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MATTOLE ACTIVISTS SENTENCED, HEADWATERS REUNION RALLY, GYPSY MEMORIAL
A FLURRY OF EARTH FIRST! ACTIONS AND ARRESTS
MATTOLE ACTIVISTS SENTENCED, HEADWATERS REUNION RALLY, GYPSY MEMORIAL
MATTOLE ACTIVISTS SENTENCED, HEADWATERS REUNION RALLY, GYPSY MEMORIAL
NORTH COAST EARTH FIRST!
For immediate release
September 22, 2004
Contact: NCEF! Media (707) 268-5613
A FLURRY OF EARTH FIRST! ACTIONS AND ARRESTS
MATTOLE ACTIVISTS SENTENCED, HEADWATERS REUNION RALLY, GYPSY MEMORIAL
Humboldt County, California
-On Tuesday September 20th Judge Cisna
handed five non-violent forest defenders a variety of sentences
stemming from an action that occurred at Fox Camp gate on August 25,
2004, on Humboldt Redwood State Park property. At that time the
activists were there to serve a subpoena to Maxxam/Pacific Lumber's
head of security, Carl Anderson, to compel his appearance as a
witness at the pivotal pepper spray trial in San Francisco. This is
the second trial for the pepper spray case in seven years and is now
awaiting a jury's decision. Activists known as the "Pepper Spray 8"
are suing Humboldt County and former sheriff Dennis Lewis and present
sheriff Gary Phelps for violating their civil rights and torturing
them when deputies swabbed pepper spray into their eyes using q-tips
and sprayed them point blank in the face.
In the weeks prior to the arrests, activists had linked arms
to blockade the Maxxam/PL haul road that crosses the State Park land
and had peacefully dialogued with the truckers about sustainable
forestry and future jobs. During the attempt to serve Anderson,
however, a Maxxam/PL contractor charged the small group of activists
with his truck. The incident was witnessed and recorded on video by
Sara Lortie, a nearby activist. The driver of the vehicle then got
out of his truck and assaulted the videographer, smashing her camera,
chocking her and repeatedly throwing her to the ground. He then took
out his knife and cut the strap to the camera, cutting the young
woman in the process. When activists asked officer Clark to arrest
the assailant, Anderson told the officer to arrest the activists and
they were taken into custody. During the arrest, officer Carla
Bolton threw a second activist, Jessina Hunter, to the ground.
Charges against Lortie and Hunter were dismissed; Kim Starr
and Matt Dicks were sentenced to fifteen and ten days, respectively,
for misdemeanor disturbing the peace and blocking public access. A
fifth activist, Kevin Schultz, will take his case to trial on October
7th at 2 p.m. in the Humboldt County Court.
Since the Headwaters Agreement (a.k.a. "the Deal") was signed
in 1999, protests have increased in the "sacrifice zones" in the
Mattole, Freshwater, Van Duzen, Elk, and other watersheds being
devastated by Maxxam's liquidation logging practices.
An action training camp took place at Grizzly Creek Redwoods
State Park from September 13th through September 21st to support the
2-_ year tree-sit in an ancient redwood on Gypsy Mountain, where
activist David "Gypsy" Chain was killed by an angry logger who fell a
tree on him on September 17th, 1998. Activists gathered and held a
Headwaters Reunion rally on September 15th to mark the end of marbled
murrelet nesting season, after which their habitat can be destroyed.
A memorial for David Gypsy Chain was held on September 17th. No
logging has taken place in the active timber harvest plan where the
tree-sits are located since the action camp began. The camp was well
attended and had an international flavor with activists from all over
the world who came to help save the ancient trees. ###
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What remains on Gypsy Mountain after Maxxam/Pacific Lumber clearcuts is the last few old growth redwoods that were alive when the Lassik tribe lived along the "Van Duzen" river. The Lassik people lived along the eastern tributaries of the Eel River, including the region known as Gypsy Mountain slightly north of the Van Duzen..
After witnessing the devastation to Gypsy mountain resulting from unsafe logging practices (clearcuts, unstable slope logging) by Maxxam/Pacific Lumber, we realize that this corporation only concerns themselves with short term profit from fast rate timber harvest. The remaining trees on Gypsy mountain are only safe because of the continued presence and hard work of dedicated forest defenders..
People who want to see this mountain saved realize that as long as Maxxam/Pacific Lumber remains the "property owners" there will always be a threat to the last old growth trees like Aradia. We feel that for this and other reasons Maxxam/Pacific Lumber is not taking care of this land and therefore should forfeit all claims of property ownership..
Forest defenders also are aware of the land confiscated from the original inhabitants, the Lassik tribe. We feel that land concessions are needed to restore the vitality of Gypsy mountain and also the remaining descendents of the Lassik people..
In the meantime more people are needed to live on Gypsy Mountain to protect the redwoods from Columbia Helicoptor logging. Several roadblock are available for people who can stay there. Food and warm clothing available..
"Lassik (Las'-sik, the name of their last chief). A people of the Athapascan family formerly occupying a portion of main Eel river, Cal., and its east tributaries, Van Dozen, Larrabee, and Dobbin creeks, together with the headwaters of Mad river. They had for neighbors toward the north the Athapascan inhabitants of the valley of Mad river and Redwood creek; toward the east the Wintun of Southfork of Trinity river; toward the south the Wailaki, from whom they were separated by Kekawaka creek; toward the west the Sinkine on Southfork of Eel river. They occupied their regular village sites along the streams only in winter. Their houses were conical in form, made of the bark of Douglas spruce. They had neither sweat lodges nor dance houses. The basketry was twined, but differed considerably from that of the Hupa in its decoration. Beside the methods employed elsewhere for securing deer and elk, the Lassik used to follow a fresh track until the animal, unable to feed or rest, was overtaken. They intermarried with the Wintun, to whom they were assimilated in mourning customs, etc. Powers (Cont. N. A. Ethnol., 111, 121, 1877) gives the impression that the Lassik belong with the Wintun in language, but this is a mistake. Their dialect resembles the Hupa in its morphology and the Wailaki in its phonology. The majority of them perished during the first few years of the occupancy of their country by white people, a bounty being placed on their heads and the traffic in children for slaves being profitable and unrestrained. A few families of them are still living in the neighborhood of their former homes."
After witnessing the devastation to Gypsy mountain resulting from unsafe logging practices (clearcuts, unstable slope logging) by Maxxam/Pacific Lumber, we realize that this corporation only concerns themselves with short term profit from fast rate timber harvest. The remaining trees on Gypsy mountain are only safe because of the continued presence and hard work of dedicated forest defenders..
People who want to see this mountain saved realize that as long as Maxxam/Pacific Lumber remains the "property owners" there will always be a threat to the last old growth trees like Aradia. We feel that for this and other reasons Maxxam/Pacific Lumber is not taking care of this land and therefore should forfeit all claims of property ownership..
Forest defenders also are aware of the land confiscated from the original inhabitants, the Lassik tribe. We feel that land concessions are needed to restore the vitality of Gypsy mountain and also the remaining descendents of the Lassik people..
In the meantime more people are needed to live on Gypsy Mountain to protect the redwoods from Columbia Helicoptor logging. Several roadblock are available for people who can stay there. Food and warm clothing available..
"Lassik (Las'-sik, the name of their last chief). A people of the Athapascan family formerly occupying a portion of main Eel river, Cal., and its east tributaries, Van Dozen, Larrabee, and Dobbin creeks, together with the headwaters of Mad river. They had for neighbors toward the north the Athapascan inhabitants of the valley of Mad river and Redwood creek; toward the east the Wintun of Southfork of Trinity river; toward the south the Wailaki, from whom they were separated by Kekawaka creek; toward the west the Sinkine on Southfork of Eel river. They occupied their regular village sites along the streams only in winter. Their houses were conical in form, made of the bark of Douglas spruce. They had neither sweat lodges nor dance houses. The basketry was twined, but differed considerably from that of the Hupa in its decoration. Beside the methods employed elsewhere for securing deer and elk, the Lassik used to follow a fresh track until the animal, unable to feed or rest, was overtaken. They intermarried with the Wintun, to whom they were assimilated in mourning customs, etc. Powers (Cont. N. A. Ethnol., 111, 121, 1877) gives the impression that the Lassik belong with the Wintun in language, but this is a mistake. Their dialect resembles the Hupa in its morphology and the Wailaki in its phonology. The majority of them perished during the first few years of the occupancy of their country by white people, a bounty being placed on their heads and the traffic in children for slaves being profitable and unrestrained. A few families of them are still living in the neighborhood of their former homes."
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