Around 50 or so supporters partied tonight because Josh C., accused of vandalizing the Hummer dealership, was released because the policed had no evidence linking him to the incident, and he had an alibi. It was cool. It was turning into some kind of replica of a Phish concert parking lot, complete with hacky sack, drums, and digeridoo, and as disturbing as that was to my stooges/ramones/buzzcocks rock and roll sensibilities, it was still a beautiful thing. (I'll come out of the closet: I actually have CDs by the Dead, and SCI and Phish tapes. I even listen to Barry Smolin on K sometimes.)

Man, there were peace vigil people there from all over the suburban landscape. Costa Mesa and Brea, Alhambra and West Covina, even this one small area I've forgotten the name of, and of course, Pomona and Claremont. Jim from IMC represented for the Topanga folks. Heidi's got the interview with Josh brewing too. This dude told me he got back from Cancun, and it was amazing, and that the mood there was somber, because of the self-death of farmer activist Kyung-Hae Lee.

I also found out about some rad happenings. One is a peace walk in Huntington Beach this weekend - it's a walk-a-thon, and I'll post the URL on la.indymedia.org if you all want to support this. Also, there's going to be coverage of this on Pueblos Sin Fronteras on KPFK, so listen if you're just getting this. And, a couple guys were there filming this, and they said they're putting together a documentary, and I hope the screen it around town soon.

Aside from this, there are two serious things to watch for. First, the status of the seized computers and materials, and second, whether the house residents will sue the police. When the Regen V house was raided, the police seized six computers, personal letters, notebooks, and other effects from residents. This is material, I suspect, the FBI will be using to map out who knows whom; they say the investigation is ongoing. Sure. I bet that's what they wanted all along, and Josh was just their "key" into the house, a reasonable suspect that they could use to get a search warrant. Second, it's unknown at this time if the residents will file a suit against the involved police agencies, over this issue. It seems like an excessive invasion of privacy, and I wouldn't want someone to haul off with my computer because I know someone who might get fingered by overzealous federales.

-- johnk

once again the white boy gets off!

agreed, there are a different set of rules for black and white in our justice system. at times it seems as if ignorance rules, but we must try to educate those that do not understand the difference between a white male fighting the system and a minority fighting the system. statistics speak the truth!

It's just the picture.

Your account of the rally, while zealous, displaying the joy we all felt there, I believe leaves the reader mistaken on a few key points. First off, this is still a very serious situation and although Josh is "FREE," his friends and housemates at Regen V are still under close scrutiny by the FBI, our phones are tapped, our DSL is still down and we still fear the persuit of the FBI and the possiblity of future arrests.
In addition, we at Regen V have nothing to hide on our computers, no one living at Regen has any association with the ELF. I would appriciate it if you take your last comment back. Thank you.

Be careful. They will be back for you. I suggest that you read up on the Sherman Austin and laro nicole case. They are similar to yours. In Sherman’s case they left with the computers, took his car--he basically lost everything--and they waited six months before they threatened an indictment. Sherman is a non-violent activist and was never charged with a crime—he was coerced into signing a plea for a crime that nick Hartman, a rebel violent anarchist committed. Unfortunately Sherman was a victim of institutional racism--he is a young black activist that did not have the funds to hire a private attorney. His FPD was a spineless wimp who rail-roaded him into signing a plea for a crime he didn't commit. Don’t sign anything--go public--raise money for a private attorney--best of luck--peace!

You should fear the FBI and arrest.
If you commited a crime.

has the FBI ever actually been an agency to catch a criminal? Seems like the FBI is good for one thing only, kissing Republican and corporate butt. From Leonard Peltier on, it is a sad sad institution wasting my tax dollars.

(1) Keep in mind that many of the people that post on this newswire are FBI agent attempting to harass, instill paranoia, and provoke.

(2) It is much safer to post your statements on your own website and provide a link to them. There is no need to engage in conversation with the people on this newswire. As I mentioned in (1), many of them have bad intent.

(3) Block out all anonymous emails from your email account. Whenever you receive an anonymous email, note the domain name in the email address and use your email's toolbox to block it out. Anonymous emails are used to instill paranoia.

(4) Block out all emails from domains such as "yahoo.com" and "hotmail.com". The idea is to prevent communication from individuals that do not need to register a valid name with an ISP. This will help in preventing operatives from communicating with you.

(5) Do not respond to any emails that seem strange. If you have a feeling that an email is odd, trust your gut feelings.

(6) Do not share information with those that do not need it.

(7) Do not use the telephone to make plans unless the plan is to get together with someone to make plans. That is, actual plan making should be done in person. Yes, I understand that your plans and activities are all legal, but you might as well deny the FBI as much information as you can.

(8) Beware of strange requests. I know this sounds strange but when you get a strange request, you will know what I mean. For example, I was passing out literature on a street and a woman asked for a cigarette. I gave her one. She insisted upon paying for it. I insisted upon not charging her for it. She insisted strongly on paying for it. I declined again. Just then I noticed someone across the street with a telephoto lens taking our picture. My belief is that the police did not want me passing out political literature (they had harassed me several times already) and this was an attempt to document me selling cigarettes on the street without a permit or license. Sounds small, but small things can cause large head aches. If something seems odd, don't get involved in it.

(9) There will be attempts to entrap you. For example, I received several offers of money for assistance in my activities from strangers that claimed to have amazing connections. There was always some hint of something clandestine about it. I always turned down the offers.

(10) Watch out for emails from people claiming to be be in high school. They are often attempts at entrapment (e.g. like the operation against Scott Ritter). You will get email from individuals that say that they admire you. Watch out. It may be a trap.

(11) Start using an anonymizer when browsing on the web.

(12) If someone starts harassing you and they make false assertions about you online, simply state that the assertions are not true. Do not offer an explanation as to why they are untrue. The explanation provides additional information and that information may be just what they are looking for. The information may also be used to ferret out additional information, make false posts in your name look authentic, or to contact people that know you for smearing.

Been there.

The FBI has such a mystique about it. Perhaps it's time to crush the mystique by disrespecting it. I'm thinking of organizing anti-FBI rallies in front of my local FBI office. We could burn J. Edgar Hoover in effegy. First, of course, we'll dress him in a skirt.