Rising Tide of Violence

Since the terrorist bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building in April 1995, a steady stream of attacks have been committed against public employees. PEER has documented many incidences of violence and threats of violence directed toward public employees which we take to the media, the courts, Congress and the Administration. Our high-profile challenge to the so-called "Wise-Use" movement will continue to be a major priority in the years ahead. The following list represents just a sample:

In March, 1998, a National Park Service ranger at Organ Pipe Cactus Monument in Arizona was run over by a moving vehicle driven by a anti-government land owner who had claimed ownership of federal land.

In 1997, National Parks Service employees in Vermont reported several incidents in which they and citizens were attacked, even shot and their property vandalized.

In 1997, ranchers in Reserve, New Mexico, threatened to kill U.S. Forest Service employees for trying to enforce grazing restrictions intended to protect endangered species.

On July 31, 1997, an EPA employee in the Ozarks region of Missouri was beaten, bound with tape and abandoned in her vandalized vehicle by suspected pro-mining activists.

On June 30, 1997, six armed men wearing military-style fatigues tried unsuccessfully to gain entry into a Corps of Engineers dam facility in East Sidney Lake, New York.

On February 25, 1997, a pipe bomb was left at the Washington, D.C. office of the Corps of Engineers.

In April, 1996, a federal mine inspector and his wife were seriously injured when a car bomb exploded while they were driving on a major interstate in California. The explosion occurred hours after a phone death threat to workers in the inspector’s office.

On March 15, 1996, a Forest Service ranger in Arizona was harassed, threatened, forcibly thrown out of a public meeting, and then beaten by several attendees. The meeting was sponsored by the local cattle association and featured a prominent "wise use" attorney who spoke about "state’s rights."

On March 7, 1996, an anonymous telephone caller warned a refuge manager in California that he had offered a $15,000 contract to kill the manager.

On January 7, 1996, a bomb placed on the windowsill of a Forest Service office in New Mexico exploded, causing $25,000 in damages.

On November 25, 1995, someone fired two shots from a .45 caliber handgun into a Forest Service building in Alaska, causing $2,000 worth of damage.

On September 11, 1995, a Forest Service employee and his wife escaped serious injury when a large rock and brick were thrown through a picture window at his home. A cat with a hangman’s knot had been placed on the front porch.

On August 4, 1995, a bomb detonated outside the home of a Forest Service district ranger in Carson City, Nevada, destroying the family van, which was parked in the driveway, and blowing out the front windows of his home.

*Note: This information is constantly being updated, contact PEER for the latest data.