Tre Arrow
Encyclopedia
Tre Arrow is a green anarchist
who gained prominence in the U.S. state
of Oregon
in the late 1990s and early 2000s for his environmental activism, bid for Congress
as a Pacific Green Party
candidate, and then for his arrest and later conviction for committing acts of arson
on cement and logging trucks. He unsuccessfully sought political asylum in Canada
, and was extradited to Portland, Oregon
, on February 29, 2008, to face 14 counts of arson and conspiracy
. These actions were claimed as acts of protest by the Earth Liberation Front
(ELF). On June 3, 2008, Arrow pled guilty to 2 counts of arson and was jailed for 78 months. He was released to a halfway house in 2009.
and lived on a nine-inch ledge for eleven days, to protest the plan to log near Eagle Creek, Oregon
. His protest played an important role in reversing the Forest Service's plans to log the area.
Arrow ran for Congress
in 2000 and received 15,000 votes as a Pacific Green Party
candidate.
In October 2001, he suffered a broken pelvis, broken ribs and a concussion when he fell 60 feet from a hemlock
tree where he had perched to protest a logging sale in Tillamook County
.
(ELF) claimed this fire via a written communique. The U.S. Department of Justice says it considers ELF to be the worst domestic terrorism group.
Another arson occurred a month later at Ray Schoppert Logging Company in Estacada, Oregon
, on June 1, 2001. Two logging trucks and a front loader were damaged, resulting in $50,000 worth of damage. The ELF did not claim responsibility, but the explosions were similarly created by milk jugs filled with gasoline
, and a fuse made from incense
and a pack of matches.
student, was subsequently arrested by the FBI and interrogated on four separate occasions. About four months after his arrest Sherman admitted to his involvement in both arsons. In order to avoid a potential life sentence in prison
, Sherman named three others who had participated in the crimes: Tre Arrow, Angela Marie Cesario and Jeremy David Rosenbloom. Cesario and Rosenbloom decided to enter plea agreements since Sherman had already implicated Arrow. All three entered guilty pleas and while Sherman named the high profile activist Arrow as the mastermind behind the arsons, Cesario and Rosenbloom disputed this and testified that Jacob himself was the mastermind.
Arrow was indicted by a federal grand jury in Oregon and charged with four felonies for this crime on October 18, 2002. He was listed on the FBI's December 2002 most-wanted list, and appeared on the America's Most Wanted
television program.
Arrow fled to Canada, but on March 13, 2004, he was arrested in Victoria
for stealing bolt cutters and was also charged with being in Canada illegally. He was in custody in Victoria's Wilkinson Penitentiary where he unsuccessfully fought extradition back to the United States.
Arrow's family and supporters had expressed concern that he could not receive a fair trial in the United States due to character assassination
by the media; at least two newspapers have referred to Arrow as an "eco-terrorist", and the FBI held his capture up as an example of its success in prosecuting terrorists in a 2004 report to Congress. Judges in both Canadian and American cases against him have ruled that the term "terrorist" could not be used during the proceedings against him.
Arrow was sentenced August 12, 2008, in Portland Oregon federal court to 78 months in federal prison for his part in two arson attacks in 2001 by U.S. District Judge James A. Redden. Arrow had earlier pleaded guilty, acknowledging he set fire to cement-mixing trucks at Ross Island Sand and Gravel Company in Portland on April 15, 2001, and logging trucks at Schoppert Logging Company in Eagle Creek on June 1, 2001. Arrow’s three co-defendants had each completed 41-month prison terms in 2003. The Judge increased the ordinary 60-month mandatory minimum term for arson based on a finding that Arrow committed the arson attacks in an aggravated manner calculated to influence or affect the conduct of the victims by intimidation, coercion and retaliation.
In June 2009, Arrow entered a halfway house in Portland, Oregon, after a year in federal prison.
Green anarchism
Green anarchism, or ecoanarchism, is a school of thought within anarchism which puts a particular emphasis on environmental issues. An important early influence was the thought of the American anarchist Henry David Thoreau and his book Walden...
who gained prominence in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
in the late 1990s and early 2000s for his environmental activism, bid for Congress
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
as a Pacific Green Party
Pacific Green Party
The Pacific Green Party of Oregon is a political party in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is a member of the Green Party of the United States.The party first gained widespread public attention during Ralph Nader's presidential campaign in 2000....
candidate, and then for his arrest and later conviction for committing acts of arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
on cement and logging trucks. He unsuccessfully sought political asylum in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and was extradited to Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, on February 29, 2008, to face 14 counts of arson and conspiracy
Conspiracy (crime)
In the criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to break the law at some time in the future, and, in some cases, with at least one overt act in furtherance of that agreement...
. These actions were claimed as acts of protest by the Earth Liberation Front
Earth Liberation Front
The Earth Liberation Front , also known as "Elves" or "The Elves", is the collective name for autonomous individuals or covert cells who, according to the ELF Press Office, use "economic sabotage and guerrilla warfare to stop the exploitation and destruction of the environment".The ELF was founded...
(ELF). On June 3, 2008, Arrow pled guilty to 2 counts of arson and was jailed for 78 months. He was released to a halfway house in 2009.
Background
Arrow first came to public attention in July 2000 when he scaled a U.S. Forest Service building in downtown Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
and lived on a nine-inch ledge for eleven days, to protest the plan to log near Eagle Creek, Oregon
Eagle Creek, Oregon
Eagle Creek is an unincorporated community in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. It is located seven miles southwest of Sandy, seven miles north of Estacada, and five miles southeast of Carver, at the junction of Oregon Routes 224 and 211, on the Clackamas River.-Background and history:The...
. His protest played an important role in reversing the Forest Service's plans to log the area.
Arrow ran for Congress
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in 2000 and received 15,000 votes as a Pacific Green Party
Pacific Green Party
The Pacific Green Party of Oregon is a political party in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is a member of the Green Party of the United States.The party first gained widespread public attention during Ralph Nader's presidential campaign in 2000....
candidate.
In October 2001, he suffered a broken pelvis, broken ribs and a concussion when he fell 60 feet from a hemlock
Tsuga
Tsuga is a genus of conifers in the family Pinaceae. The common name hemlock is derived from a perceived similarity in the smell of its crushed foliage to that of the unrelated plant poison hemlock....
tree where he had perched to protest a logging sale in Tillamook County
Tillamook County, Oregon
Tillamook County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The county is named for the Tillamook, a Native American tribe who were living in the area in the early 19th century at the time of European American settlement. In 2010, the county's population was 25,250...
.
Arson incidents
Arrow was sought by the FBI in connection with the April 15, 2001, arson at Ross Island Sand and Gravel in Portland. Three trucks were damaged in the amount of $200,000. The Earth Liberation FrontEarth Liberation Front
The Earth Liberation Front , also known as "Elves" or "The Elves", is the collective name for autonomous individuals or covert cells who, according to the ELF Press Office, use "economic sabotage and guerrilla warfare to stop the exploitation and destruction of the environment".The ELF was founded...
(ELF) claimed this fire via a written communique. The U.S. Department of Justice says it considers ELF to be the worst domestic terrorism group.
Another arson occurred a month later at Ray Schoppert Logging Company in Estacada, Oregon
Estacada, Oregon
Estacada is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, about 30 miles southeast of Portland. The population was 2,695 at the 2010 census. -History:The Estacada post office opened in February 1904 and the city was incorporated in May 1905...
, on June 1, 2001. Two logging trucks and a front loader were damaged, resulting in $50,000 worth of damage. The ELF did not claim responsibility, but the explosions were similarly created by milk jugs filled with gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
, and a fuse made from incense
Incense
Incense is composed of aromatic biotic materials, which release fragrant smoke when burned. The term "incense" refers to the substance itself, rather than to the odor that it produces. It is used in religious ceremonies, ritual purification, aromatherapy, meditation, for creating a mood, and for...
and a pack of matches.
Arrest and legal proceedings
Jacob Sherman, a 21-year-old Portland State UniversityPortland State University
Portland State University is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1946, it has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon, including undergraduate and graduate students. It is also the only public university in...
student, was subsequently arrested by the FBI and interrogated on four separate occasions. About four months after his arrest Sherman admitted to his involvement in both arsons. In order to avoid a potential life sentence in prison
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
, Sherman named three others who had participated in the crimes: Tre Arrow, Angela Marie Cesario and Jeremy David Rosenbloom. Cesario and Rosenbloom decided to enter plea agreements since Sherman had already implicated Arrow. All three entered guilty pleas and while Sherman named the high profile activist Arrow as the mastermind behind the arsons, Cesario and Rosenbloom disputed this and testified that Jacob himself was the mastermind.
Arrow was indicted by a federal grand jury in Oregon and charged with four felonies for this crime on October 18, 2002. He was listed on the FBI's December 2002 most-wanted list, and appeared on the America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted
America's Most Wanted is an American television program produced by 20th Television, and was the longest-running program of any kind in the history of the Fox Television Network until it was announced on May 16, 2011 that the series was canceled after twenty-three years, with the final episode...
television program.
Arrow fled to Canada, but on March 13, 2004, he was arrested in Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
for stealing bolt cutters and was also charged with being in Canada illegally. He was in custody in Victoria's Wilkinson Penitentiary where he unsuccessfully fought extradition back to the United States.
Arrow's family and supporters had expressed concern that he could not receive a fair trial in the United States due to character assassination
Character assassination
Character assassination is an attempt to tarnish a person's reputation. It may involve exaggeration, misleading half-truths, or manipulation of facts to present an untrue picture of the targeted person...
by the media; at least two newspapers have referred to Arrow as an "eco-terrorist", and the FBI held his capture up as an example of its success in prosecuting terrorists in a 2004 report to Congress. Judges in both Canadian and American cases against him have ruled that the term "terrorist" could not be used during the proceedings against him.
Arrow was sentenced August 12, 2008, in Portland Oregon federal court to 78 months in federal prison for his part in two arson attacks in 2001 by U.S. District Judge James A. Redden. Arrow had earlier pleaded guilty, acknowledging he set fire to cement-mixing trucks at Ross Island Sand and Gravel Company in Portland on April 15, 2001, and logging trucks at Schoppert Logging Company in Eagle Creek on June 1, 2001. Arrow’s three co-defendants had each completed 41-month prison terms in 2003. The Judge increased the ordinary 60-month mandatory minimum term for arson based on a finding that Arrow committed the arson attacks in an aggravated manner calculated to influence or affect the conduct of the victims by intimidation, coercion and retaliation.
In June 2009, Arrow entered a halfway house in Portland, Oregon, after a year in federal prison.
See also
- Green anarchismGreen anarchismGreen anarchism, or ecoanarchism, is a school of thought within anarchism which puts a particular emphasis on environmental issues. An important early influence was the thought of the American anarchist Henry David Thoreau and his book Walden...
- VeganarchismVeganarchismVeganarchism or vegan anarchism, is the political philosophy of veganism and anarchism, creating a combined praxis that is designed to be a means for social revolution. This encompasses viewing the state as unnecessary and harmful to animals, both human and non-human, whilst practising a vegan...
- Raw veganismRaw veganismRaw veganism is a diet that combines veganism and raw foodism. It excludes all food of animal origin, and all food cooked above 48 degrees Celsius . A raw vegan diet includes raw vegetables and fruits, nuts and nut pastes, grain and legume sprouts, seeds, plant oils, sea vegetables, herbs, and...
- Jeff LuersJeff LuersJeffrey "Free" Luers is an political activist from Los Angeles, California, who served a ten year prison sentence for arson in the U.S. state of Oregon. On February 14, 2007, The Oregon Court of Appeals overturned Luers' sentence, instructing the Lane County circuit court to determine a new sentence...
- environmentalist sentenced to twenty-two years for SUV arson attacks in Eugene, released after serving ten - Marie MasonMarie MasonMarie Mason is an environmental activist from Cincinnati, Ohio, who in 2009 was sentenced to 22 years after admitting 13 counts of arson and property damage amounting to US$4 million...
- activist sentenced to twenty-two years for arson - Direct actionDirect actionDirect action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. This can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action...
- Green ScareGreen ScareThe Green Scare, alluding to the Red Scares periods of fear over communist infiltration of US society, is a term popularized by environmental activists to refer to legal action by the US government against the radical environmental movement....
- Operation Backfire (FBI)Operation Backfire (FBI)Operation Backfire is a multi-agency criminal investigation, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation , into destructive acts in the name of animal rights and environmental causes in the United States described as eco-terrorism by the FBI....
- Eco-terrorismEco-terrorismEco-terrorism usually refers to acts of violence or sabotage committed in support of ecological, environmental, or animal rights causes against persons or their property....
- Domestic terrorism