* "Richardson Grove Action Now!" [707-602-7551] [rgroveactionnow@gmail.com]
* "Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters" [www.HeadwatersPreserve.org] [510-548-3113] [bach@headwaterspreserve.org] [2530 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94702]
* "Communities For Justice and Peace, Humboldt.Co. Ca." (Sending out reports and research studies, exposing media bias, holding government accountable to 'We The People')
Other Ecological Actions happening in the Redwood Curtain:
* Occupy Willits Bypass! Save Little Lake Valley! [link]
* "Stop Green Diamond" campaign page [link]
* Campaigns to preserve eco-system against illegal CalTrans projects [link]
"Mustered To Stop This Madness"
message from "Communities For Justice and Peace, Humboldt.Co. Ca.":
The largest road builder in the world plans to expand Highway 101 through ancient Richardson Grove. This is a message for use by musicians and spokespeople reaching greater numbers of people at any upcoming events and meetings:
:: Jan. 30, 2014 ::
WIN in Court of Appeals!
Appeals Court REVERSES State Court Giving Green Light to Richardson Grove Highway Project
See our report from the Courtroom in our Jan. 21 update here [https://web.archive.org/web/20140907202222/http://headwaterspreserve.org/2014/01/two-court-reports-richardson-grove-redwoods-last-week-willits-bypass-protester-in-court-this-week/].
The following is excerpted from the Center for Biological Diversity's press release [https://web.archive.org/web/20140907202307/http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2014/richardson-grove-01-30-2014.html]:
The California Court of Appeal today ordered Caltrans to reevaluate the environmental impacts of a controversial highway-widening project in Humboldt County that would harm irreplaceable old-growth redwood trees in Richardson Grove State Park. The appeals court unanimously found that Caltrans failed to follow the law in assessing impacts on ancient redwoods and providing mitigation measures to reduce potentially severe harm to the trees. Caltrans’ project — intended to allow bigger trucks to travel Highway 101 through the park — would require excavation, fill and paving within the fragile root zones of Richardson Grove’s ancient trees.
“This is a victory for Richardson Grove’s ancient trees and for the generations of travelers, hikers and campers who’ve enjoyed their magnificence,” said Center for Biological Diversity attorney Kevin Bundy. “Caltrans owes the public a full and honest account of how its highway-widening plans could damage this irreplaceable state park.”
EPIC; the Center for Biological Diversity; Californians for Alternatives to Toxics; and [several] local residents ...challenged an environmental impact report approved for the project by Caltrans in 2010. The Humboldt County Superior Court ruled in 2012 that Caltrans’ report complied with the California Environmental Quality Act. Today’s ruling overturns that decision.
A separate lawsuit filed in federal court resulted in a 2012 ruling that Caltrans must redo critical aspects of its environmental analysis under federal law. The court cited numerous errors in mapping and measurement of affected old-growth redwoods and found that Caltrans had been "arbitrary and capricious" in its use of what the court itself called "faulty data."
"Report Back from Jan. 15, 2014 Court of Appeals in S.F. hearing arguments to reverse the previous State Court decision in the Richardson Grove case"
2014-01-22 Caltrans Updates from the Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters:
EPIC attorney Sharon Duggan delivered excellent and compelling arguments before the 3-judge panel, showing that the potentially catastrophic impacts on the ancient redwoods were not addressed by Caltrans in their EIR, saying “there is nothing minor about 73 redwood trees being impacted.”
This, contrary to Caltrans documents saying there would be “no significant impact” from their pneumonic spade equipment 2 foot deep excavation around the roots of the old growth redwoods. The Caltrans attorney stumbled and tripped several times, in the opinion of this court observer.
The most promising signs of the day were the probing questions put forward by the judges, one asking Caltrans more than once, “I have the documents—tell me where I should look—where is the impact discussed?”, noting that in fact, the impact was largely dismissed rather than discussed.
We now wait on the courts on two fronts in the Richardson Grove campaign:
the ruling in this appeal
the reaction to inadequate response filed by Caltrans in the federal Richardson Grove case
Stay tuned!
Richardson Grove redwoods alert: Time to Take Action!
2013-10-14 Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters Alert:
Richardson Grove Redwoods Need Your Help!
As we told you in a previous alert, Caltrans recently posted new documents in response to the April 2012 court order issued when EPIC and the Center for Biological Diversity prevailed in federal court and halted the Richardson Grove highway "realignment" project that we and our allies had been opposing, with their lawsuit in April 2012. The Federal Judge ruled that Caltrans had "arbitrarily and capriciously tried to justify the project with false data." (their measurements of the trees and their mapping.)
See our fact sheet on the Richardson Grove highway project at [http://headwaterspreserve.org/2011/09/big-trucks-or-big-trees-what-do-you-want-3/].
Caltrans has defied the court order resulting from the ruling and come back with an inadequate response, and an announcement that they plan to proceed with highway construction in mid-2014.
Those documents are now in public comment period, but only until Oct. 21.
It is important that Caltrans hear comments from those who want to see the ancient redwoods in Richardson Grove State Park preserved without the carving up of their root systems! You can submit comments on the Supplemental Environmental Assessment through the link below.
There is an easy way to submit comments, with suggested text, on the website of our allies EPIC in Humboldt County. You can find the “Take Action” page at [http://org2.salsalabs.com/o/5349/p/dia/action3/common/public/index.sjs?action_KEY=15562]
If you want to review the full documents on the Caltrans site and develop your own comments, you can find the documents at [http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist1/d1projects/richardson_grove/] and then email you comments to: [richardsongroveimprovement@dot.ca.gov/]
Please take action today! We thank you. The trees thank you.
2013-02-04 update from the "Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters":
As readers of these posts know, a Caltrans project related to the Richardson Grove highway project (on hold for the moment) through what we believe are Caltrans' ultimate goals (an I-5 size highway up the coast) is starting up in Willits. On the start-up date for the Willits Bypass project through sensitive wetlands and significant oak woodlands, Earth First! and local activists turned out to oppose the project in a successful rally on the site. A tree-sit was launched, and as a result, Caltrans did not work all of last week, after the planned start up on Jan. 28.Today, Feb. 4, Warbler, the 24-year old woman perched 55 ft. up in a tree marked for cutting in the project area began her second week. Warbler is a local resident who works on a local Willits valley farm. The tree-sit is about 2.5 miles south of Willits on Hwy. 101, and is joined by a daily presence of support people holding signs calling to "Stop the Caltrans Bypass" next to the highway. We got the report that Caltrans is not on site working today. When asked last Friday (2-1) about the start up date of Jan. 28, Caltrans project manager Mauricio Serano (707-502-7628) said that Caltrans was meeting at that very time and had not decided anything yet.
There has been local coverage on Humboldt's KMUD radio, and
* the Willits News - "Willits bypass construction draws protest" [http://www.willitsnews.com/ci_22475407/willits-bypass-construction-draws-protest].
* Anderson Valley Advertiser - "The Warbler & The Willits Bypass" [http://theava.com/archives/20343].
* Earth First! News - "Treesit in California Against CalTrans Bypass" [https://earthfirstnews.wordpress.com/2013/01/29/treesit-in-california-against-transcanada-bypass-construction/].
A website has been put up at [http://www.savelittlelakevalley.org]
Stay tuned! This timely protest is unfolding on a daily basis. You can email or call us if you'd like to go up and support people and stand in opposition to Caltrans' boondoggle and destructive project. We will provide directions and phone numbers.
Stop Caltrans--An Agency Out of Control!
One Demand for the Old Growth Redwoods of Richardson Grove: Cancel the Caltrans Plan!
Over $210 Million for a Highway Through Wetlands? Stop the Caltrans Willits Bypass!
"Update from the Redwoods: Richardson Grove vs Caltrans"
2012-07-31 message from "Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters":
Dear supporters of the forest,
Here is the latest update on the Campaign to Save Richardson Grove, the state park populated by majestic old growth redwood giants and threatened by a destructive Caltrans highway "realignment" project. We carry on, in coalition and in strong spirit.
The good news is that strong and vocal opposition to Caltrans' plans have kept heavy machinery out of the redwood park--Caltrans has not yet broken ground on a plan that was first proposed in 2007. We have a good chance to stop this project permanently if opposition to Caltrans and support of our public lands is kept strong, as we maneuver the twists of turns of a campaign that has included lobbying, lawsuits, demonstrations, "Eco-trans" guerilla theater outreach to tourists, thousands of postcards to Gov. Jerry Brown, and much more.
We won the case in federal court this spring (April) which was brilliantly argued by EPIC's attorney Sharon Duggan--that ruling found Caltrans to have put forth a deeply flawed analysis and sent them back to the drawing board to re-do their analysis, which the judge found to be based on false data. Judge Alsup strongly rebuked Caltrans and advised them to consider that other arguments brought up by the environmental attorneys. While we cannot alwayscount on the facts winning the day, this time they did!
Then came the state court ruling from Humboldt County Judge Reinholtsen which disappointed but didn't surprise many. While it found that Caltrans needed to develop a reporting or monitoring program for the environmental impacts, the judge omitted by analysis of the cumulative effects of increased truck traffic bringing carbon emissions contributing to climate change, and dismissed the State Park's own guidelines prohibiting construction in the root zone of old growth trees as simply advisory. Regarding the increased deisel emissions, it is important to note that redwoods are particularly sensitive to air pollution, and are already heavily impacted from traffic on Hwy. 101. Consider the impacts of 101 becoming another I-5, which is what Caltrans seemed to be working towards! And while we would find many more violations of state environmental laws, the state ruling is decidedly not a green light, and moreover, the federal case trumps the state decision.
So here we go, onward with passion! --and in coalition. A new coalition has been formed bringing together those working to stop several ecologically destructive Caltrans projects: in Richardson Grove, in Niles Canyon (SE Bay Area) and the Willits By-Pass project. It is a great way to share resources, strategy and numbers, giving each campaign more strength.
Click here to read about the big win in federal court, and here to read about the (bad) judgement in state court.
You can always check the Save Richardson Grove website for the latest news!
Stay tuned. With few resources, the Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters remains the primary contact for the Richardson Grove campaign in the Bay Area, and for other forest campaigns as well. If you can help with your time, or donations, you help us do more. You can send donations (made out to our fiscal sponsor the ECOLOGY CENTER) at the address below, or donate on-line through our website.
"Opponents of Federally-Funded CalTrans Plan To Widen Hwy 101 Through Richardson Grove State Park. Warn Contractors Seeking To Work On The Plan: 'BIDDER'S BEWARE-WE WILL STOP YOU EVERY STEP OF THE WAY!'”:
2011-04-20, Humboldt County, CA:
In an April 18, 2011 protest, the latest in a series of direct actions and mass rallies, including a day-long lockdown occupation of the CalTrans District 1 Headquarters, a treesit on private property bordering Hwy 101 that CalTrans plans to steal and deforest, two large banner hangs, and a crafty public meeting disruption, Richardson Grove Action Now (RGAN) declared, “Bidders Beware! We will stop you every step of the way.” Northcoast communities are not only threatened with the Naval war games testing and bomb detonation currently taking place off the Northern Pacific Coast, but now must stave off a federally-motivated CalTrans plan to mutilate an ancient redwood grove so that trans-national corporations, nuclear materials, development, and military have greater access to Humboldt Bay and to towns that have been relatively protected by a bottleneck of forests and winding roads from the South and East.
Sue Ricker of RGAN said at Monday's demonstration, “It's preposterous in 2011 to be destroying the last remaining 2% of old growth. If CalTrans can widen the highway through Richardson Grove State Park, a world-renowned redwood forest, they'll go to any length to convert the 101 into an interstate NAFTA artery.”
RGAN vows to stop this plan in the trees, roads, and offices, and has been relentlessly vocal about CalTrans' lies regarding the motivations, logistics, and consequences of the road widening project. “Despite CalTrans' biased claims that no old-growth trees will be cut or harmed if the project moves ahead, we know that excavating, cutting, compacting, and paving over the roots of ancient redwood trees spells certain death.” says members of RGAN. Furthermore, anyone traveling through the Grove, as do thousands of awestruck people every year, knows that in the narrowest sections of the road, there is little space (only 23 feet) between the humungous old growth trees. CalTrans' plan calls for 28 feet and would require CalTrans to cut the ancient monuments. RGAN notes that every time there is a protest against the expansion project, CalTrans trips over itself to create new lies and to counter growing awareness of the nefarious plan. While CalTrans claims that root excavation does no harm, several landslides have occurred in the past month, including a massive slide onto Highway 101 north of Richardson Grove, exhibiting of what happens to roads and mountains when roots no longer stabilize the ground.
April 18th was CalTrans' Advertised Bid day for the major construction in the road widening plan. Although recent activity in lawsuits against the project suggest that CalTrans will halt its bidding process for a couple of months, CalTrans District 1 Supervisor spoke on Monday to the press about the bidding process going forward, while the only delay he acknowledged regarded a related, but separate, culvert project in the Grove.
On Monday (April 18th), while a hundred community members protested at the CalTrans District 1 HQ in escalating resistance to the highway expansion, CalTrans locked its doors to the public. While demonstrating on the office lawn, people made dozens of phone calls to CalTrans to express opposition to the plan; CalTrans responded by turning off its phones. One demonstrator climbed a ladder onto the roof to address the crowd and highlight the urgency of direct action to prevent the road widening: “We are strong, unified and growing in numbers. We will not back down, and our determination to protect the Redwood Curtain is not shaken by the violence, lies, and scare tactics perpetuated by the State, nor by distortions of the truth from the complicit corporate media.” She was arrested by several officers. Many officers were posted inside, at the front doors, and on the various rooftops of the HQ.
One demonstrator's thorough presentation to the crowd included information about the long-standing and shrouded motivations of the project and the fact that there are also CalTrans road “widening” projects on every highway entrance east to the Northcoast. The cracking open of the Redwood Curtain promises to forever change the physical, social, and economic landscape of the Northcoast and what has been, for millenia, redwood country.
RGAN will broaden and intensify the non-violent direct action campaign against the wasteful, illegal, and irreparable plan. The group warns potential bidder companies that contractors will deal with more than just a construction job if they choose to do harmful road widening through the world-renowned ancient grove.
###
Photos available on request from April 18th Protest and other actions!
Contact: Richardson Grove Action Now [707.602.7551] [rgroveactionnow@gmail.com]
Download PDF of Press Release: [http://www.box.net/shared/73sxabqa48]
"Humboldt Board of Supervisors Targeted in Direct Action Campaign to Stop Highway Expansion Through Richardson Grove State Park"
2011-03-08 from "Richardson Grove Action Now" [SaveRichardsonGrove.blogspot.com]:
Humboldt Board of Supervisors Targeted in Direct Action Campaign to Stop Highway Expansion Through Richardson Grove State Park -
“No Road Widening Through Richardson Grove” activists sang to the Board of Supervisors at the weekly meeting this morning. Six people who are opposed to the plan to widen the road through Richardson Grove State Park were arrested for expressing their dissent to the abhorrent decision the Supervisors made when they gave a green light to the plan, seemingly without hearing or caring about the opinion of the people whom they claim to represent.
This proposed project would have far reaching and devastating effects socially, ecologically, economically, and spiritually. We currently have the potential to build our own economy and wealth as working class people. This project would only leverage more control and wealth for the “owner” class by making it easier and more lucrative for “big box” stores to invade our communities, thereby leaching much-needed local dollars from the North Coast. We know that the Highway 101 expansion is supported by U.S. military and so-called defense agencies who wish to have greater access to and control of the people and natural resources of this region. Respecting the old growth forest in a protected park trumps any value that could come from widening the road. Just as all life has the inherent right to survive with a healthy level of autonomy, we also demand our right to survive and determine for ourselves, rather than be forced to accept, what passes through our lives or covers the landscape of our home.
Richardson Grove Action Now is committed to stopping the Federally funded CALtrans highway expansion through Richardson Grove. “We know that this plan will ruin our local economy, will bring increased militarization, will interfere with a state park, will irreparably damage the root systems of ancient trees, and will change forever our way of life” says Richardson Grove activists.
The letter below was handed out to the Board of Supervisors and other meeting attendees this morning.
---
Clerk of the Board of Supervisors
Room 111 of the County Courthouse
825 5th Street
Eureka , CA 95501
March 8, 2011
To Humboldt County Board of Supervisors,
Jimmy Smith, Clif Clendenen,Mark Lovelace, Virginia Bass, Ryan Sundberg
This morning several people representing opposition to Caltrans’ 10+million dollar plan to widen Highway 101 through Richardson Grove State Park demonstrated during your morning meeting. You have failed in your ability to work for the people due to your allegiance to special interests. You have refused to protect our communities now and for future generations. Many of your constituents have requested, formally and repeatedly, that you hold a public forum to discuss this issue- the road widening project and its myriad consequences; we have asked that you put this significant item on the agenda;we have asked for your assistance, and you have blatantly and openly disrespected and ignored us. You should not be permitted to continue “business as usual” when your business is short-sighted, corrupt, and detrimental to our lives.
The Board of Supervisors is an elected position. Your failures and refusals to adequately represent and defend your constituents and your failure and refusal to fight for a significant State Park in Humboldt County have been obvious through your rubber-stamping of this and other contentious CalTrans projects, through your ignoring of the will and well-being of your constituents, through your prioritization of transnational interests over local economy, through your approval- without our consent- of a plan that will endanger our safety on the road, through your complicity with unlawful plans to damage a State Park for purported economic benefit, through your brazen disregard for the sanctity of Richardson Grove to the First Nations people in this region and your perpetuation of the genocide that began several generations ago. We have a voice, and we demand that you listen, lest you will continue to find it more and more difficult to conduct what you call “business” and what we call CRIME.
You have misappropriated thousands of dollars from the Headwater's Fund to promote CalTrans' proposed highway expansion through Richardson Grove. In addition to paying for television, radio, and print media to promote the CalTrans project, you used over $10,000 from the Headwaters Fund to: pay six public figures to submit “My Word” letters to the Eureka Times-Standard; to pay for editing those letters; to provide instructions and propaganda for businesses on how to publicly promote the CalTrans project; and to fund many county staff hours for project lobbying. Then, $25,000 more in county public funds were pilfered by Kirk Girard, director of Humboldt County Community Development, to promote the highway expansion through Richardson Grove. This is not only an outrage, it is a special interests racket.
These are glaring violations of the public trust and gross acts of collusion with special economic interests, at the behest of the future and well-being of our region. You have not only failed to oppose the project, you have failed to seek legal recourse against CalTrans for interfering with the State Park and failed to investigate the adverse and long-term affects of the project. In reality, you have actively and unethically propagandized this CalTrans project (and others) and, to our detriment, done everything to advance an imperialist agenda.
Sincerely,
Richardson Grove Action Now
"Update on Richardson Grove Campaign: The Mighty Redwoods Still Stand!"
2012-02-08 from "Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters" [www.HeadwatersPreserve.org]:
hello forest lovers,
The good news is that due to strong opposition to Caltrans' plans to bring heavy machinery into Richardson Grove State Park, Caltrans has not yet broken ground in this project which they had planned to csarry out long ago. That opposition has manifested loud and clear as editorials, civil lawsuits, rallies, demonstrations and thousands of postcards and letters from you, We plan to keep that ground in tact.
There is a court hearing in federal court in San Francisco on Feb. 23 that is pivotal. The case was filed challenging Caltrans by our friends and colleagues at EPIC, the Center for Biological Diversity and individuals, and carries with it an injunction that has prevented forward movement of the project thus far. Central to the case is the declaration by forester and professor Joe McBride, who scientific credence to the argument that, contrary to Caltrans' claims, the root systems of the ancient redwoods in Richardson Grove are likely to be significantly damaged by Caltrans' planned excavations, thereby compromising the life and vigor of the giant trees. The judge in the case is not likely to decide on the day of the hearing, but it is always helpful to show support the the environmental arguments by having a full courtroom, and it should be an interesting hearing, oral arguments will be taking place in this "battle of the experts". As always, it is important to dress appropriately and carry photo i.d., necessary for entry for entry into the federal building.
The hearing is at 8 am in courtroom of Judge Alsup's, Federal bldg in San Francisco at 450 Golden Gate (near Civic Center BART). (Check the Save Richardson Grove website just before, as court hearings are often changed, although we don't expect that to happen here.)
Other Action to Take -
The Save Richardson Grove website (www.saverichardsongrove.org) has underson a much needed updating and makeover. You'll find it easy to navigate and packed full of good information when you visit it. Take special note of the "Take Action" link that guides you through sending an email to your California State Assemblyperson and State Senator. It is an election year, and they need to hear from you and take a stand!
Our previous email to you included information on the Occupy Richardson Grove preparation and action camp Feb. 11-13 on the Mendocino / Humboldt county lines. Info at occupyrichardsongrove@gmail.com, or download the flyer we sent to this list (Email us at bach@headwaterspreserve.org if you need the flyer resent.)
More information soon! Stay tuned and keep the redwoods in your heart.
Richardson Grove Action Camp Feb 11-13 to be Ready to Hug the Trees!
Sponsored by Occupy Richardson Grove, Ecotrans Affinity Group and Earth First! in northern California, an ACTION CAMP will take place over Valentine's Day weekend Feb. 11-13, 2012, near Piercy in northern Mendocino county. The flyer with details is attached as a pdf. If you cannot open this, please reply, asking for text version.
This action camp is in preparation for possible negative outcomes in upcoming court hearings concerning Caltrans highway project through Richardson Grove State Park in Humboldt County. If it turns out that direct action and tree hugging become necessary to stop heavy equipment, redwood forest defenders need to be ready! Please read (and post if you can, or forward on Facebook) the attached flyer. Info contacts for the camp are Occupy Richardson Grove (707) 932-5898 or occupyrichardsongrove@gmail.com.
Correction to previous Save the Dates message sent to this list:
The premier of the documentary flim Who Bombed Judi Bari? at the SF Green Film Festival is FRIDAY March 2 at 5 pm. More info to come.
CHP and Eureka police torture, terrorize, attempt to kill senior citizens advocating for preservation of Redwoods
"200+ Protest Road Widening Through Richardson Grove at CalTrans, 12 arrested"
2011-02-09 by Dee from "Richardson Grove Action Now" [SaveRichardsonGrove.blogspot.com]:
Over 200 gathered Monday at Eureka's CalTrans office to oppose the federally-funded road-widening plan through Richardson Grove State Park. The protest, organized by Richardson Grove Action Now, was lively and precedes an action camp beginning February 12th. At the mass rally on Monday, police used nunchakus on a demonstrator restrained by lockboxes on both arms and officers used stun guns on 3 individuals outside the building. 12 people were arrested and released that night and the next day.
Richardson Grove Action Now is opposed to the California Department of Transportation CalTrans project to expand Highway 101 through Richardson Grove State Park because the effects of big box corporations, be they Wal-Marts, private prisons, or military installations, destroy local economies and communities in their tracks. We know they will take away more jobs than they create and have other adverse affects on our lives. People come from all over the world to worship the ancient trees of Humboldt, which live longer and sequester more carbon than any other species on Earth. CalTrans is downplaying the environmental, social, economic, and spiritual impacts this federally-funded highway expansion project would bring to Humboldt County.
On Monday folks from all walks of life, from tribal elders to street musicians to students to lawyers, local business owners and bicyclists gathered outside the CalTrans District One Headquarters in Eureka, California. The peoples' demand was to cancel the plan to widen highway 101 through Richardson Grove State Park. As the rally grouped up for a photo, 6 individuals entered the office and locked down to each other and to the middle staircase railing using metal sleeves.
4 main points:
-The ancient trees of Richardson Grove are invaluable and will never come back in our lifetime. They sequester carbon, create oxygen, and increase the quality of life for folks near and far.
-Widening the road will bring big box stores to compete with local businesses.
-This plan is part of a larger strategy to open up Humboldt County to larger trucks, to open up the region, both land and water, including Humboldt Bay and the Pacific coast, to increased militarization, and allow for greater access from the East and up and down the coast for military and corporate intrusion.
On Monday, there was a feeling of great exuberance in the crowd that gathered in the office. Prayers were offered, an arborist spoke about the conflicts and lack of scientific basis for CalTrans' Environmental Impact Report, poetry was read, and mandolin, guitar and horn toodled in a lively occupation of the CalTrans office front room. People sang songs and chanted, “One Demand: Cancel the Plan!” Spirits were high as 200+ people throughout the protest shared food, water, encouragement, and chocolate. Body workers offered massage to the folks who were locked down. At one point, the district manager emerged from the recesses of the building and attempted to steal the megaphone but was rebuffed by spirited chants of, “Get off our doorstep and we'll get off yours!”
Lockdowners created a strong rallying epicenter for about 5 hours. People stayed energized and focused on their demand for CalTrans to cancel the Richardson Grove project, inspired by the direct action and eventually observing and protesting outside the building until the last arrestees were taken to jail.
We can usually expect a certain lack of sophistication and a bias favoring the State in the coverage by mainstream media outlets, and the press from Monday's demonstration was no exception. The Eureka Times Standard reported “violence” by the protesters at the rally, parroting police sources. In reality, the protest was overwhelmingly peaceful. The police aggressively advanced on the crowd and applied nunchukas to the calf and ankle of a protester restrained by lock boxes on either arm. (See video: http://video.accesshumboldt.net/video/914/richardson-grove-protest-febru, seconds 6:35, 7:52, 8:08, 8:29, 8:59).
Eureka Police and California Highway Patrol officers pushed people down stairs, shoved them out of the building with batons and stun guns, and pasted up tarps over the windows to obstruct the public's view of what the officers were doing to the lock-downers. An elderly woman who refused to leave was dragged away. An elder demonstrator was shoved by the officers down the stairs into the bodies of those below. The officers used stun guns and unholstered batons to intimidate people in the protest and sent electric shocks through at least three people who they were pushing through the crowd. The protester who received the mindless torture from the Eureka cop's use of nunchukas is still recovering from injuries.
This video shows the police using 'pain compliance' on a person who cannot move his arms, and later shows the officers discharging stun guns outside.
The violence used against peaceful demonstrators is one instance in a daily continuum of oppression faced by those the capitalist system, using police, wishes to control. Widening the highway through Richardson Grove would only further the militarization of our county by providing the infrastructure for military and police vehicles to stage convoys as well as increasing the capital they are sworn to protect under penalty of death.
The people of Humboldt County are committed to ending this project. Our determination to protect the Redwood Curtain is not shaken by the violence committed by the State or the distortions of the media. We are peaceful as well as tenacious; we will not stop until this wasteful, destructive plan is placed in the dustbin of history. When we see the ancient trees in our state parks permanently protected, we can take another step down the path towards creating resilient, self-reliant communities that stand a chance at surviving a rapidly shifting and increasingly tumultuous world.
---
2011-02-09 from "Richardson Grove Action Now"
[http://saverichardsongrove.blogspot.com/2011/02/statement-from-lock-downers-at-mondays.html]:
ATTENTION EVERYONE!
Right now, community members from Richardson Grove Action Now are locked down inside here in the CalTrans District 1 Headquarters building with One Demand:
Cancel the plan to widen the highway through Richardson Grove IMMEDIATELY!!
ONE DEMAND! CANCEL THE PLAN!! ONE DEMAND! CANCEL THE PLAN!! ONE DEMAND! CANCEL THE PLAN!!
The people who are locked down to the CalTrans office risk their freedom in order to Inspire You.
This direct action is born of URGENCY.
The people locked down take this direct action to inspire you to prepare and take action now to stop this destructive plan through Richardson Grove.
Even though we've opposed the plan in the courts,
Even though the Richardson Grove project promises nothing but the downfall of our local economy and the irreparable destruction of our natural environment,
Even though our Earth strains to support over consumption and expansion, and over consumption and expansion would only increase with this road widening,
CalTrans continues to move forward.
In spite of our input, our petitioning,
In spite of our letters to the editors, our calls to politicians,
In spite of our lawsuits, our presence in meetings,
In spite of all the outright opposition to the road widening, it seems like they haven't heard us.
We've been loud, but we need to get louder.
Get loud folks!!!
And it's time for us to get more bold!
CANCEL THE HIGHWAY EXPANSION THROUGH RICHARDSON GROVE!!
CalTrans and elected representatives continue to ignore our will, the will of the people, bowing instead to a few big business owners and the wealthiest one percent of our population. People charged with the duty of representing the will of the people blatantly go against us: The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors both secretly and overtly have shut out public participation regarding this project. Elected state assembly member, Wes Chesbro, has lied and given the green light for the ruin of Richardson Grove. CalTrans project manager, Kim Floyd, and District One Supervisor, Charles Fielder, stand to advance their own positions with the completion of the Richardson Grove road widening. They have all rubber stamped this horrendous project in spite of the will of the people.
The people have made a Loud and Bold expression of our desire for autonomous communities. Autonomous communities that operate free from outside domination, free of top-down governance.
We want communities without unnecessary infrastructure.
We want communities not dependent on endless expansion and the false progress of convenience.
We want a place free of corporate invasion, free of WalMarts and prisons.
We want a place that honors the spirit of the land and the spirit of the people who call it home.
We want to cultivate community and we will stand together until this plan and any other nasty plans are canceled!
CANCEL THE HIGHWAY EXPANSION THROUGH RICHARDSON GROVE!!
Profit-driven corporations are vulnerable because working people keep those corporations going and therefore, working people can shut them down! While those who think they are in power are short-sighted and close-minded, the people are fueled by their hearts and spirits. We are compelled, out of necessity, to act to preserve the survival of our ecosystem and respond to the needs of our living families and communities.
ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!
CANCEL THE HIGHWAY EXPANSION THROUGH RICHARDSON GROVE!!!
Richardson Grove Action Now is in solidarity with the people of Tunisia, Algeria, Albania, Yemen, Chiapas, Egypt, and people all over the world who say NO, WE WILL NOT TAKE IT ANYMORE!
We are in solidarity with all people resisting oppressive conditions imposed upon them and who are rising up against corrupt systems that attempt to enslave them.
We are in solidarity with those fighting back for their freedom. We are here to say “NO. You WILL NOT expand the highway through Richardson Grove. WE WILL STOP YOU.”
During this perilous time in the herstory of this planet and the history of our species, we must, WE MUST Stop the Destruction of the Natural World. We must stop destruction that comes in all shapes and sizes, from international laws that keep people in poor qualities of food, water and air, to the mass of plastic bottles floating in the ocean, the paving over of the life-giving land, to the toxicity that enters our bodies and minds.
The Earth is undergoing a continual smothering into a concrete hell. Capitalism is killing us. We know it's the problem. Focusing on simplifying our lives is the first step towards surviving and determining our own healthy existence.
The people who think they are in power orchestrate wanton destruction of the land and push for the building up of structures that only ensure their profits and deny the survival and quality or our lives. Their aims are presented as progress, yet in reality, they bring us sickness.
CANCEL THE HIGHWAY EXPANSION THROUGH RICHARDSON GROVE!!
We want to be able to walk along the road through Richardson Grove. Those trees in Richardson Grove are in a protected park. We want them to stay that way. With such a small amount of ancient forest left, everything we do to it should be good for the trees, not good for the trucks.
We will defend what's left. We will defend the ancient trees. We will defend our lives from further corporate and military invasion. We have the power to protect the forests for future generations!
Raise your voices and shake the walls of CalTrans! We will Stop This Plan and we are CANCELING THE HIGHWAY EXPANSION PLAN THROUGH RICHARDSON GROVE!
ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE!
Join us with direct action. It is urgent!
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Richardson Grove ACTION CAMP begins Sat, Feb 12
Richardson Grove Action Now will be hosting an Action Camp in Southern Humboldt, beginning this Saturday, Feb 12th and going until Tuesday, Feb 15th.
Train and prepare for Direct Action to STOP the highway expansion through Richardson Grove!
Camp will be at Richardson Grove Campground & RV Park which is on Hwy. 101, behind the Patriot Gas Station on the South End of the Grove. The Campground and the Patriot Gas Station are across from French's camp. After dropping gear and things at camp, we will be parking in the driveway of French's camp, across the street.
Bring a friend!
Bring gear and food if you can.
Please refrain from bringing alcohol to camp.
The camp needs donations of Funds, Food, Firewood, Tents, AA and AAA Batteries, and Warm Stuff (sleeping bags, hats, etc)!!
Some other things we always need:
* Olive Oil
* Grains
* Coffee
* Yerba Mate
* Fruit
* Nuts
* Headlamps
You can bring donations to the camp
- or drop them off at PARC in Eureka
- or drop them off at the Used Bookstore in Garberville
We will be setting up on Friday night and could use help.
We will also need help in the kitchen throughout the duration of the camp.
There will be meeting places for ridesharing to the camp every day:
Northern Humboldt Rideshare
** 9:30am - Arcata Corp-Op Kiosk (Arcata)
** 10:10am - Parking Lot between Walgreen's and Eureka Natural Foods (Eureka)
Southern Humboldt Rideshare
** 10:30am - Used Bookstore (Garberville)
For more info, call Richardson Grove Action Now: (707) 602-7551, rgroveactionnow@gmail.com
Action video posted 2011-02-01 by "Richardson Grove Action" [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tzbt1U5WjxI]:
Caltrans wants to widen US Highway 101 in Northern California through Richardson Grove. A rally has been planned and this is the info.
"POLICE STATE (And Yet Another Reason to SAVE RICHARDSON GROVE)"
2011-01-20 from "Redwood Curtain Copwatch" [http://redwoodcurtaincopwatch.net/node/710]:
Written by Redwood Curtain CopWatch in October, 2010 to be included in the Zine for the 2010 Days of Action Against Police Brutality, Repression, and the Criminalization of a Generation.
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You may ask, "What does saving the grove have to do with the police state?"....well....lets start from the beginning... The Interstate Highways were initially implemented by Eisenhower. How did he come up with the idea of these interstate highways? He got his grandiose plan from an army convoy he participated in, and from inspirations he got from Germany's autobahn, which he got to see because he was in the military during WWII. The history of the highways are rooted in militarization. Eisenhower's plan for the highways was even named "The National Defense Highway", this system was designed to move military equipment and personnel with greater efficiency and create a broader reach for the military.
Why would CalTrans, with a plan funded by the Federal government in millions (billions?), change a road that leads to no real commercial businesses, while claiming it is to aide in heavy commercial transportation? Why would CalTrans destroy ancient redwoods, of which there are so few left already (less than 3%of the original redwood old growth remains!!!) ? Why would CalTrans not care about the legislation of preservation for State Parks, and not care about the fragile ecology of this rich biodiverse life?
The feds want in to our Redwood Curtain! The Pacific Northwest culture of coastal northern, redwooded California has consistently been a hotbed of grassroots collective organization, spurring change that is both reflective and inspiring to movements across our State and Nationwide. We have continuously thwarted attempts at the militarization of our communities and have had the forested roads as a blockage to massive industrial militarization, and as a bottleneck for access to the rest of the coast. The feds are consistently trying to access our roads, gain entryway into our hills and stop whatever communities spurrin' up that do not fit with their accordance. They disguise their plan under the veil of helping commercial interests, which is problematic, to say the least, for communities that have intentionally and geographically isolated themselves from corporate exploitation. This in itself is catering to the big money, big corporations. Looking through history we have seen the use of sanctioned state violence to protect corporate holdings, such as with the barons of the industrial age. Big Corporations have no vested interest in a region locally or geographically. Their concern is for their ever increasing profit, and making sure their gains are consistently on the up. Redwood trees stand in their way, so they propose to cut them down, pave the ancient ones' roots, so that trucks can constantly drive over them (when even our own fragile FOOTsteps have been known to be damaging to their root systems). The trees that stand in the way of big corporate gains are symbolic, the State would rather destroy these ancient legends down, irregardless of their natural worth, their beauty, or their genocide. What happens when people get in their way???? The project, even its disguise, is a disgusting attempt at destroying what we naturally have.
Cal Trans is already “straightening” out the two main highways to our east, Highways. 199 and 299, making them Redwood Curtain more easily to invade from that direction. Obama is increasing collaboration between Homeland Security and local police. Be it the greed of corporate exploiters, the controlling forces of Federal police (ICE, DEA, FBI), or the tanks of the Military trying to come into this region or have easier passage through, Richardson Grove, as it is and has been for thousands of years, is a primary blockade that we must protect. NO BUSTING THROUGH THE REDWOOD CURTAIN FOR MILITARIZATION!
