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Re the negative comments I have been getting about my ADL/ALF post, I want to clarify my position.
When I was defending Boks, I was subject to ADL’s wrath as well as that of their very active cohorts. I was threatened, I was followed by cars when I went out at night. The threat seemed so real to everyone involved that the police had their anti terrorist unit keeping a watch on my house—at least according to Bickhart.
They, through several high-profile media types, blasted all kinds of rubbish about me all over the Internet. They made false police and FBI reports calling me a terrorist and cyberstalker as well as having the Stare Psychology Board try to lift my license, and I was constantly threatened with lawsuits. They did a good job at destroying my reputation as well as that of Animal Friend.
Therefore I have no reason to support ADL or ALF on the basis of the personal fear they caused me.
Speaking about violence, I was with Ed when were we were organizing a counterattack against both ADL and ALF. I was active in finding their addresses to picket Pam and Jerry’s home and other’s too with Boks’ and Bickhart’s full blessing. It never happened, but we were planning to do so. Boks allegedly was asking people to find friends to beat up Dan Guss; whether this is true can be verified if needed.
Boks has worked to destroy my credibility and has taked extreme measures to harm Animal Lover which will become public in her lawsuit against Boks and the City.
I also know that Blackman has steadfastly hidden all the anti-Boks sentiment in the community from Villaraigosa, who doesn’t care anyway. Blackman has a hatred of the animal community and contempt for animals in general. Blackman was the major reason Boks continues as GM in the past, now it is also Villaraigosa, who, like Hahn, is deliberately keeping a failed GM on out of spite.
The ADL tactics are completely acceptable and legal. Unions use this strategy of picketing company officers at their homes and telling neighbors their complaints. Companies try to destroy the credibility of opponents as does the Federal government as with Cheney outing a CIA spook.
ALF's action are more difficult or impossible to defend; thus my reaction "Wow," as they were a stretch even for me.
Even when ADL was coming after me, and now I doubt that they had more than that a minor involvement to the harassment I received, I respected what they were doing and even their methods. I did not mind if they were to picket my house and talked to all my neighbors ahead of time about the situation. They were all ready to defend me. I was worried about more than just picketing happening as I was being followed by cars. I thought it was them, but now think it may have been someone else.
Speaking of violence, many of you decry ALF's violent actions, yet Boks, the City, the ACTF and City Attorney are just as much if not far more violent.
Look what they did to Ron Mason. They invaded his property, did not read him his Miranda rights, arrested him and charged him with a felony, confiscated 50 cats he was reasonably taking care of and killed at least half, maybe all. They even brought in outside agencies, such as County Health as well as City TV. Ron was an innocent and had cooperated with Animal Services for three years. He started to beg them for help but they refused to give it. Instead they extremely and publicly raided the house of someone they knew could not fight back and splashed it all over the Internet and the Daily News, destroying his reputation.
How many of you fear being raided by Animals Services or ACTF because you have too many dogs or now an ill animal and being accused of misdemeanor animal neglect? Many, many people have told me of unjustified raids and seizure of animals they were fostering and actively trying to place. These are people with legitimate rescue groups who are now, or were, New Hope partners.
How is that for legal thuggery?
Last, think of the all the animals being killed because an incompetent and uncaring GM is constantly mugging for the camera, allegedly getting laid and drunk, and who feels no loyalty to anyone. Think of the animals constantly being killed because Boks is still here and Blackman and the mayor support him?
As a previous commenter said, Blackman, Boks and the mayor have robbed the animal community of their voice of complaint. Think of the utter distain Blackman and Villaraogosa have for the LA animal community. Is there anything more violent than to have the power to save the lives of animals and not saving them it out of spite?
Given the City's and Boks uncaring attitude towards the deaths of animals in their charge, my question would be, "Why are you not out with the ADL or in othjer ways voicing your anger and contempt towards City officials?" Why do you think violence against animals is not as morally reprehensible as violence against legal thugs?
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11 comments:
I totally agree with you. I support legal protest and educating the public about atrocities happening in the Department. Freedom of speech. I don't support illegal actions but I can absolutely understand them. When activists politely let the Mayor and public know about the atrocities, the City does nothing. It's frustrating. If you are a vocal critic, the City will attack you, smear your name, harass you.
Commissioner Atake was a critic and she was told to quit or she'll be fired. Other Commissioners were warned about disagreeing with the Mayor. The City threatened to fire them.
The City is far more violent than ADL or ALF. The City raided an ADL members home, tossed it, held people against their will. The person sued the City and won.
Boks is far more evil than ADL. He lies about his statistics, he kills animals and doesn't report it, he keeps animals in inhumane conditions which causes them to die of illness and injury, he commits acts of animal cruelty. ALF may do some vandalism but they haven't killed an animal or human. Boks kills animals and harms humans.
A few people in Arizona disagreed with him, so he destroyed their reputation and their groups. The Mayor of NY fired Boks, so Boks shared confidential city information with activists in their suit against NY. Boks blamed the Mayor, Commission for all his problems in NY. That man is evil.
I live in Boks' neighborhood and I've seen the ADL protesters many times.
To be honest, I don't think they're accomplishing much. They walk around, shouting two or three different things into two or three different bullhorns, resulting in incomprehensible, but tiresome noise. You think Boks' neighbors who have to put up with that are going to sympathize with them, or with Boks?
They wear black and masks, which makes it easy to dismiss them as a bunch of attention-seeking kids (even the obviously older ones). And when they leave informational flyers they have misspellings and a moronic call to action: "Call Boks and tell him to resign!"
Yeah, that's gonna work real well...
Not to mention trying to square off against residents. One man told me he asked them to damp it down just a bit as they passed his house, because they were scaring his children -- who were standing there crying. The ADL protestors tried to yell at and intimidate him.
This is a guy who I know adopts shelter dogs and who spent a couple of hours a week ago trying to save an injured pigeon who was sitting in the middle of Olympic Blvd. This is someone they should have been trying to win over. Instead they trespass on his property and behave threateningly to him in front of his kids.
Good job working for the animals, guys...
I personally feel home protests should be illegal. They are disrupting the lives of the targets family and neighbors. Those people are innocent. They should just protest at events and where he works.
They wear masks to protect their identity. In Santa Monica they were protesting HLS. They charged and sued all the protestors they could recognize. Now they wear masks.
I don't think loud nasty protests are effective. I think the people are just venting their personal frustration, which I can understand. Nothing else has worked so far. They were polite and quiet for the first six months. When the numbers started to go south is when the protests started.
The City needs to find an honest, caring, sane person to be the Director, someone with civil service experience. We've had one bad Director after another. They have all been missing a vital quality or two. If we could blend the last four Directors into one, they could be effective.
ADL and ALF are terrorists. Send them to Guantanamo Bay with all the other scumbags.
-LA ACO
ADL just does legal protest. ALF does vandalism and such. They don't know who is in the local ALF cell doing the deeds. If they find someone breaking the law, they should prosecute them. Until then, you can't just ship people to prison for no reason.
LA ACO: If it weren't for "terrorist scumbags" we might still be under British rule.
Brad Jensen
Cypress, CA
RIGHT ON BRAD!
The new West Valley Animal Care Center had the Grand Opening today. people saw a beautiful new open, airy well-lit shelter full of young helpful volunteers bathing dogs, cleaning cages and helping the public.
Looks at the ADL terrorists wearing ski masks and watch caps shouting vile obscenities that accomplish nothing.
You and the ADL are wallowing in the gutter spewing hatred and cruel attacks on the innocent relatives of public figures. There is really something wrong with ADL-
Cowards and ineffectual losers.
Look at yourselves as the normal people of Los Angeles see you.
Brad, the next thing I expect to hear from you what a good job the 9/11 terrorists did. Also keep in mind that the attorney for ADL, John Uribe is defending the most notorious hoarder of all times right now. Animals are suffering horribly under this woman and the ADL sends their big gun in to keep animals suffering. I have been an activist since the 60's, have chained myself to road equipment, etc. and in no way do I support the methods used by the ADL. Their methods have made it hard for legit activists to get the job done and have turned people off to the humane movement rather than solicited people to it.
Re last comment. I'm the one who sees them in the neighborhood.
To give credit where credit is due, the ADL protestors did accomplish one thing. They got me curious enough to Google "picketing Ed Boks." Of course that led me to their website, which isn't an optimum result. While "stop the killing" may be an admirable sentiment, it's not persuasive to anyone who understands at least the current state of things -- too many animals and, so far, too few homes. It makes them look childish and unrealistic, which doesn't make them a credible source. And saying "stop the killing" without offering a solution or alternative is only going to accomplish depression in animal lovers. Depression is not a state in which you can get a lot done.
But I kept Googling, found a LOT of crazies, and then this blog, which isn't crazy. That, and dealing with the Mayor's office on the subject, is what got me on board.
So they accomplished one Google search.
And BTW, since I'm here, calling people "scumbags" doesn't help matters. I may not like ADL's tactics, or think they accomplish more than they annoy and turn people off, but it does actually seem that their motivation is love for animals. They just need to approach it with a more results-oriented mindset.
If I was going to call anyone a scumbag it would be the person who makes a living, in Boks' case a fat one, at the expense of animals, causing them pain and ending their lives. There can be no question about that person's motivations.
Yes. It would be so much nicer to have the ADL-LA serving up coffee and donuts at meetings like this than if they were to march in with banners and a megaphone blasting. But for some reason I just don't think the coffee and donuts would leave much of a lasting impression.
One thing though and this is where I'm probably like most people, if the ADL is to use a megaphone to make themselves heard then I think they should follow the examples made by Gallagher (the comedian)... Do it with STYLE!!
Brad Jensen
Cypress, CA
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