Cleveland 5: Letter from Connor C. Stevens to Everyone
Wanneer: 25/06/2012 - 17:04
From Cleveland 5 Justice
Connor C. Stevens is one of the five anarchists arrested on April 30th, 2012 by the FBI for allegedly conspiring and attempting to detonate C-4 on the State Route 82 bridge, located between Brecksville and Sagamore Hills township in Ohio. The five had been working with an FBI informant, who allegedly gave them access to the explosives and had been providing them with a variety of other services. They have been dubbed the "Cleveland 5" and are set to start trial on September 17th, 2012.
Below is the transcript of a letter recently sent from Connor C. Stevens intended for comrades and supporters on the outside.
TRANSCRIPT:
One who, in the days of April, enjoyed such simple Freedoms as sitting by a Flowing stream of water, smiling in the sun, or relaxing under a bridge with a friend under a bridge in Cleveland, drinking a beer, now, in May, has been thrown in solitary confinement. Here, in solitary confinement, I have never felt more connected to the People, whom I Love and am willing to lay down my life for.
As we band together, talk, debate, and organize, we are already moving closer to the world we are struggling to create. Who among us has not has the strong impression that this is but a dream, that these days and nights since April 30th are not but a nightmare? Yet who can deny that this dark dream that has been case, not upon the May Day 5, but upon our whole community, and indeed the world, has not been pierced by overwhelming rays of Love, of solidarity, of strength – in this warmth I do not require “hope” because here and now I am witness to and participant of the timeless Power of the People.
A Brother wrote me, saying, “I feel they have taken my Freedom with yours.” And this is why we struggle – the fascists (federal government and corporations) have not merely imprisoned the May Day 5. They have, in effect, declared war on any life which even questions their hegemony. This is not the first case of this nature, nor will it be the last. As they accumulate their watch lists, tap phones, dispatch informants, rip apart families, friends, lovers, passing even more (unnecessary) legislation (NDAA for fiscal year 2012) in preparation for martial law, we must never forget we the people are infinitely more wise, more beautiful, more passionate, and more Powerful. When we fight, we do so in defense of all life, here and to come. The journey before us will be arduous, but we have run out of alternatives: if we chose life, we can no longer remain spectators and consumers. So, my great big glorious family, let us jump up and live again! Let us chose life!
ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE, IN ARMS,
From a Love that can only be expressed in action, your brother, comrade, Connor C. Stevens.