“Leave No One Behind”: Support Activist Bryan Monell
Animal Liberation Front-line was created to spotlight under-covered news in the animal liberation movement. Among the core missions of the site is to bring attention to activists who find themselves in legal trouble fighting for animals. I strive to avoid redundancy and not contribute to the info-overload of the internet age by avoiding reposts, yet this commentary on the recent case of a dedicated activist named Bryan Monell is worth spotlighting.
Please read about the arrest and serious charges Bryan Monell faces on his support site.
Reposted from Vegina:
“A recent arrest in Southern California has been added to the list of repressive arrests. It inspired me to write this post.
Please read and consider donating to help this activist, Bryan Monell. (Read his bio on this page to see the sort of dedication we should all aspire to). And most importantly, don’t forget the punchline: WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT STOP YOUR WORK. DO NOT BE SILENCED. THE ACTIVISTS & ANIMALS NEED YOU.
It is imperative that activists support other activists. If we don’t support each other in times of need our movement will die… and if our movement dies the animals have no hope.
Intimidation tactics, false arrests, harsh sentences and the genesis of laws that violate the first amendment are all attempts to silence activists. If our voices are silenced, the goals we have can never be met. We must, as a movement, combat this repression. (See Will Potter’s journalism to get caught up on repression of the environmental and animal rights movements).We cannot react by silencing ourselves. When our compatriots are harassed or imprisoned we need to be pro-active and support them with all we’ve got.
The repression we face can be scary, but we cannot let fear override the work we need to do. By creating a supportive community in which we all know that, no matter how bad it gets, our community will love us and support us, we can all bravely move forward.
Part of working in solidarity means we leave no one behind, alone or without support. When an activist arrest happens, we need to help by donating/and or raising funds for good legal council, by writing letters to judges on their behalf, by refusing any coercive techniques, such as grand jury testimonies, and by keeping up with our activism. When activists are in jail we need to hold vigil by writing to them, keeping financial support coming their way, and giving them all the support they need when they are released.
Another way to be pro-active is to be prepared. Though you may never do anything illegal there is always a chance you can be arrested or questioned by authorities. Check out The Informed Activist for a 411 on how you can protect yourself and your fellow activists.
Please don’t let down the movement or the animals by giving up and letting tactics of repression win out over doing what is morally correct.
WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT STOP YOUR WORK. DO NOT BE SILENCED.
THE ACTIVISTS & ANIMALS NEED YOU.”
(Reposted from Vegina)
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