From Activist to Terrorist: Anti-Corporate Campaigning, Civil Liberties and State Repressin

Politics as usual is killing the climate and all of us in it. We need hardscrabble campaigns, grassroots organizing and bold and effective direct action to fight it. We need disruption on a mass scale.

Oil companies, coal companies, timber companies all fight back. And they are backed by every level of government. So, we also need to prepare for the inevitable backlash from the state.

We're going to be hosting a series of talks and trainings this year focused on effective campaigns and bold action for climate justice.

Our first talk will feature our dear comrade and long time direct action organizer Jake Conroy. We're excited to host him in the Bay Area on March 4th.

Jake will speak about his involvement in Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty USA (SHAC USA) and the repression they experienced from the US government and corporate investigators, as well by the Bureau of Prisons while incarcerated. He will discuss being the target of a multi-agency terrorism investigation, learning he was on a high-profile prisoners list, and navigating living a life branded as a terrorist in a post-9/11 society while incarcerated.

Doors open at 630pm, and the talk with start at 7pm sharp. The space is indoors/outdoors, please dress warmly and wear a mask.

Donations appreciated, sliding scale of $5-$15, no one turned away for lack of funds.

About Jake

Jake Conroy is a long-time activist, designer, and writer currently residing in Seattle, WA USA. He helped organize and participated in successful local, regional, national and international pressure campaigns. He also helped build the foundation of SHAC USA, considered one of the most successful grassroots animal rights campaigns in history. He and his co-organizers were subsequently arrested by the US government for their roles and dubbed the SHAC7. Jake and his co-defendants were found guilty after a lengthy trial and he was sentenced to 4 years in federal prison. In 2019, the Joaquin Phoenix produced documentary, The Animal People, was released detailing the campaign and the controversial court case.

Currently, Jake works at the Rainforest Action Network, an international organization using pressure campaigns to stop rainforest deforestation, fossil fuel extraction, and support human rights. He can be found pontificating online as the Cranky Vegan, where he irritates everyone with his thoughts on the tactics, strategies and optics of the grassroots animal rights movement.

Co-Sponsored by Diablo Rising Tide, Oil and Gas Action Network and the Green and Red Podcast.