
as possible. We
must use the most effective tactics to achieve our goals
as there are
lives on the line.
A lot of people write me that I am
an inspiration to them and even a hero.
I appreciate your kind words but seriously I am not
special, I don't have
special skills or power; anyone can do what I do and
a lot more. All you
need is determination. Even if you have a full time
job or go to school,
making phone calls and writing letters to animal abusers
scum bags or
participating one hour a week at a demonstration, is
possible for anyone.
You don't have to work full time, all you need is consistency.
This is
how we're going to achieve our goal. For me my heroes
are people who have
families to take care, a full time job and bills to
pay, and still take
the time every single week to end all forms of injustice.
It is up to all
of us to act on our convictions.
I hope to hear from you soon and hear
about all the great things you do
for animal liberation. Thanks again for your support,
it is much
appreciated.
P.S. A lot of my mail is not given
to me by the prison staff (or takes
weeks to be given to me) so don't worry if I didn't
answer your letter
yet. I will write you back for sure as soon as I get
your letter.
WORDS AND TEARS MEAN NOTHING, ACTION
MEANS EVERYTHING!
UNTIL ALL ARE FREE!
Gab
---------------------------
2-First court appearance this Thursday - come to show
your support!
Come to support Gabriel Villeneuve
at his first court appearance and its
possible release from jail!
Where? Palais de Justice de Québec,
room 2.10
When? Thursady March 20, 2008
Time : 9 :30am
If you need transportation, please
contact us at 514-966-6460 /
shaccanada@riseup.net
Flyer in attachment
------------------------
3-Gabriel Villeneuve - political prisoner
While out of town to give a talk and
a workshop on direct action and SHAC
tactics, Gabriel Villeneuve and 3 other activists were
arrested and thrown
in jail on Friday Feb. 22 in Quebec city, Canada (near
Montreal) for
allegibly participating in a demonstration against a
company that do
business with Huntingdon life Sciences. They presumably
went inside a
company office armed with a megaphone banner and informative
flyers. They
informed the workers and customers about the relation
the company has with
HLS and left the property as soon as someone asks them
to leave.
Apparently freedom of speech covered
by the Canadian constitution doesn't
cover freedom to express our disgust against companies
who see no problems
of paying and supporting the murder of 500 animals a
day at HLS. Everyone
was eventually released out of jail after 3 days but
authorities decided
to keep Gabriel for a much longer and not determined
period of time
because the Judge didn't believe Gab when he said that
he wasn't at the
protest and because of his activism history regarding
animal rights
protests. Gabriel is a long time SHAC activist and is
someone who, a few
years ago, decided to put everything aside in his life
to dedicate his
life to help shut down HLS. He is a great source of
inspiration for many
people, please support him.
You can send him postal cards, letters,
pictures (no Polaroid), drawing,
news clip, internet articles, Canadian and international
stamps and money
order. He is not allowed to receive books, magazine
and other material.
You can also write him letters by email
(at shaccanada@riseup.net)which
will be printed and sent to him by his prisoners support
committee. He
would like to receive short letters more often than
long letters only
once.
He would like to hear about all kinds
of actions that is going on in your
area and everywhere else in the world. He likes DIY
punk rock, hardcore,
black history, general activism causes and vegan raw
nutrition. Gab
biggest wish while in jail is to see a rise in the amount
of
demonstrations and all types of actions across the world
against HLS.
Please take a few minutes to write
him a letter!
Gabriel Villeneuve #HUL03299801
500, de la Faune
Case Postale 87130
Québec, Québec
G1G 5E4
CANADA
-
SHAC Canada
Canada west coast-VANCOUVER
#102 - 2250 Commercial Drive
Vancouver BC, V5N 5P9
Canada
778-554-SHAC(7422)
Canada East coast-MONTREAL
PO 47579
1550 rue de Maisonneuve
Montreal,QC
H3G 2V7
Canada
514-966-6460
shaccanada@riseup.net
www.SHAC.net
March 2008: Prison Dispatch from
Jeffrey Free Luers
What a long and strange journey this past
year has been. I have been riding
highs and lows as I have been struggling to regain my
freedom and find a
balance between my desires for this movement and my
own personal happiness.
I’ve made no secret of my often
conflicting emotions or my disappointment in
radical struggles here in the United States. Yet, despite
my confusion about my
own part in this messy struggle that now sees so many
of us locked behind
bars—so many split once again into factions, while
many others hearts are
broken by the betrayals of friends and former heroes—I
have strived to remain
true to the ideals in which I believe. It is often difficult
to carry your head
high when the rest of your life feels like you are falling
apart, but we must
continue to do so because it is only with our heads
high that we can meet the
eyes of our enemy and let them know that while we may
be afraid we are not
cowards; that while we may be hurting we are not broken,
and most importantly,
that while we may be small we are not weak, we are still
defiant and we can
still be dangerous.
As many of you are aware, I was resentenced
on February 28th, after years of
fighting for a reduced sentence. I will soon be making
the terms of my contract
with the state available.
In the months preceding my resentencing
I was faced with numerous obstacles and
forced to make difficult decisions. Upon my arrival
at Lane County Jail, I
learned that not only had Judge Lyle Velure come out
of retirement to
resentence me but that the state was threatening to
seek a 20-year sentence
again. Judge Velure began suffering severe prostate
problems and had to retire
again. Upon receiving a new judge my luck began to change
and for the first
time I thought I just might have a chance.
Now, I must say that my original opinion
of Erik Hassleman, the prosecutor
assigned to my case, was that he is an evil prick. And
as I’m sure he will
read this, I want to say that in the end he impressed
me and that I respect him
as a person and an opponent.
As negotiations progressed it quickly
became apparent that the state had a
bottom line—I was not going to receive a sentence
below 10 years. As part of
that agreement the state wanted a written apology from
me for my crimes. I
wrote a statement acknowledging I was wrong to believe
that arson could achieve
the change I desired, though I added I was not ashamed
of nor did I regret my
actions.
My attorneys promptly edited and reworded
my statement until it resembled a
watered-down version of polite discourse. While many
of the things I wanted to
say were there the heart of my statement—that
I was wrong but essentially not
sorry—was missing. With some disgust I swallowed
my pride and signed the damn
thing and I will admit it is one of the harder things
I’ve done because it
made me feel defeated.
After all negotiations were said and done
the state came back with a final
offer of a 30 month sentence followed by a 90 month
mandatory minimum,
essentially a sentence of a guaranteed 9½ years.
After I reluctantly agreed to
this as the best I could get, Erik then maneuvered a
restitution of $14,000 on
top of the $56,000 judgment I just learned Romania has
against me.
In a frantic and somewhat pissed off effort
my attorneys spent the next month
trying to get the restitution dropped without success.
In the final days with
my head admittedly hanging much lower than usual I decided
I would have to
accept the states offer, restitution and all.
Come February 28th, however, I would be
surprised beyond my wildest
imagination. Not only had Hassleman agreed to dismiss
the restitution but he
had decided to grant a sentence modification in my favor.
The sentence would
now be 90 month followed by 30 months run out of order
so that I may qualify
for programs and possibly be released later this year!
During the course of sentencing, Erik
spent some time describing my progression
as a person and even as an activist during my incarceration.
He talked about my
subtle shift from a fiery radical to one that acknowledged
the failures of some
aspects of radical struggle—my words not his—by
embracing more mainstream
methods of change. All of which is true.
He then went on to describe how I viewed
and continue to view my actions as a
necessary evil similar to acts such as the Boston Tea
Party. Surprisingly, he
seemed in agreement with this analogy and even admitted
that good arguments
have been made about the legitimacy of sabotage and
arson to protest ecological
destruction. But, he went on to say these acts are still
crimes and need to be
punished accordingly.
After Erik was done I was given an opportunity
to read my statement, this time
unedited except for some suggestions from my friend
and attorney (in that
order), Lauren Regan. Upon finishing my statement I
looked to see a somewhat
stunned Judge Billings. Admittedly, my first thought
was “well I pissed off
another one.” But, then by far the most surprising
and ever vindicating thing
happened.
Judge Billings told me that in his 35
years as an attorney and judge that my
statement was the most sincere and passionate he’d
ever heard. He told me he
was impressed with me. He then went on to say that while
some people might
disagree, pointedly looking at Erik, that in many ways
when I get out I would
be considered an “elder statesman” or a
“veteran returning from an ugly
campaign.” He agreed that we desperately need
change and said that I may be
one of the people that have the ability to help create
that change but that I
needed to do so in a way that would keep others and
me out of prison. He
finished by wishing me the best of luck.
By far the most astonishing of the day
was the atmosphere of the hearing. Last
time I was sentenced I was condemned as an evil terrorist
who needed to be
locked away. The difference this time was quite frankly
shocking. I was no
longer a terrorist but someone respectable. My message
was no longer one of
rhetoric but one that needed to be listened to.
What I took away from that day is that
in a subtle and elusive way our actions
have had an impact on the conscience of the American
public, and even on some
of those who are our natural enemies. For sure it isn’t
just our actions, but
the truth behind them that has come to be understood.
Messages about
environmental dangers that years ago seemed fanatical
are now accepted science.
There is a shift occurring in this country
and it is one that we have very much
helped shape. It is not a radical shift and is not enough
of a change to
correct society’s many wrongs. But it is a noticeable
shift we must embrace
and continue to push in the right direction.
Since my last dispatch many months ago
people have written and expressed
concern that I have retired from activism. That is a
misconception. I have not
retired I have simply sought a different way to create
the change I want to
see.
I still believe direct action and militancy
have their place. But I also see
quite clearly its failures and our failures. I’m
also quite aware of the
failures of mainstream channels of activism. We must
find ways to overcome
barriers and the obstacles that come in our path. It
seems nearly impossible
but it isn’t.
All we must do is seriously evaluate how
each of us can make a difference; how
we can each contribute to the changes that need to occur.
In order to do that
we must leave the rhetoric behind; we must step away
from pigeon-holding
ourselves into no-win situations. We have to recognize
when to stand our ground
and when to compromise. We must move beyond our comfort
zones and embrace
strangers as potential allies.
The very simple truth of the matter is
that the environmental crisis facing us
is going to affect all of humanity regardless of color,
creed or political
affiliation. It is the one thing that we must challenge
together; if we fail in
that we all fail.
If I’ve learned nothing else in
the past 8 years, I have learned that we
ourselves have to open our minds. We have to expand
our thinking because our
ways are not always right and even when they are right
they might not be the
best way for creating change.
We must learn to recognize our failures
and learn from them. We must learn to
think strategically, focusing on the larger picture,
while also being willing
to evolve and change. If change is going to start with
us we must embrace the
fact that we too must change.
There is lots of work to be done. There
are many wounds to be healed. We have
to start picking up the pieces and putting them back
together. We have to
remember our strength and face the challenges ahead.
We have to again find our
passion to act, our willingness to sacrifice, and increase
our capacity to
understand. There is no roadmap for us to follow. We
are trailblazers in this
and as such we must rise to the challenge.
I myself am confused but I’m not
lost and I haven’t given up. Despite the
ache in my heart I still have faith in us. I still believe
we can fix these
problems facing us if only we would act with determination
and courage. I’m
still here and I am not quitting.
- Jeffrey “Free” Luers
www.freejeffluers.org
Write to:
Jeff Luers #13797671
CCCI
PO Box 9000
Wilsonville, OR 97070
ELP Information Bulletin (16th
of March 2008)
Dear friends
ELP has received a letter from the American prisoner
Grant Barnes asking if people
can send him reading material. Grant is a vegan activist
currently serving 12 years
for a series of ELF arsons against SUVs. His reading
material requests include:
Any material about the history of, or theory of, the
Earth Liberation struggle.
Any material about the history of, or theory of, the
Animal Liberation struggle.
Any well documented accademic studies about environmental
climate change.
Any anti-fascist literature.
Any feminist literature.
Any social theory literature including writings about
athropology, sociology,
politics or economics.
Any literature about non-literate or non-agricultural
societies.
However, Grant would welcome any reading material what
so ever, including all and
any letters of support.
Please send books, letters, magazines, etc., to:
Grant Barnes #137563
San Carlos Correctional Facility
PO Box 3
Pueblo
CO 81002, USA.
Urgent ELP! Bulletin (11th
of March 2008)
Dear friends
News is coming in of a number of raids/arrests involving
American environmentalists.
The raids appear to be linked to an arson at Michigan
State University in 1999 and
another arson at a logging site in 2000. Both arsons
where claimed at the time by
the Earth Liberation Front.
Well known American Earth First! activist, Frank Ambrose,
(who has been wrongfully
accused of ELF actions in the past) told ELP he has
been charged on three counts of
arson and conspiracy to commit arson. Other people listed
in the indictment include
Marie Mason, Aren Berthwick, Stephanie Sultz, and an
"un-named participant known to
the grand jury."
At this moment in time ELP is unaware of what has happened
to Aren Berthwick or
Stephanie Sultz, but we are aware that Maria Mason has
also been arrested and is
currently in custody in Ohio and is expected to be extradited
to Michigan.
If anyone knows anything about Aren or Stephanie please
contact ELP as soon as
possible.
ELP will keep you up to date with this news as we get
it. In the meantime please
send letters of support to:
MARIE MASON #134001
Butler County Sheriff's Office & Correctional Complex
705 Hanover Street
Hamilton, Ohio 45011
Support information for Marie
Mason
Email address: freemarie@riseup.net
Mailing Address:
Got Your Back
Friends of Marie Mason
P.O. Box 19065
Cincinnati, OH 45219
Website: www.midwestgreenscare.org
Cell Phone Tracking: Why your
cell phone is not your friend
Whistle-Blower:
Feds Have a Backdoor Into Wireless Carrier
Whistle-Blower
Affidavit
The
Electronic Frontier Foundation On Cell Phone Tracking
Court
Order Granting Government Request for Cell Phone Tracking
Cell
Phones Suck II: They're Listening... By m0untainrebel,
Earth First! Journal
ELP Information Bulletin (17th
of February 2008)
Dear Friends
Just under two weeks ago ELP announced we were suspending
from our prisoner lists
the American prisoner Christopher 'Dirt' McIntosh, who
is currently imprisoned for a
failed arson against a McDonalds restaurant. Following
our investigation ELP has
decided to permanently remove McIntosh from our lists
and encourage others to do
likewise. Our reasons for this decision are detailed
below:
WARNING - The below statement contains direct quotations
of some of the racist and
sexist words that Christopher 'Dirt' McIntosh has written
to some of his supporters.
If you are offended by racist or sexist language please
do not read the below
statement. We do not deliberately wish to offend anyone,
but we are using McIntosh's
own words to demonstrate his new found politics.
On the 8th of February 2008 a well known and highly
respected former ALF prisoner
contacted ELP to raise his concerns about the American
prisoner Christopher 'Dirt'
McIntosh.
The former ALF prisoner supplied ELP with letters written
by Christopher 'Dirt'
McIntosh to some of his supporters. In his letters McIntosh
uses highly offensive
racist language and referred to black people as "fucking
mud people".
In his letters McIntosh talks about white supremacy
and how he would be prepared to
die for white supremacy. We understand he has also talked
to other supporters about
his belief in white supremacy.
In addition to this McIntosh also talks about Social
Darwinianism (a racist/sexist
corruption of Darwin's theory of evolution) and the
superiority of white people.
McIntosh states "Darwinistically speaking, [racist
term] are natural slaves, so fucking
one is like fucking a cow." (ELP again understands
that McIntosh has also spoken to
other supporters about his belief in Social Darwinianism).
McIntosh asked one female supporter if she'd ever had
sex with a black man before
referring to white women who have sex with black men
as "whores". McIntosh described
black men who have sex with white women as "dogs".
Continuing on his sexist line, McIntosh states he has
returned to eating meat and
asked a female supporter if she missed eating meat.
He then stated when he was a
vegetarian "I suffered because I loved the taste
[of meat] - But maybe my being male
with different hormones and drives separates our experiences
there, once again
Darwinistically speaking".
Because of his racist and sexist comments ELP decided
to suspend Christopher 'Dirt'
McIntosh from our prisoner lists with immediate effect
and publically request any
other offensive material McIntosh had written. Our subsequent
investigations have
shown that:
1) McIntosh has adopted White Supremacist views whilst
in prison. A number of people
have contacted ELP saying that McIntosh has started
to associate with a racist gang
and has even gone as far as to get a racist 'white power'
tattoo. In a letter to one
of his supporters McIntosh enclosed a photo of himself
and referred to his tattoo
which was not visible in the photo. He told another
supporter how he would show off
his tattoo upon his release from prison.
2) McIntosh, through his Social Darwinian beliefs, thinks
that 'might makes right',
or as he puts it in one of his letters "supremacy
to the strongest".
3) McIntosh has told at least one female supporter that
it is okay for a man to rape
a woman (under his 'might makes right' theme).
4) ELP has had it confirmed that since going into prison
McIntosh has abandoned his
vegetarian diet and has reverted to eating meat.
So on the grounds that McIntosh is a racist, sexist,
meat eating, white supremicist,
who believes it is okay for the strong to bully the
weak and it is okay for a man to
rape a woman, ELP is permanently ending our support
for Christopher 'Dirt' McIntosh.
We denounce McIntosh as a racist, sexist, fascist. We
encourage all other prisoner
support campaigns to remove him from their lists and
we warn all our supporters
against supporting this man.
Update from Supporters of Sadie
and Exile 11/12/07
Warm Greetings,
As Autumn takes her grip and we venture indoors there
is an opportunity to wonder about the state of our friends
and loves. Our thoughts are currently drawn towards
our disappeared, Sadie and Exile, languishing in their
respective prisons. As some of the freshness of the
new environs begins to fade and the specter of at least
5 more years of imprisonment looms, their resilience
is likely flagging to some degree. The generous spate
of donations that continued throughout their time in
Oregon has abated, and there is concern on their part
that there won't be money for them to get their needs
met.
While we feel uncomfortable continually
harassing you folks for money, we are seeking a way
to ensure their ongoing financial support. They require
a stipend for commissary each month, and sadly their
support fund has run dry. We are wondering if it might
be possible for people to commit to a monthly donation,
obviating the need for these pesky emergency pleas.
Even a small $5.00-$15.00 donation on a regular basis
will make necessary items available to them. Sadie recently
wrote to tell us that her Reeboks were wearing out and
that she needed another pair of shoes. While we are
greatly saddened to know that someone who once displayed
such a brilliant aesthetic has been reduced to wearing
Reeboks, we know that comfortable shoes are pretty crucial.
Sadie and Exile are currently gestating
ideas for an internet presence, which will bring to
light their lives for those of us on the outside. This
will also hopefully ease the financial burden, as people
not on this list will be able to donate to the support
fund via Paypal. In the meantime, any monetary offerings
you can send their way would be heartily appreciated!
Both of them report doing well, enjoying
listening to the radio and getting the opportunity to
work. Sadie has taken a job as a plumber, learning more
than she probably ever wanted to know about this arcane
profession. She's glad to be picking up what is surely
such a useful skill, but looking forward to the time
when she will no longer have to work the full 40 hour
workweek. Exile seems to have become the groundskeeper
for the prison chapel, which if you know him, you will
recognize as an astoundingly appropriate job for such
a mystical soul (who is also a gardener by trade)! They
are both being paid prison wages, which I'm sure you
can guess are pitiful, and even these will be garnished
by the government in an attempt to collect remunerations
for the corporations who incurred financial damage from
their actions. We hope that all of you are faring well
and have enjoyed the changing shades of the surrounding
world. Please be in touch if you have any questions.
Thanks for considering a donation.
Support funds to help with commissary
and phone costs can be sent to:
SSE
c/o Maureen Block
328 Slab City Rd.
Lincolnville, ME 04849
To write to Sadie or Exile:
Joyanna Zacher #36360-086
FCI Dublin
5701 8th St.- Camp Parks- Unit
Dublin, CA 94568
Nathan Block #36359-086
FCI Lompoc
3600 Guard Rd,
Lompoc, CA 93436
Computer Security News for
Activists 11/09/07
Hushmail
Spills to Both US and Canadian Feds
MySpace
Being Used to Transmit CIPAV, FBI Trojan
FBI
Affidavit on CIPAV
News from Grant Barnes 9/28/07
Grant has written to say that he would
greatly appreciate hearing from more people. He also
loves receiving wilderness pictures (please let him
know where the picture was taken, and maybe include
a description of a hike or experience you had there).
Grant is Vegan and is having a very difficult time getting
Vegan food at his current facility. He was recently
transferred to the San Carlos Correctional Facility.
He would also appreciate receiving books or other reading
materials dealing with "climate change and/or ecodefense."
Click here for mail and
book guidelines and address the envelope as follows:
Grant Barnes #137563
San Carlos Correctional Facility
PO Box 3
Pueblo, CO 81002
Urgent ELP!
Bulletin (20th September 2007)
Dear friends
Two activists from Philadelphia have
been charged with acts of sabotage against HLS (Huntingdon
Life Sciences) targets in New Jersey. One of the two
activists, Nick Cooney, faces a mandatory minimum of
3 years if convicted. Funds are needed to provide competent
legal defense. Please do what you can to help these
dedicated activists avoid prison.
PayPal
all donations to:
usababylon at hotmail dot com
or mail to:
720 North 38th Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
ELP has recently learnt that
Canadian eco-activist, Betty Krawczyk, is back inside.
Long term ELP supporters will be familiar
with Betty and her anti-logging activities. We understand
that Betty is currently serving ten months for standing
up against the Olympic development at Eagleridge Bluffs
in West Vancouver on traditional Squamish territory.
Please send urgent letters of support
to:
Betty Krawczyk
Alouette Correctional Centre for Women
P.O. Box 1000
Maple Ridge, BC V2X 3K4
Canada
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