I bet 50 cents TS Claudette can get "Trust" out of the tree.
I have been inspired by the nickname "Trust". From now on, I request that Freepers refer to me as "Six-Pack".
Posted on 07/11/2003 7:32:18 AM PDT by SolidSupplySide
Six days in the woods, several downpours and a few mosquitoes haven't deterred logging protesters.
They were still up there Thursday, camped out in the tall pines of Memorial Park.
The men have survived wet and stormy weather and plan to stay there for as long as it takes to get their message delivered: Protect California's ancient redwoods.
One of the men, who calls himself "Trust," said he prefers the rain. It refills their drinking-water supply.
"It hasn't bothered us one bit," he said, yelling from his tree. "It's better than the heat."
The men came to Houston from Humboldt, Calif., and have been on their perch since Saturday night.
Trust would not say how many other people are with him, but police believe there are at least two others.
The protesters brought their demonstration to Houston because it is the home of Maxxam Inc., the owner of Pacific Lumber.
"It rains more than this in Humboldt, and after Maxxam clear-cuts the trees, rain comes, washing dirt and silt into rivers and onto other people's land," Trust said as he smoked a cigarette. "That kills endangered species."
Trust said he and his companions spend their days talking to the media and reading. They brought a few books with them as well as printed materials from www.jailhurwitz.com, a Web site with negative information about Charles Hurwitz, chief executive officer and the largest shareholder of Maxxam.
When it rains, the group goes by rope to an adjoining tree and stays under a tarp they installed.
"I slept through most of it," Trust said, referring to an overnight storm.
Houston police Tuesday spent two hours negotiating with the protesters, trying to get them down from their perch. After that failed, police said they will pursue arrest warrants for trespassing. Officers opted not to force the men down because of safety issues.
When the men come down, they can expect to go to jail. Trust isn't worried.
"We're not trying to make their job hard," he said, referring to the police. "We are doing a nonviolent protest in solidarity with all the tree sitters in California doing the same thing."
The men have enough supplies with them to last for weeks -- food, water, toilet paper, toothbrushes, a cell phone, walkie talkies and cigarettes. They have a jug and a bucket to use when relieving themselves.
"We have no intention of coming down," Trust said.
In northern California, more trees have been occupied by protesters this year than ever before, said Jim Branham, director of external relations at Pacific Lumber. As many as 30 trees were reported occupied in April, but now there are only six, he said.
"It's not effective," Branham said of the tree sitters' mission. "It's dangerous and costly and creates operational complications. It's not effective in shutting down our operations."
Branham said Pacific Lumber has protected more ancient redwoods than any other company in the world. The company plants seven trees for every one it cuts down.
Maxxam spokesman Josh Reiss said Thursday that the men are misguided and misinformed. He referred to them as extreme individuals with extreme views.
"We respect their First Amendment rights, but at the end of the day, they are breaking the law," he said.
I bet 50 cents TS Claudette can get "Trust" out of the tree.
I have been inspired by the nickname "Trust". From now on, I request that Freepers refer to me as "Six-Pack".
I figured that the mosquitos would have driven them away by now, but maybe they don't fly that high up in the trees. What a shame. Anyway, these losers don't seem too bright, do they? I mean, staying 85 feet up a pine tree during a thunderstorm just doesn't seem too swift.
Especially considering the number of zots lately...
"Hold muh beer 'n watch this!" PING....
If you want on or off this list, please let me know!
Better careful with that, you could put somebody's eye out.
these people are terrorists. When I lived in Oregon in the 80's they used to drive spikes deep into the trees and when the loggers would start cutting thru with their chainsaws the saws would hit the spike, causing the saw to kick back (sometimes out of their hands) and wrench the loggers shoulders.
Pure evil in the name of a stupid replaceable crop.
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