Black Flag 210 index
Rise Above
In May of '96 a photo-copied magazine by the name Rise Above was
circulated in the town of Morrow and through other areas of Clayton
county Georgia with an official circulation of 33. However more copies
were made and passed out by others. Most of its contents were excerpts
from other anarchist publications as well as quotes from
anti-authoritarian activists, authors and bands.
On July 7th an explosion went off at the Centennial Olympic park in
Atlanta, killing two and wounding others. A few days later, on the day
Jason Moreland (the editor of Rise Above) returned from Florida, he was
informed that the police would like to "talk with him about his
publication." When Jason arrived at the police station he was told that
there was a warrant out for his arrest and taken into custody - his
mother fainted. The Clayton county police began investigating the
magazine on July 8th (two months after it been released) when officer
Peabody received a copy of the publication. However no arrest was made
until after the explosion of the 27th with Jason being charged with
advocating the overthrow of the Government of Georgia (O.C.G.A.
16-11-4), because of an obviously incorrect recipe for making moltov
cocktails and a tiny graphic that depicted a person throwing a moltov at
something the police felt resembled the capital building of Georgia.
During Jason's questioning the authorities asked him about his beliefs,
his publication, read him a list of names (to see which he recognized),
and about the bombing at the park. At this time he did not have a
lawyer present. He spent a week in jail and his bond was set at $50,000
then later lowered to $25,000. He is now awaiting trial and is faced
with a $20,000 fine and a possible 20 years in jail; all for recycling
other people's work and expressing his fears and hopes for the world in
which he lives.
The media coverage of Jason's arrest was all but unbiased as the few
newspapers that covered the story turned Jason into a minor mad-man or
a mixed up kid or as AM 750 put it a "fascist." Stressing that his
co-workers thought he was weird as he had occasionally slept on the
roof of his place of employment, handed out literature dealing with
various topics (police brutality, racism, homelessness, etc...), and
"didn't like authority." The press also grossly exaggerated the
contents of Rise Above, claiming it was filled with expletives,
anti-government rhetoric and anti-police cartoons completely skipping
over such statements as "Anarchy & Peace," "love and unity is the
key," "Wake Up!," and a host of others about self-empowerment and taking
control over our own lives. One newspaper felt that Rise Above
encouraged mindless violence, because of a reprinted flyer about direct
action encouraging people to disrupt corporate america; and according to
Jason another completely created a quote from his mother. All in all
Jason hasn't been given a fair shake. Since his arrest, Jason has been
asked to appear on a radio talk show about first amendment cases, has
put together a benefit to help pay for his court costs (with more
benefits to come) and is attempting to put out another issue of Rise
Above or create a new 'zine altogether. However, he has been hindered
in his political activities since he has basically become a marked man.
Also he has also become concerned about rumors that Officer Peabody (the
officer that began the Rise Above investigation) has been spreading
rumors about "those punks from Rise Above." Another disturbing note is
that GBI has been asking to talk to Jason about the bombing at the
Centennial Park. I know this sounds ridiculous, but it is a sad truth.
The state of Georgia is prepared to send Jason to jail for 20 years for
a tiny graphic in his publication. And even though the Clayton county
police don't believe that Jason has anything to do with the bombing at
the Centennial Park, they have expressed their happiness in stopping
"whatever he was up to," and in the process ignoring his right to
freedom of speech. The American Civil Liberties Union has taken up his
defense and is demanding that all charges against him be dropped.
However that will be not be enough to sway the District Attorney, so his
supporters are asking for you to write District Attorney Robert E.
Keller demanding that all charges against Jason P. Moreland be dropped
as he had not advocated the overthrow of the State of Georgia and these
proceedings are in direct violation of Jason's constitutional rights.
Contact: DA Robert E. Keller
Clayton County District Attorney
200 Annex, Clayton County Courthouse
Jonesboro, Georgia 30236
If you would like to contact Jason write to:
Circle A Magazine c/o Ignatz
PO Box 80967
Chamblee, Ga 30366