20 years ago there was a graffiti action in Russia for the first June 11th day of action. This first iteration of annual solidarity events was called for Jeff “Free” Luers, an eco-anarchist in his fourth year of imprisonment for the burning of three SUVs in Eugene, Oregon.
The graffiti reads “Free Jeff Luers!” on the wall of the US Embassy in Moscow. 7 people drew 2 letters each. They decided to go through with it despite the guard actively doing his rounds because they could finish it so quickly.
The graffiti was not removed well, and was readable for several years thereafter.
Despite a more than 22 year sentence, and through years of struggle and legal filings, Luers won a shortening of his sentence, leading to his release in December 2009. By this time, however, Marius Mason had been imprisoned for 18 months, having received a nearly identical sentence of 22 years after pleading guilty to two major arsons (against a GMO research facility and logging equipment) and acknowledging responsibility for more than a dozen other clandestine actions.
So we continue…