By Staff - Earth First! Journal, Lughnasadh / August 1, 1990
Shortly after entering the recently contested timber harvest in Navarro on July 20th, six members of the Colorado Redwood Witness Group (C.R.W.G.) were assaulted with rocks, wood chunks and an axe handle. One of the activists was beaten with an axe handle and struck on his back and neck by rocks the size of a softball. Three others were bombarded by large rocks as they witnessed Louisiana Pacific (L.P.) logging foreman Lee (Susan) hurling them their way. All three Coloradans have filed charges against (Susan) and other loggers.
C.R.W.G. members Doug Momberger and Toni Chapman attempted to complete a citizen’s arrest against (Susan) at 10 AM. the same morning of the attack, with the aid of Mendocino County Sheriff Sargeant Tony Craver. Their efforts were denied by the commanding officer, Don Miller. (Susan) was reported to have gone home for the day. Miller explained that a citizen’s arrest was impossible in the suspect’s absence. Due to the limited amount of officers, an attempt to locate (Susan) immediately was not made. Momberger and Chapman filed a complaint with the Mendocino County District Attorney.
Mike Long, who was hit by rocks and later beaten and abandoned, lay hidden proximate to L.P.’s logging deck for four hours after he had been assaulted. He overheard logging foremen disclose a number of incriminating facts: that the grove being cut was definitely the old growth (off-limits to felling); that logging operations had stopped by 11 AM as a result of the successful forest inhabitation; that the (G.P.) mill in Fort Bragg would not be allowing press inside during the demonstration / protest scheduled for the coming Saturday; and that loggers would block roads into Fort Bragg early Saturday morning in an attempt to scuttle the protest.