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The Trial of Political Prisoner Robert Lee Thaxton in Eugene, Oregon

reproduced from "Black Clad Messenger", late July 1999.

Rob Thaxton no. 1370036, 101 West 5th, Eugene OR 97401, USA.
Anti-Authoritarians Anonymous, PO Box 11331, Eugene OR 97440.

On June 18th, in over 100 cities and in 50 countries, all over the world, people attended the Reclaim the Streets Global Street Party, a protest against Global Capital and its institutions. The RTS in Eugene opened up into a riot, as police followed the protest & march into a public park and began shooting cans of tear gas at them. The protesters would have most likely dispersed if the cops didn't antagonize to the point where they decided to fight back.

Twenty-one people have been arrested to date in connection with the riot. Rob Thaxton, however, is the only one who still remains in custody and has received the stiffest charges. Below is his description of his role at the J18 scene and the subsequent treatment he received after his arrest.

"Towards the end of the RTS festival, the participants were scattered along the street. I was ready to leave, but my path was cut off when a police vehicle suddenly pulled up and cops poured out and began grabbing, spraying and beating people. One of the cops was running towards me in pursuit of someone else. According to the officer, two objects struck him. I was directly in front of him, so he began chasing me and eventually whacked me on the head, then again across my back, and threw me on the ground, face first, breaking my nose.

While blood dripped from my nose, the officer and one of his fellow officers yelled at me about his sore shoulder. He threatened to come "get" me in the holding cell later. He also told me that I was lucky he didn't pull his gun and shoot me.

After a visual examination by the nurse, I was given Vicodin and a sling for my arm. The police have digital cameras, so they were able to alter my mug-shot so that my swollen, purple left eye looks normal. The nurse refused to examine my head injury because of the amount of dried blood in my hair.

I was unable to use a phone until the following Wednesday (J18 was a Friday). Two days earlier I was arraigned on Assault 2 and Riot, and Attempted Assault 1. A week later they added Attempted Murder to the charges and raised my bail to $240,000.

The Riot charge is the only one I'm seriously concerned with - my attorney can handle the others. It is a felony. However, I spent a lot of time throughout the day as a peace-maker and only tried to talk with motorists and bank customers and employees. If I can get some corroboration of that, I might be able to beat the Riot charge. My trial is set for August 4."

Any and all offers of support for Rob would be greatly appreciated. As an anarchist, Rob is a likely target for harsh treatment in Jail and is greatly needed on the outside. Monetary donations and such can be sent to Anti-Authoritarians Anonymous, PO Box 11331, Eugene OR 97440.
And letters sent to Rob in solidarity mean a lot. Write to
Rob Thaxton no. 1370036, 101 West 5th, Eugene OR 97401, USA.