Hey everybody. We were just contacted with this info below. Local Portland folks? Give a call too. Be polite. And tell your friends. You'd hope people would do the same for you if you were in a crappy situation.

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Eco-defense prisoner Steve (Stephen) Marshall is being held in Multnomah
County Jail in Portland while awaiting trial. He is accused of planning
to destroy equipment belonging to a quarry company, which he allegedly
claimed is polluting a river.

Because of his beliefs against cruelty to animals, Steve does not eat any
animal products. Steve’s diet has been a huge issue the entire time he
has been in custody, and he has continually struggled to get vegan food.
He has repeatedly been denied vegan food, and has often gone hungry rather
contribute to the oppression of animals.

Staff at Multnomah County jail have been telling Steve for a month that
they were “working on” implementing a vegan diet for him. They even asked
him for names and addresses of “Leaders” they could contact to verify his
dietary needs. (Steve gave them my name and address, but they never
contacted me.) On November 9th, the jail’s chaplain told Steve that in
order to get vegan meals, a prisoner at the jail has to “have a recognized
religion.” Since Steve is not claiming religious reasons for wanting
vegan food, but his “own beliefs against animal cruelty,” they are denying
Steve the diet he needs.

Steve is not going to give in and eat animal products if the jail refuses
to provide vegan food. His beliefs are too strong! If the jail refuses
to provide him with adequate, nutritious vegan food, Steve is going to try
to live off whatever comes on his meal tray that does meet his dietary
needs. It is likely that he will lose a lot of weight and even become
sick, rather than eat (as he put it in his letter to me) “dead flesh.”

I have written a letter to the facility commander at Multnomah County
Jail. That letter follows this message. Please print out the letter,
sign it, and mail it . Better yet, write a letter in your own words
saying why it is important that Steve be provided with a vegan diet. If
you are a vegan, say why it is important that human beings not oppress
other animals. Perhaps you could send some literature telling of the
horrors of the meat, diary, and egg industries, or send your favorite
vegan recipe. If you would rather call the jail, the telephone number is
503-988-3689. The email for Bernie Giusto, the man in charge of the
Multnomah County Sheriff'd Department is sheriff@mcso.us.

Please take a few minutes to help Steve in whatever way you can. He is a
really nice guy and seems to truly care about the environment and animals.
He hasn’t even been convicted of a crime, but jail officials are demanding
that he go against his values so that he does not starve.

Also consider sending Steve a card or a letter. In the letter I received
today, he wrote, “I love mail. It’s the best thing in here!” His contact
information is as follows:

Stephen Marshall
691374 MCDC
1120 SW 3rd
Portland, OR 97204

Thank you.


SAMPLE LETTER

Monday, November 21, 2005

To: Facility Commander
Multnomah County Detention Center
1120 SW 3rd
Portland, OR 97204

Dear Facility Commander:

I am writing to you regarding a prisoner held at the Multnomah County
Detention Center, Stephen Marshall (#691374). It has come to my attention
that Mr. Marshall is being denied a vegan diet because he does not claim
affiliation with a “recognized religion.”

Because of his beliefs against cruelty to animals, Mr. Marshall does not
eat any animal products. Throughout his time in custody in the state of
Oregon, he has repeatedly been denied vegan food, and has often gone
hungry rather contribute to the oppression of animals.

Mr. Marshall is not going to give in and eat animal products if your
facility refuses to provide him with vegan food. His beliefs are too
strong! If your facility refuses to provide him with adequate, nutritious
vegan food, Mr. Marshall is going to try to live off whatever comes on his
meal tray that does meet his dietary limitations. It is likely that he
will lose a great deal of weight and even become sick, rather than eat
dead flesh. This must not happen! Mr. Marshall’s health and well-being
cannot be jeopardized! It is imperative that he be fed a nutritionally
sound diet that does not include animal products.

It is not right that although Mr. Marshall has not even been convicted of
a crime, jail officials are demanding that he go against his values so
that he does not starve.

I request that you investigate this situation at once and see to it that
Mr. Marshall immediately begins receiving an adequate, nutritious diet
that does not include animal products.

Sincerely,

(your name)