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Nov 27, 2002
Fact Sheet: ELF ACTIONS IN RICHMOND, VIRGINIA TARGET SUVS Recent actions by the Earth Liberation Front in Virginia targeting sport
utility vehicles have prompted a number of media and public inquiries.
Since July 2002 close to 40 gas-guzzling SUVs have been treated
with glass-etching cream, had their tires slashed or have been otherwise
damaged in the Richmond area. There is not a total estimate of damages available at this time, although damage to just two of the vehicles was priced at $15,000.
Although the ELF Press Office has not received a communique from the cell operating in the area, graffiti and notes left at targets are legitimate claims of responsibility and indicate the Earth Liberation Front is involved in these actions.
Why is the Earth Liberation Front targeting SUVs?
Although the marketing wizards at Toyota, Ford and Chevrolet have spent
millions of dollars and thousands of hours developing the popular
misconception that SUVs bring the public closer to nature - there
couldn't be anything further from the truth. The reality is that consumers who have bought into the SUV manufacturers' destructive marketing campaigns contribute to the degradation of the environment at a much greater rate than those who drive smaller vehicles (or don't drive at all).
Only 5-14% of SUV driving time is used for off-road activities -
according to Ford Motor Co, 87 percent of Ford Explorer owners have
never taken their vehicle off-road. Most SUV use happens in already
over-congested cities to run daily errands and get to work, which means
that many people are using these over-built and over-consuming vehicles
unecessarily.
SUVs have not only added tremendous amounts of pollution to our
environment, but have also contributed to increased congestion on roadways and higher death rates in auto accidents. The Earth Liberation Front is likely targeting SUVs because of their tremendous environmental and social impact since being popularized in the mid-nineties. ELF actions are a reminder to SUV owners of how their personal choices affect the society and environment in which they live.
Some Facts:
Finally, it is important to note that increased SUV-use in North
America has lead a dramatic rise in dependence on oil over the past 15 years. North American reliance on oil is one of the major reasons for the continuing conflict in the Middle East, as the desire for unfettered access to oil resources is a major reason for George Bush's promotion of war in the region.
SUVs and car culture in the United States contribute to patterns of
overconsumption which lead to pressures on environmental and social
resources the world over. If current rates of consumption were to
continue, the world's remaining resources of conventional oil would be
used up in 40 years. The United States uses more than 3 billion barrels
of oil per year just on passenger cars and light trucks.
Over the past few years, there have been quite a few actions in the United States targeting SUVs and car culture in general. Besides several actions in the Oregon area, car dealerships in both Seattle and Santa Cruz had cars torched in March and April of 2002. Although these actions remain unclaimed, they point to a larger movement of people taking action against the rise in SUV use in the United States. There is currently one eco-defense activist serving time for this type of action - Jeffrey "Free" Luers was sentenced to an astonishing 23 years in prison on June 11th 2001, for setting fire to 3 Sport Utility Vehicles in a deserted car dealership called Romania Chevrolet.
Further questions can be directed to the ELF Press Office.
The North American Earth Liberation Front Press Office is a legal, above-ground news service dedicated to exposing the political and social motives behind the covert direct actions of the underground Earth Liberation Front. The North American Earth Liberation Front Press Office receives anonymous communiques from the underground Earth Liberation Front and distributes the message to the media and public nation-wide.
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