Philly ADL Joins the Fight Aginst HLS and I-69
by
Philly ADL | 11.17.2008
On Monday, October 27th, the Philly (Philadelphia, PA) Animal Defense
League (ADL)and friends made our public debut in the streets and at the
corporate offices in downtown Philly. This newest chapter of the Animal
Defense League was inspired and spawned out of the global campaign to shut
down Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) and to stop Interstate 69 (I-69), the
North American Free Trade Agreement's (NAFTA) superhighway, for good.
On Monday, October 27th, the Philly (Philadelphia, PA) Animal Defense
League (ADL)and friends made our public debut in the streets and at the
corporate offices in downtown Philly. This newest chapter of the Animal
Defense League was inspired and spawned out of the global campaign to shut
down Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) and to stop Interstate 69 (I-69), the
North American Free Trade Agreement's (NAFTA) superhighway, for good.
NAFTA’s superhighway has already been built from Ontario to Indianapolis.
It is planned to extend into Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas,
Louisiana and Texas. Once in Texas it would connect with the highways of
the Plan Puebla Panama into Mexico. I-69's Section 1, from River City
(otherwise known as Evansville, IN) to Bloomington, IN, construction began
in spring of 2008. With over 400 people that will be evicted, 7,000 acres
of land that will be paved over, communities across the Turtle Island
(otherwise known as North America) that will be destroyed, the never
ending destruction to stolen lands, pollution and devastation of the
earth, the native peoples to these lands from Amerikkka to Mexico being
fucked over even more, the murder of countless endangered animals,
including native Indiana bats, bobcats, shrews, bald eagles and beetles,
people living in the Philly area could no longer remain idle.
For the Animals, for the Earth and for the people, Philly Animal Defense
League and our friends have joined the fight against I-69.
What is Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS)?
Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) is a notorious animal testing lab in East
Millstone, New Jersey that is being sued by the Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) for violating animal welfare laws over 600
times. HLS workers were exposed in five separate investigations between
1997 and 2006 for crimes including punching four-month-old beagle puppies
in the face, dissecting live primates, and being intoxicated while on the
job. HLS was also repeatedly found to have been falsifying scientific
data, and as a result drugs tested "safe" at HLS have gone on to kill
hundreds of people and hospitalize tens of thousands.
Inside Huntingdon's labs, animals such as dogs, cats, rabbits, primates,
fish, birds, rats and mice are forced to inhale and ingest toxic doses of
pesticides, household cleaners, food additives, coffee sweeteners, diet
pills, pharmaceuticals, and other chemicals. The testing process usually
lasts for weeks or months, during which the animals suffer severe
reactions including vomiting, bleeding, paralysis, hemorrhaging,
infections, and death. At the end of each study, all animals are killed
and dissected. All of this is done to put out products that - due to HLS's
track record of sloppy science and scientific fraud - have caused
countless deaths and hospitalizations of people.
Who Wants That?
No one. In the last several years, HLS has lost all of their institutional
investors, been de-listed from nearly every stock exchange in the world,
and lost many of their top customers. Over 300 former business partners -
such as CitiBank, UBS Global Capital, Merck, Johnson and Johnson, Fidelity
Investments, Marsh, and Deloitte and Touche - have vowed never to work
with HLS again. An ongoing global campaign is working to ensure that other
companies stop supporting HLS's cruelty to animals and people, so that HLS
is shut down for good.
It’s in our family background as the Animal Defense League to continue the
campaign to shut down HLS.
Before we continue, we want to address something as the Philly Animal
Defense League (ADL) chapter and loving member of the larger ADL family
across Amerikka. ADL has chapters in Portland, OR, North Carolina,
Washington, DC, Chicago, IL, Boston, MA, Long Island, NY, Salt Lake City,
UT, and Los Angeles, CA. If any others, whether it be liberals,
conservatives, cops, feds, the State or even Earth First!ers and other
radicals mess with one of us… you deal with the whole family. This past
fall of 2008, Washington, DC ADL has been facing heavy repression with
police raids, interrogations, trying to turn activists to informants,
security charging peaceful activists with taser guns, cops drawling guns
on peaceful demonstrators and then throwing them to the ground. After
learning of this, DC got mad love and activists support from people in DC
and from Philly and other areas.
This past summer of 2008, at the Earth First! Summer Rondy, River City ADL
folks and their friends organized legal home demonstrations against HLS
and I-69. Why? Because these are some of many tactics that are supported
by these uncompromising campaigns. These demonstrations had 20 some people
who took to the homes of an HLS customer and a I-69 profiteer in Columbus,
OH. The result was the attempt by an elite (non-Columbus locals) few
organizers to kick out all participants of the demonstrations. Once
realizing this was too extreme they then asked all who demonstrators who
knew the police would be called to leave. Once realizing that we all
understood that that was a possibly they instructed River City ADL members
and friends to leave. They did not go through conflict mediation. They did
not ask or even inform the Earth First! Rondy camp of their decision until
they made it. And they declared no discussion would be had of their
decision. Like we, Philly ADL said, you mess with one of us you deal with
the whole family. To those lonely three organizers of the 2008 Earth
First! Rondy outside of Athens, OH, to those Earth First! members in
Maine, to those big green school bus people and to those few others who
know who they are: stay the fuck out of Philly and don’t ever show up to
any of our events. The campaigns to shut down HLS and stop NAFTA’s
superhighway has no room for you all to kick out uncompromising
organizers. And to the authoritarian EF! Rondy organizers: we have no time
for you to be in our circles either. You all didn’t want to go through
conflict mediation, through consensus of the Rondy, or even to have
legitimate conversations… then we don’t either.
No justice. Just us. Smash HLS! Smash I-69!
Philly ADL and our friends first headed to GlaxoSmithKline’s one of two
large corporate headquarters in the US. GlaxoSmithKline is one of the
largest customers, of the few remaining, customers of Huntingdon Life
Sciences (HLS). GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is very well aware that their
business with HLS helps with 45% of HLS’s income. GSK is not at all
unfamiliar to the anti-HLS campaign. They have been targeted by countless
individuals and organizations around the world. Both the underground and
aboveground have made GSK’s business as usual a living hell. With our
voices, signs, legal observer, cameras and a bullhorn we made sure GSK
knew that they would never be forgotten and never be forgiven. While
outside of GlaxoSmithKline, at Franklin Plaza, Philadelphia, PA 19102, an
unmarked van and a undercover private investigator or agent of some sort
quickly made their way to the entrance we were at taking pictures and all.
GSK knows exactly what they are doing. They know this campaign is
uncompromising and knows we never back down and always win.
Drop HLS GSK! We’ll be back…
Departing from GSK with our newly formed ADL chapter and some not to slick
under covers following us with cameras, we made our way to Janney
Montgomery Scott LLC at 1801 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-1675.
Janney Scott is a member of the New York Stock Exchange.
"On Dec 22nd 2006, the New York Stock Exchange tried to quietly slip HLS
[Huntingdon Life Sciences] on to the newly formed NYSE Arca exchange. The
NYSE has just merged with Archipelago and created a new exchange under the
main trading floor that was completely electronic and supposedly
anonymous.
The NYSE had come under intense pressure since the Sept 2005 postponement
from Huntingdon's customers and the US and UK governments. HLS and their
shareholders were also threatening legal action. In ill fated listing. On
Dec 22nd 2006 i t couldn't have been more different. The only press
release was sent out at 4am on the morning of trading which by no
coincidence was the Friday before Christmas Day." - Stop Huntingdon Animal
Cruelty Newletter 45 Feb/March 2007
The employees and security of Janney Montogomery Scott at 1801 Market
Street were shocked, furious and some took out their rage on us. With big,
old, white men getting in our faces trembling and calling us cowards, we
kept on chanting. Transportation Police arrived to the scene and tried to
regulate our protest. When we observed that they were simply
Transportation Police we simply kept going. Eventually the silly and sad
transit cops left once the Philadelphia Police Department arrived after
ten minutes of being there.
With our friends in blue now aware of our presence and their supposed
“neutral” Civil Affairs unit of the Philadelphia Police Department, we
moved our rage and struggle to the anti-I-69 campaign. We paid a visit to
I-69 investor and profiteer PricewaterhouseCoopers, at Two Commerce
Square, Suite 1700, 2001 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
19103-7042. Pricewater, you and other companies like you have invested and
are profiting off of the North American Free Trade Agreement's
superhighway, I-69. I-69 is a disaster to everything and everyone. I-69 is
going to continue more destruction on stolen lands, kill off endangered
plants and animals, exploit and destroy communities in the US and in
Mexico, evict countless families everywhere and the list goes on. We, the
Philly Animal Defense League, demand now that you as a company vow never
to do business with NAFTA or I-69 ever again. The demonstration outside
your office in Philadelphia, PA was low key and a first. This will not be
the last. We promise you that we and others like us will go to your homes,
churches, vacation resorts, family members and do whatever it takes until
you drop all ties to NAFTA and I-69.
Departing from PricewaterhouseCoopers, we decided to stay on the Civil
Affairs unit's better-side and give them the heads up of our next stop. We
gave the approximate location, but for these very questioning and
interrogating "neutral" people they demanded the exact address and who
they were and what they do. We declined to give them that information. We
quickly made our way to 1845 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, where
Jeffrey P. Bates, another New York Stock Exchange member was at. After
protesting outside their office building for two minutes or so Civil
Affairs arrived and rushed over to the door demanding that one protester
couldn't go near the door and if they went up to the door again that we'd
all be arrested.
Civil Affairs then instructed to one protester that "you better get
everyone together or you'll all be arrested."
The protester simply replied "I'm not in charge of everyone."
"You are now!," replied Civil Affairs.
It was clear that these two Civil Affairs people were no "neutral" unit at
all. They are simply Philadelphia Police in civilian clothes. They told us
we couldn't use megaphones either since it was in a residential area. Even
though the nearest residents building was two blocks away. We stay at
Jeffrey P. Bates office anyways and let them know that every trade they
make comes with the price off 500 animals dieing everyday. Fifteen minutes
later the Philadelphia Police who were in true cop uniforms arrived to the
scene. Eventually, security of Jeffrey P. Bates at 1845 Walnut Street came
out and told the police officers that they had never heard of Jeffrey
Bates and that they were not listed in the building. Civil Affairs Unit,
the Philadelphia Police and 1845 Walnut Street security all had a good
laugh for a minute or two. They insisted we didn't know who or what we
were protesting. Poor 1845 Walnut Street building... you really pissed
Philly ADL off. We verified the address from two different sources. Got on
the megaphones and let them know that lying will only make it worse. The
scum cops, Civil Affairs and security's faces all went from smiles and
laughs to annoyed and angry stares as we called them all out for believing
lies and for all being plain stupid. Jeffrey Bates try to send out your
security guards, cops, Civil Affairs and lies. It won't stop this
campaign. For share you make is a blood share. For the animals we will
fight Jeffrey Bates. And we know where you sleep at night. See you soon
Jeffrey Bates. See you very soon.
Philly ADL would like to thank our friends from Baltimore, MD and
Washington, DC who came to support us on our debut. To everyone who reads
this. Do something. Act now. As the saying goes "Words mean nothing.
Action is everything."
Be young. Have fun. Smash HLS. Smash I-69.
We're just getting started,
Philly ADL
phillyadl@riseup.net
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Disclaimer: Philly Animal Defense League (Philly ADL) is not affiliated or
associated with Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) Global, Stop
Huntingdon Animal Cruelty USA (SHAC USA) or Hugs for Puppies (Humane
League of Philadelphia) and does not conduct or incite any illegal or
unethical activity.
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