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| Pacific Lumber SLAPP Suit Continues in Humboldt County Court; Dramatic Video tape of Protest is Shown in 3rd Week of Trial 3-15-06 For Immediate Release - Contact: March 15, 2006 North Coast Earth First! For immediate release - March 15, 2006 Contact: Naomi Wagner: (707) 496-8546 Wednesday; (707) 629-3546 Thursday Pacific Lumber SLAPP Suit Continues in Humboldt County Court Dramatic Video tape of Protest is Shown in Third Week of Trial Eureka, CA-The trial of Pacific Lumber Company vs Kim Starr in the Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP suit) brought by the Texas-based timber company against forest activist Starr, continued into its third week. Defendant Starr, who is representing herself in pro per, began her defense phase against the civil suit filed by the timber company in 2002. The SLAPP suit stems from a demonstration on August 5, 2002, at Pacific Lumber (PL) headquarters in the company town of Scotia in northern Californa. PL attorney Russell Gans opened his arguments with a video tape made by County Sheriffs. On the tape, jurors saw an older model Cadillac sedan parked on the sidewalk in front of the PL office building. Three protestors, using metal sleeves called "lockboxes" were locked inside the car. Jurors appeared increasingly uncomfortable as the scene unfolded on the courtroom screen. Scotia volunteer firemen arrived and covered the vehicle with black plastic sheets and a tarp, cutting off airflow and creating an oven for those locked inside on that hot summer day. Later, county sheriffs used a jaws-of-life saw to remove the top of the car and then cut the activists out of their lockboxes with a power grinder. One young man's arm bled as the grinder broke through the metal sleeve and cut him. He was then pulled from the car, thrown face down on the ground and hand cuffed as an officer kneeled on his back. Another woman and Starr were also removed. PL's witnesses--Security Chief Carl Anderson, land manger Richard Bettis, and Scotia Fire Chief Broadstalk--all testified they were afraid of a possible "eco-terrorist attack" because they saw "smoke, steam, and liquid " pouring out from under the car's hood. But the Sheriffs' video showed no steam, smoke or liquids. Defendant Starr introduced another videotape taken by activists at the scene showing the event from a fuller perspective. No steam, smoke or liquids were visible in that tape, either. Both videos showed protestors dialoguing in a relaxed manner with PL officials, law enforcement and bystanders with the exception of one Scotia resident who cursed the activists. The prosecution's witnesses were forced to amend some of their testimony after reviewing the videos during cross-examination on Friday. Early this week, Ms. Starr brought defense witnesses who had taken part in the Aug. 2002 protest to testify under oath as to the nonviolent nature of the protest. They reiterated that they had chosen the location (PL headquarters) as the most appropriate for the protest because PL President Robert Manne had refused to meet with them to discuss their concerns after inviting the public to do just that in a series of press statements at the time. This SLAPP suit is one of three suits filed by the timber company against those opposed to their liquidation logging practices in the Mattole and Freshwater watersheds. The others are set to go to trial later this spring. ###  << Back to Press Release Archive | Latest Press Release | Newsroom | | 
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