Money On Trees

Last Friday, following the morning session of Miller v. Trees, a group of the Humboldt Forest Defense Association activists stood on the courthouse steps talking. The door opened, and Shunka walked out and down the steps toward the group. They didn’t greet him. After a time, he tried to talk to one of them, Jeff. Jeff walked away. Shunka followed him, then stopped and talked to another guy. Then he stood alone again.

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THREE Comments

Comment / By Jeff Muskrat / June 8, 2009, 12:24 a.m.

It’s a shame what money and greed can do to people.

Comment / By Shunka Wakan / June 16, 2009, 8:28 a.m.

Heidi didn’t hang out long enough to see me walk away with the one forest defender who had the nerve and morals to sit on our side in the courtroom while I testified. As we walked down the sidewalk, he listened to my side of the story, something that most of the other activists wouldn’t do. Even while one of the female activists clung to him, and tried to discourage him from listening to me, he continued to show true friendship and heard me out. This brother has since left the area, so it seems that the divisive ways of “EF! Humboldt” has driven away yet another good activist. Heidi’s article reads more like a soap opera recap, and tends to miss the point. This should have been a story about how a big “non-profit” (who pay themselves $15/hr. to skim off active groups’ donations) robbed a grassroots organization of $185,000. Instead, she chose to focus on the divisions within the movement, something you would expect out of the corporate media. The simple facts of the case: The donor approached me, asking how to go about making a large donation to Earth First! I sent her to the Trees Foundation, since they had been funding NCEF! offices for years. The donor makes the donation via the Trees Foundation. The donor and I have lunch to discuss how the donation will be used. I have lunch with Barbara Ristow and Doug Wallace, of the Trees Foundation, at which point they act surprised that I think the donation is for NCEF! Barbara promises me that the donor will be contacted, to clear up the confusion, and that the money will not be spent until the donor is contacted. The Trees Foundation never contacts the donor, sinks the money into money market accounts (before the recession), and then cuts off NCEF! affiliate account. The donor finds out that NCEF! didn’t receive the donation, contacts Trees Foundation, who refuses to put the funds into NCEF! affiliate account. The donor sues, and Trees Foundation denies having ever funded or supported NCEF! Traitor activists side with Trees Foundation, in hopes of getting funding in the future. Donor loses jury trial, thanks to idiot jury, and traitor activists get funding for their new group, “EF! Humboldt.”

Comment / By Jeff Muskrat / March 28, 8:09 p.m.

“Shunka Wakan, in his North Coast Earth First! Media office on Samoa Boulevard in Arcata. Photo by Heidi Walters.”

It’s always been YOUR office…

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