Report-back: "Bookin’ For Daniel" Marathon Fundraiser Breaks Finish Line

"Bookin’ For Daniel" Marathon Fundraiser Breaks Finish Line

Effort Raises Support for Eco-Defense Prisoner's Education Fund

SAN FRANCISCO — Of the thousands of runners who participated in the 2007 San Francisco Marathon on Sunday, July 29, many were running to raise funds for good causes. One runner in particular had a compelling cause propelling her towards the finish line: all of the pledges that had been made for eco-defense prisoner Daniel McGowan's education fund.
Esther, co-founder of Eberhardt Press, started taking donations and pledges for her 26.2-mile run on behalf of Daniel a month before the marathon, documenting her training and preparations on the "Bookin' for Daniel" blog (bookinfordaniel.eberhardtpress.org). Readers could use the website to make a donation or pledge their support on a per-mile basis. The funds will be used to help support Daniel's efforts to obtain a Master's Degree while serving a seven-year sentence for crimes committed in defense of the earth.

The long run was challenging, Esther wrote in a recent blog posting, "but knowing that I was raising awareness of the case and raising funds for Daniel's education helped get me through those last grueling miles."

McGowan is one of the so-called "Green Scare" defendants, who were rounded up in 2005 by Federal authorities in a nationwide sweep of activists called "Operation Backfire." Although the actions being prosecuted, which included arson, were intended to avoid the possibility of injury to human beings or animals, some of these defendants were sentenced with a "terrorist enhancement" for acts of property destruction alone.

"My goals in this project were to gather funds for Daniel's education while raising awareness of Daniel's Case and the Green Scare," Esther wrote. "I also wanted to show Daniel and his family that many, many people care about him, support him and plan on being around for the long run."

Daniel was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken on June 4, 2007, to 84 months, after taking a plea agreement which required only that he provide information about his own actions, and not the actions of his co-defendants or others. Under the terms of the plea agreement, he and three co-defendants were able to avoid participation in government investigations and prosecutions of political activists. Judge Aiken denied McGowan's request for a later report date after prosecutors informed her that Daniel's support website continued to be "operational," and that he had conducted a lengthy interview on journalist Amy Goodman's news program, Democracy Now.

Throughout his prosecution, a strong group of friends and family have supported Daniel, and they remain resolutely determined to stand by him as he begins serving his seven-year term as a political prisoner.

Thanks to the generosity of many supporters, the "Bookin' for Daniel" project succeeded in raising a significant sum for Daniel's education fund. Daniel has been accepted at Antioch College and is seeking his Master's Degree. Donations can still be made at www.supportdaniel.org or bookinfordaniel.eberhardtpress.org.

For more information, contact Eberhardt Press at info@eberhardtpress.org, or Friends and Family of Daniel McGowan at friendsofdanielmcg@yahoo.com.