Scientists receive booby-traps
By Alexis Chiu
The Associated Press
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Scien
tists across the country who do re
search using primates have re
ceived letters, booby-trapped
with razors, ordering them to re
lease their monkeys or face vio
lence.
Six Harvard University re
searchers are among those who
got the missives, which authori
ties believe are the work of a radi
cal group calling itself the “Justice
Department.” The FBI is on the
case, and researchers from Alaba
ma to Washington are being told
to look out for plain white en
velopes bearing Las Vegas post
marks.
The envelopes contain a type
written letter inside which says::
“You have been targeted and you
have until autumn of 2000 to re
lease all your primate captives
and get out of the vivisection in
dustry. If you do not heed our
warning, your violence will be
turned back upon you.”
The intended targets are listed
in a communique posted on an
animal rights Web site by the
“Justice Department” group,
which says it sent the letters to
more than 80 scientists at schools
including Tulane University and
state universities in California,
Minnesota and Oregon.
Over the weekend, an organiza
tion that monitors extremist ani
mal rights groups found the com
munique and forwarded it to the
targeted schools, giving them time
to warn the researchers.
“I got my razor blade in the
mail yesterday,” said a Universi
ty*of Washington pharmacy pro
fessor who did not want her name
used. Having been warned in ad
vance, she did not open the enve
lope.
It was unclear Wednesday how
many researchers had received the
letter. No injuries were reported.
“The razor blades were inside
the top flap so that if you were to
run your finger through the enve
lope the way most people do, you
would have been cut,” said Dr. Pe
ter Gerone of the Delta Regional
Primate Center in Covington, La.,
whose secretary used a letter
opener on a rigged envelope Mon
day.
The six Harvard researchers got
their letters Tuesday, but had
been told Monday of the plot. In
all, there were 12 Harvard re
searchers on the list.
“It’s immoral, it’s uncivilized,”
said Kevin Smith, vice chancellor
of research at the University of
California-Davis, where at least
three researchers have received
the letters. “It’s terrorism from
people who say, ‘We value life —
but if you don’t stop we’ll kill
you.’”
The “Justice Department” and
the international Animal Libera
tion Front are among those in a
databank of animal-rights extrem
ists compiled by Scotland Yard.
A fact sheet on an animal rights
Web site says the “Justice Depart
ment” has carried out attacks in
Britain, Canada and British Co
lumbia, including sending out en
velopes with “rat poison covered
razor blades” to hunting guides.
The group, which is believed to
be based in Britain, is made up of
members who act anonymously.
What’s Up
At Mt. Bachelor
Warren Miller “Fifty” Movie- Sunday, October Ik
South Eugene High School at 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm- Celebrate Warren Miller’s 50th season with another
great movie, and purchase your pre-season discounted Season Pass at the Mt. Bachelor booth.
Eugene Hooky Bus Breakfast- Wednesday, October 27
Meet at the Original Pancake House at B0 am- Hooky Bus regulars- bring your friends and
get the latest information on the 1999/Z000 Season Hooky Bus Program.
Bachelor Weekend at Berg’s Ski Shop
Friday, October 29 and Saturday, October 30
Berg’s Ski Shop, 367 West 13th in Eugene- Last chance to purchase your pre-season discounted Season
Pass and get the latest information on the 1999/2000 Mountain Dew and Hooky Bus session.
Mt. Bachelor FREE Ski and Ride Day- Friday, December 10
Brin(| a non-perishable food tom and receive a FREE lift ticket. All food is donated to (OCAAN
(the Central Oregon (ommonity Action Agency Network).
(heck out our website at www.mtbachelor.com to purchase your
pre-season discounted Season Pass on-line!
Catharine Kendall Emerald
Unpaid parking tickets can lead to a car boot, such as the one on this vehicle.
Unpaid parking tickets
lead to the car boot
■ Park smart and avoid
becoming one of many
unlucky students whose
cars get booted
By Aaron Hilst
for the Emerald
Students who do not pay
their parking tickets may be
in for a surprise the next time
they try to drive somewhere.
The University Office of
Public Safety and the Eugene
Police Department have re
sorted to booting cars to pun
ish people with unpaid park
ing fines.
Eugene Police Officer Bev
Mason said the amount of car
booting on and around cam
pus has increased. InEugene,
$30 or more in unpaid park
ing fines facilitates a boot.
One parking ticket for $20,
left unpaid for thirty days,
doubles in price and makes
one eligible for a city boot,
she said.
It costs $40 to get a car-boot
removed.
Mason said she sees up
wards of $1,000 in parking
fines coming through her sta
tion per week. The vast ma
jority of these tickets are from
the west end of campus,
where metered parking
abounds, she said.
The public safety office,
which began booting cars last
year, boots independently
from the Eugene Police De
partment.
According to Public Safety
Officer Rand Stamm, repeat
traffic violations and parking
that would threaten public
safety would call for a boot,
as outlined in the campus
parking guide.
Public safety officers have
an electronic list of unregis
tered vehicles with outstand
ing fines available to them at
all times.
Stamm stated that the fact
that OPS recently started
booting cars may have made
the problem more visible to
the public.
A common complaint
among students is the lack of
ample parking in comparison
with the cost of a yearly park
ing permit.
Freshman architecture ma
jor Paul Bryant, already has
$40 in parking fines under
his belt.
“College students...should
not be charged $20 for a tick
et when they have to already
pay $317 for parking,” he
said. Bryant also said that
“No Parking” zones need to
be better marked.
Stamm said there are more
than 3,200 parking spaces on
campus. Stamm also said
students should “pay their
parking fines and park legal
ly” in order to avoid the boot.
Calendar
Thursday, Oct. 28
ASUO Women's Center Work
shop: “Open Discussion about
Partner Violence” is among many
community October events for
Domestic Violence Awareness
Month. 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in
Suite 3 of the Erb Memorial
Union. For information, browse
http: / / darkwing.uoregon.edu/~or
call 346-4095.
McCready/Haseltine Lecture:
Pat Kirkham , a professor of De
sign History from Bard Gradu
ate Center for Studies in the
Decorative Arts, New York, will
discuss “Introducing Charles
and Ray Eames: Furniture, Ar
chitecture, Interiors, Exhibi
tions, Film and Multimedia ” at
7:30 p.m in Room 115
Lawrence Hall free of charge.
For information, call 346-3697.
Reception follows.