THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, May 3, 1996 TAG: 9605030494
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B9 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DIANE TENNANT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
Marina owners, angling for protection against animal rights activists, armed themselves with 30 laws and a determinedly peaceful attitude Thursday night.
The owners generally agreed that they would call police when necessary to keep activists from harassing fishermen, but would try to avoid confrontation - and publicity - at all costs.
The object of their concern, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, seeks publicity for its viewpoint by staging flamboyant demonstrations. PETA has created local concern with its latest campaign against fishing.
Activists have already handed out literature and spoken with commercial fishermen at some Beach locations, and protests are planned nationwide at fishing tournaments and piers.
Randy Blow, deputy city attorney, presented the owners with a list of 29 city ordinances that will protect them from extremists, such as laws against trespassing, obstructing the beach, creating noise while aboard boats and tossing debris in the water.
The General Assembly, also worried about PETA's anti-fishing stance, recently passed emergency legislation that prohibits harassment of fishermen.
City police, City Councilman William W. Harrison Jr. and state Del. Glenn Croshaw met with the owners to prepare them for visits from persons dressed in fish costumes and activists who have threatened to throw rocks and disturb boats to save individual fish lives.
Marina owners are worried that PETA demonstrations will cost them business, especially if the activists turn rowdy enough to attract television crews. Keep a cool head, they were advised.
``You ask them nicely to leave and if they don't, they're trespassing,'' Blow said. But, he noted, ``We're dealing with a group that has a history of confrontation.''
PETA is moving its national headquarters to Norfolk in June, ostensibly because Hampton Roads is more affordable than its current location of Rockville, Md.
Croshaw suggested that PETA may move to a waterfront city to give impetus to its new campaign, which has had a lower profile so far than the group's anti-fur, anti-experimentation and anti-circus activities launched in past years.
PETA, since announcing its move, has made its presence felt in Hampton Roads with protests at two Beach elementary schools and at least two small anti-fishing protests.
The group will be at NASA Langley this morning for a protest about lab experiments on monkeys.
Overall, Blow said, marina owners are well protected by existing laws.
``We feel pretty confident that we've got a lot of ammunition in the code,'' he said. ``I think we're in good shape.'' by CNB