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Oct 26, 16
Filed under: Announcement, Political Prisoners, US
Submitted to It’s Going Down
Word has been relayed from behind the walls that 3 of the Cleveland 4 are currently being held in segregation right now.
Brandon Baxter, Connor Stevens and Joshua ‘Skelly’ Stafford are all being held within segregation units. The reasons for this are unknown though we know Skelly was physically assaulted by staff last month and then thrown in the hole. We have no idea how long they will be held there but solidarity is needed.
Since 2012, the Cleveland 4 have been housed at many different prisons throughout the federal prison system, mostly at high security/maximum prisons and have spent considerable time in segregation. There has not been high levels of support for these four young men throughout their sentences and most of their support is being held down by one or two people. Keeping money on their books has largely fell to one person in addition to running their website and social media. These four people need your support. Please do what you can and let the feds know that attempts to demonize anarchist movements around the country will not be successful. This case grew out of Occupy Cleveland and even though Occupy is dead, these four still need our support.
All of these prisons have contact information at www.bop.gov and its real easy to call them and inquire about their condition and urge them to release them from the SHU.
Write:
Brandon Baxter #57972-060, FCI Terre Haute, PO Box 33, Terre Haute, IN47808
Connor Stevens #57978-060, FCI Manchester, PO Box 4000, Manchester, KY40962
Joshua Stafford #57976-060, USP Tucson, P.O. BOX 24550, Tucson, AZ 85734
Doug Wright #57973-060, FCI Edgefield, PO Box 725, Edgefield, SC 29824
Commissary Fund: https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/3so92/ab/746Ym0
Visitation Fund: https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/bwdEe/ab/746Ym0
NYCABC tri-fold flyer: https://nycabc.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/cleveland4.pdf
Cleveland 4 facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freethe4/
Cleveland 4 twitter: https://twitter.com/FreeCleveland4
Cleveland 4 twitter: https://twitter.com/FreeCleveland4
Background:
The Cleveland 4 were four Occupy Cleveland activists, Brandon, Connor, Doug and Joshua “Skelly.” They were arrested on April 30th, 2012. They were accused of plotting a series of bombings, including that of an area bridge. However, the real story is that the FBI, working with an informant, created the scheme, produced the explosives, and coerced these four into participating.
Connor, Doug, and Brandon took non cooperating plea deals and pled guilty to all charges. The judge applied a “terrorist enhancement” charge to each of them, elongating their sentences as well as subjecting them to harsher prison conditions. Doug is serving 11.5 years, Brandon 9 years 9 months, and Connor 8 years 1 month.
Skelly took his case to trial. He went pro se and acted as his own lawyer. The FBI offered him a non cooperating plea deal with a 3 year sentence, if he would have plead guilty. Josh refused to plead guilty to something he wasn’t guilty of doing. He was found guilty on all counts by his jury and sentenced to 10 years. Even though Skelly had the most minimal role, he got the second longest sentence because he took his case to trial.
Doug, Brandon and Connor plead without an agreement while facing the threat of life in prison. On appeal of there sentencing they were primarily fighting against the life long probation that was handed down at sentencing. Doug also fought against being branded the leader. After months of waiting for a verdict on the appeals, we got word back. The appeal have been denied.
