"Eco-terrorist" Tre Arrow was my FRIEND, dammit!

[PhishyK]

The crazy thing about the story below... I became friends with this guy about 3 weeks before his arrest. Played music and sang with him. Talked about stuff. Met him at Market Square and we chatted and hung out. He was a really neat person. Told me his name was Josh! And now he faces life in prison. He's on the FBI's most wanted list. Labelled a terrorist for what? For damaging logging equipment. SICK!

A beautiful and important person is going to jail for THE REST OF HIS LIFE - what's happened to us? ::

----

FBI arrests alleged ecoterrorist

PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) -- A fugitive radical environmentalist has been arrested by federal officials on charges of setting fire to logging and cement trucks in 2001, the FBI announced Monday.

Michael Scarpitti has been on the FBI's most-wanted list since disappearing two years ago. He is among four activists charged with setting logging trucks on fire on June 1, 2001, to protest logging on the slopes of Mount Hood.

Three other suspects were captured after one of them told a girlfriend about the crime, according to arrest papers. The girlfriend's father is a deputy state fire marshal.

Scarpitti is also accused of taking part in an April 15, 2001 arson attack that damaged three cement trucks at Ross Island Sand & Gravel in Portland.

Scarpitti, also known as Tre Arrow, has had connections with the Earth Liberation Front, a loose group of activists that the FBI has classified as an eco-terrorist group.

The FBI lists the organization as its No. 1 domestic terrorism priority.

Scarpitti first gained notoriety in July 2000 when he scaled a U.S. Forest Service building in downtown Portland and lived on a ledge for 11 days to protest timber policies.

In October 2001, he suffered several broken bones when he fell 60 feet from a hemlock tree where he had perched to protest a logging sale in Oregon's Tillamook County.

On June 1 of that year arsonists firebombed trucks at Schoppert Logging Co. in Estacada, a small town between Portland and Mount Hood.

Three suspects were arrested. One of them, Jacob Sherman, was sentenced to more than three years in prison in 2003 after pleading guilty.

Sherman "immediately began to cooperate" with investigators after his arrest, according to court documents, and pointed investigators toward others involved in the bombings.

Court documents filed by Sherman's attorney identify Arrow as "the leader and instigator" of the arsons.

Arrow "groomed" Sherman, the documents claim, introducing him to radical protesting. Sherman was a student at Portland State University at the time.

FBI MOST WANTED FUGITIVE

[colinw]

The crazy thing about the story below... I became friends with this guy about 3 weeks before his arrest. Played music and sang with him. Talked about stuff. Met him at Market Square and we chatted and hung out. He was a really neat person. Told me his name was Josh! And now he faces life in prison. He's on the FBI's most wanted list. Labelled a terrorist for what? For damaging logging equipment. SICK!

A beautiful and important person is going to jail for THE REST OF HIS LIFE - what's happened to us? ::

Yeah, what's happened to us - arresting internationally wanted criminals who willingly and knowingly break the law by firebombing stuff - sheesh - ::

[PhishyK]

Yeah but FBI most wanted - lifein prison for activism? Do you really agree with that?

[purple foot]

thats not activism its vandalism. when your putting peoples lives in danger you should be on the FBIs's most wanted list. Terrorist.

[Esau]

Well the ELF does more damage then good for the rest of the activists...

from a 2001 article

ELF claimed responsibility for 16 fires last year at construction sites for luxury homes in Colorado, Arizona and New York, and law enforcement officials link them to the Anarchist Golf Association, which destroyed two grass seed research centers in Oregon. The group is also blamed for a fire at a Forest Service tree biogenetic research site in Wisconsin. In all, they claimed responsibility for $2.2 million worth of damage in 2000.

The "elves" of the ELF have become more and more active since they claimed responsibility for setting fires that caused $12 million worth of damage at the Vail Mountain ski resort more than two years ago. According to the activists and the law enforcement agencies that battle them, there's likely to be a lot more of their costly mischief.

Thats just for 2000.

Now,when they set these fires to homes,research centers,equpiment etc,it really doesn't look like they are very concerned for the fire fighters/EMS/Police/volunteers/by standers/neighbours lives who have to go put out those fires,help people who are hurt,work there,live by there etc,which has nothing to do with the cause of the violence or protest,its simply their jobs or choice of residence,so putting those folks at risk is wrong first and foremost,not counting whoever maybe there at the time within the building or biogentic site like the low paid secuirty guard with a family to support that has to watch for this shit and people liike them,and then on top of it probally get fired because these folks do that shit.

Then add to that all the chemicals that also burn while torching homes,heavy equipment,research centers etc.Yet another enviromental hazard.

I am all for many enviromental issues and causes,I try my best to what I can to not add to the problem,but I do not feel that putting honest,hard working peoples lives on the line is a resason to be considered an activist and not a terrorist,this action they do causes people to fear for their lives,not only loggers/researchers etc but honest folks that have zero to do with anything other then trying to make a life for themselves and have to live in fear becuase they reside near these places or have choosen to work in this field,to me if you scare honest people like that....its terrorism.

They are not scaring the big corporations that own these places,maybe costing them some money,but thats it,in the process blue collar people have to flip the bill in taxes to pay for the numerous people who work to put out fires/EMS/doctors/police.

In the end they are doing nothing more then any terrorist,instilling fear in common people.

I am not saying your friend deserves life in prison,but if he did torch places as this article and many others online say then he has put honest,innocent peoples lives at risk and regardless of the reason that is wrong and subjective to the laws that a country puts forth on those issues,no matter how we feel about it (enviro-wise) risking people lives to make a point is not activism in my eyes.

Just my 2¢

[DownTown]

I've been reading about this stuff a lot lately for school. Bill C-36, the anti-terrorism act opens the door for things like this to happen in canada as well. Since the definition of `terrorism' and `terrorist activity' in the bill or so broad and vague protesting and work stoppages can be defined as terrorist acts because they

1)disrupt essential public or private services and

2)are committed in whole or in part for a political, religious or ideological purpose, objective or cause’ and `with the intention of intimidating the public, or a segment of the public, with regard to its security, including its economic security... etc, etc.

There are many ways in which this bill contradict civil liberties, but they are all argued to be justified by the need for increased security in the post 9/11 world.

I think all these new laws are unneccesary because it's not as if terrorism wasn't illegal before. anyways justm y $0.02

[Esau]

I agree Downtown,

I am certianly not disputing that the laws maybe rather excessive towards civil liberties.But really,if a person is causing fear in people whose only crime seems to be they want to work,live in a specific part of the country and ust be,then is that not a contradiction on their civil liberties also?

I just feel that if you put peoples lives at risk regardless of the cause that is wrong,maybe not terrorism,when the excess of your actions is violent and life threatening towrds innocent people then its obviously a thin line.

A guy using a gun to rob someone gets more jail time then a guy doing a break and enter,or if he uses it to harm another.That may not be full out international terrorism but it is terrorism.Causing multi-million dollar damage and risking thousands of lives in the process is also terrorism in my eyes.

I do not think they are using a "blanket" effect to catergorize "terrorism" here or in the USA,but a group like the ELF has shown zero regard for human lives.

[PhishyK]

Good points... I just thought he was a pretty nice guy but I guess it's true. Blowing stuff up is a really bad way to go about making your point. I'll miss him though.

[bokonon]

i don't understand how jail is supposed to make people better. i don't see the point of jail. i agree that some people have committed crimes and therefore have a debt to society, but how does sitting in a little room and sucking up taxpayer money repay that debt? does it make these people more productive members of society? does it change their outlook on life? does it make anyone at all more happy? i think jail is only even somewhat a viable option for a person if they are so mentally deranged and their crime was so heinous that they are not even very human. like in the case of bernardo/holmolka. there is something seriously wrong with those people and i don't think they could ever be out in society. but i think most people that get sent to jail just need something in their life to change. some people need education, of some form or other, anything from basic life skills to social skills to emotional help or even just a creative outlet. in the case of this eco-terrorist, i believe that education on more effective means of communication and activism are in order. he could be taught everything from "i feel" statements to ghandi's passive resistance to mandela's non-violent opposition. i really think these philosophies could change his life. ghandi and mandela brought down some very powerful empires using these methods. education is the key, jail is a waste of everyone's time and money.

all the people i know who have gone to jail did not come out in any better circumstance. some were more likely to commit another crime because of the attitudes and values that they learned in prison, not to mention the social networks they developed inside. other people were scared to get caught again but not anymore against performing the activity that they went to jail for, they just did not want to be caught again. other people were emotionally and physically scarred from jail and were as useful as tits on a bull once they got out. i have not seen jail effect anyone in a truly positive manner yet. it does not have any rehabilitative effect. all jail does is keep people out of society for a little while. a lot of times the end result is "worse" for society. the entire concept of jail is almost pointless.

[Esau]

Tell that to the people who are putting me away for the summer for driving while disqaulified.

[bokonon]

want some books to read while you're in jail? you might as well do something in there. if you like to read i can hook you up. i have shitloads of good books and whatever i don't have and you want i can get for considerably less than retail. name some authors and i can bring some to meow bark squeak if you want.

[Esau]

Thanks for the offer but I have numerous books that I haven't started yet.Reading two now (one regulary one intermittedly)

I will be doing somthing while I am in there.

Wasting away & becoming bitter.