Rip Current
Rip Current
On the morning of May 24th, 1990, a pipe bomb exploded in the car driven by Judi Bari, a leader in the radical environmental group, Earth First!. She was critically injured, but she survived. The case of who placed the bomb has never been solved. In fact, law enforcement barely investigated. The bombing happened in the midst of a battle over the fate of the last remnants of the original Redwood …Social links:
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S2 E9: COINTELPRO
After the bombing of her car, Judi Bari came to believe that the attack had been carried out by a conspiracy between the FBI and elements of the timber industry. There are, in fact, a numbers of reasons to believe that the FBI was involved -- a combination of strange "coincidences" and a history of…
37:39
S2 E8: The Lord's Avenger
With Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney no longer considered suspects, the question becomes, "if not them, who?" With the FBI and the police losing interest in the case, two journalists undertake their own investigation. A third journalist receives a letter claiming responsibility for the bomb, but all i…
32:13
S2 E7: It's Hard to Say Who the Victim Is
On May 24th, 1990, Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney are driving through Oakland when a pipe bomb detonates in their car. Judi is nearly killed. From the very beginning of the investigation, Judi and Darryl are the main suspects. Even while Judi lies in a hospital bed with terrible injuries, law enforce…
31:07
S2 E6: Threats
When Earth First! and Judi Bari plan a huge, months-long protest call "Redwood Summer," the reaction from the timber industry is fierce. Judi and other organizers are subjected to threats of physical harm and death; a disinformation campaign claims that "Redwood Summer" activists will be violent; a…
27:48
S2 E5: Spotted Owl Week
A federal agency comes to the Pacific Northwest to hold hearings that could severely limit logging of redwoods. With the Ecotopia in the center of media attention, both Earth First! and the timber corporations see an opportunity to to get their message to the public. The result is a week of tension…
32:17
S2 E4: Monkeywrench
Earth First! was founded in the 1981 by four men who were willing to take an "by any means necessary" approach to saving the planet. By the time Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney joined the movement in Ecotopia, the group was divided over key issues. Namely, should tree-spiking, a controversial and pote…
35:58
S2 E3: Scotia
By the 1980s, about 95% of the redwood forest in California is gone, the result of 150 years of timber cutting. In 1985, a Texas businessman named Charles Hurwitz buys Pacific Lumber Co, plunging the company into debt. Pacific Lumber is the largest private owner of the remaining old growth redwood …
31:19
S2 E2: Arrival
With a history of activism and labor organizing under her belt, Judi Bari moves to the Redwood Empire region of California in 1988. She arrives at a time of transition for the region as timber begins to give way to the marijuana industry as the main economic force. It is a tense time to be protesti…
27:02
S2 E1: Ecotopia
On May 24, 1990, a pipe bomb detonated in the white Subaru driven by radical environmental activist Judi Bari. The bomb malfunctioned and Bari, though critically injured, survived. She was the most visible leader of Earth First! in the northernmost counties of California. At the time, Earth First! …
29:46
Rip Current Returns - Season 2 Trailer
An all new season, an all new case. Rip Current returns. This time, examining the peculiar assassination attempt on environmental activist Judi Bari. The first episode drops on November 5th.
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