"Bookin' for Daniel": A Marathon Run for Daniel McGowan

A participant in an organized marathon this summer will run its full 26
miles and 385 yards in order to raise funds and show support for
eco-defense prisoner Daniel McGowan. All proceeds from this run will go
directly to Daniel McGowan’s educational fund. This fund will assist with
payment for Daniel’s master’s degree, which he will complete while serving
a seven-year sentence in federal prison.

Daniel McGowan is an environmental and social justice activist from New
York City. He was arrested in a multi-state raid against the environmental
community that revealed itself to be part of a much larger wave of
repression known as the “Green Scare.” On June 4, 2007 McGowan was
sentenced to seven years in prison for charges of conspiracy and arson.
These charges relate to two eco-defense actions that occurred in Oregon in
2001. While Daniel took a guilty plea and accepted responsibility for his
own actions, he and three other defendants refused to name names as part
of their “global resolution” plea deal. During his sentencing, Daniel was
given a “terrorism” enhancement to his sentence, based on his involvement
in acts of property destruction which hurt no living being. The National
Lawyers Guild has decried this sentencing enhancement as an “unnecessary
and excessive government tactic to discourage the exercise of free
speech.”

Some of you may know the runner, Esther of Portland, Oregon’s Eberhardt
Press, not only from her publishing efforts, but also from her consistent
work around the “Operation Backfire” eco-sabotage cases. In a recent blog
entry, Esther states her reasons for training for and participating in the
marathon, writing: “I want to communicate to Daniel and his family that we
who support him are down for the long haul. Today, tomorrow, after 26
miles or seven years we will continue to struggle for the health of our
planet and the freedom of all humans, including our comrades behind bars.”

For more details about the “Bookin’ for Daniel!” run, or to make a pledge
to Daniel McGowan’s educational fund as sponsorship for this event, please
visit: http://bookinfordaniel.eberhardtpress.org/ Every little bit counts!

Background on Daniel McGowan’s case and general support information is
available at:
http://www.supportdaniel.org/