Judi Bari | |
|---|---|
 Judi Bari, March 3, 1995 | |
| Born | Judith Beatrice Bari November 7, 1949 Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | March 2, 1997 (aged 47) Near Willits, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Maryland |
| Occupation | Earth First! organizer |
| Known for | Environmental, labor and social justice leadership |
| Spouse | Mike Sweeney |
| Children | 2, Lisa and Jessica |
| Parents |
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| Relatives | Gina Kolata, Martha Bari (sisters) |
| Website | www.judibari.org |
Judith Beatrice Bari (November 7, 1949 – March 2, 1997) was an American environmentalist, feminist, and labor leader, primarily active in Northern California after moving to the state in the mid-1970s. In the 1980s and 1990s, she was the principal organizer of Earth First! campaigns against logging in the ancient redwood forests of Mendocino County and related areas. She also organized Industrial Workers of the World Local 1 in an effort to bring together timber workers and environmentalists of Earth First! in common cause.
Bari suffered severe injuries on 24 May 1990 in Oakland, California, when a pipe bomb went off under her seat in her car. She was driving with colleague Darryl Cherney, who had minor injuries. They were arrested by Oakland Police, aided by the FBI, who accused them of transporting a bomb for terrorist purposes. While those charges were dropped, in 1991 the pair filed suit against the Oakland Police Department and FBI for violations of their civil rights during the investigation of the bombing. A jury found in their favor when the case went to trial in 2002, and damages were awarded to Bari's estate and Cherney. Bari had died of cancer in 1997. The bombing has not been solved.
In 1999 a bill was passed to establish the Headwaters Forest Reserve (H.R. 2107, Title V. Sec.501.[1]) under administration by the Bureau of Land Management. This protected 7,472 acres (30.24 km2) of mixed old-growth and previously harvested forest. It was a project that Bari had long supported.