Free Sherman!

Sherman Austin is going to federal prison on Wednesday for having an "illegal link" on his website, http://www.raisethefist.com. The link in question, which included bomb-making information, was authored by a white boy from Orange County, the son of wealthy Republicans. That boy was never charged with any crime, but Sherman, who is a young Black anarchist in Los Angeles, has been hounded by the FBI and will start serving a one-year prison sentence on Wednesday for linking to this other kid's website.

The prosecution maintained that while writing or hosting bomb-making information isn't illegal, doing so with the "intent" to use that information is. (I'm assuming the Feds called in the same psychics to determine Sherman's intent that they used to verify that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.)

Sherman has been selected for prosecution based on reasons that have everything to do with his politics, his effectiveness as an activist, and his race.

The judge who sentenced Sherman said that he wanted to "send a message to other revolutionaries."

You can learn more about Sherman's case by visiting his site:
http://www.raisethefist.com.
There's also an interview by Merlin Chowkwanyun up on Counterpunch: http://www.counterpunch.org/merlin08162003.html
Here's the Electronic Frontier Foundation's statement:
http://www.eff.org/br/20030807_eff_pr.php
And finally check out:
http://la.indymedia.org

Dianne Feinstein sponsored a 1997 law that has been used along with the PATRIOT ACT/"terrorism enhancement" clause to target Sherman. If you'd like to convey a message to Sen. Feinstein, you can reach her via:

http://www.senate.gov/member/ca/feinstein/general/email.html

Her DC office #s are:
Phone: (202) 224-3841
Fax: (202) 228-3954

Please tell all your friends about Sherman and please send money to help his mother pursue an appeal! You can send contributions to her at the following address:

Ms. Martin
12115 Magnolia Blvd. #155
North Hollywood, CA 91607

Sherman's mom is speaking out, writing, and agitating for her son; she's amazing.

You can subscribe to a listserv for Sherman's supporters too:

http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/shermanaustinlegal

Please do whatever you can to support Sherman, his family, and his loved ones. Ultimately, you'll be doing something for yourself too, because this crazy-making prosecution has implications for us all. Tell everyone you know, jam up internet chat rooms and forums with his story, make stickers, hang "Free Sherman" signs on freeway overpasses, make your own links, and call media outlets and ask them to cover Sherman's case.

The information linked to Sherman's site was essentially a "cut and paste job" -- nothing given the availability of much more detailed and thorough information. (Anarchist's Cookbook) With just a little effort, anyone can get a hold of instructions on how to make bombs (on Google, at a library, through Amazon.com, etc.), and some sources, such as the CIA, are particularly credible given the number of explosives they are responsible for producing. Last night, Zack de la Rocha, formerly of Rage Against the Machine, described that band's first promotional t-shirt, which featured cartoon instructions on how to make a molotov cocktail. This was a cartoon the CIA used for training Contras -- what was that phrase of Reagan's? "Freedom fighters"? And Sherman is the one going to prison?