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Breaking news and publications from Direct Action Everywhere.

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PRESS

Ridglan Farms Critics Want Their Day in Court

April 4, 2024

Isthmus

Madison-based nonprofit Dane4Dogs and [former defendant] Wayne Hsiung... filed a petition to appoint a special prosecutor to charge the facility, Ridglan Farms, for what they said were violations of Wisconsin laws against animal abuse. “The facts presented in this petition…would unquestionably be criminal animal abuse if undertaken by an ordinary citizen,” reads the petition. “The question facing this court is whether, after years of governmental inaction, corporations also will be held accountable to the law.”

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PRESS

Ridglan Farms Critics Want Their Day in Court

April 4, 2024

Isthmus

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TOP PRESS

Groups Seek to Ban Large-Scale Animal Farming in Sonoma County

April 4, 2024

Los Angeles Times

Lewis Bernier, an animal rights activist supporting the initiative, said he has visited several factory farms across the country, documenting inhumane treatment, and one farm in Sonoma County stands out as having “the worst and most systemic animal cruelty that I’ve ever seen.”

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TOP PRESS

Groups Seek to Ban Large-Scale Animal Farming in Sonoma County

April 4, 2024

Los Angeles Times

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PRESS

‘Groundbreaking’ Vote to Ban Factory Farming to Be Held in U.S. County

March 28, 2024

Plant Based News

“Sonoma County is a beautiful place with strong values around protecting animals and the environment. Unfortunately, dozens of factory farms are operating counter to the public’s values,” DxE communications lead Cassie King told Plant Based News (PBN). “Now, ordinary people are uniting and utilizing a form of direct democracy to end factory farming in Sonoma County.”

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PRESS

‘Groundbreaking’ Vote to Ban Factory Farming to Be Held in U.S. County

March 28, 2024

Plant Based News

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PRESS

Measure Seeking to Limit Size of Sonoma County Livestock and Poultry Farms Qualifies for Ballot

March 27, 2024

Press Democrat

“Our key volunteers are all local,” [supporter Kristina] Garfinkel said. “As a local myself, this is such an important issue. I’m from Santa Rosa. I drive by these CAFOs every day and smell the air. We do have support from other regional partners. CAFOs are a ubiquitous problem, so of course it will draw interest from other groups.”

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PRESS

Measure Seeking to Limit Size of Sonoma County Livestock and Poultry Farms Qualifies for Ballot

March 27, 2024

Press Democrat

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PRESS

When Is It Permissible to Rescue a Dog in Peril?

March 21, 2024

The Bulwark

[Defendant Wayne Hsiung said] the dismissal affirmed something he and his co-defendants “always knew to be true,” namely: “If a jury of our peers heard testimony and saw the videos from inside Ridglan Farms, they would revolt against the notion that we’re the ones who have committed crimes, rather than the company.”

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PRESS

When Is It Permissible to Rescue a Dog in Peril?

March 21, 2024

The Bulwark

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PRESS

Animal Rights Activists Protest Downtown against Ridglan Farms

March 18, 2024

WKOW.com

"I think most Americans, most people in Wisconsin, want dogs to be protected from torture," said beagle rescuer Wayne Hsiung. "That's not happening right now."

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PRESS

Animal Rights Activists Protest Downtown against Ridglan Farms

March 18, 2024

WKOW.com

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TOP PRESS

An Animal-Rights Activist and the Problem of Political Despair

March 15, 2024

The New Yorker

Instead of planning actions, many activists now spend their time litigating microaggressions and small disputes within their ranks... As a response, [DxE co-founder Wayne] Hsiung has tried to promote a maxim of "braver spaces, not safer spaces," which encourages the animal rights community to put aside their individual concerns, if possible, and do things like risk felony jail time for the cause.

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TOP PRESS

An Animal-Rights Activist and the Problem of Political Despair

March 15, 2024

The New Yorker

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PRESS

Berkeley Resident Charged for Beagle Rescue Mission

March 13, 2024

KRON4

“I find it very frustrating. Honestly, I was very excited to go before a jury and let them hear the facts of the case,” said Berkeley native and Defendant Paul Darwin Picklesimer in an interview with KRON4. “It was absolutely shocking and disgusting to see what we saw. You walk in, and you get hit with a stench of all the fecal matter and the lights that are on in the middle of the night. You see that these poor dogs are just in these wire cages, spending their whole life there until they’re sold into experimentation."

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PRESS

Berkeley Resident Charged for Beagle Rescue Mission

March 13, 2024

KRON4

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PRESS

Direct Action Everywhere Protests Death of 3-Year-Old Filly, Moves for Golden Gate Fields Closure

March 12, 2024

Daily Californian

DxE Director of Communications Cassie King alleged that Golden Gate Fields crowds animals together in stables with “poor conditions” for the majority of the day. She added that DxE believes this treatment is “out of touch” with the surrounding community’s values.

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PRESS

Direct Action Everywhere Protests Death of 3-Year-Old Filly, Moves for Golden Gate Fields Closure

March 12, 2024

Daily Californian

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Our Top Press Hits

TOP PRESS

When doing the right thing makes you a criminal

December 5, 2019

Vox

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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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DxE's Blog

BLOG

DxE at the Animal and Vegan Advocacy Summit

November 24, 2022

Back in October, DxE's Lead Organizer Almira Tanner spoke at the inaugural AVA Summit. Check out her talk: Building a Mass Movement for Animals.

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BLOG

Three Lessons from the Smithfield Trial

November 7, 2022

Do your homework, get feedback, and find the simple story.

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BLOG

Social justice organizations unite to fight devastating ruling on California’s anti-SLAPP statute

September 20, 2022

Today, a coalition of advocacy groups filed an amicus letter to the California Supreme Court in support of this case, written by the First Amendment Coalition and signed by Greenpeace USA, ACLU of Northern California, Amazon Watch, Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, and many more.

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BLOG

Rise Up, Berkeley

September 19, 2022

Why is it that 60 years after the Freedom of Speech Movement, we can’t rally more than 200 people to fight for the future of our planet? Why is it that when we’re being faced with injustices like racism, fascism, worker abuse, animal abuse, income inequality, loss of reproductive rights and environmental destruction, one of the most progressive student bodies in the world barely rises up?

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BLOG

The History and Future of Rose’s Law: Animal Bill of Rights

September 18, 2022

Rose was the sole survivor of all the birds at McCoy’s that day, and amid the tragedy that occurred for the others, Rose’s story offered a glimmer of hope. The fact that her rescue was permitted was proof that they all deserved to be rescued, that even the police knew rescuing them was the right thing to do.

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BLOG

We're Driving Animals Mad

September 10, 2022

The systems we have designed for animals are mentally abusive from the very beginning.

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BLOG

DxE Wins Motion for New Jury and Trial Location

August 23, 2022

The #SmithfieldTrial is moving to Washington County, Utah because the judge agreed it would be a challenge to find an impartial jury in Beaver County.

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BLOG

Calling Foul on Culling Waterfowl

August 16, 2022

Despite this supposed safeguard, if a local entity wants to take the lives of Canada geese, an application and a verbal statement over the phone grants instant permit approval from the USDA –which killed 26,000 Canada geese last year alone.

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BLOG

Ag-gag may be overturned, but the industry is still desperately trying to hide the truth.

August 11, 2022

These stories - the story of Smithfield, the story of Lily and Lizzie, and the story of government and industry collusion - are too important to tell for us to just give in to intimidation and bullying.

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Our Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE

Animal Rights Activists March in Petaluma During Felony Animal Rescue Trial

September 20, 2025

"I believe Zoe did the right thing by taking sick animals to the vet," said Sharon Loren of Penngrove, who joined the march. "Compassion should never be a crime, but it's on trial here in Sonoma County."

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PRESS RELEASE

Felony Animal Rescue Trial Begins

September 15, 2025

Zoe Rosenberg, 23, is charged with felony conspiracy and 3 misdemeanors for rescuing chickens from Perdue’s Petaluma Poultry slaughterhouse

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PRESS RELEASE

Animal Rights Activists Stage Large “Boat” in Creative Protest Urging Trader Joe’s to Drop Petaluma Poultry

August 30, 2025

Activists use Trader Joe’s nautical theme to urge the company to follow its moral compass and steer away from Petaluma Poultry

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PRESS RELEASE

Activists Protest at Berkeley Trader Joe's Over Purchase of Chickens from Perdue's Petaluma Poultry

August 16, 2025

Dozens of activists with the animal rights network Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) protested outside the Trader Joe's store at 1885 University Avenue in Berkeley, after an Alameda County judge partially denied Trader Joe's requested temporary restraining order against DxE on Tuesday.

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PRESS RELEASE

Activists Protest at Homes of Perdue Executives, After Court Denies Temporary Restraining Order

July 26, 2025

Around thirty animal rights activists with Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) held a peaceful protest outside the home of Scott Fitzpatrick, the Live Production Manager for Perdue’s Petaluma Poultry, after Sonoma County Judge Patrick Broderick denied Fitzpatrick’s application for a temporary restraining order on Friday, citing “insufficient evidence.”

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PRESS RELEASE

Second Perdue Foods Executive Sues Animal Rights Group to Stop Public Protests

July 23, 2025

Scott Fitzpatrick, Live Production Manager for national poultry giant Perdue Foods, filed a lawsuit Tuesday to stop public protests by Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) over documented animal cruelty.

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PRESS RELEASE

Activist Charged with Felony Vandalism for Supergluing Hand to Trader Joe's Fridge Protesting Animal Cruelty

July 3, 2025

Ani Kandada superglued down inside Trader Joe's original store in Pasadena asking the retailer to stop selling chickens from Perdue's Petaluma Poultry, just hours after another animal rights activist was arrested for supergluing her hand inside Trader Joe's Headquarters in Monrovia, CA.

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PRESS RELEASE

Activist Arrested After Supergluing Herself at Trader Joe's Headquarters, as Tensions Rise Over Controversial Chicken Supplier

July 3, 2025

Carla Cabral remained superglued to the desk from approximately 10AM to approximately 11AM, while she demanded a meeting with company executives about documented animal cruelty at Trader Joe's chicken supplier, Petaluma Poultry, which is a subsidiary of national agribusiness giant Perdue Foods.

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PRESS RELEASE

VIDEO: Animal Activists Disrupt CA Poultry Federation Board Meeting, Present Award for "Biggest Animal Abuser"

June 10, 2025

Animal rights activists with DxE disrupted multiple events at the Summer Board Meeting of the California Poultry Federation, a trade association representing commercial chicken and turkey producers across the state. Among CPF's twenty board members are three executives from Petaluma Poultry, the California subsidiary of national poultry giant Perdue Foods, where DxE investigators have documented widespread violations of animal cruelty laws since 2018.

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