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Confederate Flag Waving Pigeon Shooters Ramp up Violent Efforts Against Protesters
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Press Release:
Confederate Flag Waving Pigeon Shooters Ramp up Violent Efforts Against Protesters
An illegal four-day live pigeon shoot in Berks County, Pennsylvania proved to be more than cowardly animal abuse.
Spikes intentionally placed on public property used by activists to park their vehicles received scant attention by the Pennsylvania State Police, who in the past have proven to be more interested in protecting the pigeon shooters than in enforcing the law.
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Wing Pointe owner, Joseph Solana, sitting near a pigeon shooting ring on the Wing Pointe grounds with a Confederate flag behind him.
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The Wing Pointe commercial hunting grounds, located outside Hamburg, is notorious for vicious acts of animal cruelty. Wing Pointe's history includes extreme measures to try to stop SHARK's legal efforts to document the shoots, including spraying liquid manure in the direction of SHARK activists.
At past shoots, SHARK President Steve Hindi has had a bucket of water thrown at him from a moving pick-up truck, was hit with a metal tipped dog leash that gave him a bloody head wound, and was even hit by a vehicle owned by an employee of the restaurant on the Wing Pointe grounds. Penalties for these egregious and even life-threatening acts has been limited to summary offenses for the pigeon shooters and their minions.
This time, the violence was more random and potentially more deadly, as dangerous tire spikes were left on the ground where SHARK activists park their cars and where they walk.
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Spikes placed on the ground where activists stand and park.
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"I filmed on the public right of way outside of Wing Pointe on Friday," states SHARK Investigator Stuart Chaifetz. "One of the Wing Pointe shooters driving a golf cart spit on the ground just a few feet in front of me. Another shooter drove his large SUV right at me, and stopped abruptly just a couple of feet in front of me. They knew where we would be and they showed how angry they were. The day after that, dozens of razor sharp spikes were left in that area and in another area where we usually park. I have no doubt that they were targeting us and intended to cause us harm."
On Saturday, two vehicles, one owned by SHARK and another by a volunteer, had spikes in their tires. The volunteer unknowingly stepped on one of the spikes, but thanks to the large solid heel of her shoe, she was unharmed.
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The SHARK vehicle with spike.
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Though the State Police were called, no arrests were made. This, tragically, is not unusual, as both the State Police and Berks County District Attorney have refused to take action against Wing Pointe in the past.
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A spike sunk into the tire of the volunteer's vehicle.
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"If that woman was wearing sneakers that spike may have been driven into her foot," states Steve Hindi. "If the spikes in the tires had not been found, they could have caused a blow-out. Does someone have to die before the authorities take action? This is very, very serious, yet once again we fear nothing will happen because of the special protection the mainly out of state pigeon shooters get from the authorities."
SHARK is sending a letter to Frank Noonan, Commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police, demanding that a full investigation be undertaken and that the State Police finally take the ongoing violence against activists seriously.
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Column on SHARK's Efforts at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo:
"For animal activist, all roads lead to Cheyenne"
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Today, the Casper Star-Tribune (in Wyoming) published the following column on SHARK's recent efforts documenting the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo (CFD). You can read the entire article HERE. We want to thank the author for taking this on, as the local media tends to shun anything exposing the CFD rodeo.
From the story:
Hindi's animal welfare group, which he began in 1993 after hunting for 30 years, has had many successful campaigns, including at the Cheyenne rodeo. In 2008, negative publicity from SHARK videos showing horses being electro-shocked finally convinced officials to ban the cruel practice. "It had a huge ripple effect throughout the entire rodeo industry," Hindi recalls. "A number of major rodeos instituted their own bans." This year, SHARK's cameras focused on spurring, which cowboys are encouraged to do as much as possible to boost their scores. He says rodeo officials swear it doesn't hurt the horses. His video footage clearly shows just the opposite. "Their skin is a mess," Hindi says. "They're kind of like boxers. These horses are scarred for life." |
Journalist and writer Walter Brasch has written another excellent column on pigeon shooting in Pennsylvania.
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Kindest Regards,
Steve Hindi and Your SHARK Team
"Kindness and compassion towards all living beings is a mark of a civilized society. Racism, economic deprival, dog fighting and cock fighting, bullfighting and rodeos are all cut from the same fabric: violence. Only when we have become nonviolent towards all life will we have learned to live well ourselves." - Cesar Chavez, civil rights and labor leader, founder of the United Farm Workers
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