Burning Books Presents: Jake Conroy

Posted by Leslie Pickering on

 

7pm Burning Books, 420 Connecticut St. (881-0791 / burningbooksbuffalo.com) Free

Would you consider Jake Conroy to be a domestic terrorist? The US government does. Part of the animals rights campaign, Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty, he was engaged in an international effort against the private animal experimentation laboratory Huntingdon Life Sciences, which created an uproar among activists after an undercover video was leaked that showed HLS workers abusing and shouting at beagle puppies. Conroy and his organization not only targeted the lab, but the investors and supporting corporations that were affiliated with HLS. This method of action nearly toppled the multimillion-dollar company in 2000 and it’s investors. Due to the massive success of the campaign, U.S. lawmakers sympathetic to HLS and other animal-exploitation industrials, sought prosecution to Conroy and his organization. Conroy was convicted and sentenced to 4-years in a federal prison for his involvement. According to Jake, the FBI labels animal rights and environmental activists the number one domestic terrorism threat. He states that new laws are made to turn activism into “terrorism” if it hurts corporate profits. On Saturday evening (4/11 @7pm) at Burning Books, Conroy will be speaking about his role in SHAC USA and the repression the group faced from the US government and corporate investigators. His topics will include being the target of a multi-agency terrorism investigation, learning he was on a high-profile prisoners list, and living his life as a terrorist in a post 9/11 society.

> Jeff Czum, Artvoice - http://artvoice.com/issues/v14n14/featured_events/syt