6/10 + 6/11, Speaking Event and Bike Ride in Solidarity with Jeff "Free" Luers

Please spread the word and come if you can...

Local events for the 'Weekend of Resistance' in solidarity with Jeffrey
"Free" Luers:

Political Prisoner Speaking Event

Friday June 10th 6:30pm
New College Cultural Center
766 Valencia Street in San Francisco
Donations requested –no one turned away.

This speaking event will focus on the importance of prisoner support and
what it means to be a political prisoner in the US. We will hear from
former prisoners as well as prisoner support activists.

This event is inspired by our fallen friend Jeff ‘Free’ Luers who is
currently serving his 5th year of a 22 year and 8 month sentence for an
action that did not hurt or threaten anyone. He burned 3 SUVs to make a
statement about increased environmental destruction caused by fuel
inefficient vehicles. It is believed and obvious that it is Jeff’s
political beliefs that landed him this unjust sentence.

Former Political Prisoner Speakers:

Luis “Bato” Talamantez is a human rights activist and artist who speaks on
the prison–industrial complex. A former political prisoner (one of the San
Quentin 6 whose trial gained international attention during the 70s),
Talamantez was acquitted and released in 1976. Drawing on his experiences
of 30 years behind bars, he works to expose conditions at maximum security
prisons like California’s infamous Pelican Bay, Corcoran State Prison and
Valley State Prison for Women. Talamantez is co-founder of California
Prison Focus and currently pens a column for their publication. He has
published two books of poetry and is an accomplished visual artist.

Rita ‘Bo’ Brown: Former political prisoner of the George Jackson
Brigades, founder of the Out of Control Lesbian Committee to Support Women
in Prison, Prison Activist Resource Center community advisor, and regional
representative of the Eddie Hatcher Defense Committee.

Claude Marks: Claude is the Project Director of The Freedom Archives, a
political, cultural oral history project in San Francisco. He is a former
political prisoner who served time for a conspiracy to break two Puerto
Rican and Black political prisoners out of Leavenworth. Claude taught
ESL, literacy, writing and history inside. Claude remains a prison
activist and uses media to educate, advocate for prison abolition and the
freeing of all political prisoners.

Rahula Janowski: Rahula Janowski spent 4 and a half months in jail for
her part in the pie-ing of then San Francisco mayor Willie Brown.
Politicized in the anarchist community centered around Food Not Bombs in
the early 1990’s, Rahula now works with the Heads Up Collective, a group
of white antiracists whose focus is on anti-war and anti-imperialist
organizing in the bay area. She has spent the past 10 years working for
radical social change, writing and, more recently, raising an amazing
child.

There will also be a short speech written by Jeff ‘Free’ Luers.

For more information: http://www.freefreenow.org


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Saturday June 11th. 1 PM Critical Mass Bike Ride for Jeff 'Free' Luers.
at Justin Herman Plaza.
Contact: SF Friends of Jeffrey Luers, freejeffreyluers [at] resist.ca



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June 10-12, 2005 "Weekend of Resistance" for Political Prisoner Jeff
'Free' Luers

June 2005 marks the five-year anniversary of the imprisonment of our
friend and comrade: Oregon environmental political prisoner, Jeff "Free"
Luers. Jeff was sentenced to more than 22 years in prison for burning
three Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) at a car dealership in Eugene, Oregon,
and on attempted arson charges. Jeff set fire to SUVs to call attention to
climate change and to protest oil wars and environmental destruction. Jeff
was motivated by compassion and a desire to protect life, not to harm it,
despite what some might think of his tactics. Prior to his arrest, Jeff
was a popular community activist in Eugene. He was well-known to law
enforcement because of his involvement with national forest protection
(starting an occupation of a controversial old-growth timber sale in
1998), anti-police brutality activism (documenting rampant police abuse in
Eugene), free food programs in a local park and his teaching of
self-defense to women. Since his imprisonment, Jeff has continued to be
extremely active in prison and fight oppression with his words and
inspiration.

On June 12, 2004, social and environmental activists in the US, Canada,
England, Scotland, Norway, Finland, Australia, and Russia participated in
an "International Day of Action" with Jeff by organizing non-violent
protests and community events to show their support for him and their
disgust for his cruel sentence. The FBI responded by creating a real
'Green Scare', sending a memo to businesses, corporate media, and
government agencies warning of planned "terrorist attacks" by the "Earth
Liberation Front" on June 12. Of course, no "terrorist attacks" ever
occurred. All of the events were peaceful and public, ranging from
concerts and demonstrations, to video showings and dinner parties. Even
some mainstream media outlets recognized the FBI memo for what it was - a
manipulative, dishonest attempt to incite fear- and criticized them for
that. Some participants in the June 12 day of action withstood intense
harassment including being photographed, videotaped and questioned with
one group actually being evicted due to the hysteria from the FBI.

Since the June 12, 2004 Day of Action, support for Jeff has continued to
grow and strengthen. People all over the world see Jeff as a political
prisoner and acknowledge that his sentence is meant as a deterrent to
increased resistance to oppression. Overall however, the political climate
in the US and abroad has become more corrupt and repressive. On the
home-front, the prison industrial complex continues to expand, repressive
laws and legislation continued to get pushed by lying politicians,
political prisoners are denied parole as the real criminals receive little
or no punishment, and the already weak laws that exist to protect the
environment are quickly being eliminated by blood-thirsty industry and the
Bush administration. On the international level, the Bush regime is
intensifying military aggression in Iraq, planning future actions in Iran
and the proposed Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales is attempting to
undermine the Geneva Convention to justify the torture tactics used by US
soldiers and prison guards at Abu Gharib and Guantanamo Bay. The
conditions are ripe to expose the hypocrisy of the system. Opposition and
dissent is needed now possibly more than ever before.

During the weekend of June 10-12th, 2005, social justice activists from
across the world are called upon again to organize and show their outrage
about Jeff’s imprisonment and the continued abuse and isolation of
dissident prisoners across the globe. State repression is meant as a
deterrent to social and environmental movements all over. Jeff received a
sentence of over 22 years for an action that harmed no one except for the
pocketbook of a local car dealer. Typical arson charges in Oregon result
in sentences less than five years. The Judge in Jeff's case sentenced a
man to 18 years last year for child molestation. Charles Graner Jr,
responsible for the brutal torture and sexual harassment of Iraqi
Prisoners of War at Abu Gharib received only ten years! Every day in every
city, cops receive little or no punishment for crimes against the public.
This cannot be tolerated! Fight for the political prisoners because they
have fought for you, against racism & poverty, war & imperialism, and the
pillaging of the natural world. They’re in there for us - we are out here
for them!

June 10-12th, 2005, is a Weekend of Resistance with Jeff "Free" Luers.
There is no central organizing body or group to check in with but the Jeff
Luers Support Network can help by providing you with flyers, graphics, and
merchandise such as videos, zines and stickers about Jeff and allies in
the struggle. Begin planning your event now. Read more about Jeff’s case
at http://www.freefreenow.org Read more about political prisoners at
http://www.thejerichomovement.com. Plan an action that makes sense for your area:
a demonstration, treesit, music festival, teach-in, stenciling campaign,
rally, protests at an American consulate/embassy overseas or public forum.
Circulate petitions. Write letters to the Governor of Oregon asking him to
look into Jeff's case. Contribute to Jeff's legal defense. Do what you
think is appropriate. But please remember when planning an action or event
think about how it could affect Jeff’s upcoming appeal. Ask yourself: does
this help or hurt Jeff? Does this strengthen the movement or weaken it in
the long-term?

Download a PDF of this call here.
East Coast contact:
Friends of Jeff 'Free' Luers-freefreenow [at] mutualaid.org

West Coast contacts:
Break the Chains-PO Box 12122, Eugene, OR 97440,
breakthechains02 [at] yahoo.com San Francisco Jeffrey Luers Support Network-
freejeffreyluers [at] resist.ca

European contact:
Brighton Anarchist Black Cross- PO Box 74, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 4ZQ,
UK, mail [at] brightonabc.org.uk



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Free the Land!
Free Jeff 'Free' Luers!
Free All Political Prisoners!
http://www.freefreenow.org/
http://www.freefre