Letter from Michigan: FBI raids home of water activist

Posted April 12, 2007 in [Water]

Hello Water Warriors: I just wanted to pass along the latest on the effort on the part of Nestle and the FBI, to smear activists who have worked on the water issue here in Michigan.

Three or so years ago (according to news reports) some kind of "incendiary device" was found in an out-building at or near the Nestle (Ice Mountain) bottling plant in Stanwood, Michigan. It was apparently discovered by a Nestle employee, and whatever was intended to happen, never did. In other words, if it was supposed to blow up or burn or whatever, it was found before anything could happen. So they say.

Anyway, soon all of the most active Sweetwater activists were visited by the FBI and questioned (although most elected not to talk to the Feds). The insinuation was, and continues to be, that those of us who have campaigned against groundwater mining and the privatization of water were somehow connected. A couple of activists were even pressured to give up DNA samples for a Grand Jury investigation. After that, nothing was heard again on the subject for a couple of years. This past spring the FBI came to see me and my boyfriend as we had not been home during the earlier effort to reach us, back in 2003. We assumed that the file was being closed and they just needed to see us in order to move on. This morning the home of one of our fellow Sweetwater activists was raided. Printed materials, tee shirts, a hard drive, and assorted other items were taken away after the nearly five hour search. Ten agents were present. Frank simply watched while they combed through his house. It is clear to all of us that this is a campaign of intimidation, rather than an investigation based on any true evidence or even tacit association with the alleged incident at the Nestle facility. The irony is that the most active days of our campaign are long since behind us. Nestle is pumping water, despite losing in the courts against Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation (they're in a drawn our appeals process). In so many ways we have been defeated--by their money, their scale, their lawyers, and their dogged pursuit of spring water for bottling.

As a group of people committed to speaking out and taking action against the privatization of our common resources, we have always been out in the open and above ground about our positions on the issue.

It remains to be seen what the FBI have in mind (many believe that this so-called incendiary device was actually a hoax) and in any case, I hope that this will not turn out to be a witch hunt. It goes without saying that we proclaim our innocence an point at the privateers as the criminals who need to be held to account, both in terms of the law, and in terms of the earth.

Holly
Sweetwater Alliance