ELF relieves earth - targets 60 SUVs Every night is earthnight - 02.05.2003 14:37
The North Bay Ford and Lincoln Mercury car dealership on Soquel Avenue was hit hardest. Forty trucks in its lot were liberated with antiwar and anti-oil sentiments, including "Killer," "I love slavery" and "ELF." ELF relieves earth - targets 60 SUVs Earthliberators spray-painted antiwar messages on about 60 sport-utility vehicles and trucks Tuesday night. 'David Rosenthal, a Molly Lane resident, awoke Wednesday to find "No War," "SUVs suck," "No blood for oil," and other antiwar messages spray-painted in blue and yellow across all three of his vehicles a truck and two SUVs. Several of his neighbors' vehicles were tagged, too. Rosenthal was outraged. "It's idiotic antiwar people," Rosenthal said. "They're not getting their point across at all. They think they're doing it for a good cause. ... Earthliberators targeted only trucks and SUVs, apparently to make a point that the vehicles burn more oil than cars and that America's dependence on oil was the impetus for the war with Iraq. Kraft's Auto Body Shop on Soquel Avenue, just down the street from Rosenthal's house, fielded calls from seven neighborhood residents whose vehicles had been painted. Santa Cruz police said 18 residents of the Carbonero Estates neighborhood reported their vehicles had been painted. Robb Kraft, co-owner of the shop, estimated it would cost only $600 per vehicle to remove the graffiti. The North Bay Ford and Lincoln Mercury car dealership on Soquel Avenue was hit hardest. Forty trucks in its lot were liberated with antiwar and anti-oil sentiments, including "Killer," "I love slavery" and "ELF." Santa Cruz police Sgt. Brad Goodwin said ELF stands for "Earth Liberation Front," a radical environmental group he believes was involved in some taggings on the Westside about six months ago; "ELF" was spray- painted on several mobile homes. Ingrid Stevison, a financial adviser for North Bay Ford, cried when told of the liberation "Business is slow as it is," Stevison said. "I wondered if I was still going to have a job tomorrow. Why are they targeting us when we didn't do anything? They shouldn't target innocent people. I mean, we're not at war because of Ford." Jeff Winterhalder, the dealership's general manager, did not know how much it would cost to remove the graffiti. Its not a cost for society. Its a relief. The environment and life itself is thankful. You should not measure the so called damage in economical terms. Because its in fact a relief fund every time ELF strikes. It is a relief. Website: http://www.earthliberationfront.com |