Jake Conroy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1976 (age 48–49) Connecticut, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Design coordinator,Animal rights activist |
| Era | 1995-present |
| Known for | Sea Defence Alliance Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty SHAC 7 The Cranky Vegan |
| Website | jakeconroy |
Jake Conroy is an Americananimal rights activist andvegan[1] who was involved withStop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC),[2][3] an international campaign to force the closure ofHuntingdon Life Sciences (HLS), an animal-testing company based in the UK and US, for which he designed and maintained the SHAC websites.[4][5] Conroy had previously been a co-founder and activist for an anti-whaling groupOcean Defense International, formally called Sea Defence Alliance,[6] and director of Northwest Animal Rights Network.[7]
He has been recognized as top 100 most influential vegans by Plant Based News.[8]
Conroy joined theanimal rights movement in 1995 following an attack by theAnimal Liberation Front on a restaurant in Bellevue, Washington near to where he lived.[9] He has been involved in a wide range of activism since graduating from art school volunteering with and organize various campaigns on local, regional, national and international levels.[10][11]
He was influenced by both his mother's involvement withAnti-Vietnam War Protests and his early interests inHip Hop,Hardcore andPunk rock.[1][12]
Conroy works for Rainforest Action Network, an international environmental organization whose pressure campaigns help enact responsible corporate policies. He was featured inJoaquin Phoenix's 'The Animal People' documentary[13] about the SHAC7, and 'What the Health', a follow-up to the award-winning documentaryCowspiracy.[14]
He also co-foundedBite Back magazine which promotes the causes of theanimal liberation movement and theAnimal Liberation Front. He also helped create the popular food blog Plant Based on a Budget and has worked on justice campaign for people withHIV/AIDS, & anti-death penalty campaigns.[1]
In January 2018, Conroy created his "The Cranky Vegan" YouTube channel, focusing on rethinking the strategies and tactics of the grassroots animal rights movement, with popular series like "3 Minute Thursday" and "Are We Winning".[15]
Aged 22 years old, campaigning against theMakah whale hunt,[16][17] as co-founder and Vice President of Sea Defence Alliance/Ocean Defense International,[18][19] Conroy was arrested byU.S. Coast Guard for obstructing it while piloting a 19 footRHIB. It was the first ever disruption of a whale hunt in US coastal waters.
By directly putting themselves between the hunted and hunter in various vessels, Jake and ODI reduced the anticipated kill of 20 Pacific Gray whales down to one.[20][21]
On May 26, 2004, fifteen armed FBI agents broke small home inPinole,California with Federal Air Marshals circling in helicopters.[22] Described as "target[ing] thousands of individuals and hundreds of companies in attacks designed to shut downHuntingdon Life Sciences (HLS)",[23] of East Millstone nearPrinceton, Conroy was among seven animal rights advocates who were arrested in May 2004 (dubbed the SHAC7) and charged with trying to disrupt the work of the New Jerseypharmaceutical company. In its drug testing, HLS, a British firm, used dogs, primates and rats invivisection experiments. "The group liken[ed] its activities to theUnderground Railroad and theBoston Tea Party, and advocat[ing] protests, letter-writing, and what it call[ed] publicity stunts to disrupt Huntingdon Life Sciences".[24]
In 2006, branded as a "domestic terrorist", Conroy was sentenced to 4 years in prison for his involvement in the campaign againstHuntingdon Life Sciences as a member of SHAC USA,[25] one of the most successful animal rights campaigns in history leading to HLS's market value falling by 90%.[22] It was the first use of the 1992Animal Enterprise Protection Act.[26][27][28] Their appeal was denied.[29]
SHAC introduced targeted strategy to direct action, including a knowledge of modern business organization which understood that businesses are sustained by a wide selection of secondary and tertiary businesses including insurers, investors, even cafeteria suppliers, and targeted its actions at them as well.[22] Conroy's use of the internet was key to its success.[30]
The Animal Enterprise Protection Act had been signed into law by PresidentGeorge W. Bush to provide animal research facilities with federal protection against violent acts by "animal rights extremists", defining “Animal Enterprise Terrorism" as "physical disruption to the functioning of an animal enterprise by intentionally stealing, damaging, or causing the loss of any property (including animals or records)."[31]
