PERSISTENT RESISTANCE

For the Forest

Why Protest Gallegos’ office? Isn’t he suing a timber company?

The District Attorney’s office claims in a lawsuit against Maxxam/PLthat every tree cut since 1999 to the present was and is illegally cut, constituting “unlawful business.” At the same time, the DA’s office vigorously prosecutes non-violent activists who put their bodies on the line to prevent the cutting. While the DA may be able to show that an activist has committed some ‘criminal offense’, there exists a defense for the activist called a ‘necessity defense.’ A necessity defense excuses a lesser crime committed with the intention of preventing a greater crime, or ‘significant evil’. Every time a tree sitter, for instance, is extracted, arrested for trespass, and hauled to jail, another tree is “illegally cut.” Common sense, and even the law, must acknowledge the tree sitters’ action as a lesser crime than the cutting of an ancient tree under alleged illegal circumstances. However, the DA’s office opposes protesters’ use of the necessity defense EVERY TIME. Protesters have been repeatedly charged by the DA for “interfering with lawful business”. And even when activists in court hang a jury, the DA acts ready to waste tax dollars and go to trial a second time.

Violence that is perpetrated against non-violent protesters has been shown and described to the DA through videos and reports by victim activists and witnesses. The DA has failed to charge the aggressor in any of the incidences. Instead the DA has unleashed charges of violence on some of the victims, the non-violent protesters. At the very least Maxxam/PL employees and subcontractors (especially the tree sit extractors) should be held to the same standard as the non-violent protesters with whom they are interacting. If the law does not protect all equally than it protects none.

Some of the individuals who deserve vigorous prosecution by DA:

• A.E. Ammons/Maxxam
  For Activist David “Gypsy” Chain’s murder

• Individual with the license plate [AJLSTOY]
  For attacking J. Hunter with a knife

• Logger Bradley Thrasher
  For slashing an activist’s hand

• Maxxam/PL hired climbers Eric Schatz and Michael Oxman
  For their life threatening abusive treatment of tree sitters

• Pacific Lumber’s property manager Richard Bettis
  For tampering with a protesters vehicle

Paul Gallegos says logging protesters should go through the court to make their grievances. Even when Old Growth logging is proven unlawful in court, the cutting continues. Left with no recourse and faced with increased prosecution and violence, activists continue to protect the last of our Ancient Forests.

Forest Defense/EF! 825-6598