Gypsy Mountain raided, again!

Early yesterday (September 5th, 2003) morning, we received the dreaded call from Gypsy
Mountain..."climbers!"...once again, MAXXAM Corp./Pacific Lumber
Co./Climber Eric and Co. have disgraced themselves by disrespecting
the mountain where David "Gypsy" Chain was murdered, by a an enraged
MAXXAM/PL timber faller, on September 17th, 1998. With the help of
the corrupt Humboldt County Sheriff's Dept., former D.A. Terry Farmer
and Sheriff Dennis Lewis(both voted out of office last election:),
MAXXAM Corp./Pacific Lumber Co. lied about Gypsy's death, calling
this blatant act of violence a mere "accident," despite the video-
taped evidence of deadly intention on behalf of the faller.
After a three-year build-up to a wrongful death civil trial,
brought by Gypsy's family, MAXXAM/PL and Gypsy's family settled out-
of-court, in October 2001. Gypsy's family won, and we all breathed a
sigh of relief that this part of dealing with the loss of our brother
was over, and that we could now get on with the healing process.
Right around that time, MAXXAM/PL filed a new timber harvest plan on
Gypsy Mountain, including "Aradia," a 1,000+ year-old Redwood tree,
just up the ridge from where David Gypsy Chain was killed.
The Aradia tree-sit was originally begun around August of 1998,
because Earth First! knew that MAXXAM/PL could take any tree that
they wanted within so many feet of their roads, in the name
of "roadbuilding," and Aradia is right next to an old logging road,
and was between two units in 1998. Now Aradia stands between two
clearcuts and two landslides. David Gypsy Chain was involved in
birthing the Aradia tree-sit in 1998, just weeks before he was
killed; he was 24 years old, and from Texas, just like MAXXAM and
Charles Hurwitz. Right after the enraged MAXXAM/PL logger fell that
tree on Gypsy, he walked over to the Aradia tree-sit, and
communicated with the Earth First!ers who were in Aradia on that
day. So Aradia has much historical significance, in relation to
Gypsy's life and death, and it should be added to the Gypsy Memorial.
As they did on June 16th, 2003, the day before Gypsy's birthday,
MAXXAM/PL ordered Climber Eric and Co. to climb up Aradia, cut down
all the platforms, traverses, buckets, blankets, etc., leaving the
tree-sitters with a down line, some safety gear, not much else, and
living on the branches. No attempts were made to extract the tree-
sitters. For some reason, the rules are different on Gypsy Mountain
from the ones in Freshwater, where the climbers have been ripping
people from the tree-tops, using much violence.
We were relieved to find that no one had been extracted, and
that Aradia was still standing at the end of the day. We are not
looking forward to MAXXAM/PL's next move on Gypsy Mountain, as it is
obvious now that they intend to further desecrate this sacred space,
where our brother, Gypsy, was killed while non-violently protesting
MAXXAM/PL's illegal logging practices...Pacific Lumber Co. was cited,
by the CDF(rare), for two violations on Gypsy Mountain, two days
after Gypsy's death...two days too late. If the CDF had been doing
their job back then, Gypsy might still be alive today; if MAXXAM/PL
wasn't illegally and irresponsibly logging the hills of Humboldt
County, Gypsy might still be alive today.
Even though MAXXAM/PL originally made the "cooling off" proposal
to me and Remedy, for the Aradia and Jerry trees, I was NEVER
contacted, never called, never mailed a copy of the proposal, never e-
mailed, never ANYTHING. And then, the proposal was turned into an
impossible request on behalf of MAXXAM/PL, saying that if
ANYONE "trespassed" on PL land in the next six months, or said
something to a MAXXAM/PL employee, ANYWHERE, that could be construed
as negative, then they could just run out and immediately cut Aradia
and Jerry, basically setting up a hostage/blackmail situation, and
making the mission impossible for us.
Why not just agree to save the Aradia and Jerry Groves,
recognize how much it means to so very many people, and end the
conflict? Hasn't the price already been paid? The former president
of Pacific Lumber Co., John Campbell, finally realized that it was
better, in the long run, to just save Luna and end the conflict.
Haven't we been through enough, by now, to deserve a few Old Growth
Redwood trees to be saved, in honor of all the fallen ones?
Please call MAXXAM/PL and encourage them to do the right thing,
in this and all cases...

MAXXAM Corporation, Houston, TX: (713)975-7600
CEO : Charles Hurwitz
PR person: Josh Riess

Pacific Lumber Co. (707)764-2222
Pres. & CEO : Robert Manne
PR person: Mary Bullwinkle

Give 'em a call;)

Let Gypsy Mountain and Aradia live!!!!
Respect!