By Socratrees[1] – Earth First! Journal, Litha (June 21), 1987
One of our primary goals has been to publicize the atrocities being committed against California’s last remaining virgin redwood wilderness. Our action was publicized on every major network in the state, the “Today Show,” the San Francisco Chronicle, LA Times and countless others. The Houston Post ran a front page story, which revealed previous battles that Hurwitz has had with celebrities like Frank Sinatra, and his connection with ex-prez Gerry Ford. A special howl of thanks goes to Texas Earth First! for exposing this environmental criminal in his home town, and to all in solidarity with us that day.
We’ve been asked to delineate things we did right and wrong so that others may learn from what we did. Here are a few items:
RIGHT: We conveyed the universality of our issue to folks around the country, which enabled us to act in seven locations. Perhaps others can find branch offices in various cities of corporations harming the environment and again hold a nationwide event.
WRONG: The tree-climbers saw that the loggers had left equipment behind but took no precautions to prepare for their return. The climbers spread their own equipment out so carelessly that a quick departure was not feasible. Keep your gear together. Also, the climbers did not take the banners, water, or warm clothes with them on the initial climb. Had they done so, the action might have been more sustainable.
RIGHT: The date of our event was well-chosen. It was the first Monday after finals at Humboldt State University, from which came many of the participants. At an earlier date, students would have been studying. At a later date many would have left for home
WRONG: We underestimated our adversary. Louisiana-Pacific withheld their information on the tree-spiking injury at the Cloverdale mill for a full week so that it was publicized just before the action, adding an enormous strain to our overworked psyches. On the 15th, I came to our office to do last minute media work, but our phones were ringing non-stop with calls from media from all over the US wanting comments on the spiking. Mike Roselle was en route to Humboldt County and could not be reached for comment. We handled the flack carefully, focusing attention on LP’s safety hazards and our written group non-property destruct policy. Louisiana-Pacific and Pacific Lumber are part of a coalition of timber beasts who shamelessly call themselves WE CARE.[2] Collusion to sabotage our event is likely. However, the increased publicity of the spiking simply brought more media to our rally.
RIGHT: We used affinity groups. An action like this is so complex that no one person could coordinate it all. Affinity groups included media contacts, video crew, reconnaissance scouts, tree climbers, jail support crew, telephone crew, drivers to pick-up forest action crew, lawyers, musicians, radio phone operators (we rented 2-way radios), fund raisers, blockaders, fence jumpers, base camp maintainers, guides to woods action for supplies and media, rally coordinators, and more. We put this all together in two weeks, counting the months of scouting mapping.
WRONG: We thought our choice of a log deck site was a secret, but PL made preparations at the very log deck we had chosen. They knew. In the future, if secrecy is necessary, we may do tree actions without a nation-wide action.
RIGHT: We stationed people at phones during our action, to keep track of where people were going to jail to help get them out. Follow arrestees to the jail. Solidarity in this is a moral obligation to your brothers and sisters.
WRONG: After a loggers’ pick-up plowed through our crowd (one fellow was knocked down but not injured) many participants began yelling at police. Although the cops’ lack of action was despicable, violent behavior on our part could have led to an uglier situation.
COMMUNICATE: When you have as many people as we had working on this, with many living far apart, communication can be a problem. Yet it is probably the most essential element of any action. If you don’t know who is in jail, who has called what press, etc., and if you think that someone else is doing it so you needn’t bother, that is a relinquishment of responsibility. A few calls every day help.
We opened with a circle. Have Native Americans present for prayer ceremonies. Close with a circle. This is in some way spiritual insurance that what you are about to do and have done is for the benefit of all.
Though we made many mistakes, our action was overall a huge success. We closed Maxxam operations in three locations. We finished with a positive attitude, a party, and this silly notion that we will do this again soon!
Footnotes:
[1] “Socratrees” is Darryl Cherney.
[2] For more on WE CARE, see “The PALCO Papers”, by Judi Bari, Anderson Valley Advertiser, March 27, 1991, reprinted in Timber Wars, 1994 by Common Courage Press, Monroe, ME.