This Little Bird...
Articles Reflecting a Vegan Lifestyle From All-Creatures.org

Vegan lifestyle articles that discuss ways of living in peace with humans, animals, and the environment.

FROM

Priya Sawhney, DxE, Direct Action Everywhere
October 2017

Compassionately with tears in my eyes, I said, "we are taking her to the vet, we can't give her back to be killed." The police officer locked eyes with me and said, "I feel your pain," turned to his pocket, and paid the $3 dollars so we could take her.

After rescuing this little bird during DxE open rescue at Saba Live Poultry in East Oakland, California, October 22, 2017, Priya wrote:

This little bird inside my hand was cowering inside of a trash can, moments away from being killed.

For her, human hands have always been weapons - approaching to take her away from her family, approaching her friends who she'd never see again, and ultimately, approaching her so she can have her throat slit.

But today, human hands meant something different. These human hands were there to help her. But she still fluttered, scared that we would hurt her.
I have never felt the fear and anxiety that I did when the police boldly demanded that we "give her back to her rightful owners." Compassionately with tears in my eyes, I said, "we are taking her to the vet, we can't give her back to be killed." The police officer locked eyes with me and said, "I feel your pain," turned to his pocket, and paid the $3 dollars so we could take her.

And so she went, off to get the medical attention she needed. Her heart beating on my chest. Her heart, no different than mine.

Friends, I have experienced fear and isolation. I am a woman of color from an immigrant family who came to this country right after 9/11. I cried alone, as people called me a "terrorist" in a middle-school hallway. I cowered as people pointed and called my family and me "enemies" because I looked different than them.

It's in those instances of fear that I thought, "I wonder what the animals must feel?" They are so much smaller than me. They are far more powerless than me.

That is when I knew that the only answer to violence against anyone is to directly intervene. We have to challenge injustice, no matter when and how it happens.

And so we did. Yesterday, we went inside of a slaughterhouse. Fearless of the industry's weapons and knives, we went in. We rescued animals forced thousands of people watching on the internet, public officials, and even the police officers to ask themselves, "do we want to help or hurt animals?"
Nobody wants to hurt animals. Ultimately, we will all join forces and hold hands and breakdown slaughterhouse walls and go in to rescue the animals.

The only question is - IF not WHEN will you join us.

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