{"id":240,"date":"2019-08-08T14:10:33","date_gmt":"2019-08-08T18:10:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.duanemorris.com\/animallawdevelopments\/?p=240"},"modified":"2019-10-11T16:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-10-11T20:00:00","slug":"animal-activist-leader-steps-down-in-advance-of-multiple-criminal-trials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.duanemorris.com\/animallawdevelopments\/2019\/08\/08\/animal-activist-leader-steps-down-in-advance-of-multiple-criminal-trials\/","title":{"rendered":"Animal Activist Leader Steps Down In Advance of Multiple Criminal Trials"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Michelle C. Pardo<\/strong><\/p>\n

The leader and co-founder of West-coast based animal activist group Direct Action Everywhere (DxE), Wayne Hsiung, announced yesterday that he will be stepping down from his leadership position at DxE and explained to his followers “why that’s a good thing.”\u00a0 DxE had become known for its “open rescues” — essentially stealing farm animals in order to “liberate” them — and mass arrests of the activist participants.\u00a0 In these raids, activists openly enter farms, usually at night, and “rescue” animals.\u00a0 They often videotape the incident and release it to various media forums.\u00a0 DxE’s “Organizer’s Handbook” states that the activists involved do not hide their identities so as to avoid being compared to “criminals, vandals and terrorists.”\u00a0 DxE has also favored storming into restaurants and yelling at patrons about eating meat and entering grocery stores and climbing into food cases to protest.\u00a0 \u00a0One particular disgusting protest involved a DxE activist covering herself in feces at a San Francisco grocery store to protest that eggs come from laying hens that allegedly sit in their own waste.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Many of DxE’s members have boldly embraced these extremist techniques even if they involve criminal activity, such as trespassing or stealing.\u00a0 Former leader Hsiung has asked fellow activists before such raids if they are “comfortable” with the possibility of doing jail time.<\/p>\n

Hsiung may soon be speaking to his followers from prison.\u00a0 As the result of multiple raids on farms in North Carolina, Utah, and California, Hsiung, along with other activists, was arrested and charged with multiple felonies and misdemeanors.\u00a0 Hsiung has stated that he faces from 85 to 100 years in prison for these criminal activities.\u00a0 Various media reports have indicated that trials in these jurisdictions will take place before the end of 2019.\u00a0 We will be sure to update you about the verdicts in those cases.<\/p>\n

Several years ago, DxE was plagued with accusations of racist, sexist and homophobic behavior among activists and were roundly criticized for not policing sexual harassment within the organization.\u00a0 One former member stated that a sexual abuser remained in a leadership position in DxE and the victim was pressured into staying silent about her concerns and accepting apologies.<\/p>\n

In various social media posts, Hsiung stated that he has stepped down “as felony trials approach” “to make sure we continue to grow.”\u00a0 Hsiung urged his supporters that DxE “has no single ‘head'” and that new leadership is ready to step up and lead the organization.\u00a0 In his August 7, 2019 blog post, regarding DxE members going to prison, Hsiung proclaimed “Bring it on! We’ve got 10 more ready to step up.”\u00a0 Hsiung has since turned the leadership reins over to DxE member Almira Tanner.\u00a0 While Hsiung will not maintain any leadership position, he stated that he will remain a “rank-and-file organizer” and even suggested that he may volunteer for a political campaign “and try to inject animal rights into the 2020 race.”\u00a0 If that happens, query whether it will be executed better than the DxE disruption at Senator Kamala Harris’s speech on June 1, 2019 — where a DxE activist rushed the stage and grabbed the microphone from the Democratic senator.\u00a0 In the wake of bad press on this disruption, former leader Hsiung penned an apology note to Harris (posted on DxE’s website) entitled “I Messed Up.\u00a0 So did DxE.”\u00a0 https:\/\/www.directactioneverywhere.com\/theliberationist\/2019\/6\/18\/i-messed-up-so-did-dxe.\u00a0 Whether DxE’s “mistake” turned into “an important learning experience” is yet to be seen.<\/p>\n

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by Michelle C. Pardo The leader and co-founder of West-coast based animal activist group Direct Action Everywhere (DxE), Wayne Hsiung, announced yesterday that he will be stepping down from his leadership position at DxE and explained to his followers “why that’s a good thing.”\u00a0 DxE had become known for its “open rescues” — essentially stealing … <\/p>\n

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