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Date: Sun, 17 Jul 2005 03:01:33 -0700 (PDT)<br>
From: rocky neptun <rockyneptun@yahoo.com><br><br>
Subject: [lacollectivenetwork] San Diego Movement Falters<br><br>
Activists Jailed, San Diego Movement Hesitates<br>
By Rocky Neptun\<br>
Neptun is director of the San Diego Renters<br>
Union. In 1972, he was thrown into prison in Portugal<br>
for his work against the fascists. Posted IndyMedia<br>
7/17<br><br>
San Diego: Moving to open a new front in its<br>
preemptive war on dissent; the federal government, in<br>
mid-June, began a campaign of skip bombing and<br>
reconnaissance by force. FBI agents fanned out into<br>
the activist community; visiting staid, middle-class<br>
organizational headquarters and harassing independent<br>
journalists while the U.S. Attorney, manipulating the<br>
oppressive grand jury process, jailed two animal<br>
rights activists.<br><br>
The Feds used an unsolved August, 2003 fire at a<br>
half-built La Jolla apartment complex and a lecture by<br>
Rod Colorado, later that same day, as an excuse to<br>
threaten, harass and create divisiveness in the San<br>
Diego activist community. These local attacks jelled<br>
with Bush's national campaign to create a new fear<br>
factor, a media peddled concept, "eco-terrorists" to<br>
further his own agenda - corporate control of the<br>
economy and environment.<br><br>
While Danae Kelley, 21, and David Arganoff, 31, of<br>
Compassion for Farm Animals, refused to testify and<br>
were imprisoned; their courageous stance brought<br>
forward the rifts and fault lines that underlie the<br>
difficulties of developing effective resistance<br>
locally.<br><br>
In what could loosely be called a tale of two<br>
movements - it was the best and worse of justice<br>
activism. A sad dichotomy; where most San Diego<br>
peaceniks, civil rights devotees, Sierra Club<br>
neighborhood canyon hikers, surfboard<br>
environmentalists, animal cuddlers (as opposed to<br>
free'rs), liberals and progressives either hid under<br>
their beds, went to visit grandma or, sadly, just<br>
didn't give a damn that the rights of free expression<br>
and the right to associate with others was under<br>
attack.<br><br>
Several hundred, mostly young, radicals rallied in<br>
support of the original nine activists subpoenaed.<br>
They included local anarchists, animal rights<br>
activists, the Organic Collective, artists, students<br>
and members of the growing alternative media; sandiego<br>
radioactive radio and the IndyMedia Center. They moved<br>
forward, loudly and forcefully, to protest the<br>
governments efforts at attempting to label dissent,<br>
attending forums, associating with others and civil<br>
disobedience as anti-American, terrorist activities.<br>
A few "older" organizations also stepped into the<br>
fray, like the city's ancient Peace Resource Center<br>
(30 years) led by Carol Jahnkow; the small, but<br>
scrappy, Peace and Freedom Party (the Greens were<br>
silent), and the working-class San Diego Renters<br>
Union. Giving far too few, tepid, press releases from<br>
a safe-distance: a couple of middle-class activist<br>
organizations, who, at least, try to recruit young<br>
people, engaged through their keyboards; however, most<br>
of the community's power liberals and left-wing mouse<br>
warriors simply ignored the fed's attack on<br>
fundamental rights. This stunted support was a<br>
disappointment for some, they noted that the renters<br>
union had issued a city-wide plea suggesting that "our<br>
response to these FBI actions will determine whether<br>
we are a movement or just a rag-tag group of isolated<br>
noisemakers and rabble rousers."<br><br>
A seventy-five year old member of the renters<br>
union, Helen Stone, expressed her outrage after being<br>
wheeled to a demonstration in front of the Federal<br>
Courthouse saying "it's a damn shame that these young<br>
people are out here facing the full might of the<br>
United States police force alone."<br><br>
Others pointed out that here in San Diego, the umby<br>
cord has been severed, with young radicals forced onto<br>
the streets without mainline liberal organizational<br>
support; thus exposing the underbelly of the movement<br>
- soft and vulnerable to targeting and fear of<br>
extra-judicial punishment; and that, indeed, for many<br>
older activists, too much may be asked, beyond the<br>
rituals of protest and prattle that temporarily shakes<br>
off the dust of complicity in a militarized, corporate<br>
owned superpower.<br><br>
Two of those hauled before the grand jury were<br>
mainstream activists who's actions highlight the<br>
fault lines that clash together, creating rifts in the<br>
movement One, Elise Casley, 28, works with voters<br>
rights and the other, Colleen Dietzel, is a<br>
middle-aged owner of the Green Store, near the beach.<br>
Coming out of the Federal Courthouse after testifying,<br>
they were happy to see protesters in the streets, but<br>
failed to attend the subsequent demonstrations, during<br>
the following weeks, for the other seven<br>
inquisitor-ees. They even issued a statement that<br>
questions whether "Americans have to fear attending<br>
events, films and talks that cover controversial<br>
subject matters," Proving, like most "activists" in<br>
so-called progressive organizations, talk is cheaper<br>
(and certainly less risky) than action. For many<br>
liberals, to know the right path is enough. God forbid<br>
that one may actually tread it. Education, forums,<br>
teach-ins, endless meetings; a grand circle-jerk that<br>
prevents the scarier transformation that is needed if<br>
we are to be freed from our personal fear toward the<br>
task ahead - dismantling the American Empire.<br>
At a community forum organized right after the<br>
subpoenas were handed down, it became evident that<br>
some of the government's strategy was working. All<br>
mainstream leaders stayed away, even the commies and<br>
socialists went bowling, while those few older<br>
activists who were there bristled with uncertainty and<br>
fear. One couple, long time leaders, even<br>
unsuccessfully asked that everyone introduce<br>
themselves and point to four people who could vouch<br>
for them. Before the evening was over, all but five<br>
older, middle-class activists had slipped out the<br>
door. Reflecting on the government's use of the grand<br>
jury process, Carol Jahnkow, sadly noted "it attacks<br>
the whole foundation we have of freedom of association<br>
and freedom of speech." She pointed out that "grand<br>
juries were used repeatedly in the 60's and 70's to<br>
disrupt and undermine the civil rights and anti-war<br>
movements of that time and it looks like we're seeing<br>
that same pattern again today."<br><br>
Rob "Ruckus" Middaugh, of Los Angeles, who served 3<br>
years in jail after he was attacked by police at an<br>
anarchist May Day celebration, and one of those<br>
ordered before the grand jury, called the process a<br>
"modern day inquisition" and a "witch hunt."<br>
For the local FBI Office, the use of the grand jury<br>
process is a win-win situation. Not only does it<br>
create fear and suspicion in the local activist<br>
community; it develops favorable press that they are<br>
actually doing something. The local feds are not only<br>
reeling from public criticism by their superiors in<br>
Washington, D.C. over failures to weed out the two<br>
9-11 highjackers who lived and trained in San Diego;<br>
they are also under intense citizen outrage over<br>
targeting three democratic councilmen who took<br>
campaign contributions from a strip club operator.<br>
Also, is the possibility, like Keystone Cops, they<br>
might stumble upon information about the Earth<br>
Liberation Front, blamed for the LaJolla arson, they<br>
can pass along to the national office. Some locals<br>
feel, however, that the developers needed cash and set<br>
the apartment complex fire for insurance purposes -<br>
and the FBI knows it.<br><br>
The San Diego Renters Union issued a press release<br>
days after the arrest of Kelley and Arganoff saying<br>
that their punishment for refusing to testify obscures<br>
the real issues, criminals and villains at play on the<br>
larger stage in our corporate owned government. The<br>
local tenants' group said it recognized that the Bush<br>
Administration would stop at nothing to make the world<br>
safe and profitable for pharmaceutical companies,<br>
bio-piracy firms, animal testing facilities and<br>
chemical factories. They suggest that the FBI and,<br>
particularly, it's deputy assistant director of the<br>
counter-terrorism division, John E. Lewis, has been<br>
charged to come up with creating a domestic terrorism<br>
threat to cover legislation and administrative<br>
decisions, as well as strengthen judicial retribution,<br>
against those who target gross polluters, animal<br>
torture factories and poisonous, dangerous drugs being<br>
peddled in our pharmacies.<br><br>
The intent is to create new COINTELPRO units which<br>
were used decades ago to "disrupt, discredit and<br>
otherwise neutralize" civil rights and social justice<br>
groups. In a famous memo, then FBI Director, J. Edgar<br>
Hoover directed agents to "prevent coalitions from<br>
forming, pick-off leaders and prevent the groups from<br>
gaining respectability."<br><br>
About the same time, in June, as several grand<br>
juries in several states, began issuing sophenoes<br>
against environmental and animal rights activists,<br>
agent Lewis appeared before the Biotechnology Industry<br>
Organization's convention in Philadelphia to assure<br>
the 18,000 CEO's and corporate snake-oil peddlers that<br>
their profits and activities were safe. Surrounded by<br>
hundreds of police, soldiers and federal agents at the<br>
National Constitution Center, he pointed to the<br>
recently amended Federal Enterprise Protection Act,<br>
which, incredibly, equates constitutionally protected<br>
areas of free speech, exposing cruel, illegal<br>
activities of a corporation and it's employees as acts<br>
of "domestic terrorism." Six members of the Stop<br>
Huntington Animal Cruelty group are presently facing<br>
federal charges of conspiracy and interstate stalking<br>
in Trenton, NJ under the act for calling attention to<br>
the torture of thousands of animals in Huntington Life<br>
Sciences labs, a private vivisection firm.<br>
The renters union also called attention to the fact<br>
that one of those in San Diego's federal jail, being<br>
punished for upholding his rights, David Agranoff, was<br>
targeted after attending an anti-Huntington<br>
demonstration, and is mentioned by name in a court<br>
order that forbids "using ant-HLS posters or<br>
literature within 100 feet of HLS employees."<br>
"The misuse of federal legislation to curb freedom of<br>
speech creates a dangerous precedent, barring<br>
activists from confronting any corporation," the press<br>
release stated.<br><br>
They also noted that during a recent Senate<br>
hearing, Agent Lewis, was again spreading tall tales<br>
of possible domestic eco-terrorism and suggesting that<br>
bio-tech executives were becoming increasingly grumpy<br>
over costs associated with the publicity over their<br>
environmental destructive actions and animal torture<br>
as well as the actual cost of security. One company,<br>
Chiron, complained to the senators about having to<br>
spend $2.5 million on heightened security after a<br>
relatively minor, legal demonstration at its<br>
Emeryville facility. Also, attending that Senate<br>
pow-wow was the attorney for one of the developers for<br>
the La Jolla apartment complex.<br><br>
Almost 100 years ago, members of the Industrial<br>
Workers of the World were under attack in San Diego<br>
for their "Free Speech Movement." Emma Goldman was run<br>
out of town and her boyfriend tarred and feathered by<br>
vigilantes, while individual wobblies were jailed.<br>
Today, in San Diego we again have vigilantes<br>
roaming the county and young, idealistic Americans in<br>
jail for standing for free speech and the right to<br>
free association. Shame on San Diego's leftist,<br>
progressive community. Maybe they didn't come for you<br>
in mid-June, but what about tomorrow?<br><br>
Rocky Neptun is director of the San Diego Renters<br>
Union. In 1972, he was thrown into prison in Portugal<br>
for his work against the fascists. <br><br>
<br>
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