I'm forwarding this from a NPJ mailing list. Support Connole. THE FBI HAS VIOLATED OUR CIVIL RIGHTS BECAUSE OF OUR POLITICAL VIEWS
THE FBI HAS VIOLATED OUR CIVIL RIGHTS BECAUSE OF OUR POLITICAL VIEWS
Please forward this information widely. Your individual support is
needed to free an innocent man.
On September 12th Josh Connole, a known environmentalist and peace
activist, was arrested by the FBI. The FBI is accusing Josh of being
involved with the arson and vandalism of SUV dealerships in West
Covina CA, resulting in over a million dollars of damages. The FBI
is charging the WRONG man! Although they have no evidence connecting
Josh to this incident, the FBI, along with the ATF, had been
following him for several weeks. After his arrest, the FBI turned
their attention to his home, the Regenerative Cooperative, also home
to 14 other co-op members, and surrounded the house for hours while
waiting for state and federal warrants to search the co-op. After a
grueling and dehumanizing wait, Regen V was searched by the FBI and
ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms) while residents stood out on
the streets watching their home being torn apart throughout the
night. Among items seized were over half a dozen computers; most of
Regen's residents are students from the Claremont colleges, CalPoly
Pomona, and Cal State Fullerton. Regen V is a Cooperative that
promotes environmental sustainability and community.
This is a prime example of the government targeting visible
activists in order to instill the fear among American citizens that
innocent people will be persecuted for peacefully trying to bring
about positive social change through exercising their first
amendment rights.
Join us in the effort to protect our civil liberties and seek legal
action against the goverment agencies involved in the unjust search
and seizures.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
We need HUNDREDS of letters written to:
editors of all newspapers
your representatives and congresspersons
independent media and other internet sites
School Papers
any organization or business that can write resolutions in support
of Josh's innocence
anywhere you can think of – we need to get the word out!
We NEED financial contributions to the Josh Connole Defense Fund for
legal fees and other expenses related to this issue
We NEED computers because the FBI confiscated ours
We NEED video cameras for documentation
Please send all checks and material donations to
The Josh Connole Legal Defense Fund
at 997 Bradford Street Pomona CA 91767
ph#: (909) 469-5100
Josh has been RELEASED, which is good, but a baffling contradiction
was quoted in the press:
"West Covina police Cpl. Rudy Lopez said the case against Connole,
who still remains a suspect, could not be presented to prosecutors
within the required 48-hour period.
'Once we put all the evidence together, we will file at a later day,'
Lopez said. 'We still consider him a player in this incident.'"
This statement seems to continue to vilify, besmirch, and hold up to
public ridicule. City of West Covina should clarify and retract this
utterance.
Please continue to write letters to the City until a better account
is offered. Josh would not have been released except for a lack of
evidence. The idea that "the case could not be filed in time" is
ludicrous and insulting in the opinion of many.
Original: Follow Up Action for Connole