[Ppnews] 3rd grand jury subpoena in Davenport animal rights case

[Political Prisoner News]

GRAND JURY IN DAVENPORT SETS EYES ON A THIRD PERSON

http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=2010davenport-gj
Monday, January 25 2010 @ 03:32 PM CST

Leana Stormont became the third person subpoenaed by that grand jury 
in Davenport, Iowa which is out to get animal rights activists 
however they can. One man, Scott DeMuth has been indicted and is free 
on bond. One woman, Carrie Feldman, has been locked up since before 
thanksgiving for heroically refusing to cooperate with the grand jury.

Leana was a graduate student at the University of Iowa at the time of 
the ALF raid on a lab on campus. That action saw the rescue of 401 
animals from the Spence psychology labs in an overnight raid by the 
ALF. She was a visible animal rights activist at the time and has 
been on the Feds radar screen ever since.

It has been an historic tactic of the FBI to go after visible, above 
ground activists since they have exhibited a complete inability to 
find anyone who doesn't want to be found. The FBI resents looking 
like the incompetents that they often are. This is not to say if 
evidence of some nefarious act exists in a concrete form that they 
won't find it. They are really good at sifting through trash and that 
sort of thing...if you catch my drift.

The following is from Voice of the Voiceless.

University of Iowa Graduate Subpoenaed to A.L.F. Grand Jury
by Peter Young

Former University of Iowa student and barred attorney subpoenaed to 
testify in Animal Liberation Front investigation.

A University of Iowa graduate has been named as the latest person 
subpoenaed to testify to a grand jury seeking those responsible for 
the 2004 Animal Liberation Front raid of the University of Iowa.

Leana Stormont, a barred attorney and graduate of the University of 
Iowa law school, was involved with animal rights activism on campus 
at the time of the 2004 A.L.F. raid. The action saw the rescue of 401 
animals from the Spence psychology labs in an overnight raid by the A.L.F.

A visible animal rights activist on campus, Leana Stormont appears to 
have been on the FBI's radar since the Animal Liberation Front 
break-in. After experiencing harassment in the post-raid FBI 
investigation, she published an article in the American Chronicle 
titled " Caring About Animals is Not a Crime" on being surveilled by 
the FBI and the government's practice of spying on activists.

With this targeting of a former student activist, the subpoena 
continues this investigation's theme of persecuting academic research 
and expression.

The first person charged in relation to the U of I raid, Scott 
DeMuth, is not an animal rights activist, but a scholar. 17 years old 
at the time of the raid, DeMuth appears to have been targeted for his 
research into the animal rights movements as part of his graduate 
work at the University of Minnesota. DeMuth was subpoenaed to testify 
at the grand jury in November after journals were seized in a raid of 
his home by police attempting to neutralize protests at the 2008 
Republican National Convention. In the journals, police claim, were 
notes on interviews with research subjects indicating to the FBI 
DeMuth may have privileged knowledge of the animal rights movement. 
No information specific to the University of Iowa Animal Liberation 
Front raid has yet been alleged. After refusing to testify, DeMuth 
was charged with Animal Enterprise Terrorism. He remains out of jail 
pending trial.

Continuing with this trend - while information at this point is 
sparse - it would come as no surprise if Leana Stormont is being 
targeted solely because she was an outspoken University of Iowa 
animal rights activist at the time of the raid, and was supportive of 
the A.L.F. in the media. She gave this quote from her op-ed in 
support of the A.L.F. action, published in the University of Iowa 
student paper:

As a matter of ethical coherence, I do not believe anyone can condemn 
the actions at Spence [the laboratory that was attacked by the ALF] 
without likewise condemning the fact that thousands of animals have 
been intentionally subject to psychological terror and have lost 
their lives within the confines of that laboratory. . . .

This new subpoena means the FBI remains on the rampage in pursuit of 
those who picked locks and broke down doors at the University of Iowa 
in 2004, giving over 400 animals a second chance at life.

By Leana Stormount
http://www.laughingwolf.com/animal_rights/caring-about-animals.html
http://www.satyamag.com/nov05/stormont.html




Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110

415 863-9977

www.Freedomarchives.org  
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://freedomarchives.org/pipermail/ppnews_freedomarchives.org/attachments/20100125/bfbb57bb/attachment.htm>