Kate Berrigan was one of 9 people arrested in Seattle today. They hung the 50 x 50 foot banner off a construction crane, climbing the crane at about 5:00 a.m.; they brought the banner and themselves to the ground into the hands of the police at about noon on February 19, 2004. Kate was on the crane, as an anchor for one of the climbers. I don?t know who all the others were. 5 repelled down the crane and 4 were arrested on the ground doing support.

The photos that are on the rainforest action network website www.ran.org are slide projecting 3 distinct scenes of the banner hang. You can check them out if you are interested. You can also check photo and article in the Seattle Times for February 19, 2004.

Activists Brave Dizzying Heights and Unfurl Banner
To Protest Wanton Destruction of Endangered Old-Growth Forests

For Immediate Release: February 19, 2004

Seattle, WA - This morning environmental activists braved dizzying heights in downtown Seattle to unfurl a 2,500 square foot banner reading ?Wake Up Weyerhaeuser: Protect Forests Now.? The non-violent direct action marks the launch of an international Consumer Democracy Campaign to transform the environmental practices of Washington-based logging giant Weyerhaeuser (NYSE: WY), the number one destroyer of old-growth forests in North America. The campaign follows Rainforest Action Network?s recent victory with Boise Cascade Corporation (NYSE: BCC) that resulted in the company?s withdrawal from old-growth forests in the United States and adoption of a plan to exit endangered forests worldwide. Forest Action Network is the Canadian coalition partner, and in Alberta, the campaign is supported by the Sierra Club of Canada?s Bighorn Country Campaign.

Charges against all who were arrested were initially dropped, but then a new charge was brought against the nine activists. They are in the state court facing a felony sabotage charge.