Dear District Attorney Carla Rodriguez,

The public is asking you to hold corporations accountable and enforce the animal cruelty laws of the State of California.

In the past few weeks, over 200 people have publicly posted online with the tag #ProsecuteMe. They are not literally asking that you prosecute them. They are commenting on the trial of People v. Hsiung in which nonviolent animal rescuers are facing felony charges for exposing criminal animal abuse at commercial facilities in Sonoma County.

The point the posters are making is this: If you are prosecuting people like Wayne Hsiung for caring about animals, why not pursue charges against everyone else who cares about animals, too?

California has some of the strongest animal protection laws in the nation. Under California Penal Code 597 et. seq., it is illegal to inflict unnecessary suffering on an animal. Proposition 2, which voters passed by the largest margin of any ballot measure in this State’s history, makes it illegal to confine an animal such that they are unable to freely stand up or turn around.

And yet, facilities like Sunrise, McCoy’s, and Reichardt are routinely neglecting animals and keeping them confined in cages that violate Prop 2. These animals suffer from painful disease, broken bones, cannibalism, starvation, and dehydration. Approximately 20% of these animals die torturous deaths before they ever even make it to slaughter. Additionally, the inhumane and criminal conditions under which these animals are kept directly lead to contamination in the food supply, such as salmonella contained in bloody, diseased eggs, which poses serious risks to human health.

On the issue of animal cruelty, the public will is clear. Californians have overwhelmingly enacted strong animal protection laws, and they want them enforced. Ignoring them is profoundly contrary to the principles of a lawful and democratic society.

Below, you will find a collection of posts by people who have expressed public support for the defendants in this case, and who have asked you to hold corporations accountable by enforcing the animal cruelty laws on the books.

The public is asking you: Do your duty to the law and to the people of the State of California. Prosecute animal abusers such as Sunrise Farms, Reichardt Duck Farm, and McCoy’s Poultry Services, and drop the charges against animal rescuer Wayne Hsiung.

Sincerely,

Concerned citizens and animal lovers everywhere