|
Jeffery
Luers #13797671,OSP,2605 State Street,Salem, OR 97310 Free's appeal has finally been
granted and he is awaiting re-sentencing.
WHO
IS JEFF LUERS?
My name is Jeffrey Luers. Most of my friends call me "Free". I have been active since 1996 fighting for a range of issues such as animal rights, gender equality, anti fascism, eco-defense and others. These issues are not separate they are one struggle, one fight. My
story is only a small part of a greater whole. . .
On
June 16, 2000 I ignited a fire that would forever change my life. I
torched 3 SUV’s. I took extra care and used specific fuels to ensure
no one would be injured. Trial
was a joke, literally. We proved evidence had been tampered with, officers
had lied and that the prosecutor had manipulated evidence to get a legal
search. On top of that the judge refused to allow me to separate the
trial. I had been charged with two different fires. Law requires that
upon request separate offences must be tried separately. The final blow
came when the judge threw out the testimony of my expert witness. In
the end I was convicted of 11 felony charges. I was sentenced to 22
years and 8 months. I have no possibility of parole. This is only a summary of events that took place in the course of a year. For
more information contact me directly at: or my defense network at:
Lessons
from the snitching of Billy Cottrell
November 17, 2004 will be remembered as another sad day for the Earth Liberation front and the radical activist community. On trial for the ELF action of torching SUVs in Southern California, William ‘Billy’ Cottrell took the witness stand in his defense.Accused of more than $2.3 million dollars of property damage, I can imagine the fear Billy felt facing decades in prison. Many activists, past and present, remember that feeling all too well. For some it was our finest moment, if also most painful, as we stood before the state proud and unwavering. Perhaps, the truest test of our warrior spirit can be found in the courtroom. Undoubtedly, our movement’s defining moment will be how steadfast we stand when facing the full repression of the state. After Billy’s arrest, we wrote me. His naiveté at the situation he was in shocked me. We discussed what he was facing and I warned him to avoid doing media before trial. Billy shared his fears and heartache with me as well as his gratitude for all the support he was receiving from people. In his last letter, Billy told me how much of an inspiration other warriors and I had been to him. As Billy took the stand that day, I can’t help but wonder if the sick feeling in his stomach was fear of imprisonment or if it was nausea at his betrayal. Billy testified that his friend lit the fire against his wishes. He stated that he was coerced into going along with them because he owed one person $200. Despite all of his bravado to his supporters, the media and me, Billy tucked his tail and pissed down his leg. Sadly, this is not the first instance of betrayal. To date, the majority of ELF and ELF-style actions to go before the courts have had a defendant turn traitor. This fact devastates my heart, as it should every activist and revolutionary. Illegal direct action is a dangerous path. The action itself is only a small part of the equation. Physical resistance once embarked upon is not a path easily abandoned. If it is a path you choose, you should be expecting to serve prison time or worse. If you cannot face the possibility of prison or you know you cannot accept the consequences with integrity and honor, do not pick up the matchbook. The blame, however, does not solely lie with the weakness of individuals under pressure. The problem is one of our creating. This movement glorifies and romanticizes hardcore action. Crying out for salvation from would be heroes; writing stories and singing songs of faceless individuals who sab the dozers, raid the labs and who burned down Vail. Honoring our warriors is good. But, the illusion fades when you are sitting in a jail cell. The once seemingly powerful movement bolstered by its own self-praise no longer appears so strong. The romanticized ideal of action and change remains. Yet, no revolutionary energy is directed at freeing our comrades. That is our failure as a movement. If we expect our warriors to stand strong in front of the judge and jury with heads high and eyes burning with defiance, we must become realistic about what it means to be a revolutionary movement. We have to support those who have sacrificed their freedom with radical actions equal or mightier than their own. For
our movement to become more than a counter-culture, we have to stop
mystifying direct action. We have to recognize direct action for what
it is-a necessity. The support of the movement to it s captured warriors
must go beyond admiration and respect. It must extend into action and
agitation for their release. We must never abandon our own. By any means
necessary, we must see them free. Otherwise, we can expect more people
to bow before the power of the state. How do we go from romanticizing
action to taking it? How do we go from accepting loss to preventing
it? These are the obstacles in our path. If we cannot overcome them,
then we are not trying hard enough.
There are always going to be Billy Cottrells. There just doesn’t have to be more of them then there are true warriors. There is a hero in all of us-one just waiting to be given a voice. Find the courage to follow your heart and the pride to hold your head high and stand your ground. Because with that, this movement will go from a facade to a force. On the
release of Free's co-defendant Critter Yesterday,
on January 6th, 2005, Craig "Critter" Marshall, my co-defendant
walked out of prison after serving 41/2 years. I can only imagine what Now that Critter is out I can't help but wonder why I am still here. We were arrested at the same time, charged with the same offenses. Up until the very end he & I refused to cooperate with the state. Yet, the state in Critter's case decided that the exact same fire was only "conspiracy to commit arson" and "possession of destructive devices". I've half a dozen theories as to why things played out the way they did. The one fact I know is not once did the state offer to treat my case as Critter's. I'm doing 17 years more for the same actions and same evidence. 22 years for actions that hurt no one and caused less than $50k in damages. Critter is home now where he belongs. I'm counting on this movement. I'm counting on you to bring me home. I can't win this fight alone. I need your support. I need your agitation. Make the impossible reality. Rise up and free all political prisoners and prisoners of war. We are in prison because we believe in dreams. We are in prison because we believe in freedom. We are in prison because we believe these things are worth fighting for. Dare to believe. Dare to resist. For
more information:
|
