2010, Autonomous Music

Fifteen years ago, one of CLDC’s then-board members was a music producer with Autonomous Music. He generously devoted his time and energy to creating a benefit album in order to help fund CLDC’s work. Musicians on the album included Willie Nelson, who not only recorded a song for us with Bluetech and Marty Dread, but also posted the album on his website in support of CLDC!! It’s still in Willie’s store! Other artists who contributed to the album include Heavyweight Dub Champion, Sound Tribe Sector 9, Blackbird Raum, and a number of other amazing musicians and poets.

This was an intense time for activists (and their lawyers) in the United States. State repression, including the imprisonment of hundreds of environmental and social justice activists, extreme police brutality and corruption, and new federal anti-protest legislation and prosecutions were prevalent, intended to chill and subvert movements on the rebound in a post-9/11 America. Little CLDC had also been incredibly busy in the years running up to the launch of this album. The Green Scare and Animal Enterprise Terrorism cases were wrapping up, with dozens of non-cooperating activists serving federal prison time. In Oregon, old-growth forests and post-fire timber sales were prompting hundreds of protests and arrests, with CLDC’s director often representing over 60 activists at one time. But, as a result of those cases and the constitutional challenges we brought to a state statute targeting forest defense, in October 2009 the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled that the law was unconstitutional and struck it from the books – never to be used on forest defenders again!

In December 2009, CLDC helped to bring Jeff Luers home after a successful appeal of his 2001 sentence, in which he was outrageously ordered to serve 22 years in the Oregon State Prison. Jeff’s speech upon his release is included on this album, and is as equally relevant today as it was in 2009 (and Blackbird Raum wrote a song about him).

That year Ramona Africa was our special keynoter at CLDC’s Rebel Revelry, an annual celebration we previously hosted during the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC). Ramona’s inspirational speech is also included on the album.

In dire and scary times, art and music are essential to inspire and heal activists in order to continue the fight for a better planet and for the movements they love. And so, given the times we are now in . . . we thought a little artistic inspiration might be helpful! We can’t think of a more fun way for you to support CLDC’s activist defense program, donating to our tireless work defending activists and organizations without imposing financial costs on those who can’t afford it — and you get some fantastic music in exchange.

We never were sure that 15 years later, CLDC would still be going strong — taking on cases that others shy away from (and winning a lot of them!), and continuing to help build a stronger, more resilient movement through our Know Your Rights & Risks trainings, media work, and much more. Since 2003, we’ve defended over six thousand activists, through good times and bad, and we will continue to have your back, until all are free!

To purchase “In Defense: A benefit album for the Civil Liberties Defense Center” click here!

We’ll even throw in a few stickers as thanks for your support of music and CLDC!