Mink Release Prompts Stevens Bill
Legislator plans to introduce law that would target eco-terrorists as organized criminals

By Yoshiaki Nohara, Herald writer

Several eco-terrorism cases that hit Snohomish County in recent years - most recently the release of thousands of minks at a farm in Sultan - have moved state Sen. Val Stevens, R- Arlington, to sponsor a bill that would target eco-terrorists.

"Terrorism is not acceptable," said Stevens, who represents the 39th Legislative District.

Stevens plans to introduce Senate Bill 6114 Thursday in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Stevens said the bill recognizes eco-terrorism as a type of organized crime and makes penalties more severe.

The bill says that, depending on the amount of damage, eco-terrorism can be a misdemeanor or a felony. A suspect convicted of the worst category could face up to 10 years in prison and/or $20,000 in fines.

The FBI defines eco-terrorism as the use or threatened use of violence against innocent victims or property by an environmentally oriented group for political reasons.

Snohomish County has had seven mink farm break-ins in seven years. In August, about 10,000 minks were released from a farm near Sultan. Some were run over by cars, while others attacked nearby domestic animals.

Jeff Weaver, whose farm is near the mink farm, said minks killed his chickens, ducks and geese, and wounded his dog, Copper.

"I am the one who took a big loss," Weaver said. Eventually, about 90 percent of the minks were recovered.

"It goes beyond everyday crime. This is a conspiracy," Stevens said, because the activist organization the Animal Liberation Front claimed responsibility for the act.

The FBI has investigated the case, but no one has been arrested or prosecuted yet, said Robbie Burroughs at the FBI office in Seattle.

The county also has had other types of crime against farms, including an arson at an Arlington egg farm in 2001.

If passed, SB 6114 would be the first state bill specifically targeting eco-terrorism.

"I think it's better than no legislation at all," Weaver said. "Right now, there is nothing. The bill could be effective."

In 2002, the Legislature passed House Bill 1938, which created exceptional penalties for certain kinds of criminal sabotage. The law may be applied to eco-terrorism cases, but unlike SB 6114, the House bill didn't include the timber or fur industries.

Stevens said many people in her district believe legislation such as SB 6114 is needed to bring eco-terrorists to justice. "It's not hard to find people who approve (of) it," she said.

Crimes with political motivation such as mink farm break-ins should be treated differently than regular crimes, said Teresa Platt, executive director of the California-based Fur Commission USA. "When you add the terrorism threat, it becomes more serious," Platt said.

Eco-terrorism is a growing national issue. Several states and the federal government have taken legislative action against it, Platt said, adding that she hopes SB 6114 passes.

Some opposition against the bill is expected in the Legislature.

Rachel Bjork, a coordinator of the Seattle-based Northwest Animal Rights Network, which is not affiliated with the Animal Liberation Front, said her group will lobby against the bill. "Even though we are not intending to break the law, that type of legislation can be used to target us," she said.

Bjork said that unlike the Animal Liberation Front, her group focuses on legal actions and outreach programs to reduce animal suffering.

State Rep. Kirk Pearson, R-Monroe, plans to introduce a similar eco-terrorism bill in the House, Stevens said.

Stevens said she is optimistic about SB 6114. "It's going to receive a lot of attention," she said. "It's going to receive national attention."

See also:

Washington Fur Farm Raided by ALF. FCUSA press release, Aug. 26, 2003.

FCUSA Press Kit Special Feature : Safe Farms Campaign

FCUSA Chronology of Animal Extremist / Ecoterror Crimes

For further information contact: Teresa Platt, Executive Director, Fur Commission USA, PMB 506, 826 Orange Avenue, Coronado, CA 92118-2698 USA, (619) 575-0139, (619) 575-5578/fax, furfarmers@aol.com, www.furcommission.com.

To take a cyber-tour of a fur farm, visit Fur Commission USA's Fur on Film at http://www.furcommission.com/video/index.htm

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Testimonies Presented Jan. 15 in Support of S6114

Kate Roesler, fur farmer, Sultan, Washington

Thank you for your time today. I appreciate the opportunity to present my story to you. But part of me can't help but wonder why we have to be here at all. I'm not here as a representative of a special interest group asking for tax dollars, rather as a victim of a crime. Some might even consider what we have endured a hate crime. I am here today to ask for justice.

It is hard to imagine that any one could consider what happened at our farm as anything other than criminal. The perpetrators would have one believe that it was a righteous attack on some mean people; that it was an animal issue or an environmental issue. This is nothing more than smoke and mirrors to justify the radical agenda of the few. It is time to clear the air.

I believe that everyone is familiar with the sensational stories of this "eco-terrorism". The burning of people's homes in Colorado, the burning of SUV's , the destruction of the research facility at the UW. I am here with maybe a smaller story, a more individual story. It is also a more common story. It is the story of the retailer who has been vandalized again and again, the story of the family who has had to install alarms to protect their livelihood. It is the story of the animals that have been "liberated", the destruction of people's pets and livestock and the starving, dehydrated and injured mink returning to the farm. Those that returned in miserable condition were a bit luckier than the hundreds hit by cars or eaten by predators.

The attack on our farm was just a part of a two-month long "eco-terrorism road trip" which began August 1, 2003 with a $50 million arson in San Diego. This was followed on August 21 by a $1 million arson at an automobile dealership in West Covina, Los Angeles. Next, a Sonoma County, California farmer raising ducks for fois gras had his farm broken into, his restaurant destroyed and his family threatened. Our farm in Sultan, Washington was the next target. On August 26, over 10,000 of our farm-raised mink were abandoned into the wild. At the end of August, biotech companies in California were the recipients of bombs. Early September, SUVs were vandalized in New Mexico and Texas. On September 19, over a million dollars in damages were done to homes under construction in California, this was followed on September 22 by bombs found at a water plant in Michigan a research lab at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine was ransacked on September 24. This eco-terrorism road trip included attacks in six states and cost hard-working people over $65 million in damages, some insured, some not. This does not include the cost to taxpayers for the response by our fire fighters and law enforcement.

When we received the phone call, at 4:30 am that our mink had been released, it was as if our worst nightmare had come true. We went to the farm to find the fence cut and many pens broken and thrown on the ground. We would spend the next three days catching mink, literally, from sunrise to sunset. We caught mink in people's houses, under houses, in chicken coops, garages and sheds. We caught mink when they returned to the yard at the sound of the feed cart. We caught them in 80 – 90 degree days; we continued to catch them for weeks to come.

However we did not do it alone. We were able to set live traps in yards and fields, barns and sheds. We received calls from total strangers asking how to deal with the mink, how to feed them, how to catch them and where to bring them back. We received help from every aspect of the community, from a retired widow who brought us some pies, the neighbor who brought enough cold cuts and bread to feed the dozens of volunteers that were helping at the farm, the cases and cases of soda pop and water that kept showing up to help beat the heat, and the entire mink farming community. We received many phone calls from people, who were unable to make the trip, with messages of support. This vast amount of help is a testament to a true sense of community and a testament that this was a crime that went way beyond simple trespass. I even had a few people state that they were opposed to real fur, than ask how they could help! We had families come to help us from all over the state and beyond. I believe that everyone who saw this destruction realized that we were not dealing with a dispute over what clothing to wear, but a crime.

As a result of this attack, we have incurred additional expenses. There were the initial repair costs, the fence and pens. Add in the expense of the installation of an alarm system, along with the on-going monthly expense of the system. These hard costs are in addition to the countless hours spent catching the mink and re-distributing them to lessen the inevitable fighting that occurs when mink from different litters are put together in a pen. There are hours and hours of overtime for the hired help, spent to put the farm back into working order and to try to prevent a reoccurrence. Then there is the loss of about 2,000 good pelts going to market this spring, in addition to the loss of size in the pelts we are taking. The breeding records have been lost, so this spring will be mostly guesswork. Many of the losses are hard to track, or to give an exact dollar value. There is no way to put a price on peace of mind, which has been shattered.

I hope that my family's story illustrates that eco-terrorist attacks cannot be anything other than a crime. I believe these people who commit these types of acts are nothing more than bullies trying to intimidate, with fear, families, researchers, loggers, farmers, ranchers, miners and whoever else, doesn't agree with them. The attack on our family's farm resulted in nothing but harm to our animals, none were taken to be cared for differently than we do. Crimes were committed, private property was destroyed, both on our farm and in the surrounding community and eco-system. Our family now has on going expenses to try to prevent this from happening again, in addition to the initial costs of repair. This will not stop us from continuing to earn a living. We will not be afraid to speak out against these bullies, no matter the threats against us. It is time for Washington State, which is known for its tolerance, to prove that we will not tolerate criminals, no matter the excuse. We are fully supportive of Senate Bill 6114 and urge its passage.

Steven L. Casotti, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. American Legend Cooperative

American Legend Cooperative (ALC), formerly Seattle Fur Exchange, is a 106-year-old farmer-owned cooperative. Its owners include ranch mink producers based in the State of Washington. Additionally, ALC has approximately 40 full-time employees in the Seattle area while marketing about $100 million of furs globally every year.

Twice a year, ALC holds a 10-day sales event in Seattle, drawing approximately 300 fur buyers from 15 countries and about 200 farmers (sellers) from many U.S. states, Canada and even Europe. These visitors, of course, enjoy all that Washington state has to offer, in the way of hotels, restaurants, shops and recreation.

Over the last decade, ALC and its farmers been challenged by a new type of crime, eco-terrorism, which is currently targeting loggers, miners, medical researchers, farmers, ranchers and many others around the world. While losses to individual farmers are steep after mink releases such as the one that impacted the Roesler family farm from Sultan, in 2003, Washington-state fur farmers remain committed to winning the battle against eco-terrorism.

ALC, its farmer-members and employees, are strongly supportive of Senate Bill 6114 and thank you for your efforts to strengthen state law to better cope with eco-terrorism.