On August 3, 2007, a district court judge in Eugene, Oregon completed the final sentencing hearing in a case against ten members of the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), concluding the largest case against animal rights and environmental extremists in the United States. The trial and its proceedings have continued since January 2006, and all of the involved activists have received prison sentences between three and thirteen years for charges related to numerous acts of arson carried out over a five-year time period. Of note, several of the defendants received a terrorism enhancement to their sentence.
While the case has been ongoing for a significant period of time, and several of the defendants have already begun their jail sentences, the final conclusion of the trial may bring the case back into the spotlight among animal rights and environmental extremists, and serve as a catalyst to further direct actions carried out in the near to mid-term.
“The Family”
According to official statements released by the US Department of Justice (DoJ), the ten defendants were part of an underground cell called “The Family” that engaged in twenty acts of arson from 1996 to 2001 in the states of California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. These attacks on various sites included:
– May 21, 2001: Arson attack at the University of Washington Horticultural Center in Seattle, Washington. Estimated damages were between US$1.5 and US$2 million .
– March 30, 2001: Arson attack at the Joe Romania Chevrolet Truck Center in Eugene, Oregon. Estimated damages were US$1 million.
– October 19, 1998: Firebombing at the Vail Ski Facility in Vail, Colorado. Estimated damages were US$12 million .
– June 21, 1998: Arson attack at the US Department of Agriculture National Wildlife Facility located in Olympia, Washington. Estimated damages were US$1.2 million.
US officials have stated that the total damages for the twenty arson attacks exceeded US$40 million.
According to the indictment, members of “The Family” committed the acts of arson using homemade incendiary devices that were constructed from milk jugs, petroleum products, sponges, kitchen timers, and model rocket igniters. Such devices are consistent with those used by other activists from ALF and ELF, as instructions for building similar low-tech bombs and timers are found in several instruction manuals circulated by the two groups.
Allegedly, the defendants met in Oregon, Arizona, and California for so-called “Book Club” meetings to discuss plans for attacks and to practice building and using homemade firebombs.
The Defendants
In guilty pleas during the trial, the defendants admitted that they were attempting to influence the operations and decisions of the government, private businesses, and the general population by using violence, sabotage, and intimidation.
Importantly, several of the defendants were prominent members and operatives of either ALF or ELF.
• Darren Todd Thurston, was an author for The Animal Liberation Primer, or one of the primary instruction manuals published by ALF that includes security tips for activists, as well as a “how to” on carrying out attacks (Previous Report). Additionally, according to the indictment, authorities located false identification cards, instructions on how to make fake ID cards, and a manual/book entitled “Advanced Anarchist Arsenal: Recipes for Improvised Incendiaries and Explosives” during a search of Thurston’s home.
• Stanislas Gregory Meyerhoff, was a co-author of Setting Fires with Electrical Timers: An Earth Liberation Front Guide, another primary manual of the movement that provides detailed instructions on how to use and build incendiary devices (Previous Report). Allegedly, Meyerhoff instructed other members of “The Family” on how to construct timers for homemade bombs.
• Daniel Gerard McGowan, was the founder of the North American Earth Liberation Prisoner Support Network, and was also affiliated with several anarchist groups.
In addition to the ten defendants, three other individuals were charged in the case- Joseph Dibee, Rebecca Rubin, and Josephine Sunshine Overaker- however all remain international fugitives.
Future Outlook
The arson attacks carried out by members of “The Family” remain some of the costliest “direct actions” by animal rights and environment activists in the US. As such, the ten defendants are among the well-known members of the movement. With the conclusion of the case, and the resulting attention, other activists may be prompted into engaging in direct actions. Two of the defendants allegedly wanted to be known as “activist’s martyrs,” and therefore refused to cooperate with authorities. As such, the case highlights the repercussions that some activists are willing to risk in the name of the movement, and may inspire others to engage in similar behavior in order to further their cause.
The case also indicates the success of authorities, in particular instances, in identifying and halting activists engaging in militant types of activity. Yet, the nature of many animal rights and environmental cells, which are anonymous and often composed of only a few individuals, presents a significant challenge to officials seeking to make further gains against the movement. The two movements will likely continue to grow in the US in the coming years, indicating the need to continue to address this threat.