Animal Liberation Front (A.L.F.) Liberates Elk from Oregon Farm

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Animal Liberation Front cuts away fencing, release elk from farm

On the night of August 29th, the Animal Liberation Front raided the Damascus Elk Farm (23255 SE Highway 212) in Clackamas, Oregon. Fencing was stripped away, giving the animals a chance at escape. According to the communique received by the Animal Liberation Press Office, the ALF were forced to make a premature departure in the middle of the raid due to a “disturbance”.

This is the second deer farm raid in Oregon in the past year, and the third ever in the U.S. The previous raid took place in October 2010 at a deer farm in Molalla, Oregon. That action followed the same model: fencing was stripped away from pens, allowing the animals to escape into the surrounding countryside.

The full communique reads:

“On the night of August 29th, a small band of animal liberationists crept quietly onto the property of Damascus Elk Farm located at 23255 SE Highway 212 in Clackamas, OR. This farm raises dozens of Roosevelt Elk for commercial slaughter. Once we made it to the elk pens, wire cutters were used to successfully remove a large section of fencing from one of the pens. Unfortunately due to a disturbance, we had to cut our action short and we were unable to open the remaining pens. The total number of animals (if any) that got away is unknown, but the intent of our action should be made perfectly clear: to prevent directly the violence that is inherent to animal agriculture and to liberate sentient animal back into their native habitat.

Across the country there are thousands of elk and deer being held captive on farms, waiting to be liberated back into the wild. These acts of liberation are generally low risk and can directly save the lives of animals. Elk and deer farms have little to no security and the small size of the industry makes these farms particularly vulnerable to sabotage.

With this act we attempted to remove the last barrier between these wild creatures and their new, free lives. Link by link, these barriers will be dismantled in our society, to create a new ethic of freedom and accountability. Assist us in the struggle for liberation, or stand on the wrong side of history.

For all those imprisoned.  -Animal Liberation Front”

Supporting the ALF and Dating the FBI: Three Interviews

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Three recent interviews

With every Animal Liberation Front-line article, I make sure it fills one of three criterion: 1) News you won’t read anywhere else. 2) Already reported news with a new angle / increased depth, or 3) Already reported news with a spin that leaves the reader (hopefully) more empowered than scared.

One thing I don’t do is much editorializing. That’s not what this site is for, and as such there are a lot of topics related to the animal liberation movement that don’t get covered.

To fill in a few of those gaps, I’m posting three interviews I’ve done in recent weeks that do a good job of covering important subjects outside the scope of the site.

Citizen Radio (audio interview with Allison Kilkenny and Jamie Kilstein)

Fun interview with great interviewers. Dropping through skylights at 18, finding out the woman you’re dating is working for the FBI, and the best question of all: “What makes you happy?”

Listen here.

XVO

The mindset of those who work outside the law, being effective legally, dealing with the FBI, and a brief but controversial swipe at food fetishists.

Read here.

Negotiation is Over

Phone interview on finding a place in the movement after prison, working with the filmmakers of Bold Native, the effect of arrests on the underground animal liberation movement, direct action trends over the last 30 years, and how to support the Animal Liberation Front.

Read here.

Here’s the full text of the XVO interview:

Do you mind talking about the reality of being imprisoned and how you felt when you realized you’d reached a point where there is ‘no turning back’ and that ‘by any means necessary’ were the way things had to be done to achieve the aims you wanted?

I came into the movement knowing I was going to prison. Not courting it, but accepting if I acted in a way commensurate with the urgency I felt towards acting to stop what was happening to animals, I would go to prison. From the beginning, stopping animal abuse and the probability of prison were a package deal. (more…)

Fur Farm Signs Threaten Trespassers with Terrorism Charges

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The Fur Commission USA issues new signs threatening Animal Enterprise Terrorism charges for trespassers

About 18 months ago, reports began to come in of new signs posted at fur farms around the country. People in Oregon and Utah who had demonstrated at farms noticed new signs, which read:

“Private Property

No Trespassing

A course of conduct involving criminal trespass is punishable under the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act… with a fine and up to five years in prison

Violators will be prosecuted under this and all other applicable local and federal statutes”

The signs are often seen posted at the entrance to mink farms, and places around the farm’s perimeter that a farmer might consider access points for the Animal Liberation Front.

As I often have to mention on this site: I am not a lawyer. But from where I stand, this sign seems to be the same thing as saying nothing at all. While there are many non-felonious reasons someone would trespass on a fur farm (obtaining footage, for example), the most common reason would be to liberate animals. An act which, as I can personally testify, is already illegal.

Here is a photo of the sign at the McMullin fur farm in South Jordan, Utah, raided by the ALF in 2008:

As an attempted Animal Liberation Front deterrent, a sign is feeble, desperate, and laughable. As ineffectual as the only other security precaution on (most) fur farms: a cheap chicken wire fence easily felled by the masked liberators these pathetic signs are intended to deter.

– Peter Young

Animal Liberation Front Flashback: Alaskan Furs Burned Down

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Rare photos from the Alaskan Fur Company arson in Minnesota

In 1999, anonymous activists set fire to Alaskan Furs outside Minneapolis. The arson was not officially claimed by the Animal Liberation Front, but bore all the telltale signs of an A.L.F. attack. The fire gutted the building, and total losses were estimated at $2 million. It remains one of the costliest arsons in the history of the animal liberation movement.

Check out some rare photos of the fire’s aftermath:

(more…)

Four Alligators Liberated in Florida

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Anonymous communique claims credit for Florida alligator liberation

In a communique received by the Animal Liberation Press Office, a group calling itself The Resistance took responsibility for rescuing four alligators and allowing them to escape to a nearby river.

So far in 2011, this action is the first live animal liberation that has been publicly claimed. This appears to be the first action claimed by a newly formed group called “The Resistance”.

Since the 1980s, the trend in live liberations has been towards releasing animals directly into the wild. With the difficulty in locating homes for irreversibly domesticated animals, groups like the Animal Liberation Front have increasingly moved away from actions like laboratory rescues, and towards liberating wild animals like mink, fox, and birds directly into their natural habitat.

The communique for the alligator liberation reads:

“Somewhere in Florida on May 1, a 14-foot alligator, was liberated from his pit of despair where he was a caged tourist attraction. He was imprisoned in a shallow pool of stagnant green water, no pump, no food, unable to return to his home only yards away. Three baby alligators used as photo props were also freed. All four made it to the river as night fell. The next time the prison guard goes out on the river, we hope his former detainees will greet him appropriately. This liberation is dedicated to POW Walter Bond and all of our imprisoned comrades.  –The Resistance”

Fugitive Moves to Third on Most Wanted Terrorists List

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Andreas San Diego moves to number three on the FBI’s “Most Wanted Terrorists” list

With the (alleged) death of Bin Laden, the FBI has reordered its “Most Wanted Terrorists” list, moving animal liberation fugitive Andreas San Diego to number three.

San Diego was indicted in 2004 for the bombings of two targets related to the campaign against Huntington Life Sciences: Chiron (Emeryville, CA) and Shaklee (Pleasonton, CA). He was last seen in 2003, after he evaded an FBI surveillance tail in downtown San Francisco.

Andreas San Diego first became a suspect immediately after the Shaklee bombing, when he was pulled over for a minor traffic violation less than a mile from the site of the explosion. He has been a fugitive for nearly eight years.

Adding San Diego to the “most wanted terrorists” list is among the more bold moves by the federal government as it works to sell the public on animal rights activists and the A.L.F. as “terrorists”. This despite a 30+ year history of activity in which no humans have been harmed. The bombings Andreas are accused of took place at unoccupied office buildings, and no one was injured.

With the specter of Bin Laden gone, it will be worth watching whether the FBI gives the A.L.F. / E.L.F. even greater boogeyman-status.

The FBI’s wanted poster has this to say about Andreas San Diego:

“Daniel Andreas San Diego is wanted for his alleged involvement in the bombing of two office buildings in the San Francisco, California, area. On August 28, 2003, two bombs exploded approximately one hour apart at the Chiron Corporation in Emeryville. Then, on September 26, 2003, one bomb strapped with nails exploded at the Shaklee Corporation in Pleasanton. San Diego was indicted in the United States District Court, Northern District of California, in July of 2004.”

Followed, of course, by “SHOULD BE CONSIDERED ARMED AND DANGEROUS” (my wanted poster contained the same notation, despite my never having possessed, held, or even seen, a gun).

It is impossible to know where Andres San Diego is hiding, but please ask yourself what you would do if he showed up at your door tonight, asking for help. San Diego faces a potential life sentence if arrested, and is out there somewhere right now literally running for his life.

– Peter Young

New Issue of Bite Back Magazine Out Now

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Latest issue of the only direct-action focused animal liberation publication

18 months since the last issue, the new issue of Bite Back is now out. The new issue features:

*Excerpt from Will Potter’s new book (Green Is the New Red)

*A “How it was done” story of the destruction of a leather fair in Mexico,

*Official police reports & photographs from an investigation into U.S. fur farm raids

*2010 worldwide diary of actions

*Animal liberation prisoner updates, and more!

36 pages.

Order here.

FBI Blames A.L.F. in Anarchist Free Store Arson

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FBI blames Animal Liberation Front in anarchist “free store” arson

The A.L.F. has been blamed for some absurd things, but this is a first: NYC police and the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force have named the Animal Liberation Front as suspects in an arson against an unlikely target: the Brooklyn Free Store, a community run thrift store.

The fire destroyed the building. The Brooklyn Free Store was a community resource, where people could pick up items for free. What role a small thrift store could have in animal abuse was not explained, and the FBI didn’t say why they believed the A.L.F. could be responsible.

I have written in past articles on the A.L.F. being scapegoated in actions that were clearly not the work of animal liberationists. In one example, a kangaroo was found loose near a roadside zoo. The owner told police the kangaroo liberation wasn’t the product of inadequate fencing, but the work of the Animal Liberation Front.

In another case. Santa Cruz police hinted the A.L.F. was behind vandalism to a vehicle owned by a UC-Santa Cruz researcher. Problem was, the researcher didn’t do animal research.

A Free Store volunteer stated she was “pretty positive that ALF had nothing to do with the fire.”

– Peter Young

DeMuth Receives Six Months in A.L.F. Raid that Shut Down Farm

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Scott DeMuth taken into custody at sentencing for raid on a ferret farm

Today, Scott DeMuth received 6 months in prison for the Animal Liberation Front-claimed release of 400 ferrets from a former Minnesota mink farm.  It was expected DeMuth would be allowed to self-surrender at a later date, but in an unexpected move, the judge ordered him to be taken into custody immediately.

Raid shut down the farm

New information was revealed at the sentencing, with Prosecutor Clifford Cronk admitting the raid had shut the ferret farm down

Details of the A.L.F. action

The Animal Liberation Front claimed responsibility for the 2006 raid. (more…)

A.L.F.-Raided Fur Farm Confirmed Closed by Anonymous Tipster

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An anonymous tipster reports the Animal Liberation Front-raided Ide Fur Farm is now closed.

Good news for Christmas: an anonymous Christmas tree shopper finds no animals and empty sheds at the Ide Christmas tree / mink farm in Illinois.

Earlier this month, Animal Liberation Front-line reported on how to visit a fur farm legally (see: “How To Visit a Fur Farm – Without Being the A.L.F.“). The article covered several mink farms that also operate cut-your-own Christmas tree farms, offering visitors the opportunity to explore the property and (possibly) get a close look at a mink farm – without being the Animal Liberation Front.

One anonymous Christmas tree shopper read the Animal Liberation Front-Line article, visited the Ide Christmas Tree Farm (also the site of the Ide Fur Farm), and submitted an anonymous report.

Their findings: The Ide Fur Farm is closed.

To quote the report I received:

“I saw no caged animals on the property. It’s a small tree farm… I walked the fencing perimeter easily.”

The report describes the former mink farm’s layout:

“There were three main areas with buildings in the middle of the christmas trees. One was their house with the kid’s turtle thing in the back yard. That leads to a gate behind that, where the abandoned mink shed is. “

Numerous photos of the farm were submitted with the report (posted below), showing one gutted shed and many empty cages.

The Animal Liberation Front raided the Ide Fur Farm during Labor Day weekend in 1997, releasing 4,000 mink. Because the anonymous report is the first news of the farm’s closure, it is not known how long the farm has been closed, or what role the A.L.F. raid may have played in the farm’s demise.

View the photos of the empty sheds below, and this Christmas celebrate the closure of one more mink farm.

– Peter Young

Endnote: Animal Liberation Front-Line is interested in receiving reports on the effects of Animal Liberation Front raids on their targets. If you work inside a previous A.L.F. target, know someone who does, or have other information on the short or long-term effects of Animal Liberation Front raids, please submit your information (anonymously if you wish) to peter@animalliberationfrontline.com.

How To Visit a Fur Farm – Without Being the A.L.F.

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Get a look at a mink farm – without being the Animal Liberation Front

Here is a secret fur farmers don’t want you to know: how to get a close look at a mink farm – legally.

There is an odd trend among the small number of fur farms left in the U.S.: several of them are also cut-your-own Christmas tree farms.

These tree farms invite members of the public onto their property to find the perfect Christmas tree. This invitation could offer the prospective Christmas tree buyer a glimpse of  a fur farm rarely experienced outside of Animal Liberation Front (A.L.F.) raids.

One such fur farm is the Gengel Mink Farm. A recent article on Christmas tree farms in the Chicago area stated:

“A mink farm year-round, the 60-acre Gengel site was first planted with evergreen trees in 1964 and has been known to sell up to 500 trees annually.”

The Blueprint fur farm list categorizes the Gengel Mink Farm as being an open, active mink farm.

By their nature, Christmas tree farms encourage exploration of the property to find the perfect tree, offering an otherwise impossible opportunity to see a mink farm up close.

The website for the another tree farm – the Ide Christmas Tree Farm – invites visitors to explore:

“Hike as much or little as it takes to find the ‘Perfect Tree’ for your family.”

What the website doesn’t say is that this tree farm is on the same property as the Charles Ide Jr. fur farm in Downer’s Grove, Illinois. This fur farm is rumored to be closed, but this has never been confirmed. Going tree shopping at this farm would allow anyone to get close to the sheds and confirm its status once and for all.

A third fur farm – Mildbrand Mink Ranch in Medford, Wisconsin – also operates a Christmas tree farm. While this farm appears to be located around the corner from the mink sheds, this would still be one place to not buy a tree this year.

For the others, this is one opportunity that cannot be passed up: mink farmers inviting the public onto their property.

Christmas tree shoppers are invited to send their reports to Animal Liberation Front-line.

– Peter Young

FBI Closes Investigation into Iowa A.L.F. Lab Raid

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Investigation into the Animal Liberation Front raid of UI labs is “officially closed”

Six years, over 200 FBI interviews, and several house raids and jail terms later, the FBI has officially closed the investigation into the 2004 Animal Liberation Front raid of the University of Iowa – without a conviction.

To put it another way: the A.L.F. pulled off one of the largest lab raids in U.S. history – and got away with it.

In an article this week, the Associated Press put it this way:

“Despite an extensive FBI investigation, it is increasingly unlikely anyone will be prosecuted for a 2004 break-in at a University of Iowa lab where activists released hundreds of animals and destroyed years of research”

In a conversation last week, an AP reporter put it to me more succinctly:

“The FBI told me they have officially closed the investigation into the University of Iowa incident.”

And the FBI gives this “saving-face” quote:

“active investigation of the attack on the University of Iowa Laboratory has been completed”

One false arrest and several house raids later…

This news from the FBI comes less than three months after they dropped charges against Scott DeMuth, the only person charged for a role in the raid. DeMuth was charged just three days before the state of limitations was to expire, despite DeMuth being just 17 at the time of the raid.

During the investigation the FBI interviewed over 200 people, subpoenaed at (more…)