Trial Starts Tuesday!
Sabino Canyon Trial Starts TUESDAY!
The moment has arrived: starting Tuesday, December 6, the Sabino Canyon defendants will have their moment in court – and they need your support! Now is the time to step up and help the brave eco-warriors who risked their freedom to help mountain lions in danger.
BACKGROUND
As you may recall, in March 2004, Chuk’shon Earth First! sabotaged an Arizona Game and Fish Department hunt for mountain lions in Sabino Canyon. The lions had not posed any threat to humans or domestic animals, but the US Forest Service was determined not to lose any money in entrance fees from even the perception of heightened lion activity. The hunt was extremely unpopular with the Tucson public, and even after Game and Fish agreed to “only” imprison the lions for life instead of killing them, more than 60% of the public was still opposed. Even the governor declared her opposition to the hunt, but Game and Fish and the Forest Service remained unaccountable and unmoved.
Unwilling to stand by while innocent wild creatures were imprisoned or killed, Earth First! declared its intention to sabotage the hunt. Eventually, the FBI (yes, the FBI!) would arrest three people and charge them with illegal activity in Sabino Canyon: Rod Coronado, Matt Crozier and John Richardson, a reporter for Esquire magazine.
Remember that because of Earth First!’s activities, Game and Fish was unable to locate any mountain lions until they lied to the public, announced the hunt cancelled, and baited a trap – eventually capturing one mountain lion, dubbed “Sabino.”
THE CHARGES
As of now, Rod and Matt seem to be charged with:
* Felony conspiracy to interfere with or injure a federal officer (max 6 yrs)
* Misdemeanor trespassing (max 6 months)
* Petty theft or destruction of government property
The first two charges relate to a mountain lion snare that was allegedly disabled, while the third relates to the fact that the canyon was declared closed to the public during the hunt. Please note that no one was injured during the Sabino Canyon hunt – the first charge refers to property!
It is not clear at this point if John still has charges against him. The reason we’re not 100% clear on the charges with less than a week to trial is because the government keeps filing new charges as their old ones get thrown out. You’d think they’d have a stronger case nearly 2 years down the line!
And as always, Sabino the mountain lion remains imprisoned indefinitely without charge.
WE NEED YOUR HELP
The government is trying to make an example out of the Sabino defendants, in order to discourage anyone who would take direct action in opposition to government policies – not just Earth-defenders! Like the upcoming trial of No More Deaths volunteers for aiding migrants in need, this trial has implications for us all.
Why was the FBI called in to investigate a simple case of nonviolent wildlife defense? Why are multiple felony charges being prosecuted for an action that put no one at risk? Why has the government consistently tried to use the very fact that Earth First! is a “radical” group as evidence in and of itself? Why has the district attorney insisted that no plea bargain will be offered that does not involve a “guilty” plea to a felony?
We are going to be seeing more prosecutions like this in the coming years, and we need to make it clear that THE PUBLIC WILL NOT PUT UP WITH IT.
There are lots of things that you can do to help the Sabino Canyon defendants in the upcoming week:
1. Come to the trial! Having supporters in the courtroom will lift the spirits of the defendants, show the government that there is a wide base of support behind them (making prosecutions like this less likely in the future), and demonstrate to the jury that Rod, Matt and John are just regular people with good friends and widespread community support – not hooligans, criminals or terrorists, as the government will try to imply.
All proceedings will take place at the federal courthouse downtown, at the corner of Congress and Granada in Judge Bury’s courtroom on the 6th floor. Tuesday at 10:30 a.m., the judge will hear final pretrial motions. Opening arguments will likely begin in the late afternoon, after jury seleciton. The trial will continue on Wednesday, Thursday and maybe Friday, presumably starting at 9 a.m. each day. As we get more details or if any information changes, we will send out updates and post them to www.azef.org.
Please remember that you need a government-issued photo ID to enter the courthouse, and that you will be searched (so leave your pocket knives at home!). Please dress appropriately and behave yourself in the courtroom – remember that anything you do may reflect on the defendants in the jury’s mind. No talking will be allowed during court proceedings, and federal marshalls may remove or even arrest you if you are disruptive. Don’t worry, this isn’t as intimidating as it sounds – just dress relatively nicely and stay quiet while in the courtroom and everything will go fine. Please sit only on the right hand side of the courtroom.
2. Donate money. This case has been a serious financial hardship for some of our friends, and a lot of legal costs have been coming out of pocket. Please donate some money to help defray these costs or to support our ongoing defense of Arizona’s wildlife in the field. Even $5 or $20 will help, but please give as much as you can afford.
You can mail checks (or well-concealed cash) made out to Rod Coronado to PO Box 3023, Tucson, AZ 85702. They can be earmarked for “legal support” or “hunt sabs” if you prefer your money to go to one or the other. Otherwise, we will direct it wherever there is greatest need. Also, you can bring donations directly to the courthouse and give them to one of the defendants (outside of the courtroom) or you can come to our benefit and info session (see below).
Please note that we CANNOT, at this time, accept checks made out to “Chuk’shon EF!,” but we CAN accept checks made out to “Arizona Earth First!” if you prefer.
3. Volunteer. We will be running trial support for the defendants throughout the week. If you have free time and want to help by making phone calls, helping out with video documentation/editing, or just want to cook the defendants a vegetarian meal, contact sabthebastards (at) hotmail.com or call 884-0283.
4. Come to our benefit and info session to hear updates from the trial – Thursday, December 8 at 7pm at the Dry River, 657 W. St. Mary’s (between I-10 & Granada). We will hear reports from the courtroom and show video footage of EF! campaigns past and present. There will be snacks available. Event is free, although this would be a good opportunity to make a donation!