After almost a year and a half of pre-trial detention in shitty conditions, court battles and other legal woes, and facing threats of forty years in prison, Eric King has finally decided to accept a non-cooperating plea agreement to ten years in federal prison.
If you live nearby, please consider attending Eric’s hearing in Kansas City, MO next Thursday, March 3rd at 1:30p.m. The media and cops are likely to be well-represented, and it would be a meaningful moment to show Eric that he is not alone. Having supporters there may also create some pressure for the court to conduct itself better. It will also be useful to Eric and his support crew to have more people in attendance taking notes and keeping an eye on the proceedings.
The hearing will be:
Thursday, March 3rd
1:30 p.m.
When: Thursday, March 3rd, at 1:30 pm
Where: Courtroom 8A – District Judge, Gary A. Fenner
U.S. District Court, Kansas City , Missouri
400 E. 9th St. 64106
Please note that valid photo identification is required to enter the courthouse and all persons and belongings are subject to search. Also, we’d like to encourage everyone who’s planning on attending the March 3rd court appearance to dress nice, and conduct yourself appropriately in the court room out of respect for EK, the person we are there to support.
Even if you cannot attend on this short notice, please consider donating some money to Eric’s new support fund . He urgently needs funds to prepare for his long prison term as well as immediate support needs. You can also send him a book or a letter. Check out his Amazon Wish List for ideas. Eric is currently in the hole and needs all the reading material he can get.
You can write to Eric at:
Eric King
#27090045
CCA Leavenworth
100 Highway Terrace
Leavenworth, KS 66048
Sometime in the next couple months, Eric will have a sentencing hearing where the judge will officially determine his sentence, after which he will be transferred to a federal prison . Please keep your eyes open for another call out asking supporters to attend.
Make no mistake, neither Eric nor his support crew take the decision to accept this plea lightly. Despite being far better than the other legal options available, ten years is way too long for our friend and comrade to be stolen from us. Eric is being steamrolled by the state and its functionaries, and there is very little we can do about it. Yet we can and will remain in solidarity with him.
From the beginning, Eric has been concerned about accepting a plea that may establish a legal precedent that other anarchists may have to deal with in the future when facing similar charges. Therefore, he has seen this legal battle as impacting not only himself, but all of us. Nonetheless, facing the possibility of a thirty or forty year sentence, Eric has determined that this is the best possible outcome that is available to him.
We are proud of Eric for how bravely he has faced these charges. He has refused to cooperate with the state, worked hard to maintain a vegan diet, and stood up for himself and his friends in prison in the face of violence and intimidation by the guards and administration. And he has done it with contagious laughter, joy and poetry. We now face the long, hard road of supporting our friend and comrade for the next ten years of his life. Please take some time to donate and write Eric a letter.
It has come to our attention through Eric’s attorney that he has been placed in the hole again during the shake-down of the facility. He has been told that he will have a disciplinary hearing next week to determine if he will remain in segregation. We ask for continued solidarity in blasting Eric with cards and letters.
We’re excited to announce that the Eric King support t-shirts are in!
Show your solidarity by ordering one today! We’re asking for a $20
donation per shirt. All proceeds go to EK’s support, including
commissary and phone calls.
To order a shirt, donate online at https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/0yoZc
and then email us at erickingsupportcrew(A)riseup.net with your shirt
size (S, M, L, XL) and mailing address. You can also email us to get
a mailing address for donations by check or money order.
In other good news, EK is out of solitary confinement! He now has
greater access to recreation, is able to be social once more, and has
been reunited with a friend who is also serving time there. Send him a
letter or card to help him celebrate this change in his conditions and
to let him know he’s not forgotten!
Eric King
#27090045
CCA Leavenworth
100 Highway Terrace
Leavenworth, KS 66048
If you want to put money on his books directly:
(Eric’s number is 2162883)
Instructions for Depositing Money into Inmate Trust via Western Union
1. You can send money via Western Union by using the Internet, by phone or by a Walk-in
Cash Payment. The website for internet is http://www.westernunion.com/corrections. The
phone number for phone quick collect is 1-800-634-3422 FREE.
2. To send money via a Western Union Walk-In Cash Payment Location the following is a
sample of a quick collect form.
Was able to visit Eric this last week! He is still working through some medical things but is feeling strong and in good spirits! This month marks 6 months being held in solitary confinement. He had a reclassification hearing to determine if he could leave the hole but it was decided that he will remain on “life” status which means he will remain there for the duration of his time at CCA Leavenworth. The support he receives from comrades has been irreplaceable in keeping him strong! Eric wants to express his gratitude for all the amazing letters and books that folks have sent him.
A quick update for supporters around the world. A continuance has been filed for Eric King’s federal trial, pushing the trial date back from July13th to October 26th. We will keep you updated on the progress of his case and reach out when we’re starting to prepare to pack the court for his trial.
In the mean time, Eric remains housed in segregation at CCA Leavenworth.
We ask for all your love and solidarity while he continues to fight for medical care, including outside testing for an increasingly serious medical situation. We will update everyone as we get more information about his health.
Right now, Eric’s nutrition is of the utmost importance and we want to be able to help him achieve proper nutrition to keep his body as healthy as possible. We need help sending him commissary each month so he can buy adequate amounts of vegan food and vitamins in addition to other necessities. Any donation helps! The link to the fundraiser is here! https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/0yoZc/sh/a4jVK6
The above photo is a mock-up for support t-shirts that should be available very soon! Keep an eye out.
