On Horses and Grand Juries

by Lacey Phillabaum

In a daring action on July 21, the Equine and Zebra Liberation Network (EZLN) of the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) burned to the ground a horse-rendering plant in Oregon that had made mincemeat of horses for European markets for 30 years. In the wake of that action, federal law enforcement has focused its investigation on animal-rights activists in Portland, most recently initiating a grand jury to target one activist.

The ALF press release announcing the action reads in part:

"Under a nearly full moon, the ALF paid a visit to the Cavel West Horse Murdering plant... About 35 gallons of vegan jello was brought in with the team... a number of holes were drilled into the rear wall of the slaughterhouse office to bypass potential alarms on the doors or windows...the area that housed the refrigeration units was located and again large holes were drilled through the wall at that part of the slaughterhouse. Two teams then poured the jello into the numerous holes and quickly began to assemble the three electrically timed incendiary devices that would bring to a screeching halt what countless protests and letter-writing campaigns could never stop. While these devices were being assembled some members of the team entered a storage shed/office site... and left the remaining 10 gallons or so of jello for dessert. Then two gallons of muriatic acid was poured into the air conditioning vents to taint and destroy any horse flesh that may have survived the fire... at least $1,000,000 of damage has been done and the entire plant is currently closed and out of operation! The media blackout of this action is intense and thorough, but, you know what? The horses don't mind."

In statements to the press, the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) and Sheriff investigators confirmed that "vegan jello," a term for jellied gasoline or napalm, was used, that holes in the back wall were made to enter the building and that $1-million worth of damage was done.

It is true, as well, that the action accomplished "what countless protests and letter-writing campaigns could never stop." The Cavel West Horse Rendering plant (which is just one of the horse rendering that has used the site in the past thirty years) has been the long-time target of Portland animal-rights groups. Mainstream groups like Action for Animals protested the plant two years ago but gave up and focused on other issues.

Nonetheless, every aspect of the horse rendering business, from the transportation of the doomed animals to the killing methods, has fallen under well-deserved scrutiny in recent months. The Humane Society of the United States is pushing for regulations on the transport of horses to the eight licensed rendering plants in the states, which send more than 20 tons of meat from 100,000 horses overseas every year. Often, the horses take many days to reach the plants, usually in low-slung "potbelly" trucks designed for shorter-legged cows and hogs. At present, no rules govern how much rest, food or water the horses get, nor how crowded the trailers may be. Fighting and overcrowding kills or injures many horses before they ever reach the slaughterhouse. Yet new regulations are not expected until 1998 or 1999.

The agonizing ride is just one of the many abuses heaped upon the horses as their final rites. Each of the eight plants operates independently, without standardized euthanasia practices. The horses are supposed to be rendered unconscious before being slaughtered, but often aren't. Dr. Temple Grandin, a veterinarian who acted as a consultant for the constructionof one slaughterhouse, says "abuses, such as excessive prodding, [and] dragging downed, crippled animals or running animals over the top of a downed animal, often occur when management is lax." In an industry without regulation, management is often lax.

Not surprisingly, the mainstream media has tried to portray the arson as a tragedy. The Redmond Bulletin used hysterical language, blaming the fire for "burning the hopes of children born with skull defects," as Cavel West was providing the Pacific Coast Tissue Bank in Los Angeles with horse bone tissue to regenerate the human skull and "cure birth defects."

The tissue bank argues that Cavel West was crucial because it was a clean plant, "The wonderful part about Cavel West is that they run such a very clean and sanitary process,' Huber [director of the tissue bank] said. 'I have visited some other plants that frankly should have been burned down.'" The sanitary reputation of the plant, however, is not supportable, as the plant's local record shows. The company was cited by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in 1992 after an inspector found piles of horse tails and legs, a horse head and a quantity of blood dumped in a field adjacent to the site. When workers weren't careful about removing the blood, it would flow down the sewer line and interfere with the sewage treatment process. In 1993, the plant also became a target of a DEQ odor investigation. The odor emitted from the plant was legendary. Neighbor Gil Platt, owner of Midstate Power Products, said his customers were turned off by the smell. "They say 'You've got something dead out here'... I've had ladies get back in their cars." Charlie Brown, a driver for Northern Energy agreed, "The smell around here in the summertime is something atrocious." He said he has seen animal blood dumped into holes in a nearby field, which attracts hordes of flies. "You could shoot them with a 12-gauge shotgun they're so thick."

Because of these environmental problems, the city of Redmond may not permit the plant owners to rebuild. As a result of zone changes, the slaughterhouse is no longer allowed in its former location. The Redmond planning commission has suggested it would be willing to consider changing the zoning language to allow the plant to rebuild only if the Belgian owners work with the DEQ on a comprehensive pollution-control plan.

Meanwhile, the coast is not clear for the arsonists nor local mainstream animal-rights activists. Craig Rosebraugh, a political science student at Marylhurst College and member of the Portland-based Liberation Collective, has been the target of the federal enforcement agencies investigating the arson. His house has been watched by federal investigators since May 30, when 10,000 mink were released from a fur farm in Mount Angel, Oregon. He was questioned by the FBI and BATF at the Liberation Collective office about the mink release and slaughterhouse fire. In addition, he was subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury investigating the Animal Liberation Front on September 17. Rosebraugh, who says the investigation resembles "horrific witch hunts," submitted to the grand jury's questioning because "I was naive enough to believe that the people on the grand jury would be an accurate representation of the Portland metropolitan area." During two rounds of questioning that lasted approximately two hours, Rosebraugh pleaded the fifth amendment (the right to not impeach oneself) to 75 percent of the questions.

Outside, 50 protesters rallied against the secret proceedings of the grand jury. Unlike other court proceedings, grand juries are closed to the public. Anyone subpoenaed to testify in front of the grand jury does not have the right to be represented by counsel or have an attorney present during questioning. In addition, a witness can be forced to testify when granted immunity from prosecution, voiding fifth amendment rights. If immunity is granted and a witness still refuses to testify, they can be held "in contempt" for the duration of that grand jury.

Rosebraugh says he now realizes that he should never have entered the "grand jury room in the first place."(For more information about the operations of grand juries and the proper way to handle a grand jury subpoena see editorial in EF!J Yule 1997. Remember, it's almost always a mistake to answer questions from federal law enforcement personnel, especially without a lawyer present).

For more information about animal rights issues contact the Liberation Collective at POB 9055, Portland, OR 97207; (503) 230-9990; www.aracnet. com/~libcoll/.