Release Animal Rights Activist from Prison

Target: Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper

Goal: Release animal rights activist Walter Bond from his 22-year prison sentence.

In the summer of 2010, Walter Bond was arrested for setting fire to a sheepskin factory near Denver. The act was meant to draw attention to and prevent the cruel treatment of animals for their skin and fur. The fire was set at night, so Bond was clearly not attempting to hurt anyone, but he has still been handed the maximum sentence of twenty-two years. As usual, the government has allowed property to take precedent over people. Walter Bond is on a mission to educate citizens about the grotesque mistreatment of animals used for profit. His decision to set fire to the building is controversial but does not take away from the fact that he has a powerful message he cannot easily share from prison. Urge the governor of Colorado to reduce Walter Bond’s prison sentence.

Walter Bond has written several essays for the Animal Liberation Front as well as his blog. His writings  demonstrate Bond to be a deeply sensitive, highly aware individual who does not wish to harm any living being. His decision to light the factory on fire was a statement of anger against the cruel and unusual treatment of animals held in captivity for profitable purposes. Instead of immediately locking people up for committing a crime, the government would do better to question the reasons why crimes are being committed.

Every state in the U.S. has laws in place that make animal abuse illegal. But this doesn’t stop the government from allowing the daily abuse of animals for industrial purposes. If a citizen will go to jail for harming a dog, then why don’t CEOs of fashion and food companies go to jail for allowing animals to be abused in horrific and demented ways? The government allows citizens to be imprisoned for the same types of crimes that industry leaders not only get away with, but get rich from. As long as the government allows this to continue, it can expect people like Walter Bond to seek justice on their own.

Dear Governor Hickenlooper,

Walter Bond has never harmed anyone and never wishes to do so. His decision to set fire to a sheepskin factory in Denver was a statement of outrage against the cruel and unusual treatment of animals.  If a citizen wouldn’t be allowed to abuse an animal without going to prison, why should industry leaders be allowed to? Since the government chooses not to listen to the people it represents, it will sometimes find them taking matters into their own hands.

Walter Bond’s powerful act, although controversial, was obviously not meant to hurt anyone. By imprisoning him, you are preventing him from spreading a message about the cruel treatment of animals. If you aren’t going to imprison people for cruelly destroying living creatures, you shouldn’t imprison them for destroying property. We urge you to reduce Walter Bond’s sentence so that he may continue his noble work of protecting animals.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: bhlaab.com