[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 15]
[House]
[Page 21004]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  VANDALISM IN WEST COVINA AND DUARTE

  (Ms. SOLIS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. SOLIS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to express my disgust and dismay 
at destructive acts that currently took place in the 32nd congressional 
district; and I am talking about vandalism and arson that occurred, 
that was represented by a group of so-called ``eco-terrorists.''
  These criminals vandalized car dealerships in my district in West 
Covina and the City of Duarte that sell sports utility vehicles and 
Hummers, and in the process they caused well over $2.5 million worth of 
destruction to local business, all in the name of protecting the 
environment.
  But these eco-terrorists have it completely wrong. They forget that 
the reason we fight for a cleaner environment is to protect our 
families and to keep them healthy and safe, and violence is no way to 
keep our families safe. The true heroes of the environmental movement 
know that progress is achieved through peaceful means and education, 
not destructive ones.
  Leading legitimate groups like the Sierra Club have come out and 
condemned all acts of violence in the name of the environment, and 
specifically those by the Earth Liberation Front.
  I want to commend the FBI and our local law enforcement and local 
elected officials who have come together in pursuing these criminals to 
make sure that they never terrorize our residents in the San Gabriel 
Valley.

                          ____________________