Tag Archives: luke o’donovan

Luke to be Released July 25th

On July 25th at 9 am Luke O’Donovan will walk out of Washington State Prison after serving two years there.  We are thrilled to see our friend free from behind prison walls. He is in high spirits and very excited to be released. As many of you who have been in touch with him know, he has occupied his time with a rigorous workout routine, lots of reading, and correspondence with all those who took the time to communicate with him.

Unfortunately he will not be allowed to return to his home and life in Atlanta. Due to the judge adding a banishment condition to his probation, Luke will have to move all the way to the West Coast for the next eight years, or until the conditions of his probation are changed. Moving forward, here are some ways to continue to support Luke as he starts life on strict probation.

  • Money– Luke will need money in order to cover his living expenses while he gets on his feet and moves his belongings and life to the West Coast. He will also need money to cover the probation and drug testing fees that he will be subject too.
    You can donate or set up recurring donations here Donate Button

  • Care Packages– Luke will need lots of little things, like clothes to rebuild his wardrobe, delicious vegan food, and other items that you are not allowed to have in prison. If you would like to send a care package please email letlukego@gmail.com to work out details on where and what to send.
  • Solidarity and Support- Throughout Luke’s case and subsequent imprisonment the support and solidarity he has gotten has been overwhelming. From the solidarity marches and actions to the mountain of mail and the hundreds of postcards sent to the judge we have been thrilled by all those who have taken action for him. Once things are more clear we will begin trying to get his banishment condition appealed, check back for updates. For now any and all actions are appreciated.  As Luke’s new living situation isn’t worked out yet we can’t provide contact info at this time, but email us at letlukego@gmail.com if you want to get in touch.

Luke is set to be free from prison, but there is still a lot to do. Thanks everyone for your past and future support.

-xxx

 

Luke To Be Released July 25th

On July 25th at 9 am Luke O’Donovan will walk out of Washington State Prison after serving two years there.  We are thrilled to see our friend free from behind prison walls. He is in high spirits and very excited to be released. As many of you who have been in touch with him know, he has occupied his time with a rigorous workout routine, lots of reading, and correspondence with all those who took the time to communicate with him.

Unfortunately he will not be allowed to return to his home and life in Atlanta. Due to the judge adding a banishment condition to his probation, Luke will have to move all the way to the West Coast for the next eight years, or until the conditions of his probation are changed. Moving forward, here are some ways to continue to support Luke as he starts life on strict probation.

  • Money– Luke will need money in order to cover his living expenses while he gets on his feet and moves his belongings and life to the West Coast. He will also need money to cover the probation and drug testing fees that he will be subject too. You can donate or set up recurring donations here
  • Care Packages– Luke will need lots of little things, like clothes to rebuild his wardrobe, delicious vegan food, and other items that you are not allowed to have in prison. If you would like to send a care package please email letlukego@gmail.com to work out details on where and what to send.
  • Solidarity and Support- Throughout Luke’s case and subsequent imprisonment the support and solidarity he has gotten has been overwhelming. From the solidarity marches and actions to the mountain of mail and the hundreds of postcards sent to the judge we have been thrilled by all those who have taken action for him. Once things are more clear we will begin trying to get his banishment condition appealed, check back for updates. For now any and all actions are appreciated.  As Luke’s new living situation isn’t worked out yet we can’t provide contact info at this time, but email us at letlukego@gmail.com if you want to get in touch.

Luke is set to be free from prison, but there is still a lot to do. Thanks everyone for your past and future support.

-LSC

 

Luke Self-Defense Hearing Set for July 1st

Luke had a status hearing at the courthouse today where we learned that his self-defense hearing will be held on July 1st at 9am. Everyone who can show up to court should, as this will be an important date for Luke. His legal team will be arguing that he should be immune from prosecution because he was acting in self-defense. If you are able to come please show up dressed for court. It will be held at

 

Fulton County Superior Court

185 Central Ave

Atlanta, GA 30303

Courtoom 5B

Updates on Luke’s Case and Fundraising Efforts

They are a few new updates to announce on Luke O’Donovan’s case as it begins to move through the legal system. At an arraignment hearing on April 15th we learned that in addition to the 5 charges Luke was already facing the state had added an attempted murder charge. Luke will still be attempting to have all charges dismissed on the grounds of self-defense. He has a self-defense immunity hearing set for May 13th, 2014 at 9am. We are strongly encouraging everyone who is able to attend this court date to come out and show support for Luke. If you want to come to court be sure to dress nice. The hearing will be held at the Fulton County Superior Court at 185 Central Ave in courtroom 5b.

In fundraising news we have raised over $13,000 dollars to cover Luke’s legal fees, bond, and other expenses. We need only $500 more to cover the rest of his legal fees for the duration of the case! Thanks so much to everyone who has donated so far, or organized a fundraiser. As Wepay no long accepts donations you can donate to Luke through the paypal linked below. Leave an address and we can send you a letter-pressed poster!

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First Statement from the Support Committee

A Few Clarifying Points from the Support Committee (in Other Words: Please Get Involved!)

01.03.2013

A few concerns have been raised thus far about the way in which the support committee has been handling Luke’s defense. People have expressed concerns about the way in which Luke’s family is being involved, on the strategy and rhetoric being used by the support committee, and about the support committee’s alleged advocacy for “vigilante justice.” We would like to take some time to respond to these concerns in online form, but we strongly encourage people to get in contact with those involved in Luke’s support team to air any disagreements, and refrain from strictly communicating over social networking sites (Facebook). We are writing as Luke’s close friends, ones he eats and sleeps with everyday, ones with whom he often speaks about his beliefs, and ones who have been in contact with him since he has been in jail. We know and love Luke deeply, and want everyone who feels similarly to get involved in his defense.

First and foremost: What is Our Purpose?

Our purpose is to support Luke materially and emotionally throughout this trial and for however long he needs us immediately following the trial. Our first priority is Luke’s release from jail. Afterword, we believe that Luke should be acquitted of all charges against him. We are fighting toward this end through contact with lawyers and, hopefully, popular mobilizations with others who desire to support Luke however they can. We are also doing our best to meet Luke’s emotional needs in light of this because we have known the torment of incarceration and the effect it can have on your spiritual and mental well-being.

While it may come to pass that Luke’s attackers receive charges for what they have done, that is not the focus of this support group. Our focus is Luke. We understand that the judicial system has legs all of its own and will act how it sees fit. Our intention, however, is to focus our energy on the person we all love and supporting them to the fullest.

On Talking to the Police

We would like to clarify our position regarding talking and interacting with police around Luke’s case. We have asked several lawyers for advice, and they have all said basically the same thing to us. At this point it is better for witnesses to go to an attorney and give their testimony together with a lawyer. Luke is already in jail, and it is not up to the police to let him out, but the legal system. We recognize that in Luke’s case it will be impossible to exonerate him without going through the legal system. After talking with lawyers from several prominent legal associations we believe that it is not in Luke’s best interests for people to immediately head to the police station and offer their testimony. We would love for as many people to come forward in Luke’s defense as possible, and to help them get their testimony done through attorneys. To be clear we are not telling people to stay away from testifying for Luke. We just want it be done in a way that best benefits his case. Once a lawyer or specific legal representation has been decided upon or assigned to Luke we will immediately release their contact information, in order to ensure that anyone who wants to help him with their testimony, eye-witness account, or character witness statement can do so in the most efficient way possible. If you have information, please write it all down now and date it so that you don’t forget what happened. Also please consider emailing the support group at letlukego@gmail.com

On Lawyers and Legal Support

On the note of legal support, we have been in contact with lawyers from the NLG, the public defender’s office, the Occupy Atlanta legal team, and we are working on getting in touch with other attorneys from various legal associations of note. We are trying to secure the best possible legal team available for Luke because we know that this is very serious. At this time, the public defender seems like an efficient option because they work with the judge every day. If we need another lawyer moving forward, which we very well may, we will probably need to pay for one.

On Fundraising

The WePay account that has been set up for Luke will collect money for several purposes. So far it has accumulated over $600 in just 24 hours. Money from the WePay can be used to pay for Luke’s bail, if it is set, for Luke’s legal defense, and to keep money in his commissary. For those who may be unsure as to how jail works, Luke’s commissary fund allows him to buy items in jail, including vegan food items and stamps to send letters. Luke’s commissary currently has a balance of 83 dollars, separate from the WePay. Luke also has an Amazon Wish List, with a list of books he would like sent to him in jail. Unfortunately, we anticipate Luke being in jail for some time, and books are a great way to pass time while imprisoned. In fact, being locked up with nothing to read leaves one in a state of extreme boredom and isolation. Luke requested books be sent when we spoke to him over the phone, and so we are working hard to fulfill this wish. Jail is a miserable place and we want to do what we can to make sure Luke is as comfortable as possible on the inside.

On Allegations of Vigilantism

Some of the language used in the initial post by the support team may have been unclear. For this we apologize. It was imperative to get a statement out ASAP to counteract the dominant media narrative that Luke went on a “stabbing rampage.” Although personally we do not believe the justice system offers justice to anyone, we recognize that it is an existing reality and that we must move through it to free Luke. WE ARE NOT CALLING FOR VIGILANTE JUSTICE. We are doing our best to respect Luke’s own beliefs and desires, as well as our own, while doing the most intensive and thorough defense work possible.

Again we would like to reiterate that for people who have concerns about how Luke’s defense is being handled, it is best to talk about it in personal conversations, not through social networking sites. We want as many people around to help defend and support Luke as possible. With that said, we plan to announce a public meeting soon. We are currently building a website that will make broad participation easier for people.

Thanks so much to everyone for their concern and strength.

-Luke’s Support Committee – letlukego@gmail.com

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Send Luke Books – (make Luke’s housing address the shipping address for your order)

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Luke Patrick O’Donovan
#1300031
6N307
901 Rice Street
Atlanta, GA 30318-4938