Statement from Eileen McDavid, Eric McDavid’s mother

I am Eric McDavid’s mother, Eileen McDavid, and I believe I speak for his entire family and friends in saying that we believe in Eric’s innocence. The accusations the government has made about Eric are totally out of character for him and unsupported by the evidence they presented in court. We believe that Eric did not receive a fair trial and was a victim of entrapment by the FBI and their undercover informant, Anna.

Eric has been consistently denied bail since his arrest almost two years ago and remains in the Sacramento County Main Jail where he is, for the second time, being denied a vegan diet. Eric received vegan food in jail for 16 months, but his vegan meals ended one week before his trial. He has not received vegan meals for over two months and has been surviving off of processed food with little nutritional value that he has been purchasing from the commissary. We fear that his poor diet is the reason he has developed pericarditis, a serious condition of the heart, which has now flared up twice during his stay. This condition only developed after Eric entered the Sacramento County Main Jail. Despite receiving a diagnosis of pericarditis over a year ago, the jail continually changes their story about what is afflicting him, sending mixed messages and often showing complete disinterest.

Eric has tried for months to file grievances and to negotiate the return of vegan meals to no avail. He lost 20 pounds and experienced the return of this heart condition due to the jail’s negligence. This has left him with no other choice but to begin a hunger strike, which began on Friday, November 9. The purpose of this strike is to secure access to nutritious vegan meals for himself and all others that request vegan meals due to their deeply held ethical, moral and religious convictions. In my mind this would be an act of humanity.

We love and support Eric. We admire his strength and courage to pursue what he feels is an ethical and compassionate diet for all who share this belief. And we admire his courage and bravery to stand strong in this struggle to prove his innocence. I could not be more proud of my son. We hope the jail will agree to feed him and others, before his health deteriorates even further.