In
the early morning hours of Sunday, March 30th, five Michigan animal rights activists
were arrested for allegedly raiding a Canadian mink farm. According to media reports,
1,500 mink were released from Ebert's Fur Farm owned by Tom McLellan, fences were
cut, and breeding cards were removed from the cages, effectively costing the fur
farmer half a million dollars! It is believed that McLellan will collect
this sum in insurance money but that he will not be insured again. Further, it
is probable that this action has put him out of business for good! (The Earth
Liberation Front took credit for a similar action at Ebert's Fur Farm two weeks
earlier when 250 to 300 mink were released.) Those charged in the mink raid
are Patricia Dodson, 48; Hilma Ruby, 59; Robyn Weiner, 25; Gary Yourofsky, 26;
and Alan Hoffman, 47; all of whom live in Michigan. All are charged with breaking
and entering and mischief. Robyn and Alan are also charged with possession of
stolen property (breeding cards). Patricia is charged with possession of burglary
tools. The five had several court hearings and several delays before they
were finally released almost two weeks later, each on $10,000 bail. By this time,
two of the defendants--Alan Hoffman and Robyn Weiner--had made damaging statements
to the police which were read in court. Alan gave an alleged blow-by-blow account
of everyone's actions (including the scouting out of farms in the U.S.), and Robyn's
statement included the implication of one of the other activists in a previous
raid. Robyn claims her informing was in the best interests of everyone. However,
her co-defendant's legal cases have been seriously compromised by her statements,
and it has left them feeling betrayed. If Robyn was seriously concerned about
her co-defendants' interests, she would have consulted them first and got their
approval before taking such drastic action. But the fact is that her statements
are damaging and statements such as hers cannot be tolerated within a direct action
movement. The same words hold true for Alan who has also cooperated with the authorities. Robyn
has pled guilty to the charges and waived her right to a trial. She has made a
deal with the prosecution and it is expected that she will be sentenced by June
13, when the others return to court. All five returned to court in Chatham, Ontario,
three weeks later, where they were served with a $3.5 million civil suit by Ebert's
Fur Farms, Inc. The owners of the farm are seeking: $2,000,000 in general
damages
$1,000,000 in specific damages
$500,000 in punitive damages
plus
legal costs. The suit claims that 20 years of breeding information was
lost; 1,542 minks were released (1,500 female, 42 male); 95 percent of females
were pregnant with an average expected litter of six kits each; 1,500 females
would have produced 7,125 pelts at $70 per male pelt and $50 per female pelt.
The defendants are accused of cutting a hole in the fence, damaging or destroying
100 pens, damaging or destroying 400 drop-in nest-boxes, and damaging or destroying
2 gates. The legal fees and other costs yet to be incurred will undoubtedly be
enormous--any help raising funds would be greatly appreciated! Information on
where to send donations and letters of support is in the box to the right of this
article. Finally, you might want to take a moment to let Mr. Tom McLellan
and his son, Bill, know what a wretched mistake they are making by pursuing a
lawsuit against accused freedom fighters: Ebert's Fur Farm, R.R. 4, Blenheim,
Ontario, N0P 1A0, Canada - Phone: (519) 676-4969 |
