Philly AR activists home raided by FBI
Urgent: Please Forward Everywhere!

Home of Philadelphia Activists Raided by FBI

At approximately 6 am, Thursday, October 28th 2004, a residence at 5018 Hazel Ave, Philadelphia, Pa, 19143 was served a warrant and raided by ~16 agents from The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force.

The Warrant was signed by United States Magistrate Arlander Keys of the Northern District Justice of Illinois. The warrant was served by Special Agent Jeremy Ashcroft of Illinois Terrorism Task Force and was directed towards SHAC-USA and a the Prominent Philadelphia area animal rights organization "Hugs For Puppies."

After gaining entry to the home the agents seized:

2 computers
Dozens of disks/ software
Cell phones of the residents
various flyers
various books
spray paint
1 sweat shirt
+misc. items

It is alarming that a warrant was served when there has been little direct action in the Chicago area in the past year and that FBI Terror Agents form the Illinois District would try and draw a connection between Philadelphia Activists and Chicago area actions. Even more alarming is the fact that Terror Agents would serve a

warrant and raid the residence of reported members of a group called "Hugs For Puppies." Hugging puppies is most certainly the antithesis of terrorism!

If you can offer legal assistance, donate $$ to get these activists new
computers or cell phones, or can help in any way please call Maryanne at 201-532-1993.

thank you'
Maryanne

That's what they get for trading MP3s on KaZaA. Tsk, tsk.

__________________
Meatwad get the honeys, see.

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/10041927.htm

http://www.dailylocal.com/site/news....7782&rfi=6

__________________
Cheers,
Jayfar
--
“I am indeed well aware of the history of Conventional (sic) Hall, both globally and locally, and can assure you that we are carefully exploring avenues for its future.” -- Penn President Amy Gutmann 5 days before demolition began.

Posted on Fri, Oct. 29, 2004
FBI raids Phila. home of animal-rights activist
The raid's focus appeared to be Nick Cooney, who has protested against a Princeton animal-testing firm.
By Robert Moran
Inquirer Staff Writer

More than a dozen FBI agents raided the West Philadelphia home of an animal-rights activist yesterday in connection with a federal investigation of a harassment campaign against an animal-testing company.

The focus of the raid appeared to be Nick Cooney, 23, a member of a group called Hugs for Puppies who has participated in protests against Huntingdon Life Sciences, a testing firm based near Princeton. The company has been the subject of an international campaign by animal-rights activists who say they want to put it out of business.

The campaign includes noisy protests at the homes of Huntingdon employees and employees of companies that do business with the firm. Some employees have suffered vandalism and threats.

Federal investigators have focused on Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty USA, which runs a Web site that features anonymous reports describing the protests after they occur. In May, seven alleged members of the group were indicted federally in New Jersey and accused of organizing the campaign against Huntingdon.

Paul J. Hetznecker, a Philadelphia lawyer who has represented Cooney, said the West Philadelphia raid was part of an intimidation campaign.

"My concern is that the federal government, and in particular this administration, has coordinated a war on lawful dissent," Hetznecker said. "Regardless of the evidence, you become a suspect because you are dissenting."

Around 6 a.m. yesterday, the FBI agents, including members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, executed a search warrant in the 5000 block of Hazel Street, where Cooney rents a room in a three-story house.

The search warrant did not name Cooney, but it sought evidence related to Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty and Hugs for Puppies. Cooney said he was the only animal-rights activist among the eight people living in the house.

"They ransacked my room," said Cooney, who said he was not home at the time of the raid.

Jason Fults, 29, an environmental activist who also lives at the house, said the agents searched every part of the building, including the basement and attic, and seized items.

Fults said the agents took his laptop computer.

"I was a little bit scared," said Fults, who insisted he was not active with animal-rights causes.

An FBI receipt listing the items taken from the house included computers, documents, computer disks, pamphlets and a spray-paint can.

Cooney said his passport was among the documents.

Another name identified on the search warrant was "FCC," which some animal-rights activists suggested could refer to Focal Communication Corp., which is headquartered in Chicago.

A spokeswoman for Focal did not respond to requests for comment.

Earlier this year, Focal and its employees, including some in the Philadelphia region, were targeted for reportedly having provided telecommunications services to Huntingdon.

The search warrant was approved by a U.S. magistrate in Chicago, and an FBI special agent from Chicago led the raid.

"It's part of an ongoing federal investigation being coordinated by this office," said Ross Rice, the FBI's Chicago spokesman.

He would not elaborate.

Cooney said he had protested outside the homes of Focal employees and had received a police citation at one of the demonstrations.

He recently pleaded guilty to summary offenses in Chester County resulting from a demonstration outside the home of an executive of a company that the protesters believed was doing business with Huntingdon.

Cooney is facing a felony charge after allegedly violating a court order by distributing flyers in Cherry Hill that listed the home address and phone number of Howard Pien, the chief executive of Chiron Corp., which has done business with Huntingdon.

Pien lives in Cherry Hill and was the target of several demonstrations outside his house in January and February, including one in which protesters drove up and down his street in a truck with video screens showing animals being dissected.

Contact staff writer Robert Moran at 609-989-9016 or bmoran@phillynews.com.

__________________
Illegal aliens have always been a problem in the United States. Ask any Indian. - Robert Orben

Wow, in just two short sentances, the author has produced on of most assinine arguments I've ever read. And I've been on the internet for YEARS.Bravo, moron.

__________________
"You know Americans are cocky sons of bitches when, in a firefight, we fire TOW missles at a target, and everybody will stop shooting to cheer."

I heard that rick Santorum said hugging puppies would lead to mandatory gay marriages. :razz:

Well that is just "common sense".

-UC

On the serious tip, I am just so glad the FBI anti-terrorist task force is spending my tax dollars harrasing a local relatively benign AR activist (and his unfortunate housemates) instead doing something useful like, I don't know, brushing up on their Arabic. (I've read that they are incredibly shorthanded for qualified translataors).

Although the the idiocy of the paragraph in the Inky article has been pointed out, the whole jist of DelCo Daily Times article I find quite chilling. As someone who participated in protests before i was 18 the way it completely caters to the one guy's suggestion that organizinga protest where minors choose to show up and participate is somehow akin to child abuse ridiculous. I bet the same guy doesn't feel the same way about religous groups that haul out elementary school kids to wave placards of bloody fetuses at anti-abortion rallys (a common enough occurance). The article basically completely buys into and supports the idea that picketing outside the home of someone who owns or runs a company that does something you or your group morally opposes is somehow "beyond the fray" of valid free-speach activity. Provided noone trespasses or physically intimidates, the right to protest is as protected on swanky suburban cul-de-sacs as on urban streets, period.

It sounds as if the protesters may have gone over the line.

http://www.dailylocal.com/site/news....7782&rfi=6

"A group of animal rights activists faces a court hearing on multiple criminal charges after a raucous street protest outside a local executive’s home, in which they allegedly blasted chants through bull horns, rang neighbor’s doorbells and chased the man from his house."
[snip]

__________________
Cheers,
Jayfar
--
“I am indeed well aware of the history of Conventional (sic) Hall, both globally and locally, and can assure you that we are carefully exploring avenues for its future.” -- Penn President Amy Gutmann 5 days before demolition began.

If, due to volume or time of night, they were violating local noise ordances, yes. Otherwise, its protected speech. The tone of the article seems to suggest that because the group engaged in an admittedly obnoxious but constitutionally protected protest tactic, then its OK that the FBI is charging into one of my meighbor's houses seizing his and his housemate's private porperty. That's not cool.