LQP-79 | Zombie Action Committee

The inventor of LQP-79, Alfred Moya

Florida may not be the source of a zombie virus, but it is home to the primary perpetuator of this myth.

The LQP-79 hoax has been created and actively spread by Florida-based “affordable web pro” Alfred Moya, the ZAC has discovered.

Following our announcement Thursday allaying fears of a “zombie” outbreak following a wave of internet rumor and hysteria set off by last weekend’s biting attack in Miami, we received a tweet from Moya, who tweets as @affordableweb. A glance at his feed showed he had been actively tweeting and re-tweeting bits about the virus, particularly a link to a thrown-together wordpress based site LQP-79.org Moya had also been promoting the site via his channel and comments on Youtube, as well as spamming it to the comment sections of many other websites and articles.

Closer examination reveals that the site was registered to one Alfred Moya, of Ocala, FL, according to its registration information. Moya, an avid cannabis advocate who says he has been “building websites and writing on the internet since 1999,” also created this oh-so-scientific video on his youtube channel on Thursday to promote the site.

His LQP-79 site began with the infamous “article” screenshot apparently meant to resemble Huffington Post, which blatantly distorts a quote from the quite-real Armando Aguilar of the Miami Fraternal Order of Police. Aguilar was the first to suggest (and it is, still, only speculation) that the face-eating attack on the causeway last Saturday might have been the result of the mephedrone-type drugs sometimes referred to as “bath salts.” A doctor quoted in the same report called this drug the “the new LSD” (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide-25), and it was probably this that inspired Moya, a dread-locked proponent of marijuana and psychedelics, to coin the fictional new virus “Lysergic Quinine Protein” LQP-79.

The note of parody involved is not without merit to anyone familiar with the way in which law enforcement, politicians, medical personnel and media can sometimes create and perpetuate irresponsible rumors, speculation and hysteria. The comparison of these “bath salt” drugs to LSD was, at best, misguided. However, Moya’s propagation of an internet hoax that has induced real fear in some, in which all roads lead back to his site, with its Google ads and prominently featured Paypal widget for donating to “fund research and broadcasting information of this deadly virus!” … well, it doesn’t exactly scream altruistic satire.

Any additional questions about the fictional LQP-79 virus or the motivations for creating this fairly widespread rumor can be directed to

Alfred Moya at the Alfred Moya Foundation

2345 NE 25th Ave

Ocala, FL

affordableweb@gmail.com (352)509-5420

*We have contacted PayPal to inquire whether or not they consider this solicitation of funds for researching a fictional disease a violation of their terms of use.

*Special thanks to Crystal the Ninja for conferring with us and assisting with our investigation of this matter.

[-P.E.D.]

For Immediate Release: “No Substantiated Cause For Alarm” : Zombie Action Committee releases statement of findings on the Miami biting attack

Pittsfield, MASS- The Berkshire County based Zombie Action Committee has released the following official statement in response to inquiries regarding the biting attack that took place last weekend in Miami, Florida, and the rapidly spreading internet misinformation about the supposed virus LQP-79.

Even Time Magazine has announced a “Zombie Alert”

Our organization has received a number of inquiries this week regarding our position on reports of a grisly “cannibalistic” assault in Miami on Saturday, May 26, which have provoked a national media and internet explosion over the past few days. In response to questions, concerns, and the increasing circulation of misinformation that have arisen since this incident, the SHC Autumn Doyle of the Committee has made every effort to initiate a proper analysis and expedite a statement of assurance to the local community.

At her instruction, the ZAC’s Department of Communications & Outreach conducted an investigation of the matter. After reviewing a mass of both credible and non-credible media sources and conferring with partner organizations in other parts of the country, the Department came to the following initial findings:

–Miami Resident Rudy Eugene attacked Ronald Poppo on May 26, chewing a large majority of his face off as Poppo attempted to fight him off. The attack lasted for about 18 minutes and was captured on surveillance video which has since been made public. The attack ended when a Miami police officer fired on Eugene multiple times, after being shot the first time only caused him to growl at the officer before returning to biting Poppo’s face.

–The cause of the attack has not been established, though some law enforcement officials have suggested it could have been a result of intoxication by Mephedrone-type drugs known by the term “bath salts.” Toxicology analysis of Eugene’s body could take weeks.

–There is no evidence of a connection between this and other biting-type attacks elsewhere in the country this month which have been correlated in some news media. In fact, database research conducted by the ZAC has found that various types of biting attacks can be found occurring somewhere in the world most months of the year, though there seems to be a marked increase during summer months.

-Reports of a “new virus” known as LQP-79 are not factual and appear to be a hoax that began within the last 48 hours. A screenshot of an “article” touting this virus seems to only exist as a jpg, and while there are now nearly 300,000 mentions of LQP-79 via Google, not a single listed news source contains the information in the “article” screenshot being circulated, which includes a fictitious quote from an actual Miami police officer. We have contacted the CDC and Ali Khan, Director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response there, to request some statement allaying any public concern in this matter.

-A certain level of additional concern or perceived plausibility of a greater

threat may have been exacerbated by the fact that the CDC added several posts about zombie preparedness to its official Public Health Matters blog in mid-May (link) only days before the tragic incident in Miami. The timing of this we believe to be an unfortunate coincidence- in actual fact, the Center for Disease Control embraced zombies as conceptual teaching tool last May, and the recent posts mark the one year anniversary of this, which has drawn more attention to CDC online preparedness materials than any other outreach effort.

The ZAC Dept. of Communications and Outreach concludes at this time that there is no cause for a heightened state of alarm regarding any of the media discussion of a “zombie outbreak” or “zombie apocalypse.”

The ZAC received word late Wednesday night from allies at the Zombie Squad, whose chapters can be found in 40 cities worldwide. In a statement from the St. Louis headquarters last night, ZS leadership confirmed that they believe the Miami incident to be a

random and potentially drug-related occurrence and are not moving to a state of higher alert.

“No matter how slim the possibility of a threat to the public, it was incumbent on me as the elected executive of this committee to direct staff to research the matter and report back,” said Chancellor Doyle on Wednesday.

“The recent horrific occurrence in Miami, Florida is a tragic loss of life and humanity, just what we, your Z.A.C. try to prevent by raising awareness, in the hopes that atrocities of random violence will diminish,” expressed the Chancellor.

Communications and Outreach Director Donna Chaney points out that the fact that this attack in Miami carried on for nearly 20 minutes while cars, bikes and pedestrians passed by is a good reminder to be aware of and try to counter the “bystander effect” in our daily lives.

“Your level of awareness in this bad social pack behavior is something you need to recognize in an emergency situation, so that you can change it.” said Chaney, who has penned an opinion piece regarding this issue that will be available on our blog later today. “Whether you’re dealing with an every day crisis (car accidents) or the first stages of a zombie apocalypse happening in your backyard, you should understand what is happening and that only you can make this change.”

The Zombie Action Committee extends its condolences to the families and friends of both men involved in the incident in Miami, and while the nature of the attack will understandably generate curiosity and pointing out of parallels to the “zombie” concept, we urge all to try to be sensitive to the real loss of life and injuries that have taken place.

For more information and updates as available:

SurviveBerkshires.wordpress.com

and

ZombieZoneNews.com

Special Thanks to Zombie Squad HQ, St. Louis, MO