Two animal rights activists in Utah are facing six months in jail for holding peaceful protests against an amusement park’s treatment of animals without first paying $50 and completing a “Free Expression Permit Application.”
On Tuesday evening, activists Jeremy Beckham and Lexie Levitt were visited at their homes by Salt Lake City Police detectives with court orders from nearby Farmington City.
Beckham says that when he saw a Salt Lake City detective at his door, his heart started racing and his body tensed; he quickly started filming, because he is familiar with animal activists being prosecuted as “terrorists” for things like chalking on the sidewalk.
He didn’t know what was about to happen, but he thought it could be serious. [click to continue…]
The criminal charges against four animal rights activists who chalked slogans on the public street have been dropped, and they’re now free to continue with their protests against a new animal testing lab. [click to continue…]
A U.S. District Court has struck down Idaho’s “ag-gag” law as an unconstitutional attempt by the agriculture industry to silence journalists, animal advocates, and whistleblowers who expose cruel farming practices.
The damning ruling—the first of its kind—spells trouble for the agriculture industry’s attempts in other states to outlaw photography and video recordings of animal welfare, workers’ rights, and environmental violations.
The ag-gag law “gives agricultural facility owners veto power, allowing owners to decide what can and cannot be recorded, effectively turning them into state-backed censors able to silence unfavorable speech about their facilities,” Judge Lyn Winmill said in the ruling. [click to continue…]
by Will Potter on July 29, 2015
in News
It took a literal intervention from the TED Fellows program and constant prodding from friends, but I’m finally doing this: I need an intern.
Not a get-me-coffee intern (although that would be great! GIVE ME ALL THE COFFEES!), but someone who is passionate and wants to make a meaningful contribution to this work and the overall mission.
Full details and official write-up below. [click to continue…]
Two animal rights activists in Utah are facing six months in jail for holding peaceful protests against an amusement park’s treatment of animals without first paying $50 and completing a “Free Expression Permit Application.”
