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March 20, 2010<br><br>
Yesterday, Kevin Olliff signed a deal, pleading "no
contest" to six<br>
felony charges (three stalking and three conspiracy to stalk<br>
-including conspiracy to stalk a school official).<br>
<br>
He was escorted to the courtroom late, and in an unusual grey
uniform,<br>
because he is temporarily in the jail hospital fighting an
infection<br>
in his lymph nodes. IV in arm, he signed a the plea document for
three<br>
years and parole.<br>
<br>
Sentencing is scheduled for May 14th, so Kevin may have time
to<br>
recuperate from his current condition. It will then be determined
when<br>
and where he will be transferred to a state prison to carry out
the<br>
rest of his time. Anyone in the Los Angeles, Orange County, or<br>
southern California vicinity is strongly encouraged to attend
the<br>
sentencing to support Kevin in this decision. It will be at LA<br>
Superior Court (210 W. Temple St.) on the ninth floor in
Department<br>
102.<br>
<br>
He has been in jail for a year, and has been receiving
double-time<br>
retroactively after January 25th of this year. If he continues to
be<br>
serving "good time", we can expect to have him out by
mid-October.<br>
<br>
Write Kevin to help him pass the time before sentencing! (Please
note<br>
he switched from D-Pod to C-Pod when addressing letters).<br>
<br>
Kevin Olliff #1300931<br>
TTCF 161 C-Pod<br>
450 Bauchet St.<br>
Los Angeles, CA 90012<br>
<br>
Kevin Olliff Support<br>
***************************************<br>
<a href="http://ccrjustice.org/ourcases/current-cases/state-california-v.-kevin-olliff" eudora="autourl">
http://ccrjustice.org/ourcases/current-cases/state-california-v.-kevin-olliff<br>
<br>
</a>Kevin Olliff is an animal rights activist who was arrested April 18,
2009 on three year-old protest charges and now faces 10 felony counts.
These felonies are multiple counts of: stalking, conspiracy, conspiracy
to stalk, and threatening of a public servant. He is currently being held
in Los Angeles County Jail awaiting trial. His indictment accuses him of
associating with the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) which the State
labeled a "gang" in the indictment. In December 2009, CCR
cooperating attorney Matthew Strugar joined with defense counsel to file
a 995 Motion to Set Aside the Indictment, based in part on the theory
that Olliff’s conduct was all protected by the First Amendment.. The
judge has since ruled that case will go forward; however, he also ruled
that the ALF does not meet the definition of a "gang."<br><br>
</font><h2><b>Status</b></h2><font size=3>On January 26, 2010, at the
pre-trial hearing, the judge ruled that ALF is not a
"gang."<br>
The trial is scheduled to begin on March 3, 2010.<br><br>
</font><h2><b>Description</b></h2><font size=3>Kevin Olliff’s prosecution
is in the line of other recent “Green Scare” cases where law enforcement
target above-ground activists in an attempt to link them to illegal,
underground activity. Much like the SHAC-7 and AETA-4, Olliff is indicted
for incendiary speech activitynamely, chants at home
demonstrations.<br><br>
Like the AETA-4, Olliff’s case arises from the long-running campaign
against primate research in the University of California system. The
campaign has included a significant level of illegal activity aimed at UC
researchers. Unknown individuals set a researcher’s porch on fire,
‘flooded’ another researcher’s house by putting a garden hose through a
window, firebombed multiple cars, sent threatening anonymous emails, and
left an unlit Molotov cocktail on a researcher’s porch. The Animal
Liberation Front and other underground animal rights organizations
claimed responsibility for most of these actions.<br><br>
The indictment makes reference to many of these illegal actions, alleging
they were undertaken by unnamed coconspirators, and alleges Olliff’s
speech activity constitutes overt acts in furtherance of the activity.
However, there is no evidence that Olliff participated in any of the
illegal activity.<br><br>
The indictment also sought a gang enhancement penalty, alleging the ALF
is a criminal street gang and Olliff is a member. However, the judge
ruled that ALF does not meet the definition of a "gang." Oliff
would have faced approximately twenty years imprisonment if convicted on
all charges with the gang enhancements. Since the judge denied the
applicability of the gang enhancements, Olliff now faces only four and
1.2 years.<br><br>
<br><br>
<br><br>
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<font size=3 color="#FF0000">Freedom Archives<br>
522 Valencia Street<br>
San Francisco, CA 94110<br><br>
</font><font size=3 color="#008000">415 863-9977<br><br>
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