Protest at Humboldt law firm - PL/Sheriff conflict

Earth First!
September 30, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ACTIVISTS PROTEST AT CONTENTIOUS HUMBOLDT COUNTY LAW FIRM; FBI MAKES APPEARANCE

Humboldt county, California--Local forest and civil rights activists protested in Eureka outside the law firm Mitchell, Brisso, Delaney, and Vreize today to expose conflicts of interest and unethical practices, including drawn out litigation at the expense of the
taxpayers.

Mitchell Brisso et al defends the Pacific Lumber Company, Simpson Timber, the County of Humboldt, its Sheriff's Dept. and Correctional Facility, several cities in the area, Del Norte County (home of Pelican Bay Prison) and other large entities. Presently, through Mitchell Brisso, Pacific Lumber, a company which has incurred over 400 violations of the Forest Practices Act, the Clean Water Act, and The Endangered Species Act, is suing over 100 critics and protesters of its (PL's) logging and employment practices in what are called SLAPPs -- Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation. Additionally, while it is widely observed and undisputed that the Humboldt County Sheriff's Dept. works closely with Pacific Lumber in protest situations, law enforcement, presumably an objective entity is also represented by the Mitchell Brisso firm.

In the well-known pepper spray case in which peaceful protesters are suing the Humboldt County Sheriff's for civil rights violations, Mitchell Brisso has kept litigation going for six years, although the suing parties, likely to prevail, ask only for a settled greement by the county to not use chemical weapons on non-violent protesters. Protester Mark Knipper, says "Keeping these cases in limbo for an exorbitant amount of time costs Humboldt County taxpayers' money." Mitchell Brisso also has represented and refused to settle in other civil rights cases regarding treatment of inmates in the County Jail.

The firm has a conflict of interest in its representation of both Humboldt County AND Pacific Lumber, especially considering that the county's DA has brought a civil suit against PL. Protesters, 4 of whom today locked themselves to a disabled car in front of the Mitchell Brisso office and chanted such messages as "Mitchell Brisso, Delaney, and Vreize has Humboldt County on its knees!" believe the firm, which represents so many entities in the area, methodically instigates and thrives on the conflicts which are already tearing the community apart. Additionally, Mitchell Brisso maintains social and business ties to most of the judges that sit in Humboldt.

Locked-down activist, "Wren," who is being SLAPPed by Pacific Lumber said "Somehow Mitchell Brisso has been allowed to fade into the woodwork while virtually assisting in and representing the destruction of the Humboldt community, the forests, and Constitutional rights," and called the firm's practices "unscrupulous
and unethical." No arrests ocurred from the jovial yet focused protest nor from the related banner hang in downtown Eureka. However, notable was the presence of several plainclothed investigators with video cameras and an announced FBI agent for about half of the day around the demonstrators.
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