I went to River/Landback camp yesterday. Before we walked up, we spoke to two young forest defenders who had just come down from Heli camp, where loggers were falling trees even when they know there are people in the woods, and the cops were standing by and letting it happen.
This is an incredibly dangerous situation and it needs to stop.
There is so much wrong with what’s happening here. I pray nobody gets hurt in Teal Jones’ effort to grab as many trees as they possibly can before the snow flies. Their greed is appalling. And the RCMP is helping them all the way.
Meanwhile, as we walked up and down Granite Main, vehicles passed us regularly—some labelled CIRG, some regular RCMP, some rented pickups with cops in them. No apparent destination. Just SUVs or pickups, with at most two people in each, burning fossil fuels to keep an eye on four middle-aged women with small daypacks.
We stopped at Red Dress and put back some dresses that had fallen down. We visited with Grandfather (middle image above) and Grandmother trees, and we walked a short way along the boardwalk that was built this summer. The forest here is peaceful and so incredibly beautiful. The river is crystal-clear and flowing strongly.
I wish you could have been there. I wish everyone could experience the beauty and power of this place. You'd understand—deeply, instantly, and undeniably—why it needs to be preserved. Honestly, if we could get our lying premier out here, even HE might understand. (Most cops and loggers, unfortunately, seem to be immune to this understanding, )
It was eerie. The space where the centre of camp used to be (middle image below) is empty. It looks so narrow and small that it’s hard to believe the camp even fit in there! But I could still feel the energy and love and purpose that flowed through that place all summer long. It’s there.
To the cops who followed us, the two cops at Landback bridge, and most of all to the cops allowing loggers to cut trees down when there are people in the woods: YOU’RE COMPLICIT in the destruction of this natural place. If someone gets seriously hurt, YOU'RE COMPLICIT. A man has already gone missing, and you don't seem to be helping to find him. YOU'RE COMPLICIT.
You can tell yourselves you’re just doing your jobs—and maybe you’re not the ones who’ve been arresting, brutalizing, and kidnapping people all summer long—but just being there means you’re part of all this brutality, this waste of resources, the destruction of the environment that keeps humans alive. Don't you get it? You suck.
People who love the forests are still here. They're still fighting this destruction and they're still bearing witness. Thanks to everyone who supports this fight in any way. There are countless numbers of us! People of all ages and stages in life.
It's all the people giving their time and energy on the ground in so many ways, from sleeping in giant trees to sorting wet clothing.
And, just as important, it's donors, letter writers, petition signers, sign wavers, supply collectors, food preparers, small and large businesses, healers, and so many more.
This is still fixable. Even though the Heli area is being rapidly and rapaciously logged right now, it's still fixable. Put down the saws today, before it's too late.
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