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EUGENE
esDort
HOURS
M S.i 9 b
Sun U’ 5
44$ East 13th Avmnua "Eugana • 343-5362
Improv
four Sense Of
Humor.
I
1 THURSDAY
1 OCTOBER 14
■ 8 PM.
1687-5000
I II I I Cl Ml K
I I »•; ; 111 lliv I . .MINI \
I FREE
f PRESS
EVENT
At Noon
On Day Of
Snow.
■ IMEEKIY
ITED STATES COURTHOUSE
file photo
Brian Hoop, who was arrmtad on charyas of faiony vandalism, spant two months at a prison camp.
HOOP
Continued from Page 1
on Hoop in the University mag
azine. the Oregon Voice.
In the magazine, he was quot
ed as saying that after he gradu
ated he would "probably get
involved with a political group
and blow up buildings."
Soon after, police arrested Ciar
PEGASUS
Project to End the Grip of AIDS
on Students in the United States
Brings You...
McKenzie River View Bike Bide
Where: South side of Autzen foot bridge
(near soccer field)
When: Start time at 10 a.m., Sat. Oct. 10th
tteU* or SAtote
Please: Bring bike helmets
and bring the whole family
^ - ana
Join the Pegasus Crew for coffee at International Student
Coffee Hour, Friday, October 8th at 5:00-5:30 p.m.
in the International Student Lounge, EMU.
For more information call the Health Education Office at 346-2728.
Sponsored by the Student Health Center. U of O Housing, & Interfratemity Council.
los Arias on the same charges ns
Hoop — felony vandalism of fed
eral property. Arias, a former Uni
versity student, was also an
activist.
Hoop was sentenced to the
Sheridan Federal Prison Camp
for two months and was released
in August.
In a letter to the Emerald dat
ed Aug. 4. Hoop explained that
he and Arias admitted guilt,
while another student arrested
for vandalism, Efrem Mehretab,
was granted a diversion and did
not have to admit guilt.
"Personally, viewing the inci
dent as an act of civil disobedi
ence," Hoop wrote, “1 had
intended on accepting respon
sibility all along. It was comical
when they used the Voice article
along with my other political
activities to characterize me as
a 'terrorist, anarchist’ and threat
to the community."
Hoop received his degree in
architecture with minors in peace
studies and environmental stud
ies in June 1992. before he went
to prison.
I here were no surprises wan
ing for us at Sheridan Federal
Prison Camp." which was less a
prison and "more like summer
vacation at taxpayer expense —
wasted money that would have
been better spent funding edu
cation." Hoop wrote.
"The irony is that the accom
modations and meals are better
than I could afford as a starving
student.” wrote Hoop, who spent
time reading, writing letters, run
ning. sun tanning on the lawn
and working in the dish room.
"Overall, it's just the rest and
relaxation I needed after a crazy
school year."
"But." Hoop wrote, “there is a
more serious side to our incar
ceration." He then discussed the
experience he termed "hum
bling" of serving time along with
individuals who will be serving
sentences much longer than his,
"a majority of whom are nonvio
lent first-time drug offenders.”
Hoop wrote that his exponent*
with other inmates told him that
most of them do not fit a stereo
type of hardened criminal.
Rather, "many ore guilty of
crimes numerous college stu
dents are complacent in — mail
ing LSD. growing pot.
overhearing drug sales, distrib
uting drugs to friends."
Hoop said in his letter that the
criminal justice system is wast
ing taxpayer money by sending
these drug offenders to federal
prison. As an example, he wrote
that since 1980. the federal prison
population has tripled and that
currently 60 percent of those sen
tences are for drug offenses.
"I think the critical question is
why are we a society prioritizing
funding a war on crime and drugs
leading to an Orwellian police
state, while slashing funding for
education?" Hoop wrote. "I've
always advocated legalizing most
drugs as a far more humane drug
policy rather than using prisons
to warehouse people. Simply
warehousing the casual user and
small-time seller ts a short-sight
ed policy that does not address
the root causes of why we are a
drug-dependent society."
Hoop quoted the Chicago Tri
bune as saving the mandatory
minimum drug laws have failed
to make us safer, while creating
more bureaucracy at taxpayers'
expense.
Hoop concluded his letter with
the thought. "My time here at
Camp Sheridan has not rehabili
tated me. Indeed, it has only fur
ther opened my eyes to the
insidious nature of the U S. gov
ernment's war on drugs ... it has
only strengthened my resolve to
speak out against injustice wher
ever I see it. And 1 smell a rat. It
is our own government's war on
drugs.”