Tre Arrow Pleads Guilty

ELP Information Bulletin (4th of June 2008)

Dear friends

Yesterday well known American eco-activist, Tre Arrow, pleaded guilty to two counts of arson. In exchange for his Guilty plea Tre is expected to be sentenced to six and a half years imprisonment. However the court will also acknowledge the four years he has already served on remand, in Canada, fighting his extradition to the USA.

Below are two articles about the plea. Firstly a news item published on the web and then a statement from Tre himself.

ELP totally supports Tre in his decision to plead guilty and we encourage everyone to continue to offer him all their support.

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http://www.katu.com/news/local/19494614.html

Tre Arrow pleads guilty in firebombing case

PORTLAND, Ore. – Radical environmentalist Tre Arrow on Tuesday pleaded
guilty to arson charges as part of a deal with prosecutors that will
keep him behind bars for more than two years.

Arrow, who legally changed his name from Michael Scarpitti, was charged
with firebombing three cement trucks at Ross Island Sand & Gravel in
Portland and setting fire to logging trucks and a tractor near Estacada.

On his Web site, the 34-year-old said recently he did not want to risk
receiving a life prison sentence and called the plea deal an offer he
"couldn't refuse."

On Tuesday, he entered a guilty plea to two counts of arson during a
hearing in federal court in Portland.

As part of the deal, he agreed to receive a sentence of 6-1/2 years in
prison. However, he will be given credit for the four years he spent
behind bars in British Columbia following his arrest in 2004.

The deal also restricts Arrow from associating with so-called
eco-terrorist groups, including the Earth Liberation Front and Animal
Liberation Front.

His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 12.

Arrow will serve his time at a medium-security federal prison in
Sheridan in Yamhill County.


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June 3rd, 2008

A warm blessing to you all – i thank you for your support and for being here
today. Some may look at this non – cooperation plea agreement as a victory.
Some may see it as a defeat. It's really neither! It's simply another step in
this journey as i walk my path of conscience. You see, it's never been about
me. From before the days of the ledge-sit, right thru 'til today, this has been
and will always be about the commitment to leave our Earth Mother in a
healthier, more beautiful state then when i arrived. This is about taking back
our power from the government and corporate entities that would have us believe
that monetary wealth and the acquisition of material objects is more important
than the health of the planet, it's people and the billions of life forms with
whom we share this home. This is about being a voice for the trees, our animal
friends, the waters, mountains and blue skies. This is a calling to consider
our children grandchildren and the generations to follow. This is living up to
our divine potential. This is an opportunity to be a voice for truth,
compassion and respect in the face of profound corruption and disregard for the
sanctity of life that permeates the governments and corporations of the world.

Now, more than ever, the desperate need to be thoughtful stewards of this earth
is upon us. The reality of the enormous detriment impact humyns have on the
planet can no longer be ignored. In honor of our Earth Mother and all her
sacred creatures (big and small, plant and animal, humyn and non – humyn), i
ask you to take a deep, hard look at your life and ask yourself this one
question:

"Is this what really matters?"

This government with its many devices of power and control has constructed the
Prison Industrial Complex, not as a means for healing and benefit to society,
but as a form of institutionalized slavery that garners big-business contracts.
Most are worse off when they leave prison than when they arrived. Instead of
rehabilitation and true opportunity for self improvement, the Prison Industrial
Complex is largely a political tool to crush dissent and keep the status- quo
in place. No being deserves to be locked in a cage, no matter what their
"crime". Many government and corporate officials are responsible for the most
heinous crimes yet never spend a day behind bars.

I say to those who try to keep the voice of dissent squelched: you may cage my
body, but you will never succeed in trapping or containing my mind and spirit!
The deeper the oppression, the stronger the light radiates. And so i declare
with confidence and passion: As long as i am able, i will do what i can to help
preserve the last remaining wild places while helping to restore the damage
this one race has caused.

Someday, in the not-so-distant future, i will meet you on the outside of the
prison walls and fences, and together we will heal this Earth.

Blessings,

thank U

NAMASTE

tre arrow

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Earth Liberation Prisoners Support Network
BM Box 2407
London
WC1N 3XX
England
www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk