"I'm currently at the Oregon´s state penitentiary." "One of Oregon's maximum security prisons." "I have been here at this location for nearly 4 years." "However I have been incarcerated for the past 5 years." "I would say that, in general I'm a happy person." "Even in here I still smile and laugh a lot." "I would say that I like to think of myself as a compassionate person." "I guess the best way to describe myself is that I'm free," "I mean exactly as my name implies." "It doesn't matter where I'm at or what I'm experiencing or whether I'm in prison or not." "In my heart and in my mind I'm a free individual and that can't be taken from me." "You are listening to Democracy Now." "When we come back we'll talk with what the FBI calls the leading terrorist in this country." "We will talk about him and hear from him." "Jeffrey Luers sentenced to 22 years in prison for burning 3 SUV's at a Chevrolet dealership." "We will have a debate about his case, stay with us." "Grew up in the land of houses in rows- -I had Asthma that's how it goes" "When your in LA there are cars everywhere see the sky and smell the air I left home and looked around trying to find some solid ground I found life in the northern wood" "and I knew this was good.- -I saw the 'dozers, the death machines" "tearing apart everything green I built a platform, sat in a tree If you're taking her down then you're taking down me I saw the highways;" "I saw the malls- -I saw the eagle;" "heard the clarion call the voices of reason were talking to me, so I burned down a couple of SUV's 23 years, 23 years" "I grew up in a suburb of Los Angeles, California." "Typical American suburbia." "I actively became involved in autonomy when I was in the third grade." "I refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance for the duration of my schooling." "We knew he was going to be a challenge to us when he was 5 years old." "Our babysitter was on vacation and we took him to the local park daycare center." "I got greeted with, first of all, he was saturated from the pond there." "He was wet and he said "Momma you got to fight for what's right in life and if anyone messes with me I'll kick 'em in the balls"." "5 years old he said this and that has not changed." "At 11 years old Jeffrey started getting into political punk and hip-hop music." "At 14 he began writing letters to his state representative and senators." "At 17 Jeff became actively involved in protests;" "at 19 he began canvassing for the Sierra Club, which brought Jeff to Eugene Oregon." "Within a month I was hanging out at this particular coffee shop.." "...and happened to come across two people showing a slide show of the Warner Creek blockade and the protest that they had there in the National Forest." "About a month later I was living out in the woods." ""Hi mom, Hi dad, Hi Shaun"" "On April 20th 1998 Jeff helped launch the campaign to save a rare stand of lower elevation old growth forest from being clear cut." "He did this by being the first person to occupy a tree platform at the Fall Creek tree sit." "It's been an interesting week, we got this set up Sunday, I got up here Sunday night," "Monday we got found by the Freddies [police] and the loggers and they stole some of our ropes and we had to cut some down to keep some of our branches from being broken." "Because of the dedication of Jeff and many other activists the campaign endured for several years and the trees stand to this day." "The Fall Creek forest campaign became well embraced by the people of Eugene as well as by the international environmental community." "Inside the campaign Jeff became well respected and soon became a spokesperson for the cause." "We've got Julia Butterfly in a tree in California and Free in a tree out at Fall Creek." "And both of them are connected right now on the radio." "Basically, I use to work for one of those environmental corporations and I won't say which and I quit because it was about money and I started doing something like this called direct action because this isn't about money it's about saving the planet." "Part of what I'm doing is just to raise consciousness to show people that we live on a planet that is in danger, and if we don't fix this danger then we are also going to be in danger." "When Jeff would return to Eugene he still remained a well liked and active community member." "Some of the activities he was involved in were cooking with Food Not Bombs and teaching self defense to women." "I'd like to see people, communities, have power over their own lives." "I'd like to see people being able to make decisions about how it is they want to live." "Over time Jeff became more and more frustrated by the lack of effect of symbolic protest." "Feeling the need to instill a sense of urgency about the looming global environmental crisis being brought on by the commodification of the planet." "He decided it was time to take direct action." "In the early morning of June 16 2000 Jeff attempted to strike at one key source of the problem." "Around 1 o'clock in the morning me and a friend left to the Romania car dealership." "We went in under a cover of darkness..." "we made sure there were no people around that the buildings nearby were vacant." "And we started a fire that resulted in $40,000 worth of damage to 3 trucks." "Approximately 1/2 hour later we were pulled over for having a headlight out in the city of Springfield." "We were detained for about 3 hours, during that time several law agencies started to arrive." "We were questioned and arrested on criminal mischief." "A week later I was accused of 9 different felony counts." "Including arson, attempted arson, manufacture and possession of destructive devices or explosives." "On May 27th 2000; 3 weeks before the Romania fire, devices similar to those found in the Romania fire were found on a tanker at Tyree Oil." "A week after being arrested for Romania, he was also charged for trying to start the Tyree fire." "And faced several more charges." "Two attempted arsons attempted criminal mischief manufacture and possession of a destructive device." "I think overall for all of those charges I got 5 years." "To this day Jeff maintains his innocence about any involvement with Tyree." "The evidence against him was flimsy at best." "The fingerprints found on the device didn't match Jeff or Craig's his Romania fire accomplice." "The prosecution claimed the culprits cut through several strands of chain link fence to approach the tanker." "They claimed a pair of bolt cutters found in Jeff's belongings matched the cut marks on the fence." "This theory ran counter to the lab report that stated this evidence is inconclusive." "In a peculiar twist to the story only the top cut was to be found "somewhat similar"." "According to the judge, that was the strongest piece of evidence found against me." "These charges added 5 years to the sentence." "Jeff would have to wait a year in jail to hear the verdict." "It was not going to be your typical trial." "I would say it was a circus." "So many different events happened that it was very overwhelming at times." "I spent a year awaiting trial..." "I got arrested in June, the first trial was set for October." "We didn't receive or discover evidence against me til 2 days before trial." "Which forced a postponement." "Trial was then set for November  a week before the trial was about to start we got more discovery." "We were actually able to go ahead with the trial  at which point my attorney Ken Morrow passed away." "On November 20th just a few days into the trial Jeff's lawyer Ken Morrow died suddenly of an apparent heart attack at his office desk." "Morrow and Barnes, Craig's lawyer, had been working as a tight team catching the officers in many inconsistencies of testimonies during cross examination." "Morrow's death was a major turning point." "A mistrial was declared and a new trial was set for April." "On November 22nd just two days after Morrow's death co-defendant Craig Marshall was offered a plea deal of 5 1/2 years." "He accepted this deal with Jeff's endorsement." "I think for him, it worked out." "We had an opportunity to discuss between us whether or not he should take it." "I couldn't ask him not to take that, so I encouraged it." "Jeff was offered a deal of 12 years by pleading guilty to both Romania and Tyree." "In maintaining his innocence of the Tyree incident Jeff turned the deal down." "I wasn't going to take a deal that I don't believe I'm culpable of." "Despite objections from the prosecution Jeff was able to maintain Craig's lawyer from the first trial, to proceed with his next trial." "My final trial date was set for April 4th. (2001)" "A week before that, a person or a group of people went back to the Romania site torched approximately 30-35 vehicles." "They caused over 1 million dollars worth of damage." "After the million dollar fire at Romania a communiqué was released that mentioned freeing Free and Critter and said that the fire was set in solidarity with them." "A week before my trial someone goes and causes a million dollars worth of damage in the same place I'm accused of and says that they did it for me." "I would imagine that had a negative affect." "I think that the communiqué was inappropriate." "I don't think that I should have ever been mentioned." "I think it might have only enforced the prosecutions belief that I was a leader." "The states response to the Romania million dollar fire was swift and decisive." "As a result of refusing that offer and probably as a result of the 2nd fire 2 days before the new trial I was reindicted with 13 new charges." "A new 1st degree arson charge with a minimum of 7 1/2 years was added." "As well as two conspiracy to commit arson charges." "Jeff went into the trial with little hope." "I remember a couple weeks before the trial Barnes asking how do you feel about it..." ""I'm pretty confident that I will be found guilty of all charges."" "In the end Jeff was found guilty for both Romania and Tyree on almost all charges." "Jeff's trial then proceeded to sentencing." "At a sentencing hearing Jeff read a statement." "It cannot be said that I'm unfeeling or uncaring." "My heart is filled with love and compassion." "I tried to protect life, all life, not to take it." "It's not an exaggeration to say that we are experiencing a period of extinction equal to that of the dinosaurs." "40,000 species go extinct each year." "We continue to pollute and exploit our natural world." "I will not ask this court to grant me leniency." "All that I ask, is that you believe the sencirety of my words and that you believe that my actions, however misguided, stem from the love that I have in my heart."" "On June 11th 2001 Jeffrey Luers was sentenced to 22 years 8 months with no chance of early release in the Oregon State Penitentiary." "I know when the judge came back my heart was definitely pounding." "But when it was all said and done..." "I wasn't shocked." "He made the simple statement that he has never doubted the sincerity of my beliefs and that my politics will not enter into his decision making process." "Jeff was convicted of three counts of 1st degree arson with enhancement to measure 11 mandatory sentencing guidelines." "The enhancement is invoked where there is chance of serious harm or death." "The night watchmen testified that he never felt that he was in danger." "In fact all three vehicles were subsequently repaired and sold." "The judge readily admitted that my actions were politically motivated, acknowledged that I had a superio intellect to most people thus being able to rationalize my actions and understand the nature and consequences of them." "He was then very adamant that my sentence would not reflect my political leanings." "Then proceeded to sentence me to 15 more years than the manslaughter case that was just before me." "Jeff's family, friends and community were devastated by the length of his sentence." "just 22 years old and 22 years to go awfully long time to serve For burning a car I don't care who you are. 22 years nobody deserves" "You can philosophize the way that you think things should be Turn your head and hope it disappears Somewhere tonight there is a young man named Free In a cell serving 22 years" "22 years" "Jeff's crime ranks in the same sentencing category as attempted murder, manslaughter 1, rape 1, and kidnapping." "I'm accused of basically trying to kill someone." "Putting someone's life at severe risk, I know that I haven't done that." "I left here at about 10 minutes to the hour, I walked around to the front of the building, I went to check two lots I have nearby, when I came back I saw the flames and immediately ran to call 911." "I did not see any people." "To highlight the severity of Jeff"s sentence, look at a far more extreme arson case." "In 1998 forest service employee, Tamara Meredith was convicted of 35 counts of arson for intentionally setting forest fires to get overtime pay." "Despite risking the lives of some 600 firefighters, she was sentenced to only 3 years." "While I was awaiting trial I became friends with a person who had a manslaughter charge for driving under the influence..." "He killed another passenger in another vehicle." "He also had assault 1 and assault 2 charges because the passengers in his vehicle." "Because as a result of the accident had broken legs and broken arms." "He got 10 years with a minimum of 75 months." "He has a dead body attached to his crime." "I got 22 years with no injuries." "There's a reason why I got 22 years with no injuries." "There's a reason why I got 22 years with only $40,000 worth of damage." "Although Jeff has repeatedly asserted that his actions were autonomous from any group law enforcement and media have consistently referred to Jeff as a member of the Earth Liberation Front. (ELF)" "He has been given security threat status in prison   a classification usually reserved for gang members and white supremacists." "Because of a strong mainstay of friends that I had when I fell that have continued to stick by my side and have just been true friends." "They have been able to branch out support across the world." "To the point now where I have tremendous amounts of international support." "Due to his classification as a member of a security threat group, Jeff receives more attention than the average prisoner." "His mail is regularly censored or is rejected altogether." "He was put into administrative segregation, or "the hole" for an article he had written." "Jeff subsequently sued and the disciplinary action was stricken from his record." "Campaigns launched by his supporters have reigned in prison authorities to force them to go by the book in their treatment of Jeff." "I have tremendous amounts of international support that not only really helps my morale it shows the state and the authorities that dissent can not be quieted." "The more that you punish us the more we will resist." "To mark the anniversary of Jeff's sentencing and create awareness of his case his support network held an international day of solidarity with Jeff on June 12th 2004." "The FBI launched a smear campaign to squash the June 12th events." "They sent notices to law enforcement agencies and cities where events were planned and sent out press releases to media outlets to create hysteria and dissuade pottential supporters from attending." "These events were educational and peaceful." "The press release was presented as fact from most major news papers without contacting event organizers for balance." "Speakers and supporters were approached by the FBI and questioned about their involvement." "In Eugene hundreds of people gathered to hear presentations by former political prisoners, close supporters and Jeff's parents." "This gathering is under attack." "There is a lot of intimidation, that's intended for this." "So I'm very grateful that your here despite that." "And I'm speaking as someone who was on the "10 most wanted list" for almost 10 years." "I know what it is like to be sought after by the state." "It has a purpose." "It is to discourage our coming together behind ideas that aren't popular." "This country has a very long history of discouraging people from opposing its heinous work." "Because the reason that we came down here tonight, we are honored to be invited to "Break the chains", because this work is healing a lot of wounds that are open." "We feel it as people of the earth, we see the way that our earth our mother is being destroyed, it is something that is a crime against humanity." "On the move!" "I'm Kevin and I'm with the International concerned family and friends of Mumia Abu Jamal." "I'm with Friends of the Move organization." "I came from Philadelphia for the event today." "You know if it had been anything other than a political statement against this system would he be in for 23 years?" "On the move!" "And free Jeff Free Luers!" "Legal and right are two different things, because you can be legal and be wrong." "But you can't be right and be wrong." "You know slavery was legal, the Holocaust was legal,  the racist Apartheid Regime of South Africa is legal." "YOU KNOW, but none of these things are right." "Resisting those things were illegal, criminal." "But it wasn't wrong." "Was it wrong to resist those things?" "They are never going to convince me that Free or any other freedom fighter is a criminal is wrong, is a terrorist?" "Because they set some damn cars on fire?" "The same government that dropped a bomb on me and my family and set my babies on fire is going to convince me that Free is the criminal." "And put him in jail while they continue to collect paychecks." "The people that bombed my family." "I mean, its insane." "And they don't have enough bombs to stop us from doing what we need to do." "They don't have enough guns, enough cops, enough jails, enough prison guards, enough courtrooms and judges to stop us from doing what we need to do." "We can be hurt we are alive, we've got feelings, we can be hurt but we won't be stopped." "Good Evening and thank you very much for being here." "Today is intended to be a day for public education and awareness about Jeff and his case." "The FBI and its law enforcement agencies have chosen to make it sound like an Earth Liberation Front call to action." "That's wrong!" "But it got Jeff and his case good publicity in places such as Morgantown West Virginia, Palm Beach Florida that may not have developed otherwise." "My wife Judy and I would like to thank all the organizers and attendees of this event and other events like this around the world for bringing attention to the injustice done to our son Jeff Free Luers." "Thank you." "I've been called an eco terrorist..." "I've been called a domestic terrorist, I've been called some other things that aren't as nice." "They've also stated that I'm a ringleader of a terrorist organization in the Northwest." "I can't disprove their theories." "I can say that it isn't true." "But it becomes a question of do you want to believe them or do you want to believe me." "We don't necessarily agree with all of Jeff's philosophies or ideologies." "But it is our belief that in a democratic society that we have a right to those and quite frankly we think that the majority of Jeff's punishment that has been heaped upon him is not for his crime but for his ideology." "Jeff is recognized as a political prisoner by many support groups in the US and internationally." "International law defines a political prisoner as someone who is incarcerated for an extensive period of time for politically motivated crimes." "I am one of many political prisoners in the United States." "Jeff's convictions haven't diminished in prison, unfortunately neither have the problems he attempted to bring awareness to." "According to the National Automobile Dealers Association the US automobile industry generates 700 billion dollars a year in retail sales." "This would make up 20% of all retail sales in the United States." "There are 532 million passenger vehicles worldwide, almost half of those are in the United States." "Of the over 1 million new automobiles sold in the US annually over half are of the light truck class which includes SUV's." "Because SUV's are not considered passenger vehicles they are allowed to spew up to 30% more carbon dioxide and hydro carbons and 75% more nitrogen as well as be up to 33% less fuel efficient." "An SUV getting only 14 miles per gallon may emit 100 tons of carbon dioxide in its life time." "The United States in 1997 contributed 291 million tons of carbon surpassing all other countries." "We are the number one polluter in the world." "We have a few rivals but overall the majority of pollution in the US comes from passenger trucks and vehicles." "We have over 250 million of them." "You take SUV's in the consideration as being the number 1 polluter in that vehicle class." "Well those are my reasons right there." "According to the EPA increasing concentrations of green house gases are likely to accelerate climate change." "Scientists expect the average global surface temperature could rise 4.5 degrees in 50 years." "Rising by 10 degrees in a century." "My biggest reason was to call attention to the issue of global warming." "Most particularly US involvement in that." "The United States has 5% of the world's population but contributes more than 25% of its green house emissions." "A report released in 1988 by Environmental Policy institute concluded that only the rapid phase out of ozone depleting chemicals could begin to stabilize ozone levels over the next few decades." "We had evidence back then that what we were doing was going to drastically affect our way of life as we know it." "In 1998 the United Nations came out and said that upwards of 50,000 species were going extinct each year." "That rate of extinction is equal to that of the dinosaurs." "We've only had 4 other extinction periods on this planet that we're aware of." "We are experiencing the 5th right now." "I think that life as we know it is changing." "Before I die I will live to see events come in to place that never should have happened." "On these views Jeff is far from alone." "Over the past few years a growing number of people from around the world have been gathering in opposition to the drastic consequences of global corporate control." "I think other people are seeing things in a more drastic state." "There might be a level of fear involved of what the future pertains to of what it holds for life on this planet." "Acronyms like FTAA, IMF and the WTO have become synonymous with corporate domination, human misery and environmental destruction." "Anywhere that they are going in the world they are being met with resistance from people who are angry, upset and frustrated." "I don't believe there has been a country that they have met in that hasn't seen severe protests." "In the corporate game of global domination, it's not just about the power to control the masses and their resources." "It's also about the power of controlling power itself." "During the course of the Bush administration, America's aggressive foreign policy can be traced back to its desire to control the world's oil market." "Iraq holds the world's second largest reserves of oil." "About 11% of the world's known reserves." "Welcome to Democracy Now, I'm Amy Goodman." "The top US military commander in Iraq admitted yesterday that the military, quote "is fighting a classic guerilla type war."" "Meanwhile the Wall Street Journal prints the Pentagon is considering calling up 10,000 new reserves to go to Iraq." "ABC news is reporting that troop morale is at a new low, the network broadcast an interview with soldiers who question their mission and the Pentagon's leadership." "In Afghanistan the US chased out the Taliban regime and installed a former employee of Unocal Hamid Karzai as interim president." "Today Afghanistan has agreed to let Unocal build a giant natural gas pipeline to benefit the US." "Together the Andean countries of Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador provide 20% of the US oil supply." "Plan Columbia a billion dollar Clinton era aid package, was promoted as part of the fight in the war on drugs." "The reality is it is a fight to remove anticapitalist rebels from the oil rich regions of the country." "In Venezuela the Bush administration shocked the world by recognizing the leaders of a failed coup de tat attempt as the legitimate new heads of state." "We have an imperialistic foreign policy that is directly related to our consumption of oil." "That is an issue that has long been ignored in the mainstream public of the United States." "And I felt that the time had come to challenge that issue." "America has chosen to abandon any form of restraint in its quest for complete domination of the world's oil." "Even to the point of declaring the Geneva Convention a quaint and antiquated document." "The ferocity in which the US pursues and silences victims of it's foreign policy is echoed on the domestic scale by the mercilessness that it shows to those citizens who dare to dissent." "To strengthen this movement to free political prisoners, locking up people who have played leading roles in developing struggles for liberation is very key." "Not everyone's struggle is on the front line but those who dedicate their lives to dismantling a culture of greed are obliged to lend their support to those who are incarcerated for taking action." "Unfortunantely it's taken me to start a fire, be found guilty of several different crimes, be sentenced to 22 years before people would pay attention to the things I had to say." "I'm here because I think that the values that Free is fighting for in his life and his fight is not over, are right." "I feel that the sentence of course is unjust." "An example is made of him in the same way they want to intimidate us out here on the streets." "It's just as absurd as it is for Leonard Pelletier or Mumia Abu Jamal and many other people whether we know their names or not." "I miss gardening." "I miss being able to go outside and stare at the night sky." "I miss holding hands." "All the things that people probably take for granted." "5 years in prison haven't broken Jeff's spirit, passion or dedication." "Overall the days go by and you just take it one step at a time." "You do what you need to do to survive." "In the meantime you just try to laugh a lot." "And you deal with doing time." "It's really all you can do is just cope and survive." "Jeff's appeal hearing has been postponed indefinitely;" "...recent supreme court rulings are likely to have bearing on his case." "Should I stay here for the duration of my sentence, my parents will be dead and some of my friends might pass away." "The entire world and life that I have had up to this point will be non-existent 21 years from now." "The three of us have such a unique bond, that when he hurts we hurt and when he's locked up in that prison he isn't the only one locked up." "We are in our own prison   the only difference is we have the privilege to lock our own door instead of having it locked for us." "I can't look back knowing what I know and having what I have in my heart and say that I regret trying to make things better." "He remains active in the struggle, speaking out and writing about the issues dear to his heart." "Just because I'm in prison doesn't mean I can't keep sharing what I feel." "...can't keep sharing my knowledge and can't keep participating in the debate that's going on in the outside world and putting in my two cents worth." "There are several ways to support Jeff. ...and calls to action that are updated on a regular basis." "He also writes dispatches from prison that are posted on this site." "Annually, June 12th is an International day of solidarity with Jeff, participate in or organize an event in your city." "Donations for Jeff's appeal costs and basic living expenses can be sent to the address on the website or sent to this address:" "[address on video]" "Visit the "how to help" link on the website for more ways to help Jeff." "There are two options - we either change our ways or continue doing what we are doing and accept the consequences." "23 years, 23 years" "To contact Jeff or to contribute to his defense, contact: freefreenow.org freefreenow@mutualaid.org" "The chapter was written and I was the test to shut us all up and drive us apart all who have life and love in our hearts the judge did the math and he did some more" "he was a man out to settle a score an illegal sentence in a stolen land with life or death in the palm of his hand 23 years" "23 years" "and now here I am- -so long behind bars" "for trying to breathe in a nation of cars sanity jailed and madness in power our time is short and now is the hour hide in the darkness, stay safe in the night" "find whatever you need to stay in the fight there's a planet at stake and that's all I see my thoughts will be with you until I am free in 23 years" "23 years in 23 years 23 years" "UPDATE:" "A resentencing of Jeff took place on February 28, 2008 in Lane County Circuit Court which reduced Jeff's sentence to 10 years." "He could be released by December 2009!"