NEWS: Earth First! Big River Update -- Shawnee National Forest
Not Jym Dyer
Big River Earth First! Update
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SHAWNEE UPDATE
On Saturday, August 31, two Earth First! activists were
arrested in a back-country action in Shawnee National Forest of
Southern Illinois. They were apparently abducted by some of the
40 camouflaged paramilitary Forest Service commandos with Magnum
45s who were patrolling the timber sale area.
Earlier in the week Chris Van Dalen, a co-founder of
Svae America's Forests, who was run over by an East Perry timber
buyer, filed charges against Brian Unnerstal, the driver of the
pick-up. It was also revealed that after Van Dalen was run over,
he asked that the evidence on the road be preserved and the
Forest Service allowed logging trucks to destroy any remaining
evidence.
Earlier today, Orin Langelle of EF! began the process of
filing charges of battery against Henry Sixkiller who appears to
be the on-site supervisor of the Forest Service special agents.
Sixkiller lunged at Langelle and threw him into a ditch wile
Langelle was peacefully walking away from a blockade. Sixkiller
was present, and it is rumored offered the logger encouragement
when a tree holding an EF! tree-sitter was cut down in Texas in
1988, injuring the EF!er for life.
After 5 treesitting platforms in the Fairview sale were
cut down, Sixkiller was quoted as saying, "It wouldn't have
mattered if there were people on the platforms, we'd have cut
them down anyway."
Friday, over 100 students at Southern Illinois
University, Carbondale, held a rally and marched to the USDAFS
research station where they surrounded the building, demanded
and were denied entry, and blockaded entrances.
Other forms of harassment of activists have included
organizers being followed by federal helicopters and vans and
anti-logging signs posted on private property were illegally
removed by Forest Service agents.
EF! is calling for continued protest throughout this
decimation of the Shawnee. Contact Doug McClura at 618/684-6897
for info and updates.