If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front

Disclaimer: In the following article, neither the hosts of the film screening, the attendees, or I are advocating terrorism, acts of economic sabotage, or violence of any kind. I, as a writer, am reporting on this event and discussing some of the themes in the film.

"We are the burning rage of a dying planet", is a fitting description for the Earth Liberation Front (ELF). Last night (Thursday, July 21), at 420 Connecticut (the future site for "Burning Books Bookstore" an independent, community based, progressive bookstore) the house was packed during the 7:00pm and 9:00pm screenings of "If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front". The 2011 documentary was created to examine the ELF away from the corporate media's branding of the group as terrorists/ eco-terrorists, but in their entirety through the eyes of a few of their members.

The screening began with an introduction from a scholar and writer who has written and spoken on various aspects of the ELF. The group, says the MC, is committed to the politics of "social and deep ecology"; according to the book, "Earth Liberation Front: 1997-2002" the ELF guidelines are as follows: 1) To cause as much economic damage as possible to a given entity that is profiting off the destruction of the natural environment and life for selfish greed an profit; 2) To educate the public on the atrocities committed against the environment and life; 3) to take all necessary precautions against harming life. These principles and these guidelines, are the foundations of the ELF and their actions; and the ELF's actions have been denounced by many environmental groups as too extreme. "Many environmental groups describe the environmental situation as a 'quality of life issue", stated the MC; although the ELF sees the environmental situation as "life and death" as a result of the "suicidal" actions of industry that is environmentally devastating.

The film reflected the ELF from 1997-2001 through a few members and actions. A few examples of the actions ELF that we given were: a) A 1.7 million arson of Boise Cascade co. in December 1999; b) An arson of the the University of Michigan Monstanto agricultural research laboratory. 2001 and onward, actions were taken that have involved millions in property damage, such as, in August 2003 there was the destruction of a condominium complex under construction in Long Island, NY; the ELF wrote upon the wreckage of the destroyed complex: "if you build it, we will burn it".

The film was focused on the case of Daniel McGowan and a few other former ELF members who are facing charges. Daniel McGowan was charged and convicted of arson and conspiracy to commit arson, and has been held in a communications management unit (CMU) since July 2, 2007 and he is due for release in 2014, due to his charges of enhanced terrorism. Daniel, is an environmental and social justice activist, whom went from college to working at an advertising firm, to then working with local community activists after seeing videos and educating himself about how modern industry is destroying the planet and it's fauna. Thereafter, Daniel became involved with the ELF when seeing the occupation of the Oak Ridge Park blitzed by park rangers who arrested activists in the early morning after giving activists "ten minutes to vacate, beginning now". In The first action that he recalled with the ELF was the Oregon based, Oak Ridge Park Ranger station bombing which, according to the documentary splitted the environmentalist movement: those who supported the action vs. those who denounced it.

The ELF, pursuant to the outcome of the Oak Ridge occupation found that non-violent direct action and civil disobedience to be ineffective. According to the film 95% of the native standing forests in the USA have been cut down; whereas, the McGowan stated, "sometimes when you see the things you love being destroyed, you just want to destroy those things [that have destroyed what you love]". Nevertheless, none of their actions harmed a single human being.

Their non-harm policy towards physical human beings was the center of their defense against allegations of terrorism. The interviewed FBI agent in the film stated that, "you don't have to be Al-Qaida to be a terrorist", however, they contended that the difference between the ELF and Al-Qaida was that Al-Qaida killed people, not just damaged property which carries no innate life. Their actions as ELF members resulted in $100 million plus in property damage but, there were never any casualties or injuries.

In addition to following Daniel McGowan under house arrest and his former girlfriend and ELF member, Suzanne Savoie, through the legal process in great detail, it also showed how informants can be manipulated into serving the purposes of law enforcement. Particularly, in the case of Jake Ferguson who was the FBI informant who, out of a traumatic childhood experience with his father in jail, was pressured by the FBI to wear a wire while Daniel reminisced at a meeting and divulged his role with ELF.

At the film's end it urged activists and advocates for human rights and environmental and social justice to support the ELF members in prison by writing to them and donating to their legal defense. In March 2010 according to the filmakers the Center for Constitutional Rights has launched a lawsuit in response to the conditions under which Daniel is being kept at the CMU in Indiana.

For more information on Daniel McGowan's Case and how to support him, click HERE . The one thing that the film is supposed to make us consider is that struggle for power in all its aspects. The ELF represents a incendiary example as to how average people can take back the ability to exert agency in the world; either in extremes or along mainstream lines, as the MC stated, "If you are in a position of power ....you are making decisions that affect all of us...the ELF is showing us that we have the power to resist [by extreme or moderate means of our choosing]".