Love-based Activists Harassed
Donation protected
Denver Baby Animal Save started in June of this year. It is a chapter of The Save Movement (best known for Anita's Pig Trial in Toronto).
Twice per week, activists and animal lovers in Denver visit the roadways and bike paths near a slaughterhouse that kills baby lambs and goats for food. They spent weeks researching details of property lines and various laws to ensure that all their activities at the slaughterhouse would be lawful, so they could continue visiting and sharing the stories of babies during their last day of life. While activists are waiting for a truck to arrive, they share food with homeless people, clean up trash along the roads and bike paths, hold signs showing love for animals, sing songs of animal liberation, write messages of love and liberation with chalk, and do outreach in the community- again ALL on public property. When the truck arrives, they bear witness to the babies inside the trucks. Though the slaughterhouse has the highest animal welfare standards, the lambs and goats still arrive overheated, dehydrated, with open wounds, prolapses, broken limbs, etc. All of the babies arrive having been torn from their mothers way too soon. The activists show the animals likely the only compassion they will ever receive from humans. They comfort them with soft voices and promise to share their stories.
In addition to showing love for the nonhuman animals, Denver Baby Animal Save has a strict policy of nonviolence and love toward humans. It has paid off in many cases and opened up productive, unlikely conversations with slaughterhouse workers and police officers about what rights other animals have. Unfortunately, love and kindness wasn't enough for all. One security guard sexually assaulted an activist to try to intimidate her and keep her away. Several truck drivers threw feces at activists (which is a form of assault). And, a slaughterhouse manager and a security guard targeted a child activist with autism, who is ultrasensitive to sound, by following him and holding down car horns, and making indescribably loud noises with megaphones and sirens. A variety of other illegal actions have occurred as the slaughterhouse desperately tries to hide the truth and as police officers have not followed laws and have violated the rights of protesters.
As of today, five activists have now been cited for trespassing by police officers who were sick of having to come out to the property and answer 911 calls the slaughterhouse made complaining about peaceful protesters. None of the activists were trespassing, according to the information we have. At this time, we prefer not to identify the activists in order to protect their personal lives and families. However, three of them are moms, two are teachers, all are responsible, love-based activists who only want to see a world where compassion is extended to all sentient beings.
We have paid most of the legal fees but need just a little bit more help in order to make sure we can get through this challenge and continue being there for the babies. We don't want harassment and intimidation to squash free speech. Even just a dollar or two will help so much. Thank you so much for your consideration.
**Update: We received new legal info today about other costs some of the activists are facing. This is why we updated the goal to $1000. We can't begin to say how thankful we are for the generosity so many of you have shown already. We couldn't keep up this work without you.**
Twice per week, activists and animal lovers in Denver visit the roadways and bike paths near a slaughterhouse that kills baby lambs and goats for food. They spent weeks researching details of property lines and various laws to ensure that all their activities at the slaughterhouse would be lawful, so they could continue visiting and sharing the stories of babies during their last day of life. While activists are waiting for a truck to arrive, they share food with homeless people, clean up trash along the roads and bike paths, hold signs showing love for animals, sing songs of animal liberation, write messages of love and liberation with chalk, and do outreach in the community- again ALL on public property. When the truck arrives, they bear witness to the babies inside the trucks. Though the slaughterhouse has the highest animal welfare standards, the lambs and goats still arrive overheated, dehydrated, with open wounds, prolapses, broken limbs, etc. All of the babies arrive having been torn from their mothers way too soon. The activists show the animals likely the only compassion they will ever receive from humans. They comfort them with soft voices and promise to share their stories.
In addition to showing love for the nonhuman animals, Denver Baby Animal Save has a strict policy of nonviolence and love toward humans. It has paid off in many cases and opened up productive, unlikely conversations with slaughterhouse workers and police officers about what rights other animals have. Unfortunately, love and kindness wasn't enough for all. One security guard sexually assaulted an activist to try to intimidate her and keep her away. Several truck drivers threw feces at activists (which is a form of assault). And, a slaughterhouse manager and a security guard targeted a child activist with autism, who is ultrasensitive to sound, by following him and holding down car horns, and making indescribably loud noises with megaphones and sirens. A variety of other illegal actions have occurred as the slaughterhouse desperately tries to hide the truth and as police officers have not followed laws and have violated the rights of protesters.
As of today, five activists have now been cited for trespassing by police officers who were sick of having to come out to the property and answer 911 calls the slaughterhouse made complaining about peaceful protesters. None of the activists were trespassing, according to the information we have. At this time, we prefer not to identify the activists in order to protect their personal lives and families. However, three of them are moms, two are teachers, all are responsible, love-based activists who only want to see a world where compassion is extended to all sentient beings.
We have paid most of the legal fees but need just a little bit more help in order to make sure we can get through this challenge and continue being there for the babies. We don't want harassment and intimidation to squash free speech. Even just a dollar or two will help so much. Thank you so much for your consideration.
**Update: We received new legal info today about other costs some of the activists are facing. This is why we updated the goal to $1000. We can't begin to say how thankful we are for the generosity so many of you have shown already. We couldn't keep up this work without you.**
Organizer
Sarah Vowell Hewson
Organizer
Denver, CO
