[Noisebridge-discuss] Open letter from Oshan Cook

Tony Longshanks LeTigre anthonyletigre at gmail.com
Tue Nov 20 13:13:38 UTC 2012


They're still going to appeal it.

On Tue, Nov 20, 2012 at 4:54 AM, Frantisek Apfelbeck <algoldor at yahoo.com>wrote:

> Well after reading this and hearing so many good things about the Om Shan
> Teahouse and his owner in the past I hope for a miracle I wish he gets out
> of there soon.
>
> Frantisek Algoldor Apfelbeck
>
> biotechnologist&kvasir and hacker
>
>
> http://www.frantisekapfelbeck.org
>
>
> "There is no way to peace, peace is the way." Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
>
>   ------------------------------
> *From:* Tony Longshanks LeTigre <anthonyletigre at gmail.com>
> *To:* Noisebridge Discuss <noisebridge-discuss at lists.noisebridge.net>
> *Sent:* Tuesday, November 20, 2012 7:05 PM
> *Subject:* [Noisebridge-discuss] Open letter from Oshan Cook
>
> I want to post this open letter newly written by my friend Oshan, who owns
> Om Shan Teahouse in the Mission, just a few blocks down the street from
> Noisebridge. He has been to Noisebridge in the past, & many locals know
> him. He is currently in jail awaiting sentencing.
>
> * *
> *Open Letter from Oshan in Jail*
>
> Dear Family, Friends and Allies,
> I am writing to let you know about my current situation. As many of you
> know, I have been fighting a legal case for two and a half years, accused
> of distributing psychedelics, with charges punishable by 10 years or more
> in federal prison.
> The weight of having this hanging over my head for years has been an
> agonizing experience, causing extreme exhaustion , stress, and a deep
> depression. Despite this, I did the best I could to keep running my
> teahouse, my mobile tea services, teaching school kids about tea ceremony,
> hosting hundreds of spiritual dance, music and poetry events, throwing
> large intentional parties (Heartform, Tecompression) and striving to build
> community and contribute to the world as best I could. In the end I ran out
> of energy and my massive debts due to my legal fees caused me to close my
> teahouse down. I did this with great sadness and regret as poured so much
> money and years of my life into it. I hope that it had some lasting benefit
> to the bay are community and beyond. For more than 4 years, I haven't had
> more than 2 days break from my work and have longed for a vacation. I
> finally have it now, although tragically not on the beaches or in the
> forests as I had dreamed of.
>
> Two and half years of fighting my case included a number of unsuccessful
> legal motions, relating to the impropriety of the DEA officers actions
> during my arrest and search. I believe these motions were denied due to a
> reactionary bias of the judge in my case also due to the outright lies and
> fabrications of the police officers. In July 2012 I underwent my first jury
> trial. Despite the fact that officers blatantly lied and contradicted each
> other while testifying and that dozens of government employees with
> unimaginable resources collaborated to try and convict me, multiple jurors
> decided that I was not guilty after hearing all the evidence against me.
> The prosecutors decided that they would waste more of our tax money by
> retrying my case at the end of October 2012. The trial proceeded like that
> last one, with officers lying and even admitting to lying during the
> previous trial. Sadly, after two days of deliberating, the jurors reached
> the verdict of guilty. I suspect that some of the jurors were pressured
> into coming to a decision so they would not have to come back after the
> weekend. After the verdict was announced, I immediately entered into
> custody and was transferred to Glen Dyer County Jail in downtown Oakland. I
> have been here for 10 days and will likely be here for another two and half
> months, after which I will be transferred into to a federal prison for a
> 10-15 year sentence.
>
> Here at jail, I am confined to a 100 sq. ft cell more than 21 hours a day
> with my cellmate, who is a mexican gangster from the mission. In our cell
> is a bunk-bed, a small desk, and a toilet. There is also a small slit of a
> window which lets in minimal light, but has a cloudy film on it so I can't
> see out of it. The cell is so small that there is only one spot where I can
> stand in the middle and stretch out my arms in all directions without
> hitting a wall. The cell walls and floor are filthy and there is limited
> access to cleaning supplies. In our "pod" there is a TV on very loud
> everyday beginning around 8am and ending by 11pm at the earliest but some
> days until 2am or later. The TV is usually on a sports channel or sometimes
> a violent movie and I can always hear it blaring into my cell often making
> it difficult to sleep. We are let out of the cell 4 times a day for meals
> and "pod time". Breakfast is served around 6 am (although sometimes as
> early as 4 am) and lunch is served around 3:30 pm. The "meals" consist of
> the most disgusting and unhealthy food I have ever eaten in my life. I was
> raised eating organic, vegetarian food my whole life. I have many food
> allergies and the jail is supposed to accommodate my special diet but have
> failed despite numerous written and verbal requests, so I am forced to go
> without or eat food that violates my fundamental health and spiritual
> beliefs. We are only given about 5-10 minutes to eat these "meals" and then
> forced to go back in our cells. "Dinner" is delivered to out doors around
> 7pm and 90% of the time its baloney sandwich, an orange and two cookies.
>
> "Pod time" consists of all 26 inmates in our pod being let into the 1000
> sq ft communal space where we play inmates play chess, cards, socialize,
> watch TV and get in line for short phone calls or showers. Pod time happens
> twice a day for a total of 3 hours or less, in the morning from around 8-10
> am and in the evening around 8-9 pm. These times are often shortened and
> occasionally canceled. All the schedules are constantly shifting so its
> hard to get into a routine. Due to the noise and schedule its hard to get
> more than 4 hours of solid sleep. There are minimal educational and
> religious activities and most have a long wait list that takes a month or
> more. State law mandates that inmates get 3 hours/week of outdoor "yard
> time" but inmates here tell me they have had about 1 hour of yard time in
> the past 6 weeks! Indeed the jail violates many of its own operating
> procedures as well as state and federal regulations and probably
> international human rights codes.
>
> I cry almost every day that I am here, although I am careful not to do it
> around other inmates. I miss all my family and friends. I miss being able
> to hug and cuddle with friends. I long to eat healthy food, breather fresh
> air, see the sun and the sky, be in nature and be able to move freely and
> get proper exercise. I pray everyday for a miraculous release but I don't
> see how its possible. I am using this experience as an oppurtunity to grow
> and learn as much as I can. I am doing lots of reading, writing lots of
> letters and doing calisthenics and yoga as much as I can in this cramped
> cell. I am cultivating a strong spiritual practice of meditation and
> prayer.
>
> On January 17th, 2013 I will be sentenced to 10-15 years in federal
> prison. It would be great to see all my friends there, so mark your
> calendars if you can come. It would be great to have good character
> reference letters to present to my judge. My lawyer said that quality is
> much more important than quantity, so its best if they are from people that
> actually know me and especially good if they are from people who would be
> considered respectable by my conservative judge. The deadline for these is
> december 8th. Send them to Aaronzenstevens at gmail.com.
>
> After sentencing it will take 5-30 days for me to be transferred to prison
> probably in Oregon or southern California. Prison is much better than jail
> and there are a lot more activities, free movement and outdoor time. I am
> trying to see it as an extended meditation retreat. Even though I have so
> many friends out there, I have a fear that I will be forgotten about, lost
> in the prison system.
>
> Due to the fundamental flaws in my case, I will be attempting multiple
> appeals in the higher court. This will cost a lot more money, so my family
> and friends well be continuing to raise funds and they could use any
> assistance anyone could offer. If you have any media or journalism
> connections who might want to cover my story, please get in touch.
> Thank you for the tremendous amount of support and prayers, donations, and
> moral support I have received so far. It really touches my heart and makes
> this whole nightmare bearable. I urge everyone to do what they can to
> educate themselves and others about the cruel and corrupt criminal justice
> system, the horrors of the drug war and the prison industry. There is
> information on various organizations you can work with on TeaNotPrison.com.
> I also encourage people to explore concepts of judgement and punishment in
> our society.
>
> Much Love and Gratitude!
> For The Benefit of All Human Beings,
> Oshan Anand ♥
>
> --
> *You should read my diaries after I die—I talk about you a lot in there.*
>
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>
>
>


-- 
*You should read my diaries after I die—I talk about you a lot in there.*
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