The video is pretty funny and worth a watch (and kudos to the gentleman at the store for taping it!). But I think it’s really important to point out that, if you are ever visited by the FBI, for any reason, the best thing to do is to say absolutely nothing. Not a little bit, not a sentence or two — nothing.

I’m not saying this because of what the person in the video says (I actually can’t make out anything he says, because it has been dubbed over) but because it is always, without a doubt, the best way to protect your rights and the rights of those in your community. As a lawyer friend of mine noted, anything you say could be twisted against you: “If, for instance, this gentleman said he knew nothing but actually did, they could get him on lying to a federal officer. So, like the overdubbing says, just say you’re not interested in talking to them.”

An FBI affidavit has just been released in the investigation of the 2004 Animal Liberation Front break-in at the University of Iowa. It shows the stream-of-consciousness approach the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force took to the investigation, including surfing MySpace and Facebook and using an informant to identify activists on YouTube.

The affidavit from October, 2009, also shows the shaky pretext used to justify charging Scott DeMuth with Animal Enterprise Terrorism, jailing Carrie Feldman in a grand jury witch hunt, and raiding the home of Peter Young.

For example:

• A confidential informant was used to identify individuals in a YouTube spoof video created prior to the Republican National Convention in the Twin Cities. The video, like many others that have been made for mass protests, shows faux “Black Bloc” activists getting ready for the RNC. (The joke is that they are sipping coffee and reading the newspaper while wearing black masks.) The informant reportedly identified Carrie Feldman and Scott DeMuth as cast members in the skit.

  When the video came out, I posted about it on this site, and jokingly called it a “Homegrown Terrorist” training video. Months later, the government is calling it exactly that.

• The government says Scott DeMuth wrote in his diary about the ongoing political crackdown on environmental activists. For example, one alleged entry includes, “Fuck the Feds” and “Turns out the Feds have shit on P” (who the government claims is Peter Young). DeMuth also allegedly wrote “It’s almost been a year since Iowa,” which the FBI agents typed in bold font, implying that DeMuth must have been involved in the ALF raid.

  DeMuth allegedly wrote, “And the ABC [Anarchist Black Cross, a group that supports political prisoners] has gotten a fair amount of attention from the FBI. I don’t think I am at too much risk.”

• DeMuth’s Facebook, Livejournal and Myspace all “identify him with his interests of animal rights, anarchy and ecological extremist groups,” the FBI says.
• An FBI agent reviewed a MySpace photo of Carrie Feldman, posing with a white rat on her shoulder. Rats were removed during the Animal Liberation Front raid at the University of Iowa.
• Activists organized a Dangerous Media Tour, also known as “The Steal This Film Fest.” This public event, open to everyone (including the FBI, who were there taking photos) included information on making free phone calls and other hacks to resist “corporate rule.” The affidavit paints this is a covert terrorist gathering, but to anyone familiar with CrimethInc., Evasion, and the like, there is an entire punk subculture built up around similar petty scams.

I spoke with Lauren Regan of the Civil Liberties Defense Center to help me put this affidavit in context. “This is just an incredible example of how extremely flimsy the actual fact evidence is in these cases,” she said. “If they had stronger evidence against this kid [DeMuth], they would have used it.”

It doesn’t seem that the government has anything else to go on. When prosecutors filed an emergency motion to keep DeMuth locked up, they based it on labeling him an anarchist.

This is an important point to underscore. The date of this affidavit, October, 2009, places it before the Utah raid of Peter Young’s home, and before the grand jury. In other words, it is very likely that the entire case for the indictment of Scott DeMuth was based on this flimsy string of information, including lawful speaking events, Facebook, and YouTube.

Peter Young’s home was raided the FBI this week, and the search warrant repeatedly mentions his name in relation to “animal enterprise terrorism.” In the last article we looked at how this Utah raid is, ostensibly, related to the investigation of an Animal Liberation Front raid at the University of Iowa.

As with all of these cases, though, it’s important to put this in a bigger political context. Few attempts have been made to connect Young to Iowa (the government argued in court that Young was an “associate” of Scott DeMuth, the defendant in the Iowa case, because DeMuth identified someone in his journal as ‘P’).
Young says he has never met DeMuth, a graduate student whose research has included radical social movements.

However, attempts have been made to repeatedly label Young a “terrorist” not for underground crimes like raiding fur farms (which he was convicted of years ago) but for lawful, aboveground, First Amendment activity. For instance, he published The Blueprint, a listing of fur farms in the United States.

Young wrote in the introduction:

While past fur industry investigations focused on the treatment of animals, this one sought something else: names and addresses. Of all forms of animal rights outreach, the dissemination of “names and addresses” is at once among the most overlooked, and most potent…

The fur industry is among the most vulnerable targets in our sights. We rented a car, and set out to create the roadmap to its collapse.

Fur farmers responded by labeling this document, which is listing of public information obtained lawfully and disseminated lawfully, a “terrorist handbook.”

Multiple newspapers in Utah and Wisconsin published stories with industry soundbites along these lines. The Park Record in Utah reported:

“‘The Blueprint’ is a little disturbing. Basically, what ‘The Blueprint’ is, is a terrorist handbook,” a mink rancher in Coalville told The Park Record on Wednesday.

The man, who is in his 20s, spoke to the newspaper at his ranch on the condition of anonymity.

“All this is is domestic terrorism, and I have a target on my back,” he said in the interview. “They’re out there calling death threats in to ranchers. We spend many sleepless nights on the ranch.”

Most times he is armed, the rancher added.

All of this has the effect of increasing fear of animal rights activists as “terrorists,” and legitimizing any subsequent actions such as FBI raids of activists’ homes. As in all of these Green Scare cases, these media campaigns and this raid are, above all else, about instilling fear.

FBI raid of Salt Lake City house of animal rights activists. Photo by Jordan Halliday.

FBI agents and law enforcement from multiple agencies have raided a well-known activist group house in Salt Lake City, Utah, today in connection with an investigation of Animal Liberation Front crimes in Iowa.

I just got off the phone with multiple housemates who were there witnessing the raid, and who were able to read the warrant. Details about all of this are still emerging, but at this point it is clear that the warrant was issued by the Southern District of Iowa, and authorizes the seizure of any books, pamphlets, computers and other materials tied to “animal enterprise terrorism.” [UPDATE: Here is copy of the warrant.]

Some background: In Minnesota, a graduate student named Scott DeMuth has been indicted on conspiracy charges under the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act. The charges are related to a 2004 raid by the Animal Liberation Front at the University of Iowa.

Another Minnesota activist, Carrie Feldman, has been jailed for refusing to testify about her political beliefs and political associations before a grand jury. Feldman was a teenager at the time of the ALF crime, and says the grand jury is clearly an attempt to harass and intimidate the activist community.

So how did the FBI end up in Utah? One of the housemates, Peter Young, is repeatedly mentioned by name in the warrant. Young was one of the first people prosecuted for “animal enterprise terrorism” in connection to fur farm raids in the late 90s. (His co-defendant Justin Samuel is also mentioned in the warrant). He served two years in prison, and has been living in Salt Lake City, speaking at colleges, and writing on his website, Voice of the Voiceless. He is among the most vocal, public supporters of the ALF and direct action.

The only connection I can decipher between Young and the Iowa investigation is this: in an emergency motion filed against Scott DeMuth, to keep him in jail, the government calls DeMuth an “anarchist” and “domestic terrorist.” As evidence of this, they say he is an “associate” of Peter Young. As DeMuth’s faculty advisor has publicly explained, this is tied to his research as a graduate student.

There are about nine people living at the activist group house in Salt Lake. At least 15 computers were taken by the FBI, along with boxes of documents, notebooks, files, and address books. The house is well-known in the area as a gathering space for animal rights and other activists. No arrests have been made, and at this point it seems Iowa is being used as a pretext for a continued campaign of harassment and intimidation.

Among the items taken from the FBI’s terrorism raid: a postcard for Iowa 80, “the world’s largest truck stop.”

I’ll continue to update as this story develops. In the meantime, this is a good opportunity to plug the National Lawyers Guild hotline, 1-888-NLG-ECOL. Also, please write Carrie Feldman a letter as she continues to resist the grand jury witch hunt. Carolyn Feldman,
770 Iowa St., Dubuque, IA 52001.

The government filed an emergency motion to keep an activist in jail because he is an “anarchist” and “domestic terrorist” who associates with a “subversive,” but in a response issued Monday, an Iowa district court didn’t buy it. Scott Demuth will be released pending his trial.

Demuth has been indicted on animal enterprise terrorism charges for alleged “conspiracy” as part of the 2005 Animal Liberation Front raid at the University of Iowa that rescued more than 300 animals.

He and another Minneapolis activist, Carrie Feldman, had been targeted by a grand jury focused on the ALF raid. Both Demuth and Feldman refused to testify on the grounds that the grand jury was a political witch hunt pressuring activists to speak, without an attorney present, about their political beliefs and political associations.

When Demuth was indicted, Judge Thomas Shields ruled that he could be released pending trial as long as he wore a GPS monitoring device and adhered to other criteria. Assistant U.S. Attorney Clifford Cronk filed an emergency motion to keep Demuth behind bars, arguing:

Defendant’s writings, literature, and conduct suggest that he is an anarchist and associated with the ALF movement. Therefore, he is a domestic terrorist.

Yes, you read that correctly. The government is arguing that First Amendment activity–writings, literature–and political beliefs are enough to make someone a terrorist.

Among the other reasons given to keep Demuth, a graduate student in the sociology department at the University of Minnesota, behind bars:

• He has political friends. According to the motion, he is an “associate” of Peter Young, “an outspoken and subversive animal rights activist who has been prosecuted for ALF activities and, after being indicted for animal enterprise terrorism, was a fugitive from justice for several years.”
• He protests. Demuth “participated in an anti-government demonstration in front of the courthouse” prior to the grand jury hearing.
• He has a network of support. There were individuals in the courtroom who supported him, Cronk argued, and many people had called into the U.S. attorney’s office opposing the grand jury “based upon their belief that the use of the grand jury was abusive and unconstitutional.”

[Here is the full motion.]

This is not an isolated incident. It is becoming increasingly common to see this kind of inflammatory, unfounded rhetoric coming from prosecutors who hope to smear activists as terrorists before they even stand trial.

For instance, in Hugh Farrell’s motion for bond, the government said he “has been observed advocating literature and materials which advocate anarchy.”

Stephanie Ernst summed up the threat of this pretty well in her comments over at change.org:

Wow. WOW. He’s suspected of being involved in a raid that involved vandalism and rescue, and he’s an anarchist, so “therefore, he is a domestic terrorist.” Forget the trial, folks! Verdict is in! How many people would be “domestic terrorists” if these were the criteria?

AETA 4 Benefit with Peter Young and Will Potter

Hey Portland: Another benefit for the AETA 4 when I’m in town. This one with former animal liberation prisoner Peter Young. Young was prosecuted using the original version of the Animal Enterprise Protection Act for releasing mink from fur farms. The recent arrests, under the new Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, are for largely First Amendment activity. We’ll be talking about the recent arrests and where this is all heading.

Liberty Hall
March 29th
speakers @ 630
Peter Young and Will Potter
Bands @ 8
Death A.D.
Unrestrained
Parasitic Skies

Sliding scale 5-15 dollars

We’ve recently learned that Burger King has been spying on human rights activists, and the FBI would like to be spying on vegan potlucks. Not to be outdone, it looks like the Society of Toxicology commissioned a “threat analysis” to try to get smart about, among other things, who activists are dating.

The organization held its annual meeting and “ToxExpo” in Seattle, WA, in March. Undoubtedly, a wild and exciting time was had by all. Leading up to the event, though, organizers were concerned about security: not security in terms of toxic-groupies swarming the stage, or security in terms of people trying to steal toxic chemicals, but security against activists holding protests.

Exhibitors included Primate Products Inc., Harlan and Ridglan Farms (two corporations that breed and sell Beagles for experimentation) and, perhaps the most notorious corporation of the bunch, Huntingdon Life Sciences. Huntingdon Life Sciences paid the society $10,000 to be a “diamond” sponsor of the event (a nice chunk of change for a corporation that has been brought near bankruptcy multiple times by activists). That put conference organizers in a bit of a pickle, though, because Huntingdon Life Sciences has been the target of international protests for years, and attracts rowdy protests anywhere executives appear. So, the Society of Toxicology paid a private firm, Information Network Associates, to create a threat analysis and intelligence briefing on pesky activists.

Part of that “preparation and risk mitigation” included a section in the threat analysis called “Activists of Interest in the Seattle-Area [sic]“:

Jennifer Kaplan:
Kaplan is believed to be attending the University of Washington School of Law, where she currently serves as the President of the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund…She currently maintains a large network of associates dedicated to animal rights and environmental conservation…

I don’t quite understand how someone “is believed” to be a law student. From my recent speaking event at University of Washington, though, I can verify that she is indeed a law student, and she in fact “maintains a large network of associates.” (My sleuthing also uncovered that these associates have an affinity for Mighty O donuts–don’t worry, INA, that tip is free, on me).

[another individual] and Kaplan are currently romantically involved…[he] has a doctorate’s [sic] in computer sciences [sic].

BUSTED! Corporations may not be able to stop these activists, but they can totally block their game and expose their nerdiness (sorry, sir).

Peter Young
Alleged to have attended University of Washington…

Alleged? Was he not found guilty?

And on and on it goes. (You can download the entire INA threat analysis here). Disturbingly, the overwhelming focus of the threat analysis is on mainstream, aboveground organizations and activists.

For instance, INA reports that the Northwest Animal Rights Network does not conduct “direct action attacks or other illegal activities,” but “it is possible that there is cross-over between the membership of NARN with more radical organizations.” The threat analysis also reports that the 2007 animal rights conference included workshops on the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act. (You can listen to those here and here and here. Again, no charge INA, I’m feeling a bit generous. Feel free to use it, but just provide a link to GreenIsTheNewRed.com).

To be fair, INA acknowledges that investigators had some difficulty spying on activists and activist groups. Activist “security culture” (read: knowing your rights) made their job difficult.

The bottom line for the Society of Toxicologists:

“…there is a distinct possibility that animal rights activists will use this conference as an opportunity to stage demonstrations or protests, distribute literature, and otherwise promote their animal rights agenda. Proper preparation and risk mitigation should be observed to mediate the disruption that may be caused by activists.”

“The threat level associated with this event,” INA reports, “is considered MODERATE.”

[Thanks to Rick at Primate Freedom for the heads up on this.]

It’s been a while since the last update, and I apologize. Writing about the Green Scare and “eco-terrorism” unfortunately doesn’t pay the bills, so sometimes I’m at the mercy of other writing. Anyway, new posts are on the way. In the meantime, check out this hilarious/ridiculous/frustrating marquee at the Clinton Street Theater for the speaking event in Portland. Come in drag to see the terrorists, and stay for the Rocky Horror Picture Show!

I’ll be in Portland next week for a speaking event with Peter Young, one of the first people ever charged with “animal enterprise terrorism.” The press release for the event is below. Rumor has it that there might also be a movie screening, to take advantage of the wonderful venue. Thanks to all the sponsors for putting this great event together. However, I must be up front, and distance myself from the behavior of Food Fight Grocery: as you can see in the video here, these “animal rights terrorists” will stop at nothing to stock the shelves of their “vegan grocery store,” and are willing to train and exploit animals to do so. Hypocrisy, all for some Doritos.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Are animal rights activists really the “number one domestic terrorist threat”?

A convicted animal rights “terrorist” and an award-winning journalist discuss what this “War on Terrorism” means for activists and the general public.

October 4, 2007 / Clinton Street Theater / Portland, OR

Contact: Chad Miller / chad@foodfightgrocery.com / 503-233-3910

Portland, OR—Are animal rights activists the “number one domestic terrorist threat”? According to the FBI, they are, even though their actions have never harmed a human being. A convicted animal rights “terrorist” and an independent journalist will discuss what this “War on Terrorism” means for activists, and all of our civil liberties, at a public forum October 4th, 2007.

The panel will feature Peter Young and Will Potter. Young was one of the first people convicted of “animal enterprise terrorism” for releasing thousands of mink from fur farms in the Midwest. Young was arrested in 2005 after 7 years of being wanted by the FBI: his co-defendant and friend, Justin Samuel, had cooperated with the government and implicated him in the fur farm raids. He served two years in federal prison.

Will Potter is an award-winning independent journalist based in Washington, DC, who focuses on how lawmakers and corporations have labeled animal rights and environmental activists as “eco-terrorists”. Potter has written for publications including The Chicago Tribune, The Dallas Morning News and Legal Affairs, and has testified before the U.S. Congress about his reporting. He is the creator of GreenIsTheNewRed.com, where he blogs about the “Green Scare” and history repeating itself.

WHAT: “Animal Rights Terrorists?,” a panel discussion about animal rights activism and First Amendment rights
WHO: Peter Young and Will Potter
WHEN: Thursday, October 4th at 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton St, Portland, OR 97202
COST: There will be a suggested donation of $5 with all proceeds going to the Activist Legal Fund. The event is open to the public.
EVENT SPONSORS: Food Fight! Grocery, Herbivore Magazine, Scapegoat Tattoo, SweetPea Baking, Vegan Bodybuilding and Fitness

For more information:
Activist Legal Fund: www.activistlegalfund.org
Will Potter: www.greenisthenewred.com
Peter Young: www. supportpeter.com

homepage: http://www.foodfightgrocery.com
address: 4179 SE Division St

Peter Young, the first activist convicted under the Animal Enterprise Protection Act, was released from prison Thursday morning. I’ll post more information as I get it, but I wanted to highlight it for a couple reasons:

*The Animal Enterprise Protection Act is the precursor to the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act: corporations and corporate politicians said they needed the new law because the original wasn’t working. They conveniently ignore cases like Peter Young, who was charged with releasing mink from fur farms (ostensibly the type of action the law was meant to target). They also ignore the case of the SHAC 7 (the only other conviction under the law) who weren’t charged with doing anything like that: they ran a website.

*Peter Young was released after two years in prison. Meanwhile, the SHAC 7 are now sitting in prison, sentenced between one and six years each (most in the middle) for simply supporting illegal activists like Peter Young. What kind of message does this send to the “eco-terrorists” that these corporations and politicians are targeting? When underground activists are heralded as heroes (there is now a benefit CD called “Prisoner of War” for Young, with big name bands like Goldfinger and Propagandhi) and legal activists are sent to prison with stiffer sentences, is this really supposed to deter illegal activity?