Pigeon activists targeted with tire spikes at Berks Co. gun club
Animal activist Steve Hindi has quite literally been bloodied in his 20-year crusade to end pigeon shooting in Pennsylvania.
Pigeon activists targeted with tire spikes at Berks Co. gun club
Amy Worden, Inquirer Staff Writer
Animal activist Steve Hindi has quite literally been bloodied in his 20-year crusade to end pigeon shooting in Pennsylvania.
He has been cursed at, spit on, punched and whipped with the metal end of a leash while protesting outside organized pigeon shoots. He's been side-swiped by a car and had a gun pulled on him.
Now, Hindi says, pigeon shooters are endangering innocent people with their escalating tactics to intimidate protesters.
At a pigeon shoot at Wing Pointe gun club in Hamburg, Berks County held over the weekend the small group of protestors was stunned to find dozens of tire spikes scattered over the area just off a public road where they park their cars.
Some of the spikes ended up embedded in their vehicle tires and one protester stepped on a spike, but she averted impaling herself because she had on hard-soled shoes.
"This is infinitely more dangerous than what they have done before," said Stuart Chaifetz, an investigator with Hindi's group, SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK) who was filming the shoot on Friday when the spikes were found. "There could have been a blowout and there could have been a major car crash on the highway."
Hindi, who says the protesters have followed the law and simply sought to document the events in a peaceful manner, says he believes the pigeon shooters have become emboldened by the fact that Berks County district attorney John Adams is turning a blind eye to their harassment and attacks.
Only one person - the individual who hit Hindi with the leash - connected to the pigeon shooters' attacks on protestors was charged and he pleaded guilty. And in that case, police charged Hindi too, although he maintained he was acting in self defense and the charge was eventually thrown out.
State Police Trooper Michael Koslosky, who responded to the SHark call, said the spikes were put there intentionally, but he has made no arrests and has no suspects in the case. He said he spoke to several individuals at Wing Ponte but "they denied having any knowledge of it. "
Kosloski said authorities are continuing to look into the incident. "If we find out who did it we will prosecute," he said.
Now Hindi's group wants State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan to step in and address the increasingly dangerous acts.
In a letter sent to Noonan yesterday, Hindi wrote:
If the spikes in the tires had not been found, they could have caused a blow-out. Does someone have to die before the Pennsylvania State Police take action, because this time someone could have. This is as serious as it gets, yet once again we fear nothing will happen because of the special protection Wing Pointe seems to have.
No reasonable person could look at what happened with those tire spikes and have doubt that we were being targeted and that there was intent to cause us harm. Yet no one was arrested, and we doubt any one will ever be held accountable for this reckless and extremely violent act.
A spokeswoman for the state police said the letter has been delivered to Noonan although he is out of town until Aug. 14.
Chaifetz said he hopes someone is arrested for planting the "little landmines" in a public right of way.
"This is not just about pigeons anymore, this is about human life."
You mean someone could get hurt like when Hindi pursues people on the highway?— sharktruth- Shark will do anything to get attention, do you really think people believe you 2 guys. I would bet the farm you guys put those flimsy tire clips on the ground in a nice little pile. No flat tires???? All the hairy legged women had on flip flops that I saw and telling everyone it could have taken a foot off. But idling that gas guzzling truck all day burning gas so you can keep cool doesn't make sense. Then you talk about polluting how about Steve and Stu dyeing there hair and Stu with the rogain, of course you want to look good for your YouTube videos. You be better off served raising awareness for autism but that would be work and harder to get suckers to donate money so you don't have to work. Unless you call posting on Facebook all day, chasing people in your car, harassing people WORK ??????— Fred_horn
- the "metal end of a leash".. HUH? oh you mean the small piece of the leash called the clip? AWWW poor baby.. maybe if he got a REAL job he would not be in such dire peril— Alice in LALA LAND
- You animal killers are nothing but a bunch of cretins. No wonder Pennsylvania is widely known as Pennsyltucky, land of the Hilljacks! You people do NOT have dominion over the animals nor the PA legislature, although you sure like to believe you do.— Macy
- They call you activists, More like bleeding heart. I feel if you want to save the Pigeons All Activist should Pay $1,000.00 dollars toward there taxes to do so. Then You Have right To Stand Up For what You Believe in, This Way The Money You Put Up Will Help Cover The cost of What You generate to the rest of the Public.....To Save Something You Should Have To Pay For What You Believe In......So For All Those Gun Clubs You Should Have A Roster With All The Bleeding Hearts name and See How Many Paid to save Those Pigeons.....— jonf
- SHARK is nothing but family and Hindi's girlfiend. All they do is edit and lie on videos so they can hope to get emotional support from some poor suckers to get donated money. If you donate to SHARK know that your money will: enable Hindi, his family, and his girfriend to travel all over the country, buy expensive toys to play with, and continue to receive nice compensation, all with YOUR DONATED money. According to IRS Form 990 someone with them gets over $65 an hour as well as around $150,000 paid to attorney friends. (Gotta look out for my buddy ya know). Hindi says "keep those dollars comming suckers, my girlfriend, my family, and I are all ready for a vacation, I mean trip to fuss about pigeons."— sharkbuster
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