Tre Arrow Denied Bail

the claim of 44 days on hunger strike sounds wierd to me. if he hasnt eaten for 44 days, how is it he is walking and there has been nothing about his medical condition? most political prisoners who have gone on hunger strike have died in less than 58 days (the Irish Hunger Strikers of 1981, Barry Horne etc).
If he wants to eat in prison, i have no problem with that nor do i think its bad if he comes off the strike. the thing i do have a problem with is the claim that he is on hunger strike. a person on hunger strike for 44 days has problems walking, loses a lot of weight (over 30lbs easily). these pictures posted on portland imc last week did not look like that. would someone from tre's team respond? by the way, I am a supporter. i just have a problem with this angle.

How dare you sir question the credibility of this claim of a 44 day hunger strike? Those photos of Tre taken at his hearing last week clearly show someone who is suffering the later stages of a hunger strike. Compared with the mug shot / Arrest photo from April, that shows Tre is not gaining weight from starchy jail meals, but much like a starving child in Africa he is bloating up just before he turns skeleton like. Sir, it takes more than food to keep a good man down. Buddha survived for years on just rainwater and the occasional bird dropping. Some have suggested that Tre is fasting, but we know it to be a true hunger strike. Fasting is what Muslims do during the daylight hours of Ramadan. Hunger Strikes are what political prisoners engage in to protest the inequities of our times and their treatment.

Yes, it is remarkable that Tre is functioning this well. I have visited him
about every two weeks, and he definetly is not eating. Yes,It has been 44 days. Hope he begins eating soon. Love to all in U.S.

I remembered his name from the nightly news reports. So I thought I would look it up on the web to see what an actual political prisoner went through, and how long it took until he died of a hunger strike.

Here is what I found. Note the time line, and description of the ordeal. Keep Tre in mind while reading this and see if you note any similarities. I do not.

"
On October 27th, 1980, following the break down of talks between British direct ruler in the North, Humphrey Atkins, and Cardinal O Fiaich, the Irish Catholic primate, seven prisoners in the H-Blocks began a hunger-strike. Bobby volunteered for the fast but instead he succeeded, as O/C, Brendan Hughes, who went on hunger strike.
During the hunger-strike he was given political recognition by the prison authorities. The day after a senior British official visited the hunger-strikers Bobby was brought half-a-mile in a prison van from H-3 to the prison hospital to visit them. Subsequently he was allowed several meetings with Brendan Hughes. He was not involved in the decision to end the hunger-strike, which was taken by the seven men alone. But later that night he was taken to meet them and was allowed to visit republican prison leaders in H-Blocks 4,5 and 6.
On December 19th, 1980, Bobby issued a statement that the prisoners would not wear prison-issue clothing nor do prison work. He then began negotiations with the prison governor, Stanley Hilditch, for a step-by-step de-escalation of the protest.
But the prisoners' efforts were rebuffed by the authorities: "We discovered that our good will and flexibility were in vain", wrote Bobby. "It was made abundantly clear during one of my 'cooperation' meetings with prisoner officials that strict conformity was required, which in essence meant acceptance of criminal status."
In the H-Blocks the British saw the opportunity to defeat the IRA by criminalizing Irish freedom fighters, but the blanket men perhaps more than those on the outside, appreciated before anyone else the grave repercussions, and so they fought.
Bobby volunteered to lead the new hunger-strike.
He insisted on starting two weeks in front of the others so that perhaps his death could secure the five demands and save their lives. For the first 17 days of the hunger-strike, he kept a secret diary in which he wrote his thoughts and views, mostly in English but occasionally breaking into Gaeilge. He had no fear of death and saw the hunger-strike as something much larger than the five demands and as having major repercussions for British rule in Ireland. The diary was written on toilet paper in biro pen and had to be hidden, mostly carried inside Bobby's own body. During those first 17 days Bobby lost a total of 16 pounds weight and on Monday, March 23rd, he was moved to prison hospital.
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ELECTION
On March 30th, he was nominated as candidate for the Fermanagh and South Tyrone by-election, caused by the sudden death of Frank Maguire, an independent MP who supported the prisoners' cause.
The next morning, day 31 of his hunger-strike, he was visited by Owen Carron, who acted as his election agent. Owen told of that first visit "Instead of meeting that young man of the poster with long hair and a fresh face, even at that time when Bobby wasn't too bad he was radically changed. He was very thin and bony and his hair was cut short."
Bobby had no illusions with regard to his election victory. His reaction was not one of over-optimism. After the result was announced Owen visited Bobby. "He had already heard the result on the radio. He was in good form alright but he always used to keep saying, 'In my position you can't afford to be optimistic.' In other words, he didn't take it that because he'd won an election that his life would be saved. He thought that the Brits would need their pound of flesh. I think he was always working on the premise that he would have to die."
At 1.17am on Tuesday, May 5th, having completed 65 days on hunger-strike, Bobby Sands MP, died in the H-Block prison hospital at Long Kesh. Bobby was a truly unique person whose loss is great and immeasurable. He never gave himself a moment to spare. He lived his life energetically dedicated to his people and to the republican cause, eventually offering up his life in a conscious effort to further that cause and the cause of those with whom he had shared almost eight years of his adult life. In his own words: "Of course I can be murdered but I remain what I am a political POW and no-one, not even the British, can change that."




 http://www.bobbysandstrust.org/hstrikers/sands.asp

'forever free':

give it a rest. your moral outrage is absurd. what makes you think i cant ask that question? how dare i? give me a break. i saw the photos and that is why i asked. leave the Buddha mythology out of arguements too. bird droppings and water? i wont even respond to that stupidity. tre isnt superhuman so to suggest that he is showing remarkably no symptoms of a hunger strike compared to historical cases is not crazy. personally, i think he should eat. they arent going to let him out because of the strike and he could ruin his health.

John you're right. You have the right to ask questions about the information reported here on Indy media. If you didn't, we'd be just like corporate media. As a close member of Tre's legal and support team I can confirm that Tre has not eaten any food since his arrest. (March 13th). This would make it 44 days as of Monday (April 26th).

Before being locked up, Tre Arrow was an amazingly fit and health individual. This is the main reason for his ability to 'look' health now. Sadly he is not health in any way, he is not sleeping well, having frequent head aches, his body functions are shutting down and he is doing permanent damage to his body. Our brother is in a very bad situation. The longest hunger strike I know of is 76 days by an IRA comrade. So Tre can go for short while still.

To those who attack people asking question. That is very unfair and State like. Police, governments and dictatorship try to intimate people from not asking question and changeling the information provided. It is our job in this 'movement' to answer those questions. John question was asked in a respectful tone. Thus, we should answer in the same way...

With love and light,
The Halifax Crew

I think if you read the statement again, you will see it's a satirical attempt to voice criticism and not an actual chastisement of John's question. Indymedia routinely composts opposition posts (or completely disappear them.) and bans those IP addresses who post them since they installed their new software last year. This maybe the only way for people with opposing views to post them under the radar screen of indy's enforcers.

Personally, I believe Tre is being used as a tool by Indy and its ilk since day one. They would love to have a martyr to further their cause, and not an aging hippie rotting in a jail cell as a reminder to all what not to do.

Now that's a counter viewpoint, so lets see how long indy lets it last here..

thanks for the balanced response. i guess one of the reasons i brought this up is there has been no reporting of his condition other than saying he is on hunger strike. i don't doubt Tre's integrity but i know it is hard to come off a hunger strike for people because of the perception that coming off is giving in. Barry Horne, animal liberationist from the UK, died on his third hunger strike and he gave himself brain damage on the second. We dont need martyrs. That is why i post these items. thanks halifax crew for being intelligent and seeing that these are questions from a comrade, not a troll.
i guess my only suggestion is it would make sense to include tre's condition in all posts or emails as it is crucial for people to get the urgency. he can only stay on a little longer before damaging himself or having the prison force feed him-which they will.

Atoll, thanks for your opinion. I have read John's first post and I don't find it to be 'satirical' in any way. I believe he was asking a respectful question, thus my reply.

As for 'Indy Media Stump Town', they are not trying to make Tre Arrow a martyr. First, he's not dead or gone, he's in jail. Second, the people at Indy Media are NOT posting any information about Tre Arrow, his supporters are. Thus it would seem more like his supports are trying to raise awareness to Tre struggle. Not trying to Martyr him.

INDY MEDIA FOLKS: Please do NOT remove the post above by atoll; it's important for people to hear his opinion. Thank-you.

The Halifax Crew

Dear Halifax Crew,

Please tell me what can be done from this side. I am really worried about Tre's situation and that nothing has been said about his long hunger strike that I know of, even in alternative media. If more people knew about this they might become very upset.I don't want to sit here and intellectualize about how long until.....I want to do something!

Hello everyone again. There's alot to be said about Tre's condition BEFORE he was incarcerated having alot to do with his appearance of "better" health than would be expected of one on a 44 day hunger strike. When the 1981 hunger strike in Ireland was going on, my recollection is, that ten men died - (Bobby Sands being one of them) and many of them lived anywhere from 60-75 days or so, although there were a couple who did not make it but about 50 days. Again, it's been a long time, but - I think I have it about right.
Tre's diet of raw, vegan foods has perhaps in some way contributed to his ability to fare better under the circumstances... but reality is, no matter who you are or what you have done, the systems of the human body will eventually begin to "shut down".
Just wanted to add: Again, I have seen Tre at the two facilities, a few times. I must say, I was a bit amazed that one could do that well under the circumstances...The mind is an incredible thing... and I believe it is his "thoughts" as well - his thoughts are assisting him in the process of holding on. Peace everyone.

If anything happens to Tre, all holy hell will break loose. It would be an extremely bad time to be a vivisector, a Hummer dealer, a developer, a military recruiter, etc. Remember the warnings the British cops sent to labs when Barry Horne was in the later stages of a hunger strike?

BTW, the authorities can forget force-feeding, as it causes eventual death from liver failure if done long enough. Remember, you can drag a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.

For those interested in accuracy...

Tre got bail on the criminal charges because the judge didn't have to consider the immigration issues, just whether or not the shoplifting charges meritted bail, and if there was enough evidence to show Tre would show up to court.

The Immigration Adjudicator had more to consider. Given that Tre has not yet been deemed "admissible" to Canada, there was more reason for the adjudicator to be cautious about granting bail.

Tre's admissibility hearing is next. If he is found to be legally able to have entered and been inside Canada then he will have a better chance at bail, but only after that determination. If he's found inadmissible then he will be promptly deported to the U.S. (unless an appeal is launched within hours of that ruling, as deportation is know to happen same day as rulings). The admissibility hearing likely won't happen for a few months.

After he is found admissible then we'll see if the Immigration Board will even hear his refugee application. If they do, that process could take a year or more.

Tre has not been eating for 46 days now, and the situation is becoming more serious with each passing day. He has indicated to me that he was waiting to see the outcome of his bail hearing, suggesting he may begin eating again shortly. Supporters in Victoria are now seeking advice and help with making his transition to eating as good as possible. Prisoners in Canada have a right to a diet based not just on religious beliefs but also ethical, thus we think we can get him a raw foods vegan diet up here, but the transition at this stage is what is critical (after 44 days one cannot start eating foods again easily; teas, certain fruits, miso perhaps, etc. must be taken in the initial days of coming off such a lengthy fast).

Thanks to all for Prayers and Blessings for Tre. Please continue to hold him in Lighte and Love as this is an extremely hard and difficult time for him. Donations are also urgently needed for his upcoming battles, please give generously.

Much thanks.

Greetings all. Although I don't live in Portland, I read your site to follow the Tre Arrow case, which is not being covered fairly in the mainstream media or by independent bloggers. I am a Green Party member and a professor who lives in Indiana. We're just starting to try to get an Indiana Indymedia site up and running. In any event, I wanted to weigh in on the hunger strike comments, if I may. I am worried about Mr. Arrow's health. The world needs more people like him who say what they believe about corporate greed. The world does not need more people like Mr. Chuck Currie, who runs a "blog" where he posts his thoughts on various topic. An article he wrote, titled "Tre Arrow on a Hunger Strike" is particularly egregious. He assumes a lot without any basis in fact.

Here's the link to his article and a copy of an e-mail I just sent to him.

----
 http://chuckcurrie.blogs.com/chuck_currie/2004/04/tre_arrow_on_hu.html

Dear Mr. Currie:

I am sure your article "Tre Arrow on Hunger Strike" was well intentioned and
understand that the point of the article was to say that polluters who have
been destroying the environment without legal restraint from the White House
belong in jail along with those who use violence in protest.

However, you have "jumped the gun." Until a court determines that Mr. Arrow has
IN FACT pursued "a strategy of blowing things up" you should not assume that he
has pursued such a strategy. There are numerous examples of media outlets
turning regular people, oddballs, and even heroes, into villians, in the pursuit
of an appealing entry in the news journals. Think of Wen Ho Lee, the scientist
prisoned as a spy -- who did nothing wrong. Think of Richard Jewell, accused of
bombing the Olympic park in Atlanta, when really he was doing his job as a
security guard and helped to SAVE LIVES. Oh yeah, and Jesus was wrongly accused and
murdered by the courts.

You conclude that Mr. Arrow "deserves to be in jail" but you have no basis for
knowing what, if anything, he was actually done wrong. He is a high-profile
activist, that we do know. Someone signed an affidavit accusing him of bombing
a truck (hurting no one physically). That someone got some 37 years lopped off
his sentence in exchange. Your statements that: "my guess is that Arrow's use
of violence would only continue to escalate" and the like are conclusionary and
have no basis in fact.

So the point of your entire article is lost in the failure to maintain the
principles of a person truly in pursuit of social justice.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Blakey de Martinez
South Bend, Indiana

----

Take care Portland! Liz M.

...some local jerk linked to this article today in his Livejournal and turned his (possibly actionable?)mean comments about Tre into a rant about Indymedia at large.

 http://www.livejournal.com/users/spimby/, if you care.

The usual right wing bullshit...plus, this guy's obviously a total misogynist. And what's a "slam book," anyway?

A true political prisoner, apparently, must be involved in a group that tries to kill people. It can't be someone who may have been falsely ties to burning a device used to destroy forest habitat. In any case, call the jail if you doubt the authenticity of his hunger strike. They have to keep track.

However, one can doubt whether the Canadians really want to kill Tre, as will happen if they decide to force-feed him. It's probably the FBI who really wants him dead, so they don't have to try to prove that he's the "terrorist" they've made him out to be. If they don't lay down their evidence before the public, I think Canada should let him stay as a refugee.

Anyway, he's a tough guy. His diet is top-notch, he's fallen out of tall trees several times with too much injury, and, with the _possible_ exception of burning some log trucks, he surely has a lot of good karma on his side. Good luck fighting the fascists, Tre.

Once someone has the label "terrorist", in this case enviro-terrorist, it's over.

Whether you believe that or not doesn't matter. There is no way the Canadian Government is not going to hand over Tre to US authorities.

D. Thomas is short for Doubting Thomas, and it doesn't say True political prisoner, that was just the left side of your brain talking. It says Actual Political Prisoner.

Tre maybe on a hunger strike, he maybe on a self imposed restrictive diet, he maybe throwing a tantrum, or he maybe pigging out on Dr. Pepper and vending machine Ho-Hos for all we know.

The last thing in the world the FBI wants is Tre Dead. They want him as an example. They want a harsh sentence (~30 years) or so to scare the shit out other would be Tre Arrows waiting in the wings..

I still feel Tre is being used by some of his so-called supporters, and perhaps he has a OCD personally trait that forces him to seek attention. I'm basing this on his high profile lone-wolf protests, lectures, running for congress, etc. When you think of it, the not bathing thing falls into this category too. If 50 people walk by you, and one smells like shit, who are you going to notice?

As far as Tre fighting the fascists, that's a little ironic isn't it? Try looking up the word Fascist and you might find that the definition is similar to what Tre is accused of. Committing acts of violence to produce intimidation, and a favorable political result is fascist in and of itself, no matter how lofty the goal or reasons.

History is filled with petty fascists who thought they could create an incident that would cause a chain reaction that would catapult their cause forward.

Is Tre a fascist? The answer is no. Tre is just accused of being the former ring-leader of a collection of spoiled revolutionary-want-a-bee dumb-fuck white boys, with more time on their hands than brains in their heads.

I believe Tre will be deported, but I don't know if he will be convicted. To this day, I've never heard him say he is innocent, and denounce what took place. In fact, he seems rather proud of the situation, much a toddler who just made his first poo in the potty.

Tre deserves a good defense, so if you feel up to it you should help him out.

Did anyone even read my comment? I wnat to know what I can do to helo Tre, not sit here and talk about what might or might not happen! I know efveryone is busy and the work to be done is overwhelming, but how am I going to feel knowing I could have tried to help but all I did was talk about it?!

Pls send info w/ conatcs.
Thank you.

what did this guy do to land himself in jail. i do not live in your neck of the woods so i am not familiar with the case. i know people throw the political prisoner tag around, but i would honestly like to know the deal.:) is he canadian, american