The NGO model works within the legal system and all the good work you do is based upon upholding the values of a civil society. These aren’t the days of the wild west were cowboy investors can do whatever they please so long as they bring the cash. No, in the decades since the 1960s the environmental movement has made major accomplishments. Numerous laws protect endangered species and ecosystems, ban harmful chemicals, and regulate clean air and water standards. To step into the realm of illegal activities undermines the accomplishments of the past and threatens our ability to work with government to make changes in the future.
You decide to need to come forward as soon as possible. You pick up the phone and dial your team leader.
“I think I know who’s responsible for the attacks at the industrial complex,” you say as soon as they answer.
The next day the Green Earth Society makes a statement decrying the attacks, and pledging to fully co-operate with the police investigation. The same day the metropolitan PD announce that they are investigating a suspect that came to their attention following an anonymous tip from a member of the public. A few days after the arrest of the saboteur, the topic of water contamination fades from the headlines altogether and life returns to normal. By the time they’re sentenced, you have all but forgotten.
As activists, our job is to change society. When we begin to take actions that serve to protect the status quo, we blur the lines between ourselves, our values, and what it is that we oppose in society. That doesn’t mean that we must all become militant, but we must know which side we’re one, and who else is on side with us. It’s called a diversity of tactics. There are many tools at our disposal to make the world a better place. Most of the rights we now enjoy were at some point in time illegal. It took unity, and solidarity across factions to bring about change. Even if your role does not include sabotaging industry, that does not mean that you must actively oppose monkey wrenching. If we work against each other, constantly opposing each others tactics, then we do the work of the establishment for them: The people divided will always be defeated.