Animal Liberation Front Flashback: Explosions Destroy Utah Feed Plant
In 1997, the Animal Liberation Front (A.L.F.) detonated explosives at the nation’s largest fur feed production plant. The explosion gutted the building, inflicting over $1 million in damages, and one of the most significant targets in the fur industry was destroyed. A spokesperson from the Fur Commission USA would recently refer to this action as the local fur industry’s “darkest hour”.
I am posting little-seen photos of the aftermath to celebrate this action as one of the most strategic and large-scale in the history of the Animal Liberation Front. A few reasons I feel the FBAC action is worthy of notice:
*It aimed for maximum destruction, not minimum damage, and did a thorough job of decommissioning the target.
*It destroyed the feed building, and the trucks which deliver the feed – eliminating both the production and distribution-end of the operation.
*At the time, the building kept in business over 50 mink farms in Utah, making it a crucial lynchpin and weak point in an already weak industry.
BEFORE:
Fur Breeder's Agricultural Cooperative - Utah
AFTER:
This was not the first attempt at decommissioning the Fur Breeder’s Agricultural Coop. The first came in 1991 during Operation Bite Back, when an incendiary device left at the building failed to ignite.
This was arguably the first use of explosives in the A.L.F.’s history (there had been several previous smaller-scale actions in which the use of “pipe bombs” were alleged, and explosions at at least one other animal exploitation site went unclaimed by activists). Later, in 2003, the Revolutionary Cells set off explosives at two pharmaceutical companies in California.
The demolition of the Fur Breeder’s Agricultural Cooperative was far more triumphant than its aftermath…
On June 19th, 1997, Johsua Ellerman was indicted by a federal grand jury on felony charges of using seven “explosive devices” to destroy the coop. The indictment alleged he and co-conspirators placed devices under six trucks, and one inside the building.
Josh Ellerman went on the run. One month later he turned himself in and accepted a plea deal in which he offered his full cooperation and testimony against others. Based on Josh’s testimony, six others were indicted in 1998 for their participation in the bombing: Clinton Colby Ellerman, Josh’s younger brother; Andrew N. Bishop; Alexander David Slack; Adam Troy Peace; Sean Albert Gautschy and one other person. The animal liberation movement had its second high-profile snitch.
Tragically, one of those named by Josh Ellerman – Alex Slack – committed suicide before going to trial. Colby Ellerman also accepted a plea deal, and with little evidence connecting the remaining three defendants to the action, the rest were acquitted.
The only two people to serve prison time for the bombing were the snitches themselves: Colby Ellerman served six years, and Josh Ellerman served seven. They are believed to be living in Utah, with some rumors in recent years placing Josh as working at a 7-11.
The action itself stands as a reminder of one night of action going further than a million angry words.
-Peter Young
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Go ahead and light yourselves on fire, morons. You are committing crimes, and deserve any punishment given to you. If you don’t like fur, don’t buy them. But you’re criminals if you are an alf activist. I laughed heartily when I read about the idiot in Portland. Made me want to go buy a fur coat.
All the 1997 FBAC bombing did was shut down the feed production down for a short time, and when they rebuilt the facility they made it larger, with newer, faster, ways to process the feed. It also gave the public a reason to feel sorry for the fur trade, and a reason to hate activists. If you’re going to make a difference blowing up buildings is not the way to do it. You have to use the appropriate legal channels: either get congress to pass stricter animal right laws; or stage a legal protest at feed facilities, fur farms, or fur sales.
Terrorists. End of story. Violent action against law abiding citizens and their property is evil, no matter what the cause. I used to think there was a cause here, now I have no sympathy for animal rights activists at all.
Terrorists. End of story. Those humans who commit acts of terror (i.e. trappers, hunters, fur concentration camp operators, etc) will be judged by Gaia to be found wanting, evil, sociopathic. How can a sane person compare a building with a living being.
In Nazi Germany, the Gestapo & SS officers had the same attitude toward innocent life as these animal killers do. If this were a just society, not an insane one, those animal torturers would be hanged or electrocuted for their crimes against nature. Until that day comes, acts of liberation must continue.
Life is good live every moment like its your last.