PORTLAND, OR On February 2nd, 2000 agents from the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), and US Forest Service raided the home, vehicle and former office of Earth Liberation Front spokesperson Craig Rosebraugh (see Interview, p. 3). Craig has worked as a spokesperson for the ELF and for other underground organizations for the last three years (he is also known for his former work with the local Liberation Collective), receiving anonymous communiqués from the groups and distributing them and their message to the media and public nationwide.

A virtual truckload of equipment and personal items was seized for the investigation into actions of economic sabotage against those who profit from the destruction of the natural environment. At the time of the search, Craig was served a subpoena to testify before a federal grand jury convened in Portland to investigate multiple actions of both the Earth Liberation Front and Animal Liberation Front. In addition, he received notice on February 18th that he was an official target of the grand jury that intends to indict him on federal charges.

Craig appeared before the grand jury on February 29th and plead the Fifth Amendment to every question except his name. He was then granted immunity (which means that he's not allowed to take the Fifth and faces jailtime if he continues to not answer questions) and was ordered to reappear at a later date. In a statement read to supporters at a protest outside the federal building, Craig said, "As you know, the federal grand jury which has convened in Portland is not just an attack on me but an attack on everyone who cares about justice, freedom, and making the world a better place for every form of life to exist."

He appeared before the grand jury again on April 25th where he again took the Fifth Amendment to most questions and experienced a memory lapse with regard to others. To everyone's surprise, he was released, once again, and commanded to reappear, once again, on May 24th.

In addition, Josh Harper, a longtime dedicated activist, has also been subpoenaed to this grand jury on the same day. He was served the subpoena when three US Coast Guard vessels surrounded and boarded a boat that he was on while attempting to stop the Makah's spring whale hunt in Neah Bay, Washington.

Craig and others in Portland who struggle on the side of the natural environment have faced massive repression in the form of grand jury subpoenas (May 24th will be Craig's 8th appearance before the grand jury), false arrests and serious injury at the hands of local police, surveillance, vandalism, harassing phone calls and death threats, "chance meetings" and home visits by federal agents, and a suspicious amount of infighting.