THE FBI ENTRAPED OUR VOLUNTEERS IN THEIR
CAMPAIGN TO SILENCE THE OCCUPATIONS
Please consider helping
our Cleveland Food Not Bombs volunteers entrampted by the FBI just before the Occupy
May Day events. The FBI targeted our volunteers and their friends a couple of weeks after
they helped set up the kitchen at Occupy Cleveland. Brandon Baxter
and Connor Stevens are just the most recent Food Not Bombs activist to
be targeted by the FBI. You may remember that I was framed in 1994 accused of violent
crimes in 1994 and faced 25 years to life in prison. I am free today
because of the support of people like yourselves. Since I was framed we
have witnessed attempts to accuse Conner Cash, Josh Connole, and many
other volunteers on false charges of terrorism.
Food Not Bombs needs your help again.
Please review the press statement issued by our
volunteers in Cleveland. Today we need to raise funds to retain an
attorney for their defense. We will be asking you to join our campaign
in other ways as well as soon as we have secured legal support.
Thanks so much for your consideration.
Keith McHenry
co-founder
of the food Not Bombs movement
Please make a donation here www.wepay.
com/donations/cleveland-5-justice-legal-fund
The trial is set for September 17, 2012 - the anniversary of the signing of the United States Consitution in 1787.
Police Entrapment of Nonviolent Movements
Has the FBI Launched a War of Entrapment Against the Occupy Movement?
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 19, 2012
CONTACT:
The Cleveland 5 Justice Support
Network
cleveland5justice@gmail.com
cleveland5justice.org
Urgent Request -- Help Hire a legal team for the Cleveland
5!
Greetings.
We are friends and family members of
the "Cleveland 5," the
five young men from Cleveland who stand accused of trying to demolish
bridge, two of whom (Brandon Baxter and Connor Stevens) were regularly
active with Cleveland Food Not Bombs. For this reason and because there
seems to exist a pattern of the FBI targeting Food Not Bombs activists, we
would request support from other Food Not Bombs groups, their friends,
families, and other supporters. We are working to support these young
activists, in whatever ways they need. Thus far, what stands out as the
most pivotal thing is that the boys need a good lawyer, who cares about
the case, has relevant experience and is willing to go the extra mile. As
it stands, they're all being represented by public defenders, with varying
degrees of interest in the case. We have been in communication with a
local attorney with an inspiring record of civil rights work, but to hire
him, we need to raise $20,000 immediately. We're not going to lie -- this
is a desperate situation. The trial date is set for this September, only
three months from now. This time frame will make building the case
(reviewing evidence, making investigations, filing motions) incredibly
challenging. Every day that we're not able to hire a lawyer is a day
closer to that deadline. Our friends are being tried for charges that hold
a maximum sentence of several lifetimes. The government is making a case
in the media that these are dangerous anarchists, a word they equate with
terrorism. However, many journalists have questioned the nature of the
government's investigation, suggesting that the FBI might be instigating
actions, which they rope people into, rather than "catching people in the
act." We want to see our friends and family members go free, and believe
that it is criminal for the the government to take them away from us, to
use them as tools in their political theater. A link to donations can be
found through the website: cleveland5justice and www.wepay.
com/donations/cleveland-5-justice-legal-fund.
Thanks for your consideration,
The Cleveland 5 Justice Support Network
###
June 18, 2012
Update on the Cleveland 5
After almost two months of imprisonment, repression and an intense
campaign of media demonization, the Cleveland five remain strong and
solid in their refusal to cooperate with the FBI. Two of the five - Brandon
Baxter and Connor Stevens - were regularly active with Cleveland Food
Not Bombs and have fallen victim to the pattern of FBI targeting that
many other Food Not Bombs activists have experienced.
They also remain in desperate need of our support. They are getting very
little contact from the outside world and four of the five defendants
are
being re represented by public defenders. Although right now these four
say they are happy with their lawyers, they also have no access to the
funds necessary to offer them the legal options they so desperately need
right now. We all know that "justice" basically means how much
money you
have.
Their support crew has been working hard to hustle the funds necessary
to
hire a lawyer for Connor, the defendant who was most unhappy with his
legal representation. The lawyer, who is taking on the case at a reduced
cost, also plans to hire an investigative team to work on the case. As
of
now, initial legal costs exceed $30,000 and are expected to be much more
than that.
Even though these costs are huge and may seem insurmountable,
the future
of the five is riding on the efforts of small autonomous groups of
people
contributing to the struggle for their freedom. There will be no knights
in shining armor in this case, just us and the support we are able to
muster.
The five also need encouragement, expressions of solidarity
with their
refusal to cooperate, and letters of support. So far, responses along
these lines have been disappointing. I's not news that
the five are
mostly inexperienced and are not well known within our networks of
affinity. And it's possible that this is why they were targeted. But
we
cannot let these be the reasons we do not support them. They may not be
a
friend of a friend, maybe no one you know can vouch for them, but so far
they have stood up to the State with courage and
integrity - one of them,
Connor, has even gone on hunger strike to protest the conditions of his
imprisonment - it's time they get some
unambiguous expressions of
solidarity in return.
We all know the risks of not supporting fringe anarchists in moments of
intense repression - when people feel alone they are more
likely to snitch
or to look to reactionary belief systems for solace. While they are
remaining uncooperative with the government at this point, the future is
very uncertain if they do not get more support than they are getting.
Please see the legal update and the individual updates below
and take a
minute to send a book or a zine or to drop a line on these comrades.
Legal update:
The five are being charged with "Use or Attempted Use of Explosive
Materials" and "Conspiracy."
They have been incarcerated since May 1st and four of them are
being held
in a private prison in Youngstown, Ohio. The fifth, Doug Wright, is
being
held at the county jail in Trumbull County in Warren, Ohio.
On June 15th, a "motion for detention" was signed by the judge
in the
case, preventing supporters from bonding them out before trial.
The judge in their case seems to be tough and unsympathetic and is
refusing requests for continuance by the lawyers. Although they have not
had nearly enough time to prepare an adequate defense, the judge
continues
to insist that the trial will begin in early September. Although it is
extremely unlikely to happen, it demonstrates the added pressure the
five
and their lawyers are under.
As of now, Connor, Brandon, Anthony and Josh are being held at a private
prison in Youngstown, Ohio called the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center
[http://www.NOCC.com/facility/northeast-ohio-correctional-center/], run
by
the Corrections Corporation of America. Doug is currently being held the
Trumbull County Jail [http://www.co.trumbull.oh.us/tc_sheriff.html] in
Warren, Ohio.
The four being held at NOCC are in solitary confinement (23 hours of
lock
down a day with one hour of "recreation" in a small outdoor
cage), can
make phone calls only once every fifteen days and are permitted one
legal
call per day. Despite these rules, no one has been consistently able to
make calls as their requests are repeatedly ignored. They are allowed
two
visits per week, but they are only twenty minutes long and visitors have
to check in by 7am.
Individual updates:
Brandon is incarcerated at NOCC where he is cell mates with his
co-defendant Tony. Because the two are together, they seem to be doing
well emotionally. He is in need of a decent legal dictionary, any
criminal
defense books, and would like to be sent news articles that are being
printed about the five. He's spending time documenting the case and
doing
legal research as much as possible given the restrictions. He really
wants
letters and visitors.
Tony is doing well emotionally and wants letters and visits. He is
cellmates with Brandon at NOCC. He is working hard doing research to
prepare for his case and has really offered a lot of emotional support
to
Brandon and Connor, helping them stay strong.
Josh's situation is potentially the most urgent. He is having a very
hard
time mentally and emotionally and is getting very little support or
outside contact. He is also, for unknown reasons, not allowed to have
any
contact whatsoever with the other three comrades at NOCC. He has a
history
of mental health issues that have already been made public in the case,
and which are not be effectively addressed by his captors. He is not
getting adequate nutrition, is losing weight and feels constantly
hungry.
He usually does not take the hour of rec. available to him because he is
too physically weak. He is in urgent need of support and letters.
Connor is in high spirits and is looking forward to working with the new
lawyer. He continues to be frustrated with the limitations of visitation
and phone use and, sometime in June, went on hunger strike to protest
these conditions. He is clear in his commitment to not cooperating with
the government. He is also incarcerated at NOCC where he can sometimes
have contact with Brandon and Tony.
Doug is being held at Trumbull County Jail in Warren, Ohio where his
lawyer requested he be transferred in hopes of improving his conditions.
Like Josh, he is totally disconnected from any contact with his
co-defendants and feels very isolated. His lawyer has been urging him to
take a plea, but so far he's remaining strong. He getting very little
support or outside contact and has no support from his family. He is
usually out of touch because of the conditions of his incarceration and
lack of support and usually has no idea what's going on
about the case,
when court dates are, etc. He is also suffering from lack of sufficient
food and is also dealing with harassment from guards.
Please write to them at:
Last Name, First Name
ID #, NEOCC
2240 Hubbard Rd
Youngstown, OH 44505
Here are their ID numbers:
Stevens, Connor # 57978060
Baxter, Brandon #57972060
Hayne, Anthony #57975060f
Stafford, Joshua #57976060
You can write to Doug at:
Douglas L. Wright**
150 High Street
Warren, OH 44481
*Letters must be in pre-stamped envelopes from the Post Office. No
glitter/sparkles/confetti/stickers/etc. Plain lined or unlined paper is
acceptable. Photos are okay.
**Please be sure to include Doug's middle initial, L., when
addressing
letters to him as there are two Douglas Wrights at Trumbull County Jail
in
Warren.
A note on security: As we know, all our letters to these comrades will
be
read, photocopied, and maybe even mailed to the FBI field office in our
city. Therefore, we should be aware of what we write, the address we
write from, and the name we use. Please, do not mention the facts of the
case, anything at all illegal, or anything you do not want the FBI to
know. Please write to them simply to show them they are not alone, and
that you are thinking about them. Send them an article you think they
might like, or a poem, picture, drawing, etc. We should know the risks,
but not let them deter us from supporting our friends.
Donations to Legal Fund:
If you would like to make donations via check or money order, please
make
the check out to Conveyor Belt Collective, who is handling donations.
Send checks to:
Cleveland 5 Justice
P.O. Box 602117
Cleveland, OH 44102
Please separate any donations over $3000 into multiple
contributions.
Your identity will be kept confidential unless you would prefer
otherwise.
Thanks so much, your help is greatly appreciated!
For more info and updates about their case, check out their support
group's site at Cleveland 5
Justice!
To read the affidavit in the case check out
FBI Affidavit
While we have had some probelms with the FBI and Homeland Security
framing our volunteers thousands of Food Not Bombs activists have had no
interaction with the authorities. One of the best ways to support our
prisoners is to continue their work. You can join a local Food Not Bombs
group or start one in your community. Visit our page Seven Steps to Starting a Local Food Not Bombs
Group.
Food
Not Bombs
P.O. Box 424, Arroyo Seco, NM 87514 USA
575-770-3377
1-800-884-1136
menu@foodnotbombs. net
www.foodnotbombs.net
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