Article Remembering Gypsy

Five years ago this week, a Pasadena area man died after he was crushed by a tree in a Northern California old-growth forest. A local environmental group hosted events to commemorate his life and death throughout the week.

David Nathan Chain, known in the environmental community as "Gypsy," was killed when a tree he had chained himself to was cut down by loggers. Chain was protesting the logging of old growth trees. Houston-based MAXXAM owns Pacific Lumber, the employer of the logger who felled the tree.

Raya Green, director of the [Southern Alliance of Coastal Redwood Earth Defenders], based in Houston, said the life of the young "forest defender" is worth remembering.
"It’s important to honor Gypsy because he risked his life fighting for this issue that we’re fighting for," Green said. "He fought with love and compassion."

Green said she hopes to raise awareness in Houston about what environmentalists call MAXXAM’s destructive logging practices, and believes it is important to keep Chain’s memory alive to achieve that end.

Next weekend SACRED hosts a benefit concert at a community center in the Heights, and a memorial service at Chain’s gravesite. Details for both events are at <http://sacredredwood.org>.

MAXXAM officials called Chain’s death a tragedy.

Meanwhile, logging by Pacific Lumber in the Northern California forest where Chain was killed began again this week, with 11 trees felled. Three Earth First! activists were arrested as they shadowed loggers and tried to block attempts to cut down the trees.

Houston activists hosted a national gathering of anti-Maxxam and forest activists Oct. 17-19.