By Staff, Willits News – May 23, 1990
Approximately 100 people gathered on the steps of the Mendocino County Courthouse last Thursday to initiate the Redwood Summer protests planned for the North Coast. Several veteran activists promoted nonviolent civil disobedience during the summer, reminding the audience what a commitment to nonviolence may mean during a confrontation.
“Nonviolence is not something that comes naturally to me,” said Brian Willson, a Vietnam veteran who lost his legs three years ago when he attempted to block a train loaded with weapons from the Concord Naval Weapons facility. “I’m a white male who grew up in the United States and I’m sick of violence. It takes a lot of courage to deal with hostility with nonviolence,”
“I’m an expert on violence, and I simply don’t agree with it anymore.”
Willson told 100 or so gathered on the Courthouse steps that he has to prepare himself spiritually, and practice nonviolence in order for it to stand up to violent behavior without reacting violently himself. “It’s important that your behavior be impeccable, so that any violence is very clear,” he said. Nonviolence provokes a lot of feelings. It is the alternative that transcends ideologies.
Jim Squatter, a representative of Seeds (of) Peace organization that led the Nationwide Peace Walk in 1986, said he will “be here June 1 to support Redwood Summer,” The support will include nonviolence training and coaching, but he credited the local organizers of Redwood Summer for his organization’s involvement.
“Their strength in nonviolence is what brought us,” Squatter said.
Judi Bari, an Earth First! member and organizer of Redwood Summer, said nonviolence training during mild rallies and demonstrations is one thing, “It’s another thing to stand up to violence with nonviolence; we have repeatedly stood up to violence with nonviolence.”
After a series of speeches and satirical protest songs, Darryl Cherney showed yet another threatening note he found on his door Thursday morning. The note had a picture of a noose, with sentiments against his radical environmental activity. Bari told the group that after a while, “the death threats don’t get scary.”
“This is not a secret society,” Cherney told the audience. “For an update on Redwood Summer I want to tell you that everywhere we go people are turning out to offer support. There are at least 60 people at all of our meetings, over 100 organizers on the North Coast and 50 people have donated homes and property for people to stay with them. On June 20 Redwood Summer will begin at the Louisiana-Pacific export dock in Samoa.”
Peace and Freedom candidate for Congress, Darlene Comingore, compared the struggle to preserve the environment to the struggle for labor and justice around the world.
“We can’t wait until legislation is passed to sustain old growth forests, and quite frankly we can’t wait until I am elected,” she said.
“Redwood Summer must succeed,” she added emphatically.
Bari said Earth First! is not using “legal means” via the legislature and Forest Practice rules because the forest is in desperate condition.” She said there is almost nothing left along the Mendocino Coast, “the heart of the ecosystem,” because of the current rate of harvest.
“L-P is logging to insanity,” she said.
The rally lasted a little over an hour, with the prime focus on Pledging resistance and nonviolence. Willson, who said he hoped to make another trip to the North Coast during the summer, underscored his sentiments by reminding potential participants in the Redwood Summer protests to “hang tough and practice nonviolence.”