This post is a little old, but since i just sent my letter to Judge Aiken in support of Daniel McGowan, i figured now was a good time to clean it out of my draft box. The following are snippets of and links to the Eugene Weekly four-part series, Flames of Dissent: The local spark that ignited an eco-sabotage boom - and bust. I think it does a pretty good job at showing how those that have used arson and other property destruction did so only after experiencing years of repression (including arrests, police violence, court fees, etc) using more mainstream and non-violent tactics. As the series shows, though, not all the responsibility can be placed on law enforcement or the government. Over the years, privileged activists continued to refuse to challenge their own oppressive behavior patterns. This created a growing divide and served to dissolve the strong community ties. Without a strong support network, disillusionment and desperation take over at an exponential rate. Those who are left with no active and supportive community are left with the option to drop out or take more covert actions (a protest with three people doesn’t have the effect or gain the same media attention as a late night raid or act of arson, yet increases your chances of being arrested and/or assaulted by law enforcement). As long as we are unable and unwilling to talk about oppressive behaviors/mentalities and privileges, we don’t need “an enemy” to divide and conquer, we’ll divide ourselves without outside help.
Part I: In Defense of Cascadia:The Warner Creek campaign
Segments of the American public have glanced at the mug shots inked into newspapers and seen dangerous eco-fanatics who belong behind bars. But here in Eugene, where most of the alleged saboteurs have lived, those faces are familiar to hundreds and dear to many. In recent months, EW spoke with more than a dozen local people who described the accused as compassionate, Earth-loving people, influenced by a time that also shaped Eugene.
It was a time of intense community-building for the eco-anarchists, who roved between neighborhood hot spots like Tiny Tavern, Out of the Fog café, Scobert Park and a crop of housing co-ops. Warner Creek vet Stella-Lee Anderson launched the Jawbreaker gallery to showcase neighborhood creations, and artist Kari Johnson painted post-apocalyptic feminist visions on Whiteaker walls. Johnson led eco-activists to tear up a parking space and turn it into a community garden — Joni Mitchell’s dystopic vision in reverse — while Critical Mass bikers, empowered by their numbers, reclaimed the streets from cars. Activists shared knowledge at “Free Schools” and guerrilla info shops, neighbors swapped clothes at a community free space and Food Not Bombs brought free vegetarian meals to local parks daily.
Part. III: Eco-Anarchy Imploding
In Eugene, the gender divide was only getting worse. One woman, who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation — we’ll call her “S.” — became alarmed around 2000 when an eco-anarchist allegedly commented that he would rape a woman for the revolution. S. launched what she called an anarcho-feminist counter-movement, criticizing and publicly shunning the activists who she felt were fostering abuse — a list that started small, but widened to include even well-known feminists such as Heather Coburn and Kari Johnson. “There was a lack of analysis of white, male, able-bodied, hetero privilege,” S. said. “There’s no way a movement can sustain itself if it’s not built from the bottom up and if all of us haven’t addressed our cultural oppression.”
Four defendants before the federal court in Oregon — McGowan, Paul, Block and Zacher — pleaded not guilty. On behalf of all four, the team of defense attorneys filed discovery motions asking the feds to hand over any information that had been obtained through National Security Administration surveillance or warrantless wiretaps, which a judge had recently ruled illegal.
The federal prosecutors stalled, pushing back their court-ordered deadline three times while maintaining that no illegal surveillance had occurred. But eventually they struck a plea deal with the defendants: In exchange for withdrawing the discovery motion and confessing to their own crimes, all four defendants would get dramatically reduced sentences and would not have to implicate anyone else. They took the deal, pleading guilty in November.
Only one defendant, Briana Waters, continues to plead not guilty before the federal court in Washington. Her attorney is pursuing a discovery motion similar to that filed by the Oregon defense team.
