Eric King Trial Recap

Day 1- March 14, 2022

(Jury Selection)

Judge Martinez opened the proceedings and addressed the jury pool solemnly explaining, “Our system cannot survive without jurors!” From there, both the Government and Defense whittled down the pool to the appropriate 12 and the alternate. Some highlights or lowlights of the process were one woman being excused because she was prejudiced against Mr. King solely based on the fact he was a prisoner. Another juror’s father had been brutalized by the police and permanently disabled. They were both excused.

(Gov. Opening Statement)

The Government laid out its case, claiming Mr. King was completely not injured in the storage closet exchange. Their evidence of this was a photograph of Mr. King taken moments after Wilcox struck Eric. This was immediately countered by the defense showing a photograph of Mr. King with a very clear black eye taken two days later. They then attempted to maximize Lt. Wilcox’s injuries by describing his blood stained shirt in dramatic fashion.

(Ms. Regan’s Opening Statement)

Attorney Lauren Regan began the defense by explaining that Mr. King has been wrongly accused of a crime he did not do, further explaining he was defending himself from an unjust attack by Lt. Wilcox who had walked him into a broom closet for an ‘attitude adjustment’. Ms. Regan further explained that the blurry pictures the government will try to pass off as evidence are indicative of the intentionally obfuscated true facts of the case.

(Poignant quotes from Lauren Regan’s Opening Statement):

“Nothing legitimate happens between a prisoner and a guard in a storage closet.”

“The evidence will show that Mr. Wilcox chose to create this situation. Without visibility, there is no accountability!”

(Lt. Wilcox’s Testimony)

The Government opened their case with a direct examination of Lt. Wilcox. Wilcox was nervous and uncomfortable, pausing for laughter at strange moments in his testimony. From the Governments line of questioning it was clear they’ll be basing their case upon the fact the storage closet is really a Lt.’s Office, and that Eric was ‘extremely agitated’ upon arrival in the LT.’s hall. Wilcox’s testimony came across as weak and heavily coached. Wilcox claimed the storage closet was a ‘transitory office’. Again it was clear that statement had been coached and rehearsed.

The 2nd day of Eric King’s trial starts Tuesday morning at 8:45am. The public access telephone number is: 877-336-1828. Enter access code 9449909#

The Civil Liberties Defense Center is representing Eric pro-bono & there are significant costs associated with bringing a case to trial. Please donate at https://cldc.org/donate/ and put ‘For Eric King Legal Defense’ in the notes.

Best place to get updates for Eric King’s trial is by following Unicorn Riot on twitter at https://twitter.com/UnicornRiotLive

Updates will be posted to Eric King’s social media after 9pm EST

fb: https://facebook.com/SupportEricKing/
twitter: https://twitter.com/SupportEricKing instagram: https://instagram.com/supcldportericking/

March 8, 2022

Dear friends and family of Eric King:

On behalf of the Civil Liberties Defense Center, thank you for your continued interest and support for our client Eric King who faces a federal felony assault on a correctional officer charge. Yesterday Eric’s legal team (Lauren Regan, Sandra Freeman, Sarah Alvarez) were in federal court in Denver for our final pretrial conference before our jury trial starts on Monday, March 14, 2022.  This court has very specific and strict rules that must be followed if you are planning to come to court in person.  The federal courts are also following federal COVID restrictions which means there will be very limited access for the public in the actual courtroom (like less than 20 seats total), the public will not be able to be in our courtroom during jury selection because the whole courtroom will be filled with prospective jurors, and of course, you will need to wear a mask at all times in the courthouse.  Please read on for some tips and precautionary warnings that are included in the Court Order (View the full order here: Trial Decorum Order from Judge Martinez).

There will be a telephone access line  throughout the entire trial, including jury selection so that anyone who would like to follow along can do so.  The public access telephone number is:  877-336-1828 and enter access code 9449909#.

The trial will take place at the Alfred A. Arraj Federal Courthouse, Courtroom A 801, 901 19th Street, Denver, CO. It is anticipated to be a 5 day jury trial.

Once you step onto federal property you are within the jurisdiction of the US Marshalls. There are cameras and monitoring 24/7.  If anything can be construed as a potential disturbance to the trial or court administration it could threaten Eric’s ability to have a public trial. Please be careful!

The COURTHOUSE will open at 7:00 am each day.

Our COURTROOM (A801) opens at 8:15 am Monday-Friday first come, first served.  Everyone must be seated by 8:30 for the start of court each day. People are allowed to wait for a seat in the lobby outside the courtroom.

To enter the courthouse, you will need a valid photo ID—either a state issued ID or passport.  You will go through metal detectors—to hasten the speed with which you can get into court, we suggest you minimize what you bring with you—and make sure you don’t have ANYTHING that could be construed as a ‘weapon’ including forks, camping knives, etc.  Sanitize your bags and pockets before you go through the metal detectors! The court encourages people to leave all electronic devices at home or in your car.

Per court order “No device whose exclusive or principal use is as a camera or video recorder may be brought into or used in the courthouse …. There is absolutely no photography or recording permitted anywhere within the courthouse.”

In addition, NO CELL PHONES OR OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES ARE ALLOWED IN THE ACTUAL TRIAL COURTROOM.  If folks organize among themselves to have a friend sit in the hallway with their phone, that is permitted by the order, but if you try to bring it into court, or if you forget and get caught, you will be banned from re-entry.

The court has some strict rules in this order about the courtroom—the order indicates that once you are seated, you are not supposed to get up and/or leave until a break in the trial proceedings (to minimize disruptions/distractions), and of course don’t make any gestures or statements in court that could get you, or us, in trouble with the Court.

The Court has also put rules in place regarding what you can wear in order to ensure that the jury does not become biased toward one side or the other–we would not want people in the courtroom wearing t-shirts that said ‘we <3 prison guards’ because of the effect it could have on the jurors, and the same goes for anything that might overtly construe your love for Eric or his politics. (:

The order specifically says, “No one observing the trial proceedings in the courtroom or any other location within the courthouse may wear or carry any clothing, buttons, or other items that carry any message or symbol addressing the issues related to this case that may be or become visible to the jury. This includes a prohibition of any sign or clothing  bearing the name or likeness of any of the parties. No banners, posters, or similar items are permitted within the courthouse.”

No food or beverages are allowed in the courtroom, except for water.

Media interviews or broadcasts must be conducted outside the courthouse.

NEVER talk to jurors or witnesses for any reason while trial is going on.  This could result in a mistrial that could be detrimental to Eric.

Thank you very much for your support!

In solidarity,

Lauren Regan

WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing
WHEN: 7pm, Tuesday, March 8th, 2022
WHERE: YOUR HOME
COST: Free

Welcome to a very grim choose your own adventure: nuclear-capable world war, ecological collapse, or global economic implosion. As anarchists, we present a fourth option–one of liberation. As dark as times may seem, there is ample opportunity for organizing to care for, support, and defend one another and our communities. NYC ABC is a collective that attempts exactly that kind of organizing through the lens of support for political prisoners. As we have done every other week for well over a decade, we again call for support in the form of writing letters. This week to call is to focus on antiauthoritarian political prisoner Bill Dunne.

Bill Dunne is an anti-authoritarian sentenced to 90 years for the attempted liberation of comrades from Seattle’s King County Jail in 1979 and for attempting to break himself out of Leavenworth Penitentiary in 1983. Dunne was charged with possession of an automatic weapon, auto theft, and with aiding & abetting the escape. Charges further alleged the operation was financed by bank expropriations and facilitated by illegal acquisition of weapons and explosives. Bill went before the parole board in the winter of 2014, was rejected and given a 15 year “hit” (meaning he cannot go back to the board for that time period).

Please take the time to write a letter to Bill:
Bill Dunne #10916-086
FCI Victorville Medium I
PO Box 3725
Adelanto, CA 92301

“There’s something happening here, something special for certain. It begins with trees and bugs and grows into communities built on trust. It revolves around the idea that we can cause their destruction with our growth. It starts with love and grows with the flowers. And with the stars burning us all to dust.” 

Eric is excited, nervous and just so ready. Eric has been silenced for years now with communication restrictions. (Which were reinstated days ago). Eric had something really terrible happened to him. Then for years he didn’t get to talk about it. This trial is Eric’s opportunity to finally speak  this is a *good* day. Even when the communication is dampened he can feel all the love and support. He is overwhelmed with the letters he was able to receive and everyone just helping make him feel so not alone.

Eric has his preliminary hearing this morning please keep him in your thoughts  Unfortunately right now there is another communication restriction so mail won’t be making it through.

If folks are looking for more ways to help they can donate to his lawyers from the Civil Liberties Defense Center and you can support his legal defense efforts by donating at https://cldc.org/donate/ Please earmark your donation on the website “Eric King legal defense”. These funds cover transportation, housing, transcript, deposition and filing fees. Please donate if you can.

Donate at tinyurl.com/doug-wright

Political prisoner Doug Wright, the last of the Cleveland 4 to be released, will be entering a halfway house this month. Doug was arrested on April 30th, 2012 after being entrapped by an FBI informant with a plot to allegedly damage a bridge. Prior to his arrest, Doug had been a traveler and then a participant in anti-capitalism activism through Occupy Cleveland. Doug deserves support getting back on his feet with basic necessities after undue harsh treatment as a political prisoner inside. Please help by contributing funds to cover his needs and share with your networks.

As a reminder, the Cleveland 4 case stemmed from a plot concocted by a paid FBI informant. It was one of several cases around anti-capitalist mass mobilizations, all based on the efforts of FBI informants to manufacture conspiracies not representative of anarchist organizing at the time. And in all of these cases, the defendants have been described as anarchists in the legal paperwork filed against them, setting precedents for criminalizing anarchism. Doug unfortunately got entrapped in the government crack-down on anarchist and anti-capitalist ideas. It’s important we have his back after a decade in prison.

Join Philly ABC this 2022 Black Futures month to send letters of solidarity to one of the longest-held political prisoners of the Black Liberation struggle, Veronza Bowers. Veronza is a former Black Panther Party member framed for the murder of a U.S. Park Ranger on the word of two government informants, both of whom received reduced sentences for other crimes by the federal prosecutor’s office. Because Veronza’s case falls under “old law” guidelines, he was supposed to be granted mandatory parole after serving 30 years. That day was in 2004, but due to the intervention of a former aid of President Bush, he continues to be held unlawfully.

In Veronza’s own words :

After 30 years of being denied release on parole, despite the fact that your conduct has been exemplary for over 20 years and you have long since met the criteria to be released on parole, finally your Mandatory Release date rolls around: April 7th, 2004. Everything is set, viz: your daughter, who was 5 years old when you were taken away to prison and is now 36, sent you a top-of-the-line fashion suit of clothes so that you would be properly dressed to ‘step in the name of freedom with love.’ She, along with 3 of your sisters fly in from across the country to be there at the prison gate to pick you up. …

You’re sitting outside in the Sweat Lodge area with your two closes friends just enjoying each other’s company in SILENCE. A loud announcement over the loud speaker ordering you to “report to your unit-team immediately” beak your peace. You know that something is not right. …

“You won’t be leaving tomorrow.”

You already that, but you didn’t know why…so you breathe deeply…1 full breath, 2 full breaths – a strange silence fills the room, and since it’s quite obvious that some reaction is expected of/from/by you, you just continue focusing upon the Breath. “Why?”

“Well, all we know is that the National Parole Commission called the institution and ordered that you not be released tomorrow. …

Just like that! A simple phone call from a National Commissioner in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and all of the plans for you to be “Steppin’ in the Name of Freedom, with Love” are cancelled, wiped out, voided until further notice.

Now almost 20 years have passed since his mandatory release date – we have to show Veronza some love ❤️!

Veronza Bowers, Jr. #35316-136
FCI Butner Medium II
P.O. Box 1500
Butner, NC 27509

If you can, please also drop a ‘happy birthday’ note in the mail to prisoners with birthdays in March: Joy Powell (the 5th), Andy Mickel (the 13th), and Ruchell Magee (the 17th).

Here’s the latest compilation of every other week updates:
https://nycabc.files.wordpress.com/2022/02/updates-22-feb-2022.pdf

NYC ABC, along with several other individuals and prisoner support
crews, now send hard copies to all political prisoners and prisoners of
war we support.

If you consistently mail the latest updates to a specific prisoner,
please let us know so we can insure there’s no overlap. The goal is to
have copies sent to all of the prisoners we list.

We’ve also been told that some prisoners are not receiving the copies
sent in, yet we aren’t getting rejection notices. If you are in steady
contact with a prisoner, please ask them whether or not they are
receiving the updates and let us know.

Free ’em all,
NYC ABC

Our friends at Certain Days were on a few podcasts this month. Check it out.

Kite Line Radio– February 4, 2022.

Listen at wfhb.org/news/february-4-2022-certain-days/ 

We share a conversation between Daniel McGowan and Brian Whitener about the Certain Days calendar. The Certain Days: Freedom for Political Prisoners Calendar is a joint fundraising and educational project coordinated between outside and inside organizers in the US and Canada. Its founding members Herman Bell,Robert Seth Hayes and David Gilbert were welcomed home from prison in 2018 and 2021. Today, McGowan talks about the history of the project, his own experiences with prisoner support, how the calendar supports folks on the inside, and some of the challenges to long-term organizing.  McGowan reflects on his time inside following his arrest for Earth Liberation Front actions and emphasizes the importance of supporting grassroots movement organizations.

Millennials are Killing Capitalism  February 18, 2022
Listen at https://millennialsarekillingcapitalism.libsyn.com/if-i-fall-and-we-struggle-together-certain-days-political-prisoners-and-movement-defense-with-josh-davidson-and-daniel-mcgowan 

This one I did with my fellow Certain Days collective member Josh. We talked to Jay Beware for over an hour about the past and future of our calendar, political prisoners, the 2022 calendar and more. 

Daniel and Josh talk about the nuts and bolts of putting the calendar together, working with political prisoners on the project, and supporting prisoners against state repression. Along the way they both talk about tensions they feel in political prisoner support in the present moment. Both embracing prison abolition, understanding the inherently political nature of all imprisonment, and holding firm on the critical importance of movement defense to the creation of a better future.

Daniel also shares many insights from his own time as a political prisoner on the vicious and arbitrary nature of carceral power and the role that political prisoners try to play teaching and sharing radical knowledge but also seeking to legally combat the most repressive facets of the prison system both inside and out.

Josh and Daniel reference a ton of great projects and ways people can get involved, we will include all of them in the show notes so make sure to check them all out and get involved. One in particular we want to draw folks attention to uprisingsupport.org which was created to support people facing political repression for their involvement in the uprisings in response to the executions of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others in 2020.

 MAKC has a patreon you can support at https://www.patreon.com/millennialsarekillingcapitalism 

WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing
WHEN: 7pm, Tuesday, February 22nd, 2022
WHERE: YOUR HOME
COST: Free

So this post was going to start off with a clever twist on the usual call for active inter-generational and intersectional solidarity as the only hope at this point for those who want anything other than outright fascism. But in light of the vigilante shooting of multiple comrades the other night in Portland, our clever arguments don’t seem apt. The ongoing collusion of state and right-wing violence directed at Black and Brown people, anti-racist protestors, and those perceived as being anarchist or anti-fascist, is chillingly horrific. The old familiar adage “we keep us safe” is as true as ever, because if we don’t, it is increasingly clear that truly no one will. But that “we” is open-ended, an invitation more than a definition. The more bridges we can build and maintain with any and all people struggling for a society based on solidarity rather than white supremacist, heterosexist domination, the stronger and safer we will all be.

One great way to build those bridges is to write letters to political prisoners! Engage with them, have a respectful dialogue; we all have things to learn from and teach each other. lf they don’t have the capacity to respond, be understanding, stay in the loop, offer your help to heir public support crews, learn about the context of their cases, and spread the word. You can start this week, by joining NYC ABC and Page One Collective in writing to Black liberation struggle political prisoner Ronald Reed.

Ronald Reed is a former 60s civil rights activist. In 1969, Reed was also among the students at St. Paul Central High School who demanded black history courses and organized actions against racist teachers. He was also instrumental in helping to integrate college campuses in Minnesota. During this period, Reed began to look toward revolutionary theory and began to engage in political street theater with other young black revolutionaries in the city of St. Paul.

Reed went on to join the Black United Front. In 1970 he was convicted of shooting a St. Paul police officer. Twenty-five years after the killing, Reed was arrested and convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first degree-murder. He is serving life in prison.

Please take the time to write a letter to Ronald:
Ronald Reed #219531
Minnesota Correctional Facility-Lino Lakes
7525 Fourth Avenue
Lino Lakes, MN 55014