Earth First and the Clash of Cultures

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Organizer, Cathy Casella, The Picketts, Mary Lindsey and Karri Casper

As we pulled up to the Earth First headquarters around 4:45, there were four Sheriff's vehicles near the vicinity. Ten or so non-threatening citizens were peacefully demonstrating against a group that believes that our civilization is destroying the Planet and through their activism and civil disobedience, they can change the world for the good.

The perception of "civil disobedience" is where the problem lies. To the Earth First Group, it may mean nothing more than a form of non-violent civil disorder such as laying down in the middle of the road in order to block vehicles into a facility such as FPL that they believe is hurting the environment or perhaps it can be something as benign as tree hugging. They do, however, describe themselves as "radical." No one there could describe to me what their mission was.

To those protesting the Earth First group, (the BAC PAC and its sympathizers) they believe that this group is very dangerous ("just Google them," they said) and that their civil disobedience comes in the form of violence such as committing arson and other acts. They also are concerned that Earth First has been particularly active collaborating with anti-globalists and see this as an undesirable group in our city saying, "enough of anarchists."


Earth First is affiliated with other groups that occupy the space: West Palm Food Not Bombs, The Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition, Everglades Earth and the South Florida Legal Defense Fund. They rub elbows with other groups with similar concerns such as the the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), and the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), who have committed over 600 criminal acts in the United States since 1996, resulting in damages in excess of 43 million dollars.

We went inside Earth First HQ and said "hello" to those there. Most were sitting around reading as they have an extensive library of books on many activist issues such as the environment, radicalism and anarchism. Others there, such as Pangioti, were setting up for their opening party.

Earth First describes itself as lovable swamp defenders. According to their literature, over the last few years, Earth First has

• Blocked construction of the largest fossil fuel power plant located in the Everglades

• Built home made solar panels to power homes

• Promoted alternative transit and bike riding

• Created community gardens

• Defended the last underdeveloped urban forests in our country

Accused of "monkey wrenching" by the protesters, Earth First admits to that practice.

The clash of cultures today was obvious. It is what Susan Stanton describes as the "haves" and the "have-nots." The "haves" believe in the free-enterprise system and capitalism and doing everything through the election process--the legal way. Their life-style is the reward for working hard and they don't want anarchist groups here trying to destroy that.

The "have-nots" are interested in things greater than themselves and insist that government and corporations have been ineffective in the environmental community. They plan on fighting corporate greed, political corruption and public apathy.

There is merit to both.