June 17, 2004
Note from Woods

Woods here,

It's the next day after the action, and I want to thank all the people
who wrote in with their support.

Although all of the Greenpeace protesters were peaceful, a few loggers
made threatening remarks, some involving firearms, but I think it was
mostly verbal and there was no real violent intentions. Also, a few of
the law enforcement officers were aggressive, suggesting that all the
Greenpeace activists on the scene should be arrested. Fortunately most
officers saw the situation was peaceful and allowed media and support
people to stay.

They broke into the container with a prybar; the screws which attached
the crossbar holders to the door ripped out of the aluminum rather
easily under such force. In addition, law enforcement was lucky to find
that the cement grounding our lockboxes wasn't quite dry yet.

I was in custody for about 4 hours. Law enforcement officers were
mostly friendly, especially Dave, who drove us to the Roseburg jail.
Ant, Kirby, and I were charged with "disorderly misconduct" and
"interfering with an agricultural operation." Although we only stopped
1/2 day of logging, I still consider the action to be a success.

The message is simple: Start protecting ancient forests from the big
businesses who take the short term profits from the boom-and-bust
economy using unsustainable logging practices.

First I want to apologize for inconveniencing any workers, and let them
know that it wasn't my intention to do so. I believe most loggers seem
to know in the back of their minds that they cannot continue to cut
forests unsustainably if they want their future generations to benefit
from beautiful forests and a strong local economy. I also think loggers
know the reality of most timber sales; how logging companies cut more
than they are entitled to by law. Until more pressure is brought onto the corporate heads of
these companies, they will continue to act for their own benefit without
considering the greater public need. I'd also like to point out that
the corruption that exists in the timber industry is simply a part of a
larger pattern of corruption that exists in many corporate structures in
the USA today, along with an overwhelming lack of accountability.

Some of the comments on the website are from a smart-ass Greenpeace
activist, but most are genuinely heartfelt. I'd like to send out a
message thanking all the people who support Greenpeace's work. I've had
the opportunity to work with a wonderful group of people, and I look
forward to bringing our cause to the forefont.

I'll be in Portland, OR, this fall, so if you would like to work together on environmental change, please send a comment to the website!

Coheartedly,
Kingman Lim, "Woods"