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JACOB
CONROY the SHAC7
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:: WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? That seems to be the question I hear a lot so I thought I would bring folks up to speed about what I have been up to the last year. Its been a roller coaster ride to say the least. I have had emotions and experiences that most people will never have in their lifetimes. Having over 20 FBI officers with guns drawn pounding on your door at 6 in the morning with a warrant to empty the house of whatever they feel like, can be a bit overwhelming. The second time they come, with the same guns pointed at your head, a battering ram in one hand and a federal indictment in the other, it becomes old hat. Despite their attempts to be covert, we managed to find them video taping the entrance to the neighborhood from their car a week earlier, spot the white van parked in the lot across the way, and be fully clothed and teeth brushed when they arrived. At 6 in the morning. Again. How predictable. I know its been said a hundred times before, but its terrifying to think that these folks are not only responsible for ridding society of "domestic terrorists" like myself but for keeping real threats and terrorists away from our water & food supplies, our travel systems and public places.
Fast forward a year - after wading through 141,420 electronic intercepts (making this the largest electronic intercept federal investigation in 2003), 59 CDs of computer data, 555 90-minute audio tapes of wire tapes, 161 video tapes, and mountains of documents - we began our trial. 4 of us pack up our lives and move 3000 miles to New Jersey to begin what is expected to be a 3 month trial. After 2 weeks a mistrial is declared because of an attorney illness and we are all sent back to our homes. Although I was looking forward to getting the trial over with, it was nice to have some more time to see friends, spend with loved ones and continue doing activism. In February we began round two of the trial. The expected 3 month long trial took off with a shot and never looked back. At a breakneck pace we managed to finish the trial in just under a month. At this point I will refrain from editorializing on the trial as we are currently appealing the decisions. However, as you can see, we were found guilty on all charges. A surprise to say the least. 5 of the 6 of us were taken into custody (Dari got to stay out - possibly the only benefit to living in New Jersey) and we ended up at Monmouth County Jail. After being in a handful of county jails over the past 11 years, I would rate this one higher than average. The food sucked (with the exception of the graham crackers - I believe Monmouth County is the only place I have found vegan graham crackers) and the 22 hour lockdown wasn't much fun, but it was relatively clean and I actually got a bunk (unlike the guy that had to sleep on the floor of our cell). I learned a whole lot about the difference between crack and rock cocaine, and if you have a box of 65 unused crack pipes you can pass them off as novelties and not be charged for them. Fascinating stories in there.
5 days later I was bonded out, got an electronic monitoring device slapped to my ankle, and I was off to live in my mom's house in CT. Sentencing was scheduled to be 3 months away, in June. However after a number of delays it was pushed back to September 12th. So here I am, working on my 7th month of house arrest waiting to be sent off to prison. Unfortunately this time does not apply to my sentence, but its nice to be able to spend time with my mom and friends and just taking it easy. I can tell you how much it sucks to be sitting in the same place for 7 months, with your movement being limited to a 100 foot radius from the black monitoring box attached to the phone. How it sucks that you can't even take your dog for a walk around the neighborhood, run to the store to grab some soy milk, or get a job to be productive with your time. But after watching an uncountable amount of terrible movies, listening to music and eating way more Soy Delicious that I ought, its hard to complain. Particularly when there are activists all over the country and world sitting in prisons and jails, serving sentences or not granted bail. So now its just a countdown to see what we get and where we go. In a way I'm looking forward to getting this new portion of my life underway regardless of how long it will take. I'm not getting any younger... One thing I have found while sitting here is that I have spent the past 10 years finding inspiration from people who have risked it all for their causes and put their lives on the line for what they believe. And I still do. But over the past seven months 2 new people have been elevated to 'hero' status in my book. My mom and my partner. My mother has essentially turned her house over to the government so that I didn't have to sit in jail until sentencing. She has bent over backward to help and support me in any way she can. She has learned loads of vegan ingredients and how to separate the good flavors of Soy D from the bad. She has become a familiar face at the local vegan restaurant. She has made my stay here comfortable, and I could never thank her enough. My partner, who is dealing with her own government repression, and juggling a full time job, 2 pups, activism and now law school, has been unbelievably supportive. She has given up the past 7 months and worked her ass off to constantly be flying 3000 miles from San Francisco to spend as much time as possible with me here. I could write a book about the amazing and selfless things she has done for me and the rest of the SHAC7. It amazes me that she still has more to give. These 2 women have reached my 'hero' status! I simply can't say enough about how selfless and giving they are. I'm truly blessed. In a couple of days I'll be sentenced and eventually start my prison term, and appeal. I have received so much support from around the world and it really has been amazing and overwhelming. I can't wait to continue my correspondences from prison, and more importantly, hear about all the things you all are doing for animals! Keep Fighting! jake |
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