The Summer of '93

Lynn Thompson Photography

Soft drums tap-tap-tapping in the early morning mist.
Around the fire we gathered , we were there to resist.

We were Protectors from the Peace Camp,
from the cities and the towns,
We came to say these ancient trees
should never be cut down.
We stood across the road,
as the logging trucks rolled in,
The police read the injunction,
then arresting could begin.

Soft drums tap-tap-tapping 
as the early morning dawned,
we stood, arms linked together, 
and then some of us were gone.

Tears in our eyes, our hearts on fire,
we stood for the trees.
One by one, they carried us
by our arms and by our knees.
We would not let them pass,
nor let the mighty old growth fall.
Told them take us one by one,
or don't take us at all.

Soft drums tap-tap-tapping 
as we stood for the trees,
those glorious mornings on the road,
the summer of '93.

In Clayoquot Sound, in the summer of '93, local protestors began blocking the logging roads at the Kennedy River bridge, and brought logging to a stop. As the Peace Camp was formed, people came from all over to stand on the road with the locals, to protect the ancient rainforest. I was there as many mornings as I could, working two jobs, and they were the most passionate of my life. My heart was on fire. The big trucks rolled in, the injunction was read, then those who agreed to be arrested that day - from children to the elderly -  were hauled off, by arms and legs, two police per person.

12,000 people took part in the peaceful protests. Of the 932 arrested, 860 were charged with criminal intent. Penalties included fines, probation and jail sentences. At the time, it was the biggest instance of civil disobedience in Canada, and the unjust treatment of the peaceful protesters gained support for the environmental movement in BC.

 In 2000, the entire Sound was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. But in 2006, areas of the Sound were opened once again to logging.

source: Wikipedia

for Susan's prompt at Midweek Motiff: the '90's. For me, the 90's were all about the forests and wild beaches of Clayoquot Sound.