Live From 150 Feet High

Greg King Interviewed by Socratrees (Darryl Cherney) – Country Ac­tivist, September 1987

Soctratrees’ Introduction: On September 1 at 9 pm I received a phone call from Greg King, who at the time was perched 130 feet in the air in a 1,000 year old redwood tree sche­duled to be cut that week by the Maxxam held Pacific Lumber Co. Fifty feet away from his tree sat Jane Marie Cope, perched similarly in another redwood. This is a tran­script of our conversa­tion.

Socratrees: Greg King can you tell me where you are?

Greg King: Right now I’m sitting in a platform 130’ above the ground in a redwood tree with a view of timber harvest plan 11-87-427, the South Fork of the Eel River all the way to Eureka and to the ocean. The only blight is the clearcut of 20 years ago by another company, the clearcut to my left by Pacific Lumber, and the pulp mill on the horizon.

Socratrees: How long do you plan on staying up there?

GK: I plan on staying up here indefinitely. I want the Pa­cific Lumber Company to stop cutting its old growth and I’m going to stay up here as long as I can to bring that end to frui­tion.

Socratrees: Can you describe how you are stationed up there? What kind of accommodations do you have?

GK: I’ve got a 3’ x 6’ plywood platform hanging on a tree with tubular webbing and all kinds of para­phernalia hanging all around me. I’ve got my sleep­ing bag, my sleeping stuff, blankets and things, ropes hanging down, extra clothing, a lot of climbing equipment, a lot of different things, the banners and things; just everything is hanging all around me and this is what it’s like up in a tree.

Socratrees: Can you tell me about the woman in the tree next to you?

GK: Yes, Jane. Jane is doing fine. Her platform was hav­ing problems before but now it’s doing very well and she’s got a very splendid redwood tree about 50 feet away. We even have a rope between us so we can traverse back and forth. Hang out, if you will.

Socratrees: I understand Pacific Lumber has vowed to pros­ecute. Can you please tell me your feelings about that?

GK: I always expected them to prosecute, but what should hap­pen is Pacific Lumber should be prose­cuted for much heavier crimes then they will ever get us on—trespassing. The Pacific Lumber Com­pany is breaking laws left and right clear-cutting its old growth. They need to be stopped and we need to point out there is a much higher law here being bro­ken than a mere mis­demeanor trespassing which I believe is a necessary act we are committing.

Socratrees: Did you try any administrative remedies before resorting to this extreme kind of action?

GK: Oh, I wrote comments on timber harvest plans, I talked with State Senator Barry Keene, I talked with Congress-man Doug Bosco, I went to review team meetings, I’ve covered is­sues for newspapers, I’ve done everything I could think of possible and tree-sitting is, of course, the last resort.

Socratrees: Really: May I ask you how the scenery is up there? How’s the weather?

GK: It’s quite beautiful tonight. The sunset was gor­geous orange and lots of different hues leading up to the dark sky. Right now the moon is coming across on the opposite ridge. The stars are out. The big dipper is right in front of me. Every-thing is won­derful here.

Socratrees: I understand you have some banners hanging down.

GK: Yes, we have some banners hanging down. One of them used to say “Free the Redwoods” but it was torn down today by a Pacific Lumber climber who came up and tore it down. He tried to get Jane’s banner also but she pulled it up just as he got to it. We have a surprise for them as far as banners go, though.

Socratrees: What did the banner say that she managed to rescue?

GK: I believe it says “HURWITZ OUT OF HUM­BOLDT.”

Socratrees: I see. Just who is Charles Hurwitz?

GK: Charles Hurwitz is a Texas billionaire who took over the Pacific Lumber Company in order to liqui­date its assets which is irreplaceable virgin redwood forest to add to his bil­lions. He’s a deceitful, dishon­est, untrustworthy, greedy type of man who I think should be locked up.

Socratrees: Last Monday night on CBS Evening News, Charles Hur­witz was quoted as saying to the workers of Scotia that they should know about the Golden Rule: “He who has the gold, rules.” Could you please comments on that?

GK: That’s a typical—that exemplifies the Hurwitz spirit, I would say. That must be a typical comment of his and I’m sure he lives by that.

Socratrees: Are there any plans for a lawsuit on this partic­ular area (THP 1-87-427 HUM). Could you comment on that at this time?

GK: I heard there were plans for a lawsuit and I hope that they will be followed through. I do not know the status of that at this point.

Socratrees: Do you have any last comments to make?

GK: Just that I hope that everybody from every­where comes here to these forests or at least to Pa­cific Lumber’s log­ging roads—blockades them, sits in trees, demonstrates, raps on the desks of CDF (California Dept. of Forestry) and State Board of Forestry officers and brings a halt to this brutal de­struction. We really need all the support we can get right now.

Socratrees: Okay, Mr. King. We appreciate talking to you and thank you very much for your time.