Search warrants were issued
LOS ANGELES — Santa Monica police officers have searched the homes of at least two members of the Animal Liberation Front, a group known for taking extreme measures to halt the killing and mistreatment of animals.
The warrants were served Tuesday, said Santa Monica police Capt. Alex Padilla, who would not reveal what officers were looking for, only to state that the raids are part of an ongoing investigation.
Representatives with the ALF said thousands of dollars worth of personal items were taken from the homes of two ALF press officers with no explanation from authorities.
They claim a similar action occurred in 2004, when the SMPD raided the home of Goldfinger lead guitarist John Feldman in Bel-Air. No arrests were ever made and Feldman was awarded $75,000 by City Hall.
“Apparently, the Santa Monica Police are fond of rummaging through the belongings of innocent people who advocate for animals,” Jerry Vlasak, a spokesman for the North American Liberation Press Office, said in a prepared statement released Thursday.“My wife’s underwear drawer seemed to be of special interest to them, although the press office premises themselves have not been touched as of yet.”
Vlasak went on to say that he and his wife are “looking forward to our hefty sum from the department, just like John and Amy Feldman got last year. The animals can always use the money.”
The City Attorney’s Office could not be reached for comment.
Padilla said search warrants were served on several residences in Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties.
Vlasak, an emergency room doctor, said his home was searched around 1 a.m. Tuesday.
The Santa Monica home of another animal rights activist, Linda Greene, was also searched about the same time, Vlasak said. Neither occupant was home.
Although several computers were taken during the raids, backup data was kept at other locations and the office was back in operation within hours, the activists said.
Vlasak said that the warrants were signed by Los Angeles Appellate Judge Paul Turner.
The ALF is a name used internationally by animal liberation activists who engage in direct action on behalf of animals. This includes removing animals from facilities, and sabotaging facilities in protest against animal testing, fur farming and other animal-based industries.
The ALF was named as a “terrorist threat” by the United States’ Department of Homeland Security in January 2005.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 3, 2006. Read the original PDF.