William C. (Bill) Rodgers, aged 40, of Prescott, Arizona, was found dead in a jail cell in Flagstaff early on December 22nd. The Coconino County sheriff's office and medical examiner said that he had committed suicide by placing a plastic bag over his head while he was in his one-person cell.

Bill Rodgers was one of six people arrested this month in connection with eco-defense actions in Oregon and Washington in recent years. He was charged in the firebombing of a government wildlife lab outside Olympia, Wash. In an affidavit that was filed in federal court last week, an FBI agent said that Rodgers attended a meeting of Earth Liberation Front members in western Colorado where the arson of a Vail, Colo., ski resort was planned.

Community members are mourning the passing of a tireless activist who had worked for social justice and environmental responsibility. He was a co-founder of the Catalyst Infoshop and Bookstore. One of his loved ones said about the case, "We need to show Prescott and the U.S. that we are not ashamed of who Bill—or The Catalyst—is, but proud of how they have served to bring people together."

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