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TOP PRESS

You’re More Likely to Go to Prison for Exposing Animal Cruelty Than for Committing It

November 9, 2023

Vox

Hsiung’s trial and conviction show the extraordinary difficulty of trying to discuss what happens to animals on factory farms in a legal system that only sees them as property. At both factory farms in this case, DxE had documented gruesome conditions prior to their open rescue actions and had submitted animal cruelty complaints to authorities (though no action was taken by legal officials, King said). Yet it was the activists, not the farm owners, who were criminally charged and had to explain themselves to a jury.

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TOP PRESS

You’re More Likely to Go to Prison for Exposing Animal Cruelty Than for Committing It

November 9, 2023

Vox

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TOP PRESS

This Is the Ops Manual for the Most Tech-Savvy Animal Liberation Group in the US

November 8, 2023

Wired

For the first time, guerrilla animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere reveals a guide to its investigative tactics and toolkit, from spy cams to night vision and drones. Bernier says that DxE decided to publicly release its guide, even in the wake of Hsiung’s conviction, to help activists who are already committed to carrying out covert investigations do their work more safely and effectively.

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TOP PRESS

This Is the Ops Manual for the Most Tech-Savvy Animal Liberation Group in the US

November 8, 2023

Wired

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PRESS

Factory Farms in Berkeley? Not If Voters Pass This Ballot Measure in 2024

November 6, 2023

Berkeleyside

The proposed ordinance states, “CAFOs are a leading cause of environmental destruction, pose grave risks to public health, abuse and kill nonhuman animals, and often create dangerous and exploitative conditions for workers.”

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PRESS

Factory Farms in Berkeley? Not If Voters Pass This Ballot Measure in 2024

November 6, 2023

Berkeleyside

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TOP PRESS

Animal Rights Activist Convicted of Felony for Rescuing Sick Chickens

November 4, 2023

The Intercept

Hsiung’s defense was in many ways stymied from the jump. The judge barred almost all photo and video evidence of animal cruelty from the trial, as has been the case in a number of previous DxE trials. As I’ve previously noted, the decision to disallow such evidence is usually made to benefit a defendant — not showing gruesome images of a murder victim, for example. Such logic has been flipped in DxE cases, including Hsiung’s most recent, to the benefit of powerful agribusiness.

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TOP PRESS

Animal Rights Activist Convicted of Felony for Rescuing Sick Chickens

November 4, 2023

The Intercept

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PRESS

Animal Rights Activist Wayne Hsiung Found Guilty in Open Rescue Case

November 3, 2023

Sentient Media

On top of the gag order, Passaglia consistently barred the defendants from introducing what could have been damning evidence — specifically the name and symptoms of a deadly disease spreading on the duck farm, and much of their footage capturing conditions where animals are housed.

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PRESS

Animal Rights Activist Wayne Hsiung Found Guilty in Open Rescue Case

November 3, 2023

Sentient Media

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PRESS

COURT WATCH: Lawyer Found Guilty of Felony for Rescuing Injured Animals, Locked Up after 2-Month Trial

November 3, 2023

Davis Vanguard

DxE said Hsiung “plans to appeal the conviction in Sonoma based on several rulings by Judge Laura Passaglia that constitute prejudicial and reversible error, including the exclusion of almost all photo and video evidence showing animal cruelty at the factory farms where the rescues occurred.”

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PRESS

COURT WATCH: Lawyer Found Guilty of Felony for Rescuing Injured Animals, Locked Up after 2-Month Trial

November 3, 2023

Davis Vanguard

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PRESS

Guilty Verdict for Animal Right Activist, Five Years After Protests

November 2, 2023

Northern California Public Media

Hsiung’s supporters, many with the group Direct Action Everywhere, expressed shock by Thursday’s verdict, many fighting back tears and wishing Hsiung well as he was taken for processing at Sonoma County's Main Adult Detention Facility.

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PRESS

Guilty Verdict for Animal Right Activist, Five Years After Protests

November 2, 2023

Northern California Public Media

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PRESS

Sonoma County Jury Finds Animal Activist Guilty of Felony, 2 Misdemeanors in Petaluma Farm Protests

November 2, 2023

Press Democrat

The group, Direct Action Everywhere, has been investigating animal cruelty at the two farms where protests occurred while the trial went on, organizer Zoe Rosenberg told reporters. They sought to file what they said is evidence they have gathered with DA Carla Rodriguez, who, according to Rosenberg, had indicated to the group that she would consider an investigation of their claims after the trial concluded.

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PRESS

Sonoma County Jury Finds Animal Activist Guilty of Felony, 2 Misdemeanors in Petaluma Farm Protests

November 2, 2023

Press Democrat

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PRESS

Horses Continue Dying at Golden Gate Fields Racetrack

October 27, 2023

KRON4 News

On Saturday afternoon, animal rights advocates with Direct Action Everywhere and Stop Bloodsports will gather outside the Golden Gate Fields for a demonstration calling out the horseracing industry and memorializing horses who died at the track this fall.

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PRESS

Horses Continue Dying at Golden Gate Fields Racetrack

October 27, 2023

KRON4 News

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Our Top Press Hits

TOP PRESS

Stealing Lauri

August 4, 2019

The New York Times

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TOP PRESS

Protestors collect secret cash to oppose fur ban proposed in California, documents reveal

July 10, 2019

The Intercept

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TOP PRESS

Meet the Animal Rights Activists Facing Prison Time for Rescuing Ducks, Piglets from Factory Farms

June 6, 2019

Democracy Now!

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TOP PRESS

They Rescued Pigs and Turkeys from Factory Farms - and Now Face Decades in Prison

December 23, 2018

The Intercept

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TOP PRESS

Activists Briefly Occupy Amazon Chicken Supplier to Treat ‘Sick, Starving’ Birds

September 29, 2018

Forbes

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TOP PRESS

Animal Rights Activists Face Multiple Felony Charges, Brought by Prosecutors With Ties to Smithfield Foods

June 7, 2018

The Intercept

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TOP PRESS

39 Arrested Protesting Industrial Farm Supplying So-Called "Cage-Free" Eggs to Amazon and Whole Foods

May 30, 2018

Democracy Now!

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TOP PRESS

Animal rights activists who removed two piglets from factory farm charged after FBI raids

May 25, 2018

The Washington Post

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TOP PRESS

Bred to Suffer: Inside the Barbaric U.S. Industry of Dog Experimentation

May 17, 2018

The Intercept

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DxE's Blog

BLOG

If Rescuing a Suffering Animal Is a Crime, What Does That Make the System?

July 14, 2026

The prosecutorial viewpoint seems to be at odds with a growing public expectation that animals raised for food should not be left to suffer — and aggressive marketing (in this case, “humanewashing”) often deceives consumers into thinking they’re making the right purchasing choices.

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BLOG

The Press Won't Link California's Elephant Seal Deaths to Factory Farms

May 28, 2026

The elephant seals at Año Nuevo are dying because they share beaches with infected seabirds — infected because H5N1 has become endemic in wild bird populations worldwide, a spread driven in significant part by the concentration and global trade of farmed poultry.

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BLOG

“Make Sure It’s a F***ing Felony": What Happened at the Preliminary Hearing in the Meyenberg Rescue Case

May 20, 2026

Deputies testified that they never investigated the animal cruelty allegations at the dairy or referred them to any agency, despite being told about dead and suffering animals on site. One officer even defended the facility by claiming that “you can go to any dairy, anywhere in the country, and there will be dead goats there.”

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BLOG

How Pepper Spray Can Save Puppies

April 22, 2026

Open rescue as a strategy is not just about getting a few animals out of their cages, it is also about creating a crisis that can no longer be ignored. It is about forcing the public and people in power to choose a side.

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BLOG

An Open Letter Responding to Western United Dairies' Disinformation

March 19, 2026

The dairy industry trade group's CEO, Anja Raudabaugh, spread blatant lies about animal rights activists on a recent podcast discussing DxE's latest project, FactoryFarmWatch.org. This blog corrects the record and invites Ms. Raudabaugh to engage in an honest and transparent conversation.

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BLOG

Exposing Big Ag with Factory Farm Watch

February 19, 2026

Factory Farm Watch is more than a map. It is a launchpad for statewide action to end factory farming.

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BLOG

ALC India Was a Huge Success!

February 6, 2026

A summary of the first annual Animal Liberation Conference in India, co-hosted by DxE and Indore Animal Liberation

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BLOG

An Open Letter to My Judge

January 4, 2026

I think the public has made it resoundingly clear that they feel Perdue should be prosecuted for its crimes. I hope you'll take that into consideration and use your power as a judge to do some good for these animals. 

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BLOG

Zoe's Reflections on Animal Rising's Beagle Rescue Trial Verdict

December 18, 2025

No prosecution, conviction, or sentence, will ever stop a movement driven by compassion and care.

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Our Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE

VIDEO: Activists Protest Petco to Demand End of Live Animals Sales, Following Exposé of Cruelty at Parakeet Breeding Mill

September 5, 2026

Protesters entered the store with signs reading “Someone Not Something” and “Stop Selling Animals,” as well as trash cans overflowing with plush parakeets, rubber snakes, and rubber mice to represent how Petco treats animals like trash, based on images from multiple recent investigations of breeders that sell to Petco.

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PRESS RELEASE

Judge Reduces All Felonies to Misdemeanors in Goat Rescue Case

August 25, 2026

The ruling comes in response to a filing earlier this month detailing evidence of significant animal cruelty at the dairy. The judge also ordered that the District Attorney’s office disclose evidence of DA Sarah Hacker’s relationship with the owners of the dairy farm property involved in the prosecution against these animal rescuers.

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PRESS RELEASE

VIDEO: Activists Protest Whole Foods Goat Milk Supplier’s Cruelty with Giant “Bloody” Milk Carton and “Die-In”

August 22, 2026

The protest featured a 10-foot-tall milk carton prop modeled after Meyenberg packaging, but with an image of the dead pile of goats documented at Meyenberg’s Vera Goat Dairy and with red streamers symbolizing the animals’ blood flowing out from the top of the carton.

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PRESS RELEASE

Defense Submits Animal Cruelty Evidence in Goat Rescue Case

August 11, 2026

Today, defense attorneys for four goat rescuers charged in Kings County filed evidence with the court of animal cruelty at the Whole Foods-supplying goat dairy at the heart of the case. They have submitted a motion requesting that Judge Jim Trevino reduce the felony charges to misdemeanors.

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PRESS RELEASE

VIDEO: Calves Kicked, Pulled at Merced County Calf Ranch Linked to Major Cheese Company

July 27, 2026

Factory farm investigators with Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) used drones to document cruel handling of calves at 140 Cattle Co., a calf-raising operation linked to Hilmar Cheese Company, one of the largest cheese producers in the U.S.

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PRESS RELEASE

VIDEO: Activists Protest Petco for Selling Live Animals

July 18, 2026

Activists first protested silently next to the animals on display inside Petco in San Rafael, and then loudly outside the store, urging Petco to end the retail sale of animals at all locations.

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PRESS RELEASE

LA's Upscale Grocery Chain Erewhon Drops Meyenberg Goat Milk Amidst Animal Cruelty Concerns

June 30, 2026

Direct Action Everywhere Los Angeles campaigned to urge the grocery chain to cut ties with Meyenberg, after the group’s investigation at a Meyenberg dairy exposed emaciated, ill goats and an illegal dead pile

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PRESS RELEASE

VIDEO: Activists Disrupt Clover Ice Cream Truck at Petaluma Fair to Highlight Cruelty at Clover-Linked Calf Ranch

June 22, 2026

A DxE drone investigation released in May shows calves kicked in the face, yanked by their tails, and disbudded with hot irons at Agresti Calf Ranch in Stanislaus County. The facility is owned by the Agresti-Assali family which also owns the adjacent Clover Sonoma milk supplier Double D Dairies. DxE investigators witnessed calves from Double D Dairies being transported to Agresti Calf Ranch.

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PRESS RELEASE

VIDEO: Activists Protest Petco for Selling Live Animals as Campaign Grows to Ban Retail Animal Sales

June 20, 2026

With Bay Area cities moving to ban the retail sale of animals, animal rights activists with Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) are turning up the pressure on one of the Bay’s biggest pet retailers: Petco. Dozens of activists with DxE, PETA, and other groups protested inside and outside Petco in San Mateo Saturday afternoon.

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