Protesters arrested at logging site in Elliott State Forest

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Story Published: Jul 8, 2009 at 5:13 PM PST

By Tim Novotny

REEDSPORT, ORE - Scores of law enforcement personnel arrived on the scene of a protest blockade in the Elliott State Forest Wednesday morning, and started making arrests.

Both sides say they knew it was coming and that the arrests went by without incident.

About 50 officers from the Oregon State Police and the Douglas County Sheriff's Office came together for the operation. Protesters were once again given the opportunity to leave and those who did not were arrested on a misdemeanor charge of Interfering with Agricultural Operations.

Seventeen had been arrested by Wednesday afternoon, with another eight or so still tied up or chained to objects.

Eric Judah, with the Oregon State Police, says getting the road open is the main objective, "but yet, everybodys' safety is a priority so it's a time consuming process, making sure that everything is accounted for but to where nobody's going to get hurt."

Jasmine Zimmer-Stucky, with the group Cascadia Rising Tide, says this is just one way they are trying to affect change. "We really want to see forests being treated in a more sustainable manner and just because we used direct action this time doesn't mean that we don't use other avenues like petitioning and lobbying and, you know, rallies. Those are all things that we also believe in, this is just one tactic."

The protesters put a temporary stop to tree cutting on the 80-acre timber sale going on there, which has proceeds going to the Common School Fund.

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