Jesse J. given RNC sentence in Minneapolis

Another call from Jesse! He spent last night in dorm 500, a noisy one with folks blaring their radios, and this morning he was moved to what seems to be his last stop, Custody B pod. He’s been moved a total of 6 times, but that’s likely over. The reason for all the moves is probably that Jesse is demanding vegan food. They’re providing it, but are just confused about what to do with him. The result is that he is placed with other “problem” people, in the Custody Pod, in which everyone has their own cell (unlike the dorms, which have upwards of 20 people). So he has his own cell, which he can leave to be in the common space of the cell block. He appreciates the privacy, and having space to stretch, read, and write. His cell has a view of the intersection South of the jail, so if you drive by bring some binoculars! Jesse described the guards as “dudes just doing their job” and hasn’t had problems with them. Now that he’s out of quarantine, he’ll be able to go to recreation time, hopefully outside if it’s not too rainy. Also he can go to the jail library twice a week. Most importantly, Jesse says he’s going to be released on November 30th at 7 a.m. We wish it were sooner still.

There’s a new section of this site: Letters, Books, and Such. It has an up-to-date book wishlist for Jesse as well as info on sending letters

Yours Truly,

Friends of Jesse James
Still Waiting

September 21, 2009 in Uncategorized | by Support Jesse James! | 2 comments

Jesse called us this morning. He is in much better spirits. Even though he’s still in quarantine, he has been served vegan food and recieved a huge envelope full of letters and zines that we dropped off at the jail. He ate a salad last night and had a good breakfast today. He doesn’t have much paper, and is ripping unused bits of paper off letters to write on. He expects to be moved to general population tomorrow, and should be able to get a visit by Tuesday. Let’s remind him that he’s got lots of support out here with letters, books, articles, photos, and visits!
In Quarantine Today, Out Tomorrow

September 19, 2009 in Uncategorized | by Support Jesse James! | Leave a comment

We just talked to Jesse on the phone — his first day has been rough. When he went to the nurse, which everyone does after being booked into jail, they either read his temperature wrong or he had a slight fever. Because of this, and the recent swine flu scare, Jesse is in quarantine. He’s in a cell by himself, without a blanket or soap, in a hall with 8 cells, the rest of which are empty. He has a pencil, and a little bit of paper. The jail won’t let us schedule visits yet, because he’s quarantined, and they don’t allow us to schedule visits on the weekend. This is a huge disappointment because some close friends of Jesse’s are leaving town in the next day, and won’t see him until he gets out. This is where their nurses and doctors leave us, confined and isolated in a cold cell block.

We just talked to Jesse again! He saw the nurse again, who says he should be moved out of quarantine tomorrow. This will be a much better situation, and he should have access to books, more writing supplies, and potential friends.

For your reference, the jail’s phone number is 651.266.1400.

This website has a little information, the most useful being visiting information.
Ramsey County “Correctional Facility”
Jesse’s in Custody and in our Hearts

September 18, 2009 in Uncategorized | by Support Jesse James! | Leave a comment

Today, Jesse was sentenced to 120 days in jail by Judge Flynn. What this means in Minnesota is that he should get 1/3 of his sentence off for good behavior, and 5 more days off for credit from when he was arrested last year, for a total of 75 days in jail. So our educated guess is that he’ll be free on December 2nd. We’ll keep you posted, of course.

During the sentencing, Richard Dusterhoft, the Prosecutor, argued for 6 months in jail and just over $10,000 in restitution. Jesse’s attorney asked for at most 60 days in jail. Jesse spoke eloquently on his own behalf. He mentioned how much he’s learned and changed in the past year, how he wants to move on in his life and do what’s really important to him: spend time with the children in his life, his friends and family, and return to his community. He said he’s already experienced distance from his loved ones, isolation, and had time to contemplate the seriousness of the situation, all things that imprisonment is supposed to make you experience. The desire most strongly articulated was that of returning home.

For the first time in our collective court experience, Judge Flynn took a downward departure from what the prosecution recommended. She originally planned on sentencing him to 9 months, but it seem she was swayed by the massive amount of letters submitted in Jesse’s favor. Thank you so much to friends, family, and supporters for your articulate and emotional letters! They made all the difference. While appealing to authority doesn’t leave us very empowered, if we can take even a day off of a friend’s jail sentence, then we should in any way we can. 5 months off is even better!

We were all nervous, sad, and scared before the sentencing. We couldn’t all fit into the courtroom, and the indimidating sherrifs, in uniform and plainclothes, took up all the standing room and rudely tried to stop us from entering. The weeks leading up to this have been stressful and emotional, and it seemed that our tension was coming to a head. But after hearing the sentence, many of us felt a weight lifted. Even though our dear friend is sitting in that terrible place, surrounded by unsympathetic guardians of law and order, we know he’s on his way home. The sentence was much less than we expected and were trying to prepare ourselves for. By no mean is this judicial stifling of our lives acceptable, but at least we know that Jesse will soon be free.

Jesse called us this late afternoon, and while disappointed not to be with his friends and family, he seems to be doing well. He is still in the downtown Ramsey County Jail, which is different than his final destination, the Ramsey County Correctional Facility, a.k.a. the Workhouse. He says he should be transported there tomorrow, so if you want to send him letters as soon as you can, he should get to the jail before your letter does. Letters are immensely important to prisoners, to combat isolation and stay engaged with the world and your loved ones. Send him letters soon and often! Use your common sense with what you write, don’t say anything that could get Jesse in trouble. Photographs can be sent (but not polaroids), and photocopies are accepted, but avoid staples. Also, items with glue, glitter, markers, or general things the jail staff might find annoying won’t be accepted. Stamps, envelopes, writing supplies and money will all be rejected. If they don’t accept mail it should be placed in Jesse’s property and he’ll get it upon his release. This is a good basic guide to writing to prisoners. His address is: