About the BIG PROTEST tomorrow...

Tony Doris of the Palm Beach Post has a story coming out about the Earth First protest Friday (12/5) in Palm Beach Gardens! Today (Thursday, 12/4) I wrote about the protest, you can read the post here. In a previous article by Mr. Doris he didn't name anyone who had "apologized" for shutting down the Mandell Jewish Community Center. In the second excerpt below he reveals who actually did apologize on behalf of Earth First: Tuesday Lee Aston. 

Earth First, of course, is headquartered in Lake Worth, Florida. Please understand, the protesters DO NOT represent Lake Worth and I hope the people of Palm Beach Gardens don't attribute the actions of Earth First to anything related to the City of Lake Worth. 

The following excerpts are from the Tony Doris article coming out tomorrow. I strongly encourage you to read the story. Here are two excerpts:

With activists of Everglades Earth First poised to protest development of the Briger tract off Donald Ross Road Friday, Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief Stephen Stepp says he’s concerned the group could endanger people and businesses.

Stepp points out that the group’s website links to a protest manual that includes instructions on how to tie up security guards, plant spikes in trees to harm chainsaw operators and how to set cars on fire.

“Our concern is that they’re doing criminal acts,” Stepp said in an interview Wednesday. “We don’t mind legitimate, lawful protests. That’s fine. Maybe on some levels I agree with certain stances. But wasting a lot of resources of the government and causing other people harm or putting people at risk of injury….”

[Later in the article...]

He [Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief Stephen Stepp] pointed to those acts of civil disobedience and to a manual offered for free on the group’s website, called Ecodefense: A field guide to monkeywrenching. The book includes instructions on sabotage, breaking padlocks and evading security guards. “Tear gas type CS or CN, or electronic stun guns could be used to overpower a guard or watchman,” the book notes. “This is illegal but as a last resort it might save you from the greybar hotel.”

Aston [Tuesday Lee Aston, Everglades Earth First spokeswoman] apologized for the preschool shutdown last month and said the group only intended to close the construction access road. But she added that the schools made the decision to close.