Eco-protest event limited to nude cyclists

05:38 PM PDT on Saturday, June 12, 2004

From KING 5 Staff and Wire Reports

SEATTLE - The FBI has warned at least 10 police departments across the country that radical environmentalists might be staging protests this weekend to show their support for a jailed arsonist. But so far, only 50 to 60 naked bicyclists took to the streets of Seattle Saturday, presumably in support of eco-terrorism.

KING The cyclists attracted attention to their cause.

Seattle police spokesman Sean Whitcomb said police received no complaints.

At high noon Saturday, plenty of full moons gathered at Gasworks Park, preparing to take part in a nationwide protest. The prep work was simple: "Take your clothes off, get on the bike and pedal."

More than 50 protesters, some with fig leaves and body paint, rode through town to protest Americans’ dependency on oil.

"We're trying to raise awareness in this country about oil dependency so we're trying to encourage people to ride their bikes more," said organizer Daniel Johnson.

Some in the large crowd agreed something needs to be done about alternative transportation.

"This is as natural as you can get as far as propelling yourself through the world," said onlooker Dottie Bragdon.

"They're not hurting anybody, the nudism is kind of interesting,” said Joe Jones.

The bare bikers set off, riding through Queen Anne and Fremont. Along the route, people voiced their support. They stopped off at Seattle Center, drawing another crowd of onlookers.

Organizers said Seattle is one of 22 cities, including Bellingham and Olympia, participating. They said all this exposure is not as bad as the exposure to pollution because people drive their cars.

Organizers are planning another naked bike ride in Seattle this winter.

Saturday’s ride is not the same as the annual Fremont solstice parade where bikers also bare it all. That's next week.

'Day of action and solidarity'

The FBI sent bulletins to police, saying that the Earth Liberation Front reportedly was planning a "day of action and solidarity" on June 12 that could include acts of eco-terrorism, Olympia police Cmdr. Tor Bjornstad said.

While no specific targets were identified in the bulletin, Bjornstad said his department has contacted potential target businesses, including auto dealerships, building contractors and the Port of Olympia, which exports logs.

"We have to take it seriously, and one of the reasons is that this group has claimed credit for a fair amount of criminal activity in the past several years ... so it's not the kind of group you want to shrug off as a lot of talk and not much more," Bjornstad told The Associated Press on Friday.

On June 16, 2000, arson destroyed three SUVs at a Eugene, Ore., truck dealership. Later that night two men, one of them 23-year-old Jeffrey Luers, were arrested for the crime. In a sentencing that shocked friend and foe alike, Luers was sentenced to 22 years in prison.

KING Police hope to avoid a situation like the WTO riots in Seattle in 1999.

"It's a severe sentence but the problem is, it's being done to send a message to his cohorts,” said Alan Gottlieb of the Center for Defense of Free Enterprise.

Anti eco-terrorist groups hailed the sentence but several secret organizations suddenly made Luers a martyr for the cause.

Anarchist groups were blamed for inciting riots in several cities and the FBI's number-one domestic terrorist group, the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) - blamed for several Northwest arson attacks - praised Luers' actions.

That's why the FBI is concerned enough to send an alert to police that Saturday is the anniversary of Luers' imprisonment.

A Web site titled "International Day of Action & Solidarity with Jeff 'Free' Luers" featured a list of events planned for Saturday, from protests at SUV dealerships to naked bike rides in Olympia and Seattle.

The FBI apparently believes something much more sinister will happen that day, as do pro-business groups who track eco-terrorism.

"They tend to telegraph ahead of time when they are going to do something, and so if the FBI has some concrete information, that something might be being done, by all means we should take it seriously," said Gottlieb.

In addition to Olympia, the bulletins were sent to police departments in Eugene; Ore.; San Francisco; Modesto, Calif.; Morgantown, W. Va.; Portland, Maine; Worcester, Mass.; Lake Worth, Fla.; and Lawrence, Kan.