In Remembrance of Judi Bari

Today, May 24, 2017, marks the 27th anniversary of the bomb attack against Earth First! organizer Judi Bari and partner Darryl Cherney. While the two were in Oakland on a musical organizing tour for Redwood Summer in 1990, a bomb planted under Judi’s seat in their car was detonated. The pair were soon arrested, and while in critical condition with a fractured pelvis, she was charged with transporting explosives. Due to the immediate presence and accusations of the FBI’s bomb team,  it is widely speculated that the FBI had a part in the plot to assassinate and/or frame her. Charges were finally dropped against her due to lack of evidence, and Cherney was awarded years later in a suit against the FBI for violating their civil rights.

Judi Bari was an incredibly influential and effective environmental activist, labor organizer, and feminist, responsible for, among many other admirable actions, allying the IWW with Earth First! and for organizing the Redwood Summer of 1990. She was also a talented musician and writer, and used these tools to further the cause of revolutionary ecology. Earth First! and the wider radical environmental movement owe much to her efforts.

While Judi  was seriously injured by the blast, she continued to fight and struggle before dying of cancer in 1997. With love, and infinite admiration and respect, we remember a warrior that did so much to help the planet and our movement and continues to inspire our work. And with rage we note the depths to which the FBI will go to repress and attack us, and the deep fear the agents of oppression have for our organizing when it’s at its best.