Grand Jury Targets Portland Activists

The creepy way our government slinks around with these grand jury investigations is gross. It is a mirror of their illegal detention camps abroad. It is so freakin obvious that the US government is just a-breakin laws right and left. I support all of you in your battle for freedom and free political speech against our corrupt government and corporate destruction of life for personal money profits in America. This shit is absolutely egregious and is making more enemies of the government than they can even imagine. Also, we need wayyyy more workshops out there on what grand jury investigations ARE!

I just wanted to point out a minor error in the main post... Frank and Nonny are scheduled to appear before the Grand Jury in Eugene 3/16/06, not '05 as stated in the statement!

Sorry for the mistake... It would be great if those wishing to circulate this news, corrected the typo before doing so. Thanks.

It should be noted that the FBI, Eugene Sheriffs, and Homeland Security personnell placed housemates under surveillance, confronted them in the streets and at the house, and tried to persuade someone to talk in return for financial gain.

I was wondering why I had dreamt of FBI investigating people; silly me thinking it was some metaphorical thing. I don't have much advice other than to keep people informed about what's going on. Don't let them silence people. Talk to a lawyer and remember your friends the phrases "I don't know" and "I don't recall". If it can work for criminal presidents it can work for innocent activists being caught up in the dragnet. Let people know in the community (not on this site, given its heavy monitoring) if there's anything you need.

Oh hey, and to the FBI, I suggest stocking up on pills to help you sleep; you'll need them to quiet your consciences and your souls.

What are they being subpoenaed for?

While people are allowed to drown in New Orleans with no federal help, we are supposed to feel safer because Homeland "Security" is doing things like this? What a surprise to see that Homeland Security is really all about protecting the elite from the rest of us. Does anyone else remember that HS agents showed up at Pufferbelly Toys in St Helens last year? They were on a very important mission: Two crack agents had been assigned to invesitigate the possibility that Pufferbelly was selling knock-off Rubik's cubes. That's right, in order to make us all "safer," HS agents were cracking down on so-called "intellectual property crimes." Looks like they got bored with that, and are turning their attention to the people who were likely their targets all along: Effective activists.

This regime has no legitimate authority. Everything it does is just wrong.

Word is that one of the organizers of the RNC Not Welcome group was arrested yesterday and will be araigned here in NYC in about 40 minutes (I'm on my way to the courthouse now).

 http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2005/12/61587.html

There's another report on  http://arizona.indymedia.org/ that "more than a dozen FBI agents, along with local police spent Wednesday afternoon and evening raiding the Catalyst Infoshop in Prescott."

 http://arizona.indymedia.org/

I hope someone can let them know they'll need a lawyer to help them out with this. I have more experience than anyone in representing environmental and animal rights activists before federal grand juries, with a long string of successful outcomes. 503.228.6655,  quixote516@yahoo.com.

stu sugarman

If grand juries were capable of recognizing crimes, Bergin and Willard would, at the very least, be without badges and guns, Rove, Cheney, Delay, and all the rest would be behind bars. Don't hold your breath for justice to be served in this matter, as in any other the HSA touches.

Adrian asked: What are they being subpoenaed for?
Answer: To testify under oath against someone else (or others).

A GRAND JURY PROCEEDING IS NOT A TRIAL!

Grand juries are convened
to hear "evidence" brought forward by police and prosecutors
to determine if their is enough reason to indict--formally accuse--
a criminal defendant and require him or her to stand trial..

Those that are the object of the Grand Jury being convened
are NOT allowed to testify, be present or be represented by their lawyer
at the proceeding. The prosecution can run-amok in our name with the full force
of virtually unlimited government investigative resources.

Unlike a trial, a Grand Jury proceeding is private, and there is no cross examination or presentation of the defense case. In fact, witnesses may not even have a lawyer present during questioning. But jurors themselves may ask questions.

It is a very ONE SIDED affair.

Of course witnesses could always pull a "Ronald Reagan" and
answer "I don't recall" (only if that's the truth, naturally).

Remember: YOU MUST tell the government the truth or be penalized,
but, as usual, the Government has NO obligation to tell you the truth.

Please send all updates reguarding the Eugene grand jury to  info@fbiwitchhunt.com

You can also read about the other grand juries that are currently harassing animal and environmnetal activists, as well as former Black Panthers, at www.fbiwitchhunt.com

Before dawn, this morning, two FBI agents from the Eugene office and several state police officers came to Southern Oregon to subpoena Suzanne Savoie, to appear before a federal grand jury on February 16, 2005 in Eugene.

Savoie believes she was under surveillance for a couple days prior to the visit. Agents claimed they were going to visit people all over the country today, trying to intimidate and scare people into talking. They are claiming that Savoie took part in three arsons that took place years ago, the Jefferson Poplar farm on the OR coast, the Superior Lumber Company in Glendale, OR, and Romania car dealership in Eugene.

They told Savoie that if she didn't start giving them information she would take the fall for all the men they said were involved. They said women usually take the fall for men and that she shouldn't let that happen. They showed Savoie four named photos of men who they said were the "bombmakers" and that they wanted her to give information about them. The FBI also used the usual tactics of threatening 60 years in jail to intimidate Savoie.

Most recently Savoie has been doing local community organizing in the Applegate Valley, fighting to stop the Bald Lick timber sale and a long term campaign to preserve Black Mountain on the Siskiyou Crest.

Usually a private person, Savoie nonetheless believes that this is a time for people who have been targeted to tell their stories.

I personally believe that it is important for all who know those targeted to offer the utmost support for them at this time.

I've heard it said that the majority of people behind bars talked their way there. I do not know if that is true or not -- I would be more inclinced to believe that they were railroaded there. Still, it is important for anyone who might be contacted for this or any other matter to remember: NEVER talk to them. Do not answer even the most innocent-sounding question. Remember that they can and will lie to you. They play games with you. It's standard for them to tell you that "someone" -- often your close friend whom they are also targeting -- has given them info on you. Do not confirm or deny. DO NOT TALK TO THEM. Do not fall for the old, "If they talk, they get off and you go to jail, so why not beat them to it" routine. Do not fall for the good cop/bad cop routine either. Do not be swayed by any of the lies they will tell you in order to get you to crack and talk about others.

I am very concerned about the lack of justice in this country. People like Sery, Willard, Bergin, McCollister and others get off for murder because they wore a uniform when they did it, while people like Tre Arrow and other environmentalists and activists are persecuted. The secret grand juries must go.

Does anyone else feel like the last sane Romans must have felt?

[Note: Anyone who knows how to contact support people for those arrested, please contact Break the Chains via myself at  gumbycascadia@yahoo.com We need to start networking support groups! Contact has already been made with Daniel McGowan's supporters in NYC, but we need info for those in Charlottesville, Prescott, Springfield and Flagstaff. Thanks!]


UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Western District of Washington

PRESS ROOM

December 8, 2005


SIX ARRESTED IN CONNECTION WITH NORTHWEST ECO-TERROR ATTACKS
Defendants allegedly tied to fires in Washington and Oregon dating back
to
1998


Six people were arrested yesterday in a coordinated law enforcement
effort
that spanned five states and is the culmination of nine years of
investigation. All six people have been indicted by federal grand
juries
in Oregon or Washington. The charges relate to four separate arsons in
the
Northwest dating back to 1998, and the destruction of a Bonneville
Power
Administration tower at the Millennium.

STANISLAS GREGORY MEYERHOFF, 28, was arrested in Charlottesville,
Virginia, where he was attending Piedmont Community College. DANIEL
GERARD
MCGOWAN, 31, was arrested in New York, NY. MEYERHOFF and MCGOWAN were
indicted in Oregon, for the January 2, 2001 arson at the Superior
Lumber
Company, in Glendale, Oregon, and the May 21, 2001, arson at the
Jefferson
Poplar Farm in Clatskanie, Oregon. The damages in each of those fires
exceeded $1 million. MEYERHOFF and MCGOWAN face maximum penalties of
life
imprisonment if convicted.

KEVIN M. TUBBS, 36, was arrested in Springfield, Oregon, and WILLIAM C.
RODGERS, 40, was arrested in Prescott, Arizona. Both men are indicted
in
the Western District of Washington for the June 21, 1998 arson at the
Animal and Plant and Heath Inspection Services (APHIS) facility in
Olympia, WA. Damage from this arson was estimated at $1.2 million. Both
TUBBS and RODGERS face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison if
convicted.

SARAH KENDALL HARVEY, 28, was arrested in Flagstaff, Arizona, where she
was a student at Northern Arizona University. HARVEY is indicted in
Oregon
for the December 27, 1998 arson at U.S. Forest Industries in Medford,
Oregon. That fire caused an estimated $500,000 in damage. HARVEY faces
a
maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

CHELSEA DAWN GERLACH, 28, of Portland, Oregon, is charged with two
counts
related to the December 30, 1999 destruction of a Bonneville Power
Administration power transmission tower near Bend, Oregon. GERLACH
faces
up to 25 years in prison if convicted of Destruction of an Energy
Facility
(Conspiracy) and Destruction of an Energy Facility.

These indictments and arrests were the result of a nine year
investigation
of numerous arsons in the Northwest and other states. In many of the
fires
the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and Earth Liberation Front (ELF)
claimed
responsibility. Participating in the extensive investigation were the
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms & Explosives (ATF), the Eugene Police Department, the Portland
Police Bureau, the Oregon State Police, the U.S. Forest Service, the
U.S.
Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the
Oregon
Department of Justice and the Lane County Sheriff's Office. The
investigation is continuing.

An indictment contains allegations that have not yet been proven at
trial
beyond a reasonable doubt. Defendants are presumed to be innocent
unless
and until proven guilty.

The defendants are having their initial appearances in the districts
where
they were arrested. Government prosecutors will ask that they be
brought
to the districts where the charges are filed for arraignment.

The Western Washington indictments are being prosecuted by Assistant
United States Attorney Andrew Friedman. For additional information
please
contact Emily Langlie, Public Affairs Officer for the United States
Attorney's Office, Western District of Washington, at (206) 553-4110.

For further information on the Oregon indictments please contact Oregon
Criminal Division Chief Kent Robinson at (503) 727-1019.

 http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/waw/press_room/2005/dec/ecoterrorattacks.htm

Why has not someone stepped in to cover these people? YOU SHOULD NEVER testify at a grand Jury which is meeting to indict you, that's common knowledge, unless of course you are a police officer or some way hand in hand with the government attorney. YOU REALLY CAN INDICT A HAM SANDWICH, ask any attorney about that one. The whole Grand Jury thing is a big joke, a big joke on the citizens that is.

It makes me really sad when the government already labels someone before even arraigning and charging them, labelling them solely by the crime they are accused of. They do that with prostitutes constantly, bringing them into the courtroom and referring to them only as prostitutes, by the crimes accused of, not referring to them re who they really are, mothers, sisters, workers...It makes me sick that these news reports only refer to these activists as "eco-terrorists." That wording is loaded from the get go and these people are not "ecoterrorists," they are caring, big hearted people who have great compassion and concern for the world and others. We need to keep humanizing these people for the press. They are not ecoterrorists ~ they are friends, brothers, sisters, lovers, workers, students, sons and daughters...It breaks my heart to see them burdened so. This news has hung heavy in my heart all day long. The corruption of the court system and the failures of the public defender system make me so very frightened that these folks will not see anywhere near a fair day in court. Where is the Johnny Cochran for eco-defense activists? We need him now!

The reality is that the feds are clueless and grabbing at straws. That is evidenced by their dependency on grand jury witchhunts and police informant testimony. There are real life examples of police informants snitching in returnm for reduced sentences, sometimes they are told what to say by police to add credibilty of possible but fraudulent (as in non-existant) confession from accussed. An example is the case of Stanley "Tookie" Williams, where police informant testimony was used as evidence of a conviction. The informant who was the star witness in convicting Tookie was also facing the death penalty for rape, murder and recieved a lesser sentence including possibility of parole simply for his testimony against Tookie!!

For more info visit Fact Sheet (PDF doc) in left hand column on;

 http://www.savetookie.org

Returning to the ALF/ELF grand jury witchhunt, any activist in town with an animal rights patch can be hounded by the feds and possibly detained with the chance they may know somebody who knows somebody who may have heard a rumor about the recent fire at the fur farm. Really, it's that sketchy and it comes down to the fact that the feds don't know what they're doing and many convictions may be invalid as some other random animal rights activist got their balls/breasts squeezed by police while in custody and finally talked and said anything just to prevent continued torture/incarceration. Then there's the reduced sentence of a mysterious "witness" who seems to know something about the event that aids in conviction. Thier particular crime may be as unrelated as car theft, rape, etc. but they shared the cell and got some info overnight. Little surprise their charges are greatly reduced after providing fraudulent evidence of confession. Both DA and police look good after getting their conviction..

The comparison to the illegal detention of Arab-americans (Guantanamo, Abu-Graib, various unknown CIA black sites) made earlier by kirsten shows the similar tactics used in the "war on terror" now being used against so-called domestic terrorists..

overheard in FBI lockerroom;

"Hey, that guy we saw today holding the Koran and wearing the kufi (Muslim hat) may possibly know some other Muslim who heard something about some other Muslim who may have connections to Al-Queda or whatever other cell. Maybe if we grab him and hold him without charging him of any specific crime (no phone call) we can squeeze his balls and he'll give us something useful. Even if it isn't useful we'll at least look like we're doing our jobs."

While the middle class mostly Euro-american ALF?ELF activists may not suffer the extreme degrees of torture of Arabs being detained overseas (or here), the similarity in police tactics of toture and involuntary detainment is unreliable info obtained via coercion and bargaining with informants for reduced sentences. Grand jury evidence represents the modern day inquisition where random people accussed their neighbors of being "witches" and the trial was to float the witch. If the accussed drowned, they were later judged innocent and their names were cleared..

So much for real justice, eh?

Please forward this without headers.

Prison is a lonely place, and Daniel needs know there is a large community of supporters wishing him well, and waiting for his return. A simple card, letter, or even just a brief note of support means a lot to a prisoner kept from his or her friends and family. Remember that all prison mail is read by the authorities, so think before you write. Mail to prison facilities must always include a return address and the full name of the sender. For now, stick to simple cards and letters without stickers, gel-pens, or a lot of decoration.

Write to Daniel McGowan at

Daniel McGowan #63794-053
Unit ZA
Metropolitan Correctional Center of New York
150 Park Row
New York, NY 10007

Remember:

**DON'T USE NICKNAMES
**Don't discuss Daniel's pending case.
**Even if you are a lawyer, don't discuss legal information or offer legal advice.
**Don't discuss any illegal activity.
**Be Smart - remember ALL mail is read by prison officials.

For more information on writing to prisoners visit:
 http://www.nocompromise.org/resources/23writing_prisoners.html

For more information about Daniel or about writing to prisoners email
 FriendsofDanielMcG@yahoo.com

Some friends of our have just finished dealing with the federal harassment that the previously mentioned folks are facing. A web site was set up ( stopgrandjuries.com to expose the unconstitutional grand juries, and provide support for the citizens defending our land.

I'd like to point out that the folks in San Diego worked with Compassion for Farm Animals ( <a href=" http://www.vegsandiego.com" target="_blank">vegsandiego.com</a> and were clearly working in the public eye, above ground, and handing out vegan ice cream with literature to people in the park on hot sunny days. Yet the government saw fit to incarcerate the activists. But you all know the time

It's important to mention that some of the people jailed by the San Diego grand jury were supporters of Justin Samuel, a known ALF snitch who has been widely denounced by the animal rights movement and his co-defendant, Peter Young. I mention this because had these activists followed widely accepted protocol they would have recieved more support behind bars. Sadly, even the website posted by "beast" above has links to Justin Samuel. Please support anti-Grand Jury websites made by people who never sent their comrades to prison, like www.fbiwitchhunt.com and www.freespeechdefense.net/

Also, for updated support info for eco-defenders, anti-capitalists, animal liberationists, and others world wide visit www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk

Where are the links on the website that have something to do with Justin Samuel? How do you know the people who made the website are friends with Justin Samuel? Just trying to get more info before I spread this around because I fully support Peter Young.

David Agranoff and Nicole Fink are friends and supporters of Justin Samuel.