While the camp is primarily geared to activists fighting the coal industry, it is also open to anyone who wants to add more responsible direct action skills and ideas to their activist toolkit. This is a technical skills camp though there will be some workshops on campaigning and media work.
Camp is hosted by Greenpeace. More information can be found here.
cross posted from infoshop.org
We’re excited to let you all know that Scott was released earlier today and is on a bus heading back home to Minneapolis! His prison sentence is now complete and he’s excited to be coming home. While he still has a year of supervised release ahead of him, he’ll once again be with his family, friends, comrades, and loved ones here in the Twin Cities.
We’d also like to thank all of you for the tremendous amount of support you’ve shown him and Carrie Feldman from the beginning of this ordeal, when Carrie was subpoenaed to the grand jury in Davenport, IA in late 2009. Since then, you’ve supported both Carrie and Scott while they were in jail or prison, helped us raise the much-needed funds for their legal defenses, helped spread the word about their cases and other Green Scare cases, and shown the power of our solidarity in the face of state repression.
Scott no longer needs the same kinds of support he needed while he was in prison, but there are plenty of other political prisoners and prisoners of war who need our support. We encourage everyone to reach out to other prisoners to help them through their ordeals. If you’re around the Twin Cities this weekend, we also invite you to a welcome-home gathering for Scott:
* When: Sunday, Aug. 31st, 2pm-??
* Where: Lake Calhoun, south beach
* What: Swimming, potluck, fun!
If you’re not in the area and would like to send Scott some letters of support for his transition back home, you can send them to:
Scott DeMuth
c/o Coldsnap Legal Collective
P.O. Box 50514
Mpls, MN 55405
With love and solidarity,
the Scott and Carrie Support Committe (SCSC)
http://davenportgrandjury.wordpress.com
And gets a new prison addressNews from EcoPrisoners.org: “Justin Solondz plead not guilty to several federal charges in Tacoma, WA on Wednesday, July 27. The charges against Justin allege that he was involved in an arson at the University of Washington’s Center for Urban Horticulture in 2001. Some of the charges Justin is currently facing could result in a life sentence. Please stay tuned for more information on Justin and how you can help.”
NEW ADDRESS: Justin Solondz #98291-011, FDC SeaTac, PO Box 13900, Seattle, WA 98198.
Please send just letters at this new address. If you recently sent a letter to the previous address, please re-send something to the new address, as he may not have received your mail. Remember, Justin is in pre-trial, so the crimes he is charged with, relating primarily to ELF action in the Pacific Northwest, are all allegations.
Also from EcoPrisoners.org: “Briana Waters accepted a plea bargain on June 14th, which requires her full and complete cooperation with the state. It reads, in part, “Defendant shall cooperate completely and truthfully with law enforcement authorities in the investigation and prosecution of other individuals involved in criminal activity. Such cooperation shall include, but not be limited to, complete and truthful statements to law enforcement officers, as well as complete and truthful testimony if called as a witness before a grand jury, or at any state or federal trial, retrial, or other judicial proceedings. Defendant acknowledges that this obligation to cooperate shall continue after Defendant has entered guilty pleas and sentence has been imposed…” The plea agreement later states, “Defendant agrees that Defendant’s sentencing date may be delayed based on the United States’ need for Defendant’s continued cooperation…”
The “Statement of Facts” in the plea agreement implicates other people in the actions to which she is pleading guilty. This includes Justin Solondz (who is currently awaiting trial), Rebecca Rubin and Joseph Dibee (who have not been captured).
To read the full plea agreement, click here.”
Sadly, she is no longer deserving of political prisoner status and will not receive any further support from the Earth First! Journal.
Coos County , OR— Early Tuesday morning a number of activists with Cascadia Forest Defenders and Cascadia Earth First! unfolded a series of road blockades in the Elliott State Forest closing access points to timber sales along the west fork of the Millicoma River. The blockades consist of an array of Tree-sits and ground level locking devices.
The sales are all slated for clear-cut logging, and are areas of native forest that have never before seen a chain saw. They exist on steep slopes where erosion from logging threatens to further damage Salmon habitat, as well as devastate protected species including Marbled Murrelet and Northern Spotted Owl.
“For decades, activists in the northwest pushed the forest service into changing there ways for the better, and we have seen dramatic improvements in the types of projects federal agencies are working on, The Oregon Department of Forestry has taken the opposite route, showing total disregard for life, and the health of these ecosystems, this is the beginning of a long term campaign that aims to see state lands managed for sustainability, bio-diversity and the overall health of the ecosystem, we will keep the pressure on in The Elliot, and all over the state of Oregon from this point forward” –Jason Gonzales, Cascadia Forest Defenders.
“The clearcutting in the Elliot is the worst in the state. They would never allow cuts like this on federal forest.” —Meredith Cocks of Cascadia Forest Defenders.
Activists in the canopy have issued the following list of demands for the State Land Board and the Oregon Department of Forestry that they say must be met before they will willingly leave the forest:
1) Cease all logging of native forests on public land in Oregon
2) Put a moratorium on all logging and road construction in the Elliot State Forest
3) Halt the export of raw logs from all Oregon forest, public or private
4) Reject the Oregon Department of Forestry’s 2011 Implementation Plan for the Elliot State Forest
5) Stop the use of herbicides and the slaughter of the native mountain beaver.
Contact ODF and tell them you support the demands: information@odf.state.o… Phone: 503-945-7200 Fax: 503-945-7212
This action is a culmination of last weekend’s Forest Defense Action Camp. Around 70 people from around Coos and Douglas county, as well as other areas of Oregon and the country gathered near the Elkhorn Ranch ORV Park in the Elliot for the three day camp. Attendants were educated on current threats to the Elliot State Forest as well as provided with trainings to engage in direct action, climbing and more.
UPDATE: On Wednesday Night, July 27th, Law Enforcement arrived at the Elkhorn Ranch Timber Sale tree-sit and blockade in the Elliot. Protesters at the site have been warned that Law Enforcement will attempt to forcibly extract anyone remaining at the blockade at noon today, July 28th. Although a bulldozer plowed through the slash piles the previous evening, as of this report, road blockades and canopy occupations continue.
Photo from day one of the Coal River Mountain tree sit
While more ground support people have been arrested, the tree sitters are still holding out and calling for end of strip mining in Coal River watershed. Support continues to grow. Check out the new statement they released a yesterday.
Fuck the State of the Nation Address Demo (Philippines)
Monday. July 25
About 40 anarchists wearing masks and mostly dressed in black vandalized and disrupted the area of Commonwealth Avenue where the State of the Nation Address was held. Anarchists individuals, without leaders and with clear mind and visions, were small in numbers in comparison with around 8,000 authoritarian left who recruited some people to march for pay or food while being granted by the state with permit zone to revolt, wishing for their demands and for the revolution in collaboration with corporate media and state institutions who fuck up the lives of millions of people in the archipelago. They are everyday reflected in the unprecedented growth of poverty, ecological destruction, homelessness, unemployment, hunger and other miserable conditions most of the inhabitants of the country endure.
The deployment of massive numbers of police forces and riot cops with batons and shields was fair enough for the authoritarian left to set things as it was always use to be. Every time is another rallying cry of pacifism, persuading and influencing the masses to another form of government to live by, wishing it will happen one day. Of course, they could not get in closely to the Hall of Congress at the back of Sandiganbayan (office of the Ombudsman), where the ruling president (Benigno Aquino III) will proudly address his 1 year of accomplishment of lies and deceit. The so-called revolutionary tactics of the authoritarian left is widely known in front of the TV screen which is for them ok. The state and the left knew each other well. Each of them is a ruling and authoritarian form. There are a bunch of leftist politicians building their nests in congressional bodies making laws and profit at the expense of the obedient citizen.
12 pm: Anarchist demo began. Reclaiming the streets. The normal flow of traffic was severely disturbed. It was an unexpected moment for most of the authorities who were there on that day. As they put more attention on the other side of the road — the permitted zone — to control the motion of thousands of anti-SONA leftist protestors via radios and walking surveillance, the authorities were completely shocked and froze to the ground seeing anarchists mobilizing from a different direction, counter-flowing the march of the permitted zone, walking down the other side of the road. For legal matters it is definitely illegal to mobilize there. A few comrades with bicycle were also on the demo controlling the traffic so demonstrators would not get hit by aggressive cars.
Police authorities don’t know what to do. They were just standing up, confused and traumatized, although they were many. They see anarchists mobilizing on that day like watching TV, as traumatic and desensitized as most people who care to watch the screen and the news.
The bad thing is that it is inherent, normal, and accepted that the authorities kill people in front of our very eyes. For someone who could actually see such atrocity, this leaves people in a traumatized state and fear. In a sudden moment on that day police appeared to be anyone, but noone special. Police are just mere repressors, a tool of the state.
Screams and chant of anger were raised by anarchist dissidents ”Aparato ng Estado Wasakin, Durugin, Gawing Pagkain” (State apparatus, Smash, Destroy, turn it into food). “Fuck police brutality, Fuck police oppression” where every police line in the service of command could actually hear it. Main banner said “Walang pagbabago sa patuloy na reporma. Anarkistang rebolusyon ang solusyon. Wasakin ang hirarkiya. Depensahan ang kalikasan. Tapusin ang kahirapan.” (“There is no change in continuous reform. Anarchist revolution is the solution. Destroy hierarchy. Defend ecology. End poverty.”). It was loud. No megaphone only screams and drums and brave passion. A few young street kids eventually attended the demo, having fun, kind of like amazed when they saw the action amidst traffic following behind the protestors walking. The community, passersby, and neighborhood around Commonwealth area began to seriously read the banner having a very close look. Leaflets of detailed statement (Tagalog) made by anarchists (against SONA) were handed out to folks around. It is always new, imaginative tactics for anarchist to fight against the political death machine, in the local level, against every SONA, WTO, JPEPA, ASEAN, APEC and other capitalist trade agreements ruining the world and its inhabitants with annihilation and destruction. SONA, few years ago the national flag was burned.
Now, paint bombs were thrown at buses visibly labeled with corporate advertising. Roads of the permit zone were also smashed with paints. The Circle A symbol adorned some parts of the roads. Street walls and traffic signboards were covered with graffiti and stickers mainly directed against the state and capitalist oppression. Few vendors selling mami noodles along the area reacted by saying that the said action was beautiful and fun and momentarily gave a share of noodles for free to one of the anarchists. Firecrackers were used when the group stopped along the UCPB bank and protested there. At this time, anarchists were already in the permitted zone after crossing the road protesting among thousands of leftist marching. Still the vandalism continues. Various media that came from the marching leftist political bloc, AKBAYAN party list (rejectionist) stopped for while and covered the anarchist banner message. A middle finger from one of the masked protestors was pointed to one of the media who wanted to cover them with a close angle. Leaflets were still handed out to mostly young students who were with the leftist march. They are mostly recruited. When young students saw masked protestors in front of the bank, they were also kind of curious and interested leaving the rank and file march a bit delayed.
It was war from our hearts.
It was spontaneity.
No arrests.
“This is Cascadia Forest Defenders with an urgent call out for support on the Treesit and road blockade currently protecting Native forests in the Elliott State Forest. We have a stronghold that is holding but nearly lost 2 sitters at another site this morning, when a rogue, still un-identified bulldozer plowed through the slash piles and anchors which were attached to the road and were holding there platform in the trees, these brave individuals fortunately had good training and survived the incident.
If you are trained and experienced in forest defense, we need your help. If you are able, Join us in the Elliott, we need you on the roads and in the trees, contact us if you can help out.
If you are not in the area, We would love to see some solidarity actions! If you are in a position to to do so, take action to let the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and the State Land Board know that their behavior in our state forests is unacceptable and must stop now!
Please send this message along, spread the word, Make some noise, and RISE UP against ODF and their heinous ways!”
Find out more from the Cascadia Forest Defenders.
Cremate the corporations! Smelt the System!
Friday, September 23 at 7:00pm – September 24 at 12:00am
For the last 15 years, The Ruckus Society has been a premiere source of tools, training, and strategy for creative and effective action. “We’re in it to win it, and direct action gets the goods!”
After all these years, Ruckus’s fire is still burning strong… Join us September 23rd to celebrate the past and help light the fire for the next 15 years!
EF! Newswire Editor’s note: We hope all the Earth First!ers out there who remember Ruckus Society’s roots in EF! culture will show up and offer some tough love to our allies out there in the fancier offices. You’re halfway there friends. Let us know when you get through the teens… No Compromise!
Ecological resistance is on the rise across the US. Check out these and more events at the EF! Newswire calendar 
…
By Peter Skeel Hjorth, WTS.com reporter (reporting from Sweden) source
Thursday morning, 15 July 2011, the local Danish police gave up removing the activists who since Friday, 15 July 2011, have prevented the cutting down of forest to make room for the planned National Test Centre for 250 metres high windmills in Thy, Northern Jutland [Denmark].
Ten police officers turned up to end the blockade, but withdrew when it turned out that there were more activists than expected. The protestors are camping in the forest area where the authorities intend to cut down the trees to create the right wind conditions in the Test Centre. “We shall be back in greater numbers,” the police said.
The Test Centre will be situated between a protected bird sanctuary, a so-called Ramsar area, and a Natura 2000 area. The Danish Society for Nature Conservation finds that the law regarding the Test Centre violates the European Union (EU) Habitat Directive, and has brought the case before the EU Commission who has requested a detailed statement from the Danish government. Furthermore, a local association has filed a case against the Danish State.
Friday, 15 July, the bird breeding season ended and by midnight the Danish authorities intended to start cutting down the forest. Throughout the day, the local population protested against the demolition of one of Denmark’s last wilderness area.
The activists simply laid down in front of the authorities’ machines to prevent the cutting down to start. They are staying in the area in tents, day and night. The ruling of the EU Commission is expected within a couple of weeks. The activists demand that the cutting be postponed until the ruling of the EU Commission and the verdict of a Danish court have been made public.
The demonstration in Thy has no central organization, but arose spontaneously. A spokesman for the activists appealed for support and assistance from both Europe and the rest of the world—support as soon as possible.
For more info, contact Peter Skeel Hjorth, spokesman of EPAW in Scandinavia and the Baltic States. Email: peter@skeelhjorth.dk Phone: +46 708 166521 Or Aleksander Sønder. Email: aleksander.soender@gmail.com Phone: +45 26160630
Click here for more photos.
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UPDATE & MORE BACKGROUND 7/26/2011: “Camp has been shut down again. Still there are people monitoring the forest actions and reporting them… The windmill company first wanted to settle the camp on a place where the military is training for Afghanistan. Because the military argues that they are in war, they did not led the test center be built there. So the last nature reserve in Denmark has to be victimized for this project. This isn’t democratically voted, and the legal issue at the European cout hasn’t been decided. Still the workers already started cutting down. And the police are still present.” —From an anonymous source on the frontlines
For a longer list of “players” benefiting from, and/or invested in, this project go here
For some pro-industry lies promising greatness and further information on this region and this enormous wind energy project also visit here
cross posted from itsgettinghotinhere.org
Today, Tim DeChristopher was sentenced to 2 years in prison and taken away from the courthouse without goodbyes or the option to self-report. In court, Tim said “You can put me in prison but it will not deter my future of civil disobedience and it won’t deter others who are willing to fight to defend a livable future.”
Outside the Courthouse, hundreds of supporters had gathered from the Salt Lake City community, singing, chanting, and speaking out as they bore witness to the sentencing. Immediately after the bang of the gavel Ashely Anderson and Ashley Sanders were hauled out of the courtroom for loudly rallying people inside saying, “this court has proven itself incapable of justice. So the people will take it back – it is now our court!” foreshadowing the civil disobedience to come outside. As Henia Belalia left the Courthouse, she made an official statement declaring, “If there was ever a day in history to take action, this is it.” And people took action. Peaceful Uprising activists did a sit-in to blockade the 2 front entrances of the Federal Courthouse, to tell the world “its ours” and emphasize that if Tim was going to jail, they were too, giving meaning to the slogan “we are all Bidder 70.” Taking their lead, members of the community began to join the blockade to show their love and outrage. 26 people were arrested.
A mother who joined the blockade was with her three children during the time of arrest, and said in tears “I need you to see this, its for your future.” Those participating in the sit-in chose to emphasize their point that business as usual is unacceptable by moving to blockade a major intersection in front of the courthouse during rush hour. As supporters continued to sing and support those who locked down, Tim DeChristopher was quickly rushed out the side door in chains and loaded into a police van. We can only hope he felt our support, and that that support is carried to all people of conscience who do what is right for people and the planet.
Today a true crime was committed in every federal courthouse in the United States. Why is Tim now in prison for protecting our future, while corporate CEOs walk free with millions of dollars for destroying it? We recognized today that our justice system has failed us. It, like our economy and other branches of government, are controlled by the fossil fuel industry. And today we affirm that we stand with millions actively taking it back. Please see our official response to the sentencing for action opportunities and links to all of the remarkable actions that are being taken around the country.
Act! The movement is with you.
EF! DAM
Ecodefense
Earth First! Newswire 