Private Security Firm Known for Shutting Down North Coast Logging Protests Faces Backlash After Viral Video
Northern California-based Lear Asset Management is a name well known among the forest-defending community. The private security firm has been repeatedly hired by logging companies to remove activists, often conducting citizen’s arrests to clear protest sites.
A History of Confrontation
Lear Asset Management’s involvement in protests isn’t new. Environmental activists who have engaged in tree sits and demonstrations have long clashed with the company.
While the company has faced local scrutiny for years, it is now under national attention following a chaotic town hall incident in Idaho that has gone viral.
Idaho Town Hall Turns Violent
At a Kootenai County Republican Central Committee town hall, three plainclothes security officers from Lear forcibly removed an attendee, Dr. Teresa Borrenpohl, who had shouted criticism of a local official.
Eyewitnesses say Lear Asset Management’s guards grabbed Dr. Borrenpohl, dragged her from her chair to the ground, removed her from the auditorium, and tied her hands with zip ties. Throughout the incident, she repeatedly asked if the men were deputies, as they were not wearing any identifying markers. According to CBS 2 Idaho, state law requires security personnel to display identification, a requirement that was not met.
The video has since spread widely online, and in response, the City of Coeur d’Alene revoked Lear Asset Management’s business license.
Local Ties and Previous Incidents
This is not the first time Lear’s practices have come under scrutiny.
In 2021, former KZYX News Director Sarah Reith reported that CAL FIRE’s Mendocino unit hired Lear Asset Management in response to civil unrest, specifically protests from Indigenous community members opposing logging in the Jackson Demonstration Forest.
Legal Troubles in California
While Lear Asset Management may no longer be able to operate in Coeur d’Alene, it remains active in California. The Secretary of State’s website lists the company’s business license as active since 2012.
However, Lear’s legal issues extend beyond the recent Idaho controversy. According to reporting by Kym Kemp at Redheaded Blackbelt, the company has been convicted of Contempt of Court.
In January 2020, Judge Timothy Canning of Humboldt Superior Court convicted Lear Asset Management after the firm refused to provide subpoenaed documents related to the case of activists it had placed under citizen’s arrest. Despite a direct court order, Lear did not provide a reason for withholding the documents.
No Response from Lear
KMUD News reached out to Lear Asset Management CEO Paul Trouette for comment. As of news time, we have not received a response.
