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Free's Sentencing Statement
On June 11, 2001, our comrade Jeffrey "Free"
Luers was sentenced to 22 years and 8 months in prison for taking actions
in defense of the earth by burning three vehicles at Romania Chevrolet
in Eugene, Oregon. Free has stated that he is not responsible for the
Tyree Oil incident, in which an incindiary device placed near an empty
fuel truck failed to ignite, and the state's evidence against him on
that charge is extremely flimsy.
The fascist demeanor of the state in the fanatically
overzealous prosecution and punishment of Free and Craig "Critter"
Marshall exemplifies the state's frustration from failing to capture
those engaged in actions taken in defense of the earth. Furthermore,
the anarchist movement in Eugene, Oregon has been targeted by local
and federal authorities, and Free has unfortunately joined the ranks
of political prisoners such as Rob "Los Ricos" Thaxton and
others who have dared to resist the brutality of the capitalist police
state and the terroristic environmental crimes committed every day with
the nodding approval of the "authorities."
 Although
he is classified as a "medium security" prisoner, Free has
been assigned "threat group" status and has been sent to the
notorious Two Rivers Correctional Facility supermax prison deep in the
Oregon desert. Free anxiously awaits mail from friends and supporters.
Letters of support, publication subscriptions and other reading materials
(which must be sent directly from the publisher or from amazon.com)
can be mailed to:
Jeffrey Luers #13797671
Two Rivers Correctional Facility
Umatilla, OR 97882
Don't forget to include your name and return address
on the envelope and the letter, as he will only receive the letter.
Letters must be typed or written on clean paper with ball-point ink.
He is allowed to receive xeroxed material if it isn't copyrighted, color
xerox art and photographs. Be careful not to send letters or material
which could be damaging to Free; if you are unsure whether what you
want to send may be damaging to him, you can send it to P.O. Box
50263, Eugene, OR 97405, and his close friends will "screen"
it for him.)
At his sentencing hearing on June 11, Free read the
following statement:
"I want to make clear why I set a fire at Romania Chevrolet. I'm not going
to offer excuses. I want this opportunity to explain my actions so that
they are not misunderstood or misinterpreted.
"I didn't do this for anarchy or because I'm anti-government.
And I didn't do this because I enjoy property destruction. I don't.
"I did this because I'm frustrated that we are
doing irreversible damage to our planet -- our home. It is not an exaggeration
to say that right now we are experiencing a period of extinction equal
to that of the dinosaurs. Forty thousand species are going extinct each
year. Yet we continue to pollute and exploit the natural world.
"I'm not going to justify my actions. I can't do
that anymore that one can justify the destruction of the environment
for profit. They are both wrong.
"I take responsibility for what I've done. You
can judge my actions, but you can't judge my heart. It cannot be said
that I am unfeeling and uncaring. My heart is filled with love and compassion.
I fight to protect life -- all life, not to take it.
"I took every precaution to insure that no one
would be injured by this fire. If I thought for any reason that anyone
-- be it Mr. Kelly (the night watchman), or any responding firefighter
or police officers would be injured, I would would never have set this
fire. It was not my intention to hurt anyone or place anyone at risk.
"I'm not going to ask the court to grant me leniency.
All that I ask is that you believe the sincerity of my words -- that
you believe that my actions, whether or not you consider them to be
misguided, stem from the love I have in my heart."
Free was sentenced to 22 years and 8 months. He is appealing the sentence
and urgently needs your support. Contributions should be made to:
The Free and Critter Legal Defense Fund
c/o OUR Credit Union
715 Lincoln
Eugene, OR 97401
For more information:
Free and Critter Legal Defense Committee
www.efn.org/~eugpeace/freecritter
   
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