Eric McDavid Update 2/24/10

Eric McDavid is a political prisoner, currently serving a 20 year
sentence in federal prison for "thought crime." He was arrested in
January 2006 (as part of the government's ongoing "Green Scare"
campaign against environmental and animal rights activists) after
being targeted by an undercover informant who formulated a crime and
entrapped Eric in it. Eric was targeted by the state for his
political beliefs, and his case is important for everyone who dares
to stand up. He is currently appealing his conviction and his sentencing.

http://www.supporteric.org/index.html

Update February 24, 2010

Dear Friends,

On Friday, February 19, the government filed their reply brief to
Eric's appeal. The document they filed was 90 pages long - 90 pages
of lies and slander in their continued effort to demonize Eric and
justify their own inhumanity in locking a person in prison for 20
years for "thought crime." The document is full of continued attacks
on Eric's character as well as misrepresentations and lies about the
actual unfolding of events. All of this, combined with outrageous
distortions of the law, make the government's reply a rather
distasteful read. But, for those of you who are interested in such
sour fare, we are posting a copy of the reply brief on Eric's website
in the documents section. We recommend keeping something sweet
nearby. Or perhaps something to settle the stomach.

As painful as this document was to read, we are incredibly relieved
that it has been filed. Eric's lawyer now has 2 weeks to file his
final response. We are hopeful that this will happen on time, as
every delay means that much more time that Eric spends in prison
unnecessarily. This response will be the last document that needs to
be filed for the appeal. Then we begin the wait for the court's
response. Unfortunately, this could be a very long wait.

In the meantime, we want to urge you all to please not forget about
Eric! He still needs your support in his struggle for freedom. One of
the most important ways you can support Eric is to donate to his
support fund. We have some money set aside in case we have expenses
to cover in the event of a new trial, but the money that we use to
keep up the website and help pay for my visits with Eric are quickly
running out. These visits are incredibly important to us and help us
maintain some sanity in this insane situation.

Eric is currently being held in Victorville, CA - which is almost 7
hours from where I live. Renting a car and paying for gas is
incredibly expensive, and it's a cost I just can't carry on my own.
The support Eric has received from all of you over the last four
years has been amazing, and we are more than thankful for all you
have done. Eric has shown a steadfast, unwavering commitment to do
the right thing and fight the outrageous charges against him, despite
facing severe repercussions for that decision. Please consider making
a donation to support him, however small. Every tiny bit helps.
Keeping our connections with each other in situations like this is
absolutely essential. The state has tried to sever Eric's connections
to his family and communities. They know that this is where our
strength lies. Our visits together are a very powerful tool in
fighting the isolation and loneliness that prison can bring and in
keeping each other strong. Please consider donating to help us keep
these connections with each other.

To donate to Eric's support fund, you can visit the "Help" section on
his website and use the PayPal link to donate online. If you would
rather not use PayPal (which we completely understand), please email
us and we will let you know how to send a check or money order.

Thanks to everyone for staying with Eric these last four years.

Yours,

jenny (Eric's partner)/SPS