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OR
PHOTO BY TODD COOPER
ACTIVISTS
TERRORISTS
TIM LEWIS APPEARS IN THE OSCAR-NOMINATED IF A TREE FALLS
got involved in what some people call
activism, but I really don’t like that term,”
Tim Lewis says. The tall, thin 55-year-old
with piercing eyes prefers to simply be called
a videographer. Lewis and his video camera
have been everywhere in the Northwest
when it comes to documenting protests and
police wrongdoing — the WTO riots, the
Warner Creek blockade, the pepper spraying
of downtown tree-sitters, the Tasering of
pesticide protester Ian Van Ornum — Lewis documented
all of it. The Tasering incident led to a grand jury subpoena
that was later dropped, and the pepper spraying led to the
Eugene Police Department being chided by human rights
group Amnesty International.
These incidents, as well as some of his wayward ways,
have made Lewis not the most popular person with the
EPD. But it’s both his videography and his involvement in
Eugene’s activist scene that led to Lewis’ appearance in the
Oscar-nominated documentary If a Tree Falls: A Story of the
Earth Liberation Front. Lewis’ work is much like he is: One
minute it’s high-level commentary on social issues, the next
minute, it’s raw and a little rough for a general audience.
Lewis documented the almost yearlong Warner Creek
blockade, in which activists prevented the Forest Service
from logging a forest burned by arson. Warner Creek
marked the debuts of the careers of several mainstream
environmental advocates. It was also where many of those
later affi liated with Earth Liberation Front became frustrated
with the fi ght to save the environment and turned to more
extreme measures, like arson. Daniel McGowan, the subject
of If a Tree Falls, went on to become a little of both, but his
“I
10 FEBRUARY 23, 2012
EUGENE WEEKLY
involvement with ELF actions landed him a terrorist label
and seven years in federal prison.
McGowan and Lewis are not the only appearances
of Eugene or Oregon-linked activists in the fi lm — Civil
Liberties Defense Center attorney Lauren Regan, Earth
First!er Jim Flynn and other familiar fi gures, including local
law enforcement, lend their voices and experiences to the
documentary. These appearances allow the fi lm to question
why environmental activists who didn’t physically harm
anyone are labeled terrorists, while allowing those affected
by the arsons to speak as well.
Tim Lewis sat down with EW before leaving for the
Academy Awards.
How did you get involved with the movie?
A friend of mine was actually trying to fi nd me some
work. I needed some cash and so he went on Craigslist,
looking under video and shit like that, and saw this listing
of someone looking for a cameraman to video some court
hearings that were happening.
I sent them an email, and I said, “I think I know what
you guys are doing and I think you want to get a hold of me
because I have some footage you might be interested in.”
We started dialoguing, Sam Cullman (co-director/
cinematographer) and I, and Marshall Curry (director).
They had to get my trust the fi rst couple weeks and then
they got it because they were very genuine and very real.
They became my friends. It’s been a joy to work with them.
How did you actually become part of the film? You
were in quite a bit of it.
I was, and that sort of surprised me. I was just one of those
By Camilla Mortensen
people they interviewed. But I guess with my knowledge of
the ’90s and of Eugene and having participated in or fi lmed
some of those events, they just felt that my ability to tell that
background story was integral to their movie, so they used me.
So, probably off the record, but did they have to edit
out a lot of your cursing?
Oh, that doesn’t have to be off the record. I really did try
not to curse because Marshall did say that this will be on
PBS. I said, “Ok I’ll try my best.”
There were a couple things. I did say “balls,” “fuckers”
and “up his ass,” and that was about it (pauses). I think.
Yeah, I toned it down for the production. But I think they
probably did edit a lot of stuff out.
How did you get involved in activism, the forest
protests and documenting the police?
It started at Warner Creek. I was primarily a video
producer and a fi lm producer. I wasn’t an activist; I wasn’t
involved with any politics. I knew it was a good story.
We only thought it would take a week, but it lasted a
year. I sort of got sucked into it at that point; I didn’t want to
be a bystander. I didn’t want to be some reporter objectively
reporting.
I Gonzoed, I guess, and dove in to be part of the Warner
Creek campaign. I wanted to tell their story. I got to know the
people. When the ruling came down, I was in a bar getting
drunk and they were going “We gotta go; we’re setting up a
blockade and everything. You have to come with us — we
need a camera.”
I was like, “No, I have no sleeping bag. I don’t have any
clothes.” They got me a sleeping bag and clothes and put
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