An Open Letter to Daniel McGowan

Daniel McGowan is an environmental and social justice activist from New York City. One of the victims of ‘greenscare’ (greenscare.org), he was charged in federal court on counts of arson, property destruction and conspiracy, all relating to two actions in Oregon in 2001. He is now serving a seven-year sentence. Since last summer, Daniel has been moved around prisons in the U.S. near-constantly. This letter was written and sent to us in summer 2008, at a time when reaching Daniel via mail from Europe was virtually impossible.

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It’s been a while Daniel I know well actually I have not written since they took you and it’s been quite some time since then well I have left the country now Daniel it was a bit after that night when our friend busted into the apartment and said it they took Daniel he said and it was one of those moments you know when you dont know what to say or do when it no longer matters that it is four in the morning when you dont understand much you are still half asleep but you know that a comrade is in trouble that they have taken a friend and you have many friends Daniel how could you not well I remember it all clearly the solidarity meetings outside the court and all the plans we made well I left soon after that Daniel and I haven’t done much since I know I havent been in touch not looking for excuses of course it is hard to write to a friend in prison but it is harder for the friend who is in prison so fuck that it’s not an excuse well it was hard to write to you knowing where you were and now that I am writing to you it is hard to know where you are

they tell us the bastards keep moving you around they want to break you it must drive them crazy that some of you did not bow their heads that some people stood up that they did not snitch well Daniel it is hard to describe exactly how proud I felt reading your plea agreement and knowing you were one of them of these people of our people who refused to cooperate who reminded us all why we are out here and what we are fighting for maybe it sounds a bit passe or a bit of over-sentimental crap but fuck it that’s exactly how it felt and now to hear they wont leave you alone not even in there that they are moving you all around trying to break you well they might have made it so that I dont know where to find you for now but I will make this one a public letter and that way I know it will reach you one day so that the bastards will know that they can move you around as much as they like but your friends will be close even closer that we will not leave you on your own

you know Daniel I copied the style of this letter from a book by an italian author called nani balestrini and he was writing about the italian autonomia in the seventies it is an awesome book and I have been looking for its english version for years if I find it I will send it to you once you have exhausted your chasers I promise well in that book Balestrini uses no punctuation marks at all how could I use question marks to describe a movement that questioned everything he says and how could I use punctuation marks since nothing could stop us he says what use would exclamation marks have how could I use them to describe us when nothing would impress us no more well you get the idea and well Daniel I will have to spoil it for you a bit here but listen the closing few paragraphs of the book describe one of the most beautiful the most sadly beautiful images you can imagine where he describes how they are now in prison the main character of the book and most of his comrades they are in prison and even there they keep on fighting hard they organise between them and with other prisoners and they try to sabotage the operation of the prison and they block the water drains with sheets I remember that one and of course each time they would get beaten up locked up but they would not care and each time comrades from outside would visit they would bring bad news of how things outside are dying out and how people do not care and sometimes often more and more often those comrades would be locked in prison themselves and there were less and less comrades outside to bring them news and to report on their own struggle inside well in the closing scene Daniel I know I am spoiling it but here goes he describes how they are in maximum security prison somewhere in the middle of nowehere think of the scene from the outside a huge building surrounded only by fields and they are in the middle of one of their final big revolts and things are escalating and one after the other they take their sheets they set them on fire and hang them from their cell windows what an inage that must have been a whole prison building with all its windows on fire he says but how sad that there was noone outside to see

only some cars cruising by somewhere in the distance well Daniel things are far from over here you know that and well you also know that already but there are many of us here watching and it is them well think of that picture the other way round it is them who have to keep moving you around to keep you at distance and it is us that are on fire
solidarity Daniel and dont let the bastards get you down love always

Write to Daniel:
Daniel McGowan
Columbia County Jail
403 Jackson Street
Portage, Wisconsin 53901
Address correct as of late November 2008; for an up-to-date address and information on Daniel’s case visit www.supportdaniel.org