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Father's Day Message from Tre.
Response to extradition.
Previous messages from Tre.
General information regarding Tre's case
Latest Update
June 12th, 2009
On June 8th, Tre was joyously greeted by friends in the Portland International Airport. For the first time in nearly seven years, he shared food, embraced, danced, laughed and sang with people outside of jail. An entourage of bicycles brought him out into the sunlight and traversed the 2.5 miles to the Oregon Halfway House. This was Tre's first bike ride since before incarceration in 2004. He entered the halfway house with fresh spring water, bare feet, a healthy tan and the love of his friends and family all around him.
It's good to have him back.
Tre will be in the Oregon Halfway House for the rest of his sentence, though once he gets employed he could be moved to home confinement.
As always, he welcomes letters. Please write him at:
Tre Arrow
c/o Oregon Halfway House
6000 NE 80th Ave
Portland, OR
97218
Thanks go out to everyone who has been there for him all along: soon enough we'll be blessed to see him walking among the rest of us, a free being at last.
Namaste.
(written in early may)
Well everyone, this is my last dispatch from prison! Yipee!! As spring takes hold of winter's release, i give thanks 4 the clear, blue skies, brilliant sunshine & sweet bird songs present all around me. i'll B back in stumptown B4 the summer solstice. i'm set 2 leave here in the early morning hours of june 8th & reside @ the half-way house on 80th & Columbia. i may be B able 2 finish out part of the remaining 6 months of this sentence under home confinement. First, i need 2 procure a place 2 stay & a job. With unemployment high in oregon, work may B difficult 2 find. Ideally i'd like 2 get a job doing the things i love the most: playing music & protecting the environment.
I would like 2 extend blessed earth day (officially on april 22nd, but we know that everyday is earth day), may day, sacred beltane, cinco de mayo & mother's day greetings 2 everyone!! A token of honor 2 all the mothers around the world, the mothers-2-B & the feminine entities who enrich my life greatly. Once again i'm filled with overwhelming gratitude 4 the countless people who've stood by me 4 more than 5 years of incarceration. A huge thanks 2 those who've dedicated abundant quantities of time & energy & blessed me with legal, moral & financial support. For the letters, pictures, drawings, beautiful sceneries that graced the many cards, nourishing food & help with correspondence thru the phone & internet. U all have my undying gratefulness & deserve infinite blessings! The love, generosity & intense mental, emotional & spiritual support i've been surrounded by has literally saved my life & carried me through the most challenging times. i bow to U in honor.
As difficult as some of these days have been, it still pales in comparison 2 what others have endured & continue 2 endure. while i prepare 2 leave these prison walls & fences i am called 2 acknowledge all who R still caged. To all the men & womyn here & abroad, all the children in slave & sweatshop conditions, all who suffer greatly in far worse conditions than i've experienced...my heart goes out 2 U. Especially during this time of intense oppression of those who speak 4 our planet & animal friends, i extend support & solidarity 4 the recent sentences of marie mason (www.freemarie.org) & eric mcdavid (www.supporteric.org). For more info on political prisoners & what U can do 2 help, please visit: www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk, www.thejerichomovement.com, & www.ecoprisoners.org.
The passion 4 justice burns all the more intensely. We R persevering in the call 2 protect our brothers & sisters, all our animal & plant co-inhabitants & all the forests & waterways around the world from injustice, from pollution, and from greed. Until there R no more prisons, until all beings R truly free, until peace & harmony prevail, until all life is honoured & respected...our passion carries on!
In love & resilience,
namaste,
tre
Image of letter sent Feb 9th, 2008
Transcribed text follows
(written on 100% Salvaged/scrap paper)
The longest night of the year has passed. As we move toward the light, we are entering a new era. Many have a hope that Obama will bring forth some form of restoration to these dilapidated political and economic systems. I see very much of the same people, advisors and policies of previous administrations which have brought about colossal damage to the planet, people's rights and overall health, justice and freedom. If Obama rally does want to bring about positive change, will he be allowed? I pray the hearts and minds of those people in positions of power will be filled with that which is utilitarian-based (and not greed-based). In the meantime, we have much to do...
My days are filled with music and writing. The mountains surrounding me stand in a brilliant grey and white. The snow around me glitters like billions of crystals in the radiant sun. Bright blue skies follow the snow storms. Crows swoop over my head and call out their gratitude. Yesterday a flock of huge white geese flew over us out in the recreation yard. By the time the summer solstice is warming our bodies nicely, I'll be back in Stumptown (Portland)!! I was supposed to be out in May, but the BOP is "punishing" me for a call I made while at Sheridan. A new cell mate of mine had just arrived and he was very eager to speak to his fiance, who was 8 months pregnant. I figured I'd do him a favor by asking my sister to call his fiance and give her my celly's registration number, so she could wire him some money and they could talk on the phone. Well, apparently this is a major violation of the countless ridiculous rules they subject us to. As a result, I was tried, found guilty and was "sentenced" to loss of telephone for three months plus loss of 27 days "good time". So as it stands at this point, my release date from here is June 8th, 2009, with my final release date from the halfway house (or home confinement) being Dec. 4th, 2009. By this coming winter solstice, I'll be free from confinement! I'll still have probation to deal with, but at least I'll be living away from the oppression and politics of this prison setting. Even though I'm being released later than planned, I'm extremely grateful I'm getting out. Many prisoners among me and beyond are not going to be home for a very long time...some not at all! Despite the rampant dysfunction and oppression engulfing this place, it's still far better than many other prisons (Bomont, AbuGraib, Guantanamo, etc.). I acknowledge my blessings and my heart goes out to all the prisoners everywhere who are subjected to far worse conditions than what I'm experiencing.
In case you are wondering where your tax dollars are being spent (besides funding the wars, subsidizing corporate interests, and supporting the murder and pillaging of our animal friends and planet), here is a small demonstration of how this government puts your taxes to good use: this place is filled with guys from Mexico who were sentenced to five or six years for "illegal re-entry". This government thinks it's going to punish people into not coming into this country by locking them up, providing free room and board, and giving them a job. There are plenty of prisoners who are not criminals but are treated by the prison staff as something less than humyn. There are many men and women throughout the prison system who are innocent. Some were found guilty in court, despite their innocence; others plead guilty because they didn't want to risk losing at trial and spending many years or the rest of their lives behind bars. There are countless people incarcerated for decades (some even life) for growing marijuana. One guy here was handed a 30 year sentence for making containers which held marijuana. He has no previous record. He has a daughter 7 years of age!
This government continues to build prisons and fills them up with humyns, not monsters; people who have families, responsibilities, passion and dreams of being more than an animal in a cage. This prison industrial complex exists not to make the U.S. a better or safer place, but because it keeps the money flow streaming along while making the selective few very rich. Most prisoners are locked up for non-violent "crimes". Despite the outrageous number of people incarcerated in this country (approaching 3 million!) The crime rate continues to increase. Meanwhile corporate and government officials operate with impunity for the atrocious injustices they perpetuate.
We have choices: we can put blind faith in political leaders to save us from the perils of our social, economic, environmental and political paradigms or we can lead the way. We can accept what media tells us or we can educate ourselves and others to the realities of what is transpiring here and abroad. We can obey and conform to the dominant culture's pressure or we can create our own products and services which contribute to the overall health, fairness and benefit to all inhabitants of this precious planet. We are more than consumers and this planet is so much more than a treasure chest from which to steal and exploit. The choice is in our hands. We can be the change we want to see in this world. We are the voice beckoning the people around the world to rise, unite and take action to protect the rights of all beings...for the sake of the sanctity of life.
In solidarity,
Namaste,
Tre
ps: Please note since Tre sent out this "update" he has been in solitary confinement. we have learned that his phone privileges have been denied for at least 2 more months, which means he can NOW use all the extra love and light, good energy and positivity you might "beam" his way. We (his family) are certain he is strong, and will endure, but please know your prayers are immensely appreciated and completely needed. We have a call into his case manager to assure us of his safety and to more fully grasp what is going on for Tre. We thank you. Tre's family
Write to Brother Tre Arrow
Writing to Tre is an empowering way in which to support him. Let him know that his good work and brave deeds have not been forgotten. Tre is tremendously grateful for any letters you might want to send.
Please note that letters have been rejected and returned to sender when they did not meet the facility's letter guidelines. See this link for information about writing to federal prisoners.
Also, Tre kindly and respectfully asks that you use scrap, post-consumer, or tree-free paper and envelopes when writing to him.
Please do not send funds to this address, as they will not be given to him. Use this address when sending correspondence and parcels:
TRE ARROW #70936065
FCI HERLONG
FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION
P.O. BOX 800
HERLONG, CA 96113
Tre Arrow
Environmentalist and political prisoner, Tre Arrow has been incarcerated in Canada and the US since March 13th 2004. For almost four years, Tre was imprisoned while contesting extradition to the United States. Like the 125 000 American draft dodgers who came to Canada between 1964 and 1977, Tre came to Canada hoping to escape persecution in the United States. This became Tre's only option when his life in Portland, Oregon was unjustly turned upside down in the Summer of 2002. The US government is laying charges that could see him locked up for the rest of his life if convicted. After working tirelessly for years to protect some of the only ancient forests left in the North Western U.S., Tre had become an extremely well-known and important organizer. Like other peaceful organizers, Tre found himself at the forefront of an environmental movement which successfully interfered with industrial powers; he therefore became a target. Environmental journalist Tim Ream wrote in reference to Tre's case, "If you garner increasing popular support, you are a threat to everything the state stands for. You must be stopped."
This is the official Tre Arrow website.
For an update every two weeks on Tre's case or for more information,
please contact the Tre Arrow Defense Committee: tre@riseup.net