The following is a public statement from Brian “Jacob” Church of the NATO 3. Jacob is serving his sentence at Pinckneyville Correctional Center.
You can write to Jacob at:
Brian Church
M44717
P.O. Box 999
Pinckneyville, IL 62274
To my dearest friends and comrades,
I want to thank you all for your never ending love and support for the three of us as we continue to resist this system of state oppression. The last two years have been a long, hard fought struggle, but finally, with trial done and sentences handed out, we’re on the home stretch.
I’m pretty sure I can say for all three of us that had it not been for the international showing of solidarity for our struggle, we would have been in a different, and much worse, situation. For me, this support has helped me both physically and mentally. You all have been most inspiring and uplifting, with constant reminders to stay strong and keep my head up. It has helped me stay focused and to remember why I resist in the first place. Please know that even if I may not have written back, that every letter and book I have received has been read and appreciated.
I also wanted to give special thanks to our really great team of attorneys and paralegals working around the clock, through thick and thin, even through the pains of childbirth, just to make sure we were able to have a fair and proper defense. Your counsel and advice, your opinions (professional and otherwise) and the ability to fight like lions in the courtroom, matched with your dedication to seeing Justice served, has been priceless. This is probably a good thing because we probably couldn’t have paid anything anyhow, as Tom likes to point out.
Lastly, I want to thank the NATO 3/NATO 5 support committee. Your weekly visits, media outreach and fundraising has been so important to our defense and spirits. You have worked for over two years to support us, putting your personal lives on hold and you never had to do any of it.
Every single one of you have my absolute respect for what you’ve done and that’s what helps to make this struggle so worth so much to me.
As it stands right now, I should be released in November 2014. I cannot wait to see how much things have changed. Two and a half years may not seem like a lot out there, but we feel every day of it in here.
Much love,
Brian Church
