Not Asking for Permission: Former ALF Activist Peter Young

January 13, 2009

Peter Young in 2005

Join us for a conversation with former Animal Liberation Front (ALF) activist, Peter Young. Now famous for a series of raids on mink farms across the U.S. Midwest during 1997, and the liberation of thousands of animals, Young was indicted by a federal grand jury in 1998, on "Extortion by Interfering with Interstate Commerce", and two charges of "Animal Enterprise Terrorism". In 2005, he was arrested and convicted (though the extortion charge was dropped), serving two years and hours of community service.

In this interview, Young talks about a range of issues, from his activist roots to conquering a fear of prison. We also hear his statement to the court on his day of sentencing, his reflections on that unplanned and powerful piece of prose, and a few responses to his critics. Uncompromising and unapologetic, Young takes us back to those nights—ones that he has called the most rewarding of his life—including his interactions with the mink and what it felt like seeing them taste freedom for the first time.

News links:

Download mp3s of the interview:
lower quality / smaller: part 1 (3.34 MB) and part 2 (2.62 MB)
higher quality / larger: part 1 (10.15 MB) and part 2 (7.88 MB)

Tags: Direct action | Farmed Animals

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I have a great respect for those

Submitted by aw (not verified) on Tue, 2009-01-27 20:44.

I have a great respect for those who put their lives and bodies on the line to do such grea things for animasl. I've had the pleasure to hear Peter talk last year and it was truly an inspiring experience. His call for people to not be afraid of jail, to liberate themselves from fear, and to not have to ask for permission are very provactive to say the least.

Yet, since hearing him speak, I've been better-informed by others how prison is not equal to all people, and thus, neither might the obligation to go to jail. For instance on a past post at Vegans of Color, Royce Drake discusses how dumpster diving may seem cool to middle-class whites (as a form of "class suicide"--to quote my coworker), but it has a whole different conotations to Afroamericans. There have been other comments on the blog about direct action and how if Afroamericans were to be arrested for such acts, they would be given much harsher penalties. And then there are the whole case of police brutality and suspicion issues. What I'm getting at here, I suppose, is that I hope such calls to action should be footnoted with some social/racial context.

Absolutely.

Submitted by Lauren (not verified) on Wed, 2009-01-28 13:05.

Hi aw,

Absolutely. Thanks for raising your point. This is something I really regretted not following up on during the interview.

To add further to your example, which it seems you're already suggesting, I would guess that not only would Afro-Americans receive harsher penalties, but also other people of colour involved in similar activities would likely experience discrimination of various forms and degrees in this context too, depending on the court and location in which they were tried and served time. (However, of course, the particular history of incarceration of Black people within the United States can't be overlooked.) Similarly, for example, a person who is transsexual or transgendered would likely face harsher judgment in a legal court.

Again, thank you for your comment and crucial reminder to think about the ways in which race and ethnicity (and other social dynamics) intersect with the politics of direct action and animal liberation.