New statement from Kevin, April 1st 2014.
Kevin is an animal rights activist serving a 30 month prison sentence after being arrested for “possession of burglary tools” in rural Illinois. He was accused by prosecutors of having and planning involvement in fur farm raids in the area.
In prison, you want to know that others are taking up where you left off. So when people ask me what they should do to support prisoners, I tell them to send movement news. Even in the grayest correctional bubble, word of critters scurrying from concentration camps is enough to bring a sense of freedom flooding back into any activist’s veins.
But these days, when I hear the latest, it often has the opposite effect.
So much of the news seems to be drama, divisiveness, and internet declarations. I will avoid specifics, but suffice it to say that none of it contributes to achieving our objectives – and none matters to animals on the verge of death in their cages.
I am lucky that I will never know a fraction of those animals’ hardships, but I do know that one of the hardest aspects of life in a human prison is the constant feeling of others looking over my shoulder. Guards look over my shoulder for adherence to prison regulations, inmates look over my shoulder for conformity to their culture, feds look over my shoulder to catch me slipping on recorded phone calls and visits. There is no escape.
And yet, regrettably, this problem will not end with my incarceration. That is because the talkers and dividers in my own movement love looking over the shoulders of others. I prefer my animal rights with only four guidelines, but these people have more rules than a parole officer. They insert themselves into activist’s private lives without a warrant or probable cause. And they insist on ideological rigors unrivaled by the FBI. When it comes to taking the focus off the animals, they are better cops than the cops.
Perhaps my ego isn’t big enough, but I have never been under the impression that my own ideas somehow represent the absolute key to right and wrong in the universe. So when I became involved in a modern international social movement, I suspected that I might meet an individual or two who didn’t act or believe exactly the same as me. Troubling as that may be for some, involving yourself in activism means involving yourself with a diverse bunch of people. Some of us are lawyers, some of us are felons. Some of us go running, some of us eat dessert. Some of us have photo projects of vegan runners or vegan desserts. Some of us are promiscuous, some married, some neither – and some both. I’m not defending or deriding any of these choices. To be honest, I don’t really care. Neither should you.
If you dislike someone or their opinion, feel free to simply not talk to them. It does not help to gossip, quibble, or drag the whole movement into it. The same goes for who-said-what on the internet about which ideological (read: irrelevant) position, or the inclusiveness of the editorial decision-making process for your local group’s last Facebook post. Time to spare on these trifles is a human privilege.
To me, that such things are even noticed is puzzling. But that they impact our activism is tragic. It breaks my heart that this nonsense becomes a top concern for the miniscule segment of humanity on whom the animals have to rely. And as much as it may weight upon me, for them it is a death sentence.
When your passion burns, you often light those around you with the same fire. This is what makes dramatic people so dangerous – their bitterness tends to catch on. But this is also a source of strength for the sane: Every truly dedicated activist – who holds this struggle in their heart, who refuses to be sidetracked by negativity and cliquishness – is in turn shining a light for others. Young people getting involved deserve to find out now that what really matters isn’t your politics, your popularity, or how many times you can use the word “organizer” in reference to yourself. All that counts in the end are your tangible achievement for animals.
Kevin Olliff
P.S. On that note, endless thanks to The Bunny Alliance for shining the light for the animals shipped by China Southern Airlines. Congratulations.
Please send Kevin a letter of support:
Kevin Johnson, M42382
Vandalia Correctional Center
P.O. Box 500
Vandalia, IL 62471
–Kevin Arrives in Prison
Following 3 weeks in transit, Kevin arrives at prison
After a few weeks at a reception facility, where his communications were limited, Kevin arrived at his prison destination this week. And it’s a strange one.
Kevin was sentenced last month to 2.5 years in prison for possessing wire cutters and cammo clothing prosecutors say were to be used in the raid of a fox farm the night of his arrest.
Good news and bad news
The bad news is, Kevin is at a prison. And a good portion of the population is works at on-site “dairy processing” and “meat processing” facilities.
The good news is, it’s a minimum security prison. (Often animal liberation prisoners are sent to higher security prisons that are not consistent with their “crimes.” This happens in response to prisoners whose crimes the prisons don’t understand, or to alarmist “terrorist” rhetoric in the media.)
Conditions at Vandalia
The prison has barracks-style quarters, with about 88 people per room. While this means Kevin is constantly surrounded by dozens of people, he’s happy he can finally go outside to a real yard, something Woodford County lacked. Even in the dead of Midwest winter, he’s been talking about how pretty it is outside and how great it is to hear birds again
He’s being given vegan meals too, and strangely but fortunately for animals and prisoners alike, all Vandalia inmates with special dietary needs are fed vegan meals. Kevin will also be allowed to buy commissary foods soon. Given that he lost nearly 15 pounds in his three weeks at Stateville, it’s important he starts putting on weight again. (Donate to the commissary fund via the IndieGoGo fundraiser or PayPal.)
Prison has an on-site “meat processing” facility
It is a twist of cruel irony, the prison where Kevin was sent has an on-site meat processing plant. Believe it or not, Vandalia is actually one of a few state prison meatpacking facilities. Of course, Kevin will not be working in the processing center, but it is here that Vandalia claims to offer the ostensible promise of “vocational education” to other inmates. Maybe it’s no surprise that one of the most difficult, dangerous, and psychologically damaging jobs is the one left for inmates with few other options. More about all of this here:
–video
Contacting Kevin and sending books
He can receive mail again, so please send him a letter at his new address:
Kevin Johnson, M42382
Vandalia Correctional Center
P.O. Box 500
Vandalia, IL 62471
NOTE: Kevin’s legal name is Kevin Johnson.
Mail rules at Vandalia Correctional Center:
Here are the mail rules lifted straight from the Illinois State Prison website. They seem to indicate books can be mailed directly to prisoners, provided they are in the correct type of envelope.
Inmates can receive correspondence, legal mail and publications, which are reviewed to determine whether they are obscene or constitute a danger to safety and security. The institutional Publication Review Committee reviews all publications that are not on the approved list, and will disapprove materials that do not meet criteria. Inmates can receive publications, including books, periodicals, magazines, newspapers and catalogs in accordance with department regulations. Inmates can receive publications from a vendor, friend or family. There is no limit through the mail. Publications brought to the facility shall be limited to 5 per visit.
Guidelines need to be followed for envelopes and packages.
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Envelopes that are padded with clear bubble wrap will be accepted. Envelopes that have this type of padding can be easily scanned.
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Envelopes padded with gray diamond dust and corrugated cardboard boxes mailed from family and friends will not be accepted and will be returned to the sender without being opened.
***
Please send Kevin a letter of support:
Kevin Johnson, M42382
Vandalia Correctional Center
P.O. Box 500
Vandalia, IL 62471
Tyler Lang was released in November.
–Kevin Sentenced to 2,5 years fot wire cutters
Vandalia Correctional Center
P.O. Box 500
Vandalia, IL 62471
Tyler Lang was released in November.
–Update on Kevin & tuesday pre-trial
First off, Kevin is still doing well: sharp as ever, maintaining his sense of humor, and enjoying the small graces jail affords—too much instant coffee, tons of reading time, and all your letters. He sends his love and thanks, as always. And he’s especially grateful for and happily surprised by the donations that have been coming in to support his attorneys. (We’ve still got $5,500 to go to reach the goal, so please keep spreading the word.)
Secondly, the pretrial on Tuesday, January 7th was postponed. Due to the weather, Andrew Bashi, the NLG attorney representing Kevin at this court date, was unfortunately in a car accident on his way to Eureka. As far as we know, Andrew is okay (but now is a perfect time to show him and the others how much you appreciate the trouble they’re going to for our friend—send them some money!). The defense got a continuance, and Kevin’s next pretrial is scheduled for Tuesday, January 14th.
The coming pretrial could be an important one. As we told you in the last post, the prosecution’s case is unfolding, and the details are suspect, though not surprising. It remains to be see whether the state continues down this path to try circumstantially linking the items in Kevin’s car to a mink farm raid with which he’s not even being charged. That said, FBI agents have also reportedly shown up in the court room during the last few pretrials. Again, not surprising, but something to be aware of as Kevin’s case and fate are being determined in the coming weeks.
Please keep Kevin in your thoughts, in your social media feeds, and in your donation budget.
***
Please send Kevin a letter of support:
Kevin Johnson, M42382
Vandalia Correctional Center
P.O. Box 500
Vandalia, IL 62471
Tyler Lang was released in November.
–New allegations against Kevin: Report from court
New developments from Kevin’s Christmas Eve court date.
On December 24th, Kevin appeared in court for another pre-trial hearing, which offered new insights into the prosecution’s case.
Illinois mink release to be used in trial
It has been learned the prosecution intends to use an animal liberation action (which he is not being charged with) against him in his current case: a mink release that happened in Morris, Illinois on August 14th.
While the details are not clear, the indication is they will use this raid to circumstantially support a case Kevin intended to commit “burglary” against another fur farm. And that he was to do so using the “burglary tools” that are the basis of his current charges. The Morris incident was alleged to have occurred the night before Kevin’s arrest.
Again, Kevin is not being charged with the mink release, and whether the prosecution will be successful at somehow using it against him for the “burglary tools” charge is of course undetermined.
Prosecution alleging a fur farm as the “burglary” target
On a similar note, the prosecution is now alleging Kevin intended to “burglarize” a specific target the night of his arrest: An as yet unnamed fur farm. Previously, the prosecution was pursuing “burglary tools” charges without alleging any specific target.
Its important to note Kevin and Tyler were not arrested on or near any fur farm. The basis for this allegation is as of yet unclear, but appears to be circumstantial and at least partially motivated by the Morris, Illinois mink release that happened the night before.
Kevin’s trial date has been rescheduled for January 20th.
***
Please send Kevin a letter of support:
Kevin Johnson, M42382
Vandalia Correctional Center
P.O. Box 500
Vandalia, IL 62471
Tyler Lang was released in November.