Paul was granted Parole, unanimously, after his hearing on Monday, June 8th. His friends and his family, with some brilliant and generous editing help from his lawyer, Mark Vermullen, wrote letters to the Parole Board over the course of the month leading up to the hearing. Four people - which includes one friend, Dave Cherry, and the stenographer - met in Carson City, and Paul attended on video from Las Vegas, where he is in a work program.

Paul stated his parole plan: he has work lined up as an auto-emissions inspector in Vegas, and only when his time is up, in February 2010, will he return to the Bay Area. And for how long, it's unknown, but I think his heart is on traveling.

According to Dave Cherry, "the entire procedure took only 15 or 20 minutes. Throughout the whole thing, Paul was polite, respectful, and matter-of-fact, showing none of the defiance or residual anger that seemed to be present at the sentencing hearing. As to the commissioners themselves, it was hard to gauge what they were thinking, but they seemed to me like even-handed, civilized women who were only after the truth and not out for blood."

So it went well and we hoped for the best, which we were rewarded with by his Parole being granted. So unlike his first hearing, which occurred in absentia — and didn't even let him know the exact date ...until it was over !!

Turns out they denied his parole on some erroneous and slanderously insulting information that no one was there to even question and negate. (They claimed he had a conviction for something pretty nasty.) He has NO previous convictions. Unless you want to count possession of fireworks out of "season" and taking a red dot marking off his toy gun to play laser tag. The SFPD were embarrassed enough that they had to have even that pathetic concession after keeping Paul in custody on false charges for over 7 months.

And don't forget that the instigation of that whole SF Grace Cathedral fiasco (and the subsequent effective derailing of an artist's career) - not to mention wrongful incarceration for 7 months!!! was the *fear* that Paul was a known arsonist. The SFPD passed Paul's mugshot from his prank at Burning Man amongst the squad sent out to search and seize Paul.

Maybe the BMORG's intractability and inability to embrace its roots in freedom of artistic expression and the spirit of the Prank, and its inability to find its sense of humour is ultimately to blame. Sigh ...

Last weekend, the group of people I refer to as Team Paul, the core support that work to help Paul, help his friends, and help each other get through the last 2 years, met (all except for Dee, Paul's mum) for dinner in SF with Paul's dad, Dave. it was great to finally meet the man, the myth, the legend :) And he was completely different than we'd all expected ! And probably for the same reason -Paul's negative portrayal of his paternal unit in an attempt to lay blame somewhere else. Happily, it was just delusional bullshit, and Dave is smart, funny, a charming and generous host, and very proud of his son, whether he understands or approves of his behavior or not. He loves his boy - and that Paul would ever doubt that or cause anyone else to doubt that saddens me still.

Paul's birthday is July 5th.

Lemme know if you want to send him a card, and I'll send you the address.