Residents at the REGEN V CO-OP, an ecological and activist student house in Pomona, are being harassed by the FBI and ATF. People exiting and entering the house are being searched.

Last night at 1am, outside the house, a resident was arrested by the FBI. The reason is unknown. He had been followed for around 5 days.

The resident organizes peace protests and so forth. By their description, he's just a guy who holds a sign at the corner.

His arraignment is in Los Angeles at 3pm (they think) today, and they want an attorney present.

They are looking for a lawyer - please help.

(909) 469-5100
-- this is the house # - the internet is not working there

(Reposted from the Regev V Co-Op Web Site at http://www.regen.org/.)

Students at Cal Poly Pomona from the Black Walnut Alliance, SAFER, the Center for Regenerative Studies and others, and members of the community network.

PROMOTING REGENERATIVE METHODS FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVING - A LIVING LABORATORY FOR LESSENING OUR IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT

Leaving a balaced healthy habitat for our descendants and the animals.

History of REGEN V CO-OP

Reuse and preservation of important urban resources,
includes upkeep and defense of historic building.

The regen CO-OPERATIVE COMMUNITIES spring from the ideas of the late Prof. John Tillman Lyle, his students and associates, during the course of two decades of applied and theortical research. Could the resources of a great university be marshalled to implement an experiment in regenerative living? Not just an abstract thought-experiment, but a trial where the students would live their studies and carry out the experiment -- walk the talk and lead by example!

Regenerative studies

Lyle broadly defined "Regenerative" as perhaps more consistent than "Sustainable". Regenerative systems contain the seeds of their own renewal, and are thus a source instead of a drain on surrounding systems. Could such a community exist? Could students, the forefront of society, show the way? Could they be freed from old ideas, with the help of knowledgeable faculty experience, and implement a sort of super-dorm, exhibiting in deed solar power, edible and natural foods, aquaculture, passive heating and cooling, community support and decision making, and other ideas that could only be discovered in the doing?

Only at Cal Poly

After semester after semester, contribution on top of one another, the Kellog Foundation looked at the proposal and funded it magnificently -- providing seed money for the experiment to actually be tried. Unfortunately, Prof. Lyle was not able to participate in this grand departure, but his guidance and ideas are felt even now in the John T. Lyle Center for Regnerative Studies, still associated with Landscape Architecture, the Land Lab, and other Cal Poly resources.

CRS students take the ideas off-campus

Urban renewal, utilization of existing buildings, was a part of the CRS from early on. Students led the way by renting or buying off-campus, classical buildings in nearby Pomona and creating seed-communities that spread and multiplied the ideas of the CRS.

I notified the National Lawyers Guild in LA and New York.

If the situation is as described, I am sure they will help the "activists."

The CNN article on the arrest of Josh Connole (presently at

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/West/09/13/suv.arson.ap/index.html )

contains the following claim:

"The Times, citing sources it did not identify, said Connole could be seen on one surveillance tape just before dozens of vehicles were torched."

The actual Times quote (from its article currently posted at:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-hummer13sep13.story )

is as follows:

"Sources close to the investigation said that Connole could be seen on surveillance tape shot just before the fire at the Hummer dealership."

CNN's formulation implies that the Times stated on its own account ("the Times...said...") and as its own opinion based upon its own sources that Connole was seen on the surveillance tape. In reality, the Times merely passed along the opinion of unnamed sources without endorsing it or vouching for its credibility in any way.

That interpretation is supported by the rest of the Times article, which presents a picture that is generally supportive of the possibility that Connole might be innocent of the crime. The Times of course does not take a formal position regarding Connole's guilt or innocence, as is common for any article not specifically appearing as an editorial comment.

What does this arrest mean? That authorities are embarassed at their lack of a credible suspect and are looking for a scapegoat? That authorities were looking to pin something on Connole for other reasons and thought that this might stick? A little of both? Or, maybe that they had some small suspicion that he might be their culprit and didn't want to risk his getting away until they could confirm or deny this? Or perhaps that they simply bungled their investigation and now are waiting until public attention dies down before admitting to their mistake?

From what I have read of Connole, he is not of exceptional importance or interest to the authorities, which is not to disrespect the many positive and nonviolent activities in which he and his evidently lovely group of communards have participated. So, I strongly suspect that investigators either screwed up or else are looking for a scapegoat.

However, there is one other possibility, and that is that they are deliberately framing someone who is engaged in completely legal activism in an attempt to instill fear in the broad class of such law-abiding activists and to thus stifle legitimate dissent.

Just because I mention this last does not mean that I believe it is the most likely possibility. There are endless possibilities so far as law enforcement bungling and other misuses of the blunt legal instrument are concerned. But it is certainly something that has to be considered. And of course attention has to be focused upon this case until Connole's release is secured.