aidons danieleco activiste

Daniel McGowan is an environmental and social justice activist from New York City. He was charged in federal court on counts of arson, property destruction and conspiracy, all relating to two actions in Oregon in 2001. Until recently, Daniel was offered two choices by the government: cooperate by informing on other people, or go to trial and potentially spend the rest of his life in prison. His only real option was to plead not guilty until he could reach a resolution of the case that permitted him to honor his principles. Now, as a result of months of litigation and negotiation, Daniel was able to admit to his role in these two incidents, while not implicating or identifying any other people who might have been involved (for details, see below). The government will now seek a sentence of eight years, while Daniel's lawyers will seek a sentence of no more than 63 months. The government will also be arguing for a "terrorism enhancement" in Daniel's case which his legal team will vigorously fight. Daniel grew up in Rockaway Beach, Queens, New York, and is a much loved member of the community. He has worked on projects such as the demonstrations against the Republican National Convention, counter military recruitment efforts, organizing free markets in his neighborhood, and supporting political prisoners such as Jeff "Free" Luers. Daniel was also earning a Master's degree in acupuncture and was working at WomensLaw.org, a nonprofit that helps abused women navigate the legal system, when he was arrested by federal marshals on December 7th, 2005. Daniel McGowan's arrest had come in the context of a well-coordinated, multi-state sweep of over 15 activists by the federal government who have charged the individuals with practically every earth and animal liberation action in the Pacific Northwest left unsolved. Many have considered this round up indicative of the government's 'Green Scare' focus which has activists being arrested and threatened with life in prison while way more serious crimes go ignored. Many of the charges, including Daniel's, were for crimes whose statute of limitations were about to expire. Daniel is tentatively scheduled to be sentenced in Spring 2007. Family and Friends of Daniel McGowan will be raising funds to pay his legal defense, setting up public events about the Green Scare and providing financial, logistical, legal and emotional support to Daniel throughout his sentence. Daniel hopes to earn a Master's degree and write a book about his experience while imprisoned. More information on Daniel's plea agreement: Download Daniel's Plea Agreement (PDF). On November 9, 2006, after months of negotiations and consideration, Daniel, along with Jonathan Paul, Joyanna Zacher and Nathan Block, pled guilty to some of the many charges. We cannot emphasize enough what an extremely difficult decision this was for Daniel and we will continue to give him our full support. We do not want there to be any confusion about Daniel's plea agreement so we have posted it on the site. Daniel agreed to plead guilty with the understanding that he would not implicate or identify anyone at all other than himself. The other three remaining co-defendants entered pleas with the same terms. Daniel has done everything possible to maintain his integrity, and he wants to be as open about his agreement as possible. You can read Daniel's statement to Judge Aiken and Daniel's lawyers' statement here. As we already stated, we will continue to support Daniel completely. He and his family have been through an extremely difficult time and deserve to get through this with the best possible outcome. Please keep in mind that our fight is not over. We will still need your help and support in the coming months, in order to fight for the least possible sentence for Daniel. HOW YOU CAN HELP NOW: We are asking that people write a supportive letter to the judge (via our lawyers' office) regarding Daniel's sentencing. If you have any questions, feel free to email us. On behalf of Daniel, we thank you for your continued support. Contact FriendsofDanielMcG@yahoo.com with any questions. www.supportdaniel.org Family and Friends of Daniel McGowan, c/o Lisa McGowan, PO Box 106, New York NY 10156-106