Support For Daniel McGowan // News

News & Updates

April 15, 2008: Good news! The Second Chance Act was passed last week. Thanks to everyone who worked to get this through.
Eventwise: NYC benefit show coming up this Friday - get all info here.

January 6, 2008: Action Alert! Last Chance to Support the Second Chance Act! Right now, the US Senate is in session and deliberating on whether to vote for the The Second Chance Act of 2007 (Senate bill 1060, House bill 1593). The bill has many reform-based provisions dealing with increased half-way house time, more money for re-entry, education, career-training, and family drug treatment for offenders as well as provisions to allow some elderly prisoners to be released earlier. Its written to give prisoners a chance. If passed it will make the following specific reforms:
-- Expands provisions to provide expanded services to offenders and their families for reentry into society.
-- Authorizes grants for drug treatment programs that are alternatives to imprisonment.
-- Requires implementation of a program to improve academic and vocational education for prisoners.
-- Requires grants to provide technology career training to prisoners.
-- Requires grants to nonprofit organizations for reintegrating offenders into the community.
-- Requires a prisoner reentry program to prepare prisoners for release and successful reentry into the community.
-- Requires a pilot program for the early release of nonviolent elderly offenders (age 60 or older) who have served prison terms of the greater of 10 years or 1/2 of the term of imprisonment.
-- Allows the Bureau of Prisons to place a prisoner in home confinement or in a community correctional facility for up to 12 months prior to release.
-- Requires the Bureau of Prisons to ensure that each prisoner in a community confinement facility has access to necessary medical care, mental health care, and medicine.

CALL your senators and urge them to support the Second Chance Act, Senate bill 1060. We recommend that you do this by telephone if possible - it's an opportunity to immediately make a real difference in the lives of offenders, prisoners, and former prisoners by giving them a chance to live outside of prison walls.

Go here for All State Senators and use the Choose a State drop-menu or click Sort by State link.

January 3, 2008: Thank you to everyone who generously donated to the familes of Pine Ridge reservation and participated in the Leonard Peltier Holiday Gift Drive. Go here to read about the project's success and to take a look at photos of all the toys and clothing.

December 30, 2007: If you haven't seen it already, take a look at Daniel's blog here. The blog is updated regularly, with some entries being added from earlier dates, so take some time to scroll through them all.

November 4, 2007: Donate now to the Leonard Peltier Holiday Gift Drive!
Also, just a few site updates: Download and read the May 15, 2007 Terrorism Enhancement hearing transcript, most recent half page flyer found on the More Ways to Help page, Indypendent article on Daniel on the Media page.

October 31, 2007: From Jonathan Paul's supporters, October 31, 2007:

Early this morning Jonathan was interviewed by Amy Goodman on Democracy Now. You can read the transcript at: http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/10/31/145201

At approximately 1:45 this afternoon, Jonathan reported to FCI Phoenix accompanied by his sisters, Caroline and Alexandra. He was informed that he would be in the Annex for awhile and would not be able to call out for a couple of weeks. They would not let him bring in important legal documents, nor commissary money which he had been told he could bring. They also told me the commissary money I sent in earlier would not be credited to his account because he wasn't in custody yet. Kind of a pain, but easily remedied, which I will take care of tomorrow.

One guard actually told Jonathan and his sisters that FCI Phoenix seems like a camp compared to other medium security facilities in the country. I guess we will just have to wait and see. Jonathan walked in strong, with his head held high and in good spirits. As Jonathan told me just before he went in - "this is way bigger than us, this is for the animals and the planet, we will never suffer as much as they do."

The first month is usually the toughest, so please write to Jonathan often. Feel free to post this far and wide. Jonathan has been a great warrior for the animals and the environment for over 20 years. Let's not forget him now! And please remember to keep writing Jonathan's co-defendant's and other political prisoners. As a photographer, Jonathan is very visual, so he would love to get photos. You don't have to print them on photo paper, you can just insert them in a letter (if you are typing it on your computer).

Please feel free to contact Jonathan's support group at friendsofjonathanpaul@yahoo.com. If you are interested in organizing a fundraiser or a letter writing event, please let us know.

We plan to get a support website up for Jonathan very soon.

Jonathan Paul
#07167-085
FCI Phoenix
Federal Correctional Institution
37910 N 45th Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85086

September 12, 2007: Daniel has finally reached his designated facility - FCI Sandstone in Sandstone, Minnesota. This is his final destination, as far as we have been told the last few months. Please send all your letters you've been holding onto and resend ones you've just sent! Note - Unit I has been added to his address. Letter writing info here.
DANIEL McGOWAN
#63794-053, UNIT I
FCI SANDSTONE
P.O. BOX 1000
SANDSTONE, MN 55072

September 1, 2007: Daniel is already on the road again. He's at FCI Terre Haute in Indiana, but there's no way to know for how long. If you'd like to write, his new address is:
DANIEL McGOWAN
#63794-053
FCI TERRE HAUTE
FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION
P.O. BOX 33
TERRE HAUTE, IN 47808

August 30, 2007: Daniel has moved to FTC Oklahoma City. His new address is:
DANIEL McGOWAN
#63794-053
FTC OKLAHOMA CITY
FEDERAL TRANSFER CENTER
P.O. BOX 898801
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73189

August 25, 2007: Daniel in 2008 Certain Days Calendar. Get it now!

August 17, 2007: Daniel is still in at MDC Brooklyn, Sept. 1 we're having a benefit in NYC (info here).
July 28, 2007: We're currently working on adding a new section to the site, but in the meantime go here to read Daniel's most recent letter from prison.

July 26, 2007: Daniel is still at MDC Brooklyn. See below info on where and how to write.

July 3, 2007: Daniel is now at MDC Brooklyn beginning his prison sentence and can begin to receive some kind, supportive letters.

Please use the following address:
DANIEL McGOWAN
#63794-053
MDC BROOKLYN
METROPOLITAN DETENTION CENTER
P.O. BOX 329002
BROOKLYN, NY 11232

When sending a letter, it's best to keep it simple. Write or type on blank notebook or copy paper no bigger than 8.5x11 and don't use any special colored or gel pens or pencils, stamps, or stickers. Don't write anything on the outside or inside of the envelope except the prisoner's address and your full name and return address in the upper left hand corner of the addressed side of the envelope. Use plain white envelopes without a clear plastic address window, or any special decorations. Most prisons also REQUIRE a return address on the envelope.

Please take a minute to read the following VERY IMPORTANT guidelines.
- Write on both sides of the paper, since the number of pages he can have may be limited. It is also totally acceptable to type your letters. More will fit on a page.
- Write your address inside your letter/card if you think he does not have it, but DO NOT put an address label anywhere inside or on the letter/card. Address labels are ONLY OK to go on your envelope.
- Do NOT send him stamps, envelopes (self-addressed or otherwise), blank paper or notecards. He will not be able to receive them and he will be denied your letter.
- Do NOT send him any form of currency, whether cash, check or money order.
- Do NOT send photographs larger than 4x6. Do not send polaroids and make sure the content is appropriate.
- Do NOT include any paperclips, staples or any extra things in your letter.
- Do NOT send a card that has glitter or any 3-D objects in or on it.
- Do NOT send cards with paper inserts glued in them.
- Do NOT tape your envelope shut.
- Do NOT ever write "legal mail" or anything implying that you are an attorney unless you are
- Please use your common sense; don't write about anything that is likely to get a prisoner in trouble in any way.

Daniel does not receive the envelope your letter is mailed in, so write your return address and full name in the letter as well. Also, number the pages like "1/5, 2/5,3/5..." so that a prisoner can tell if some pages are missing.

If you send Daniel a letter and it gets returned to you, please let us know about it so we can add any other restrictions to the guideline list.

Please do NOT send in any books to Daniel yet. We are in the process of getting a system going for him to receive books. If you would like him to receive books we would prefer you donate money and we will make sure to get him a book on his request list and let you know about it.

June 12, 2007: You can now download the latest Green Scare tri-fold pamphlet here and read the text of the flyer here

Daniel was on Democracy Now! yesterday. You can read the transcript here, download the audio here or watch the video here.

June 12, 2007: If you would like to donate to Daniel's education or legal defense fund offline, you can send a check or money order made out to Lisa McGowan to:
McGowan
PO Box 106
New York, NY 10156

June 10, 2007: It has been a week since Daniel's sentencing and we wanted to give you some more information about what happened. We have uploaded Daniel and his wife Jenny's statements to the court at sentencing.
- Daniel's statement: www.supportdaniel.org/news/dm_sentencing.html
- Jenny's statement: www.supportdaniel.org/news/js_sentencing.html

Also, you can read extensive and detailed notes of Daniel's sentencing at www.supportdaniel.org/news/sentencing_report.html

Daniel is set to self report to prison in early July but we are not sure where. As soon as we find out this information, we will let you know. His sentence is currently 7 years with 3 years of supervised release and the terrorism enhancement for the Jefferson Poplar arson. How that affects Daniel's time in prison and afterwards is not known at this time.
.
Please keep Daniel's codefendant Jonathan in your thoughts. His info is below. As always, thanks for your support at this very difficult time.

Jonathan Paul
Out on bail until August
Received a sentence of 51 months (sentence is not final)
friendsofjonathanpaul@yahoo.com
Friends of Jonathan Paul
PMB 267
2305 Ashland St., Ste. C
Ashland, OR 97520

June 6, 2007: Daniel was sentenced to a 7 year (84 month) sentence on Monday June 4th in Eugene Federal Court for his participation in arsons at Superior Lumber Company and Jefferson Poplar Farms. The government was asking for 7 years, 8 months.

Judge Aiken also gave Daniel the "terrorism enhancement" for the arson at Jefferson Poplar Farms because of particular language in the communique for that incident. We do not know what impact this will have on Daniel's classification in the Bureau of Prisons.

As you can imagine, we are completely overwhelmed by the last two days in court and only want to extend our thanks to everyone for the constant emails, phone calls and check ins over the last couple of weeks.

Daniel will be reporting to prison on July 2nd and will be finishing his first quarter of his masters degree program and spending time with his friends and family until he goes in. We will be sending out updates shortly.

May 16, 2007: On May 15, Judge Aiken heard oral arguments on the terrorism enhancement from the government and the lawyers for all the defendants. The government is asking the court to impose the “terrorism enhancement,” which could affect the judge’s sentencing guideline calculation and have a huge impact on where, and under what conditions, Daniel McGowan is imprisoned. During the hearing, the government compared the defendants to the KKK and to other people who have been sentenced under the terrorism enhancement. What the government did not say is that in all of those other cases, the people who committed the crimes intended to injure and kill others.

Daniel’s lawyers argued that if the terrorism enhancement is applied, Daniel could be placed in a prison such as Terre Haute, Indiana, where inmates have very little contact with the outside world and are monitored constantly. They also pointed out that the government cannot seriously argue that the defendants are dangerous “terrorists,” considering that the government has agreed to allow Jacob Ferguson, who is responsible for over a dozen arsons, to remain free. The reality is that none of the defendants in the case are terrorists who pose a risk to the community.

The judge did not make a ruling at the hearing. She will rule on some legal issues by early next week. Daniel probably will not know if Judge Aiken will impose the terrorism enhancement until he is sentenced on June 4. Thank you to everyone who came out for the hearing.

You can read a court report from the hearing here. More media coverage here.

May 13, 2007: There have been a few articles on the Terrorism Enhancement in Daniel's case this past week. Here are a few of them:

Terror Label: Feds seek to 'enhance' sentences for eco-saboteurs Eugene Weekly
Government Seeks “Terrorism Enhancement” for Environmental Activists by Will Potter.
Terrorist label rests with judge Register Guard
'Family' of defendants conspired in crimes Register Guard
Destroying property is not terrorism By Jonathan Paul's mother, Sarah Paul published in the Register Guard for Mothers' Day.

May 7, 2007: Daniel's brief challenging the application to the "terrorism enhancement" is online here.

On May 15th, the Civil Liberties Defense Center will be holding a press conference and rally in support of the defendants opposing the application of the "terrorism enhancement". Please come out and support them.

Environmentalists are not Terrorists!
Rally and Press Conference
Eugene Federal Courthouse (405 East 8th Avenue)
12-1PM

May 15 at 9:30 am is the hearing to decide whether the people who have plead guilty to acts of environmentally motivated property damage and are awaiting their sentences, deserve the terrorist label.

Speakers include:
Alejandro Queral, Northwest Constitutional Rights Center
Lauren Regan, Civil Liberties Defense Center

May 6, 2007: The booksale was a huge success. Thank you to everyone who came out, donated and bought books. We made a substantial contribution to Daniel's tuition fund and sold hundreds of books.

April 22, 2007: The 2nd Annual Support Daniel McGowan booksale is set for May 5th, 12-7PM at the Book Thug Nation, Astor Place between 3rd & 4th Avenues in Manhattan. Read more about book donations here.

March 31, 2007: At a March 2nd court date, sentencing dates were set for all defendants. The sentencing dates for the non-cooperating defendants in the case are as follows:

June 4 - Daniel McGowan's sentencing. 9 AM
June 5 - Jonathan Paul's sentencing. 9 AM

We are encouraging people to attend these dates and support the defendants. Be sure to arrive early (only 42 seats!), dress well for court and please behave during the proceedings. Oregon Federal Court is located at 405 East 8th Avenue. (Be careful crossing Franklin Boulevard). View map.

There is also a very important court date coming up in May. At a May 15th hearing, Judge Aiken will hear arguments on the "terrorism enhancement" the government wants to have applied on all defendants in the case. You can read an update on this aspect of the case in today's Eugene Weekly here. Letters to the Eugene Weekly regarding this important issue can be sent to editor@eugeneweekly.com (Letters to the Editor (to be published in the paper) should be clearly labeled as such, be no more than 250 words and must include your full name, address and phone number.

We are happy to announce that we are starting a matching grant campaign for Daniel's tuition. We have a donor that will match your donation dollar for dollar up to $12,000. This means we will be able to double your donation i.e. Your $25 donation means we get $50. Thanks to this generosity we are in a position to cover Daniel's masters degree tuition in full. Please consider contributing and help Daniel earn his masters degree while he serves his sentence. You can donate online through the paypal button on this site or send a check/money order made out to "Lisa McGowan", POB 106, NY, NY 10156.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to write a letter to the Judge for Daniel.

March 1, 2007: Tonight's benefit show for Daniel featuring Leftover Crack has been canceled.

February 14, 2007: The deadline for letters to the Judge has been extended for the final time to March 2, 2007.

January 27, 2007: The Judge in Daniel's case has reduced Daniel's property bond to $800,000 after one year of Daniel being out on bond.

Also, we now have two new flyers for letters to the Judge regarding Daniel's sentencing thanks to Eberhardt Press. You can download the full page and half page flyers.

January 14, 2007: The deadline for letters to the Judge for Daniel has been extended to February 15th.

We have set up an online book shop on Amazon.com. To browse and purchase any of our books, click here.

December 14, 2006: There is a court report from Daniel's court date posted here.
Daniel's sentencing date is set for April 26, 2007.

You can see photos from our December 7th rally for Daniel in NYC c/o of the following photographers: Fred Askew, Erin Siegal & Ida C. Benedetto. Also, you can see video of Daniel's post plea hearing press conference here.

December 2, 2006: We just got shirts back from the printer. We now have all sizes in black, heather lake blue and olive green (and most sizes in pink). Check them out here.

November 18, 2006: We have launched the December 7 NYC event info page here. Also, be sure to pick up raffle tickets locally at Bluestockings Books and read more about the raffle and what you can win here.

November 9, 2006: We would like to inform everyone about the events in court today. 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 here. 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.

November 2, 2006: There will be a very important status hearing on November 9th before Judge Aiken at 9:30 AM. If you are able to come and show support for Daniel and the other remaining non-cooperating defendants, Jonathan, Nathan, and Joyanna, we really want to see you there. The McGowan family and Daniel's wife, Jenny, will be in attendance.

Daniel's lawyers, Amanda Lee and Jeffrey Robinson will be available for media interviews after the hearing. The hearing will be held in the new federal courthouse at 405 E. 8th Avenue, Eugene, Oregon.

October 17, 2006: We will be participating in the December 7th Day of Solidarity for Green Scare Indictees and Political Prisoners called by GreenScare.org. There will be two events in New York City - a daytime rally and film screenings and more at night. Details to be announced shortly. Be sure to bookmark our events page.

October 17, 2006: We just got shirts back from the printer. We now have all sizes in black, pink, heather lake blue and olive green. Check out the new color and order some here.

September 11, 2006: Great news! Daniel is no longer on house arrest!!
Today Daniel's lawyers received word that Judge Aiken signed off on the motion which allowed Daniel's electronic monitoring device to be removed. Other restrictions still apply, but he is allowed to be out of the apartment and enjoy the crisp autumn weather coming our way.

August 26, 2006: We have uploaded photos from various benefits including the Art Auction for Daniel on our flickr page. Check them out here.

August 24, 2006: Read the court report from Daniel's court appearance here. Thank you to everyone who came out and supported the defendants! We really appreciate it.

August 15, 2006: Court Update - Daniel will be in court on Tuesday, August 22nd for a hearing on a motion filed by the defense related to government surveillance of the defendants. The defendants are asking the court to order the government to obtain and turn over any secret, warrantless surveillance, including any surveillance done by the NSA. There will also be arguments heard on whether or not the transcripts from the plea hearings last month and plea agreements of cooperating witnesses will be unsealed. There will be discussions on the pending trial date and whether it will be postponed. The hearing is set before Judge Aiken at 9:30AM at Eugene Federal Courthouse. **Please dress/act appropriately and be on time.**

August 2, 2006: Thanks to the wonderful designers and printers at Eberhardt Press, we now have a cool new flyer. You can download a PDF here.

August 1, 2006: Thank you to everyone who came out for the If they come for you in the morning: Art Auction for Daniel McGowan last week. It was an amazing event and very successful. Special thanks to Ryan, Jessie, Molly, Kevin, Katy, Kristine, Steve Englander and all the ABC No Rio volunteers, Jeffrey and Bluestockings Books, Aaron Thompson & art.les.nyc, Ian Kuali’i, James and Evan of Graffiti Research Labs, Mark and Mattie from Fort Whitey, Jonathan Spies, Thadeaus D. Umpster, Angela Coppola, Mona Mady, Marianne-ski, Eliza Calhoun, Josh MacPhee, Chris Stain, Brandon Bauer, Eric Drooker, Aaron Resen, Callie, Sen, Eric Laursen, Andrew, Brendan Story, Cristina Chapman, Melissa Morrone, Meredith Sums, Benjamin, and the McGowan family.

Anyone who has not yet picked up artwork from the show, please go to ABC No Rio on Wednesday, August 2nd and Thursday, August 3rd, from 5pm - 8pm. If you can’t come by either of these days, please email us at visual.resistance@gmail.com.

July 24, 2006: In the interest of doing everything we can to secure Daniel's freedom, we are asking that you take an active role in writing to your Senators and Congressperson about the injustice of Daniel's situation. There are links, sample letters and more on the new Letter Writing Campaign page.

July 18, 2006: We have just put up a FAQ page to help people that are not familiar with the legal aspects of the case understand what exactly is going on. Check it out here.

July 7, 2006: Thanks to everyone who came out to the booksale last weekend despite the threat of rain. It was a massive success. Thanks especially to Corey, W, Jessie, Angela, Sen, Brendan, Nancy, Jenny & everyone who donated and bought books. Thanks to the Book Thug Nation for hosting this sale.

June 24, 2006: You can now get a 15" x 20" poster of Kristine Virsis' Solidarity image as a fundraiser for Daniel's legal defense. Thanks to Kristine for her generosity! See how to get one here. Also, Visual Resistance has a limited edition of 50 posters handmade silk-screened posters for the art auction available for purchase here.

June 23, 2006: BOOK SALE POSTPONED - The book sale for Daniel's legal defense has been postponed due to rainy weather. It will be held on Sunday, July 2nd. More details here.

June 12, 2006: The National Lawyers Guild has released a statement on the Green Scare and Operation Backfire. Read it here.

June 2, 2006: CounterPunch listed us as 'Website of the Day'. Thanks!

May 30, 2006: New dates and deadline have been announced for the Visual Resistance Art Auction for Daniel. It is now two days - July 27th & 28th at ABC NO Rio. We've already got Armsrock, Arofish, Borf, GoreB, Peter Kuper, Josh MacPhee, RB827, Nicole Schulman, Chris Stain, Swoon, Seth Tobocman, and lots of other great artists involved, and we're still seeking donations for the show.

May 22, 2006: T-shirts and stickers are IN! Get them while you can!!! Go here to find out more.

May 16, 2006: Daniel and Jenny were married this past weekend and celebrated with family and friends. Congrats to them!

April 29, 2006: Visual Resistance has put out a call for artwork to auction off at an art auction for Daniel's legal defense. If you have ideas of artists to approach for donations, please contact us at FriendsofDanielMcG@yahoo.com

April 29, 2006: A big thanks to everyone who came out for last night's successful benefit for Daniel in Brooklyn. Special thanks to Corey, Ish, Molly, Morgan, Tracey, Lauren, Josh, Your 33 Black Angels, David Rovics, Stockyard Stoics, Gloryhole, Oogle Orphanage, DJ Thadeaus, DJ Opus, Ryan, Spider, Leah, Bike Blog, Times Up! and the dedicated party volunteers, bakers and door people.

March 16, 2006: We just uploaded a revised ¼ sheet flyer with basic information and a new ½ sheet flyer with info on how to help. For free printed flyers to distribute, please contact us (currently only in the NYC area).

March 13, 2006: We now have a PO Box that you can send legal defense fund donations to. In addition to our online donation button, you can now send a check or postal money order made out to "Lisa McGowan" to:

Lisa McGowan
PO Box 106
New York, NY 10156

Lisa is Daniel's sister and is coordinating the legal defense fund. Checks/money orders must be made out to "Lisa McGowan" or we will not be able to cash them. You can, of course, continue to use our Paypal online donation button which is additionally on every page this site.

Many people have asked for an address to send letters to Daniel. While Daniel appreciates letters, he would like to encourage people to support those still in prison by writing to them instead.

February 8, 2006: We are very happy to announce Daniel was granted release on bail on January 25th and has now arrived back in NYC.