Full citation: Jensen, Kurt, Stan Wilson, tkintz, Lacey Phillabaum, and Josh Laughlin, eds., Earth First! Journal 19, no. 1 (1 November 1998). Digitized in cooperation with the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek. http://www.environmentandsociety.org/node/7040 Copyright: All rights reserved. The user may download, preserve and print this material only for private, research or nonprofit educational purposes. The user may not alter, transform, or build upon this material. • trs • Samhain Vol. 19, No. 1 November-December, 1998 THE RADICAL ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNAL $3.50 HEADWATERS AcTIVIST KILLED After the tree that crushed Gypsy BY KAREN PICKETT fell, the small group of people in his Just after noon on Thursday, Sep­ affinity group scrambled out of the tember 17, Headwaters forest defender brush where they had taken cover, David Nathan Chain, known to his yelling at the logger that he could friends as "Gypsy," lost his life when a have killed them. One of the group tree cut by a Pacific Lumber (PL) log­ started frantically calling out for ger crushed him to death. Gypsy, "Where's Gypsy? He was right Gypsy arid eight other Earth First!ers behind me. I can't find him. Gypsy!" had ventured into an active timber When the logger who cut the tree harvest zone in the Grizzly Creek area found Gypsy, he fell to his knees and of the Headwaters forest complex to prayed. Gypsy's friends prayed and explore possible violations of cried near where he lay while one of California's Forest Practice Rules, them ran to a phone about a mile and bring the violations to the logger's a half away. attention, and to get the California Pacific Lumber immediately issued a Department of Forestry to come in­ statement calling the death a "tragic spect the site. On the 17th and the accident," claiming the loggers were previous day, a small group of people not aware of the protesters' presence had been engaging the loggers on­ and citing its "best in the industry" site in dialogue in an attempt to slow safety record. PL also claimed Chain the cutting. PL had not amended its was hit by a "domino tree," a second logging plan to reflect the road build­ tree downed by the tree cut by the ing it was conducting next to marbled logger. These claims had nothing to do (left) helps construct murrelet habitat. The day following with the truth but were issued before corded less than an hour before Chain protests in the area, as activists from Chain's death, the California Depart­ any details emerged. was killed. It contains threats and ad­ the same affinity group had been at ment of Forestry (CDF) did inspect The fact that the loggers were in­ monitions by the logger to "Get the the site the previous day, talking with the site and found that two viola­ deed aware of the protesters' presence fuck out of here or there's going to be them at length. In addition, there was tions had occurred. was corroborated by a videotape re- a tree coming your way!" an active tree sit in the area. I " Davi~ "Gypsy" Cli~in Nierlt'cfHiil, 17to 2e , I The logger and his fellow workers in p,ages' the woods were fully aware of ongoing continued on page 21 Minnehaha Under Se___ ·~ Jason Hammel, John Glass, Hew Stines-lnfiltrator BY BoB GREENBERG A 24-year-old guy weighing about 210 pounds, standing six-feet tall with shaggy black hair, blue eyes and a goatee showed up in our camp shortly after publication of the first Earth First! Journal article about the Minnehaha Liberated Zone. He called himself Jason Hammel, and he had ;;;~ business cards from Buffalo Nations and Cold Moun­ t tain, Cold Rivers. He said he was the nephew of Buffalo Nations organizer Mike Meese and he wanted uThe police closed off the streets for several surrounding blocks and formed a moving human blockade around the machinery." to help out with our efforts. American Indian Movement have successfully used Almost immediately he started name dropping. BY pATCHOULI direct action tactics to hold off bulldozers. The He said he knew Jim Rex from Activist Front and "This road would not be going through this area announcement of the hunger strike came immedi­ that he had been involved with the communica­ if it were a Catholic church, a synagogue or a ately after the latest raid on the Minnehaha Free tions team at the '96 Democratic National Conven­ mosque," said Earth First! activist "Martial Law," State. Activists are now preparing to spend the cold tion in Chicago. We have one of the core people "There are no people besides the Native Americans Minnesota winter defending the encampment, vow­ from that team involved in our communications that must prove something is sacred to them. We ing not to give up their position on the Mississippi team, and she did not know him. Strike one. call on all people of faith to join the struggle to floodplain until the road project is canceled. Later in the day he said that he had been at protect these sacred sites, to save the homes and to On October 14, while a "Stop the Reroute" rally Headwaters during the same time that several folks preserve the fragile ecosystem the Minnesota De­ was being held on the courthouse steps in down­ from our camp were there. They didn't recognize partment of Transportation (MNDOT) plans to pave tgwn Minneapolis, 60 riot police descended on the him. Strike two. over. We are being very reasonable and using the Minnehaha Free State. Bulldozers were again moved Jason knows just how to tell people what they hunger strikes only as a defensive tactic." in to tear up the utility lines connected to the want to hear. He told Jim Anderson of the Mendota With this impassioned plea, four occupants of squatted houses. Authorities were met by a base Mdewakanton Dakota community that he could get the Minnehaha Free State announced their inten- crew that had stayed behind in anticipation of just him press coverage on CNN. Jimmy wants national tion to conduct a hunger strike until the construc­ such a surprise (not!) attack. The police closed off coverage of this issue so he took to Jason quickly. tion of Highway 55 near Coldwater Camp is called the streets for several surrounding blocks and Later in the day, Jason had a conflict with one of off and the land claims of the Mendota formed a moving human blockade around the the women in camp who plays a critical role in Mdewakanton are recognized. machinery as it went about its destructive work. communications. Since mid-August a coalition of activists from Big Woods Earth First!, the Mendota tribe and the continued on page 25 continued on page 23 EARTH FIRST! NO COMPROMISE IN DEFENSE OF MOTHER EARTH POB 1415 • EUGENE, OREGON 97440 • (541) 344-8004 Breaking the Prolllise of Civil Disobedience Earth Firstf Journal All our lives we are taught that for the vast majority of us, for chronic violations of environmental and safety regu­ Samhain the greatest political power we will ever yield is the vote. lations. CDF knew it and did nothing. Earth First! opens people's eyes to the painfully obvious But the situation is different in one important way this November I, I998 fact that our voices and our bodies are at least as powerful time. This time, we know who did it. David Chain didn't as the voting pen. If people see Earth First! as a cult, it is die, he was killed, and the person who did it has a name Vol. I9. No. I because converts are thrown into a frenzy by the heady and an address: The Earth First! Journal is published by realization that we can change the course of history and Charles Hurwitz. an editorial staff from within the Earth actually can helpsave the world-by digging in a road with Justice will be served in David's death when Charles First! movement. Entire contents are copy­ a shovel, by a careful turn of the wrench and by putting our Hurwitz releases his death grip on the Headwaters forest. righted 1997. Weallowreprintingifcredit bodies on the line. There is no balm for grief other than time. And the only is given, except for those articles specifi­ The premise of civil disobedience as practiced by Earth · cure for righteous anger is justice. justice for David means cally copyrighted by the author. Art, pho­ First! is that we-can put our bodies in harm's way to stop the a thorough and unbiased investigation into his death, and tographs and poetry are copyrighted by silent tragedies.· Our struggle depends on the cultural the individual artists and permission for it means the success of this cause. Winning protection for use must be received from them. promise that life is valuable, and if we put our lives at risk, the last native forests in this country is the only way to Earth First! Journal is a forum for the no­ someone will care. avenge David's death. compromise environmental movement. The most fearsome aspect of David Chain's murder is On january 4, 1996, I wrote in my journal: Responsibility rests with the individual that it screams in no uncertain terms that such a promise "Yesterday I saw 300~year-old trees falling to the ground authors and correspondents. The contents has been broken. David put his life on the line, and it was for the first time. I stood in the mist on Yellow Mountain, do .