As this year comes to its inevitable end, a part of me is grieving. I feel sad and angry.

I spent the entire past year wearing an annoying, uncomfortable monitor on my ankle while mentally preparing for the possibility of imprisonment.

I spent the entire past year having my privacy violated by Sonoma County authorities. I’ve had to make constant calls to pretrial to let them know my travel plans and whereabouts, even though they already know where I am every second of every day. I am subject to warrantless searches and seizures by law enforcement, which adds a constant level of anxiety. Just a minor technical violation could land me in jail for months while I await trial. As dramatic as it sounds, I’ve truthfully spent the past year living under a constant threat of state violence. But, worst of all, the thing that makes me the most angry and heartbroken, is knowing that this is all a stunt to protect some of the worst atrocities on our planet. It is knowing that these atrocities are happening right now. 

In 2025, I will go on trial facing one felony, four misdemeanors, and up to five and a half years in prison. The “crime” I am accused of is rescuing four abused chickens from Perdue’s Petaluma Poultry slaughterhouse. Their names are Poppy, Ivy, Aster, and Azalea. They were covered in scratches and bruises and infested with Coccidia parasites. I got them veterinary care and they are still alive today. The best part of 2024 has been knowing that they are safe and being able to share their stories with the world. The stories of their rescue and recovery inspired activists across the country to take action against Petaluma Poultry, leading to vigils at their slaughterhouse, protests at grocery stores, and disruptions of the company’s celebrity ambassador. Food Network Host Tyler Florence cut ties with the company this year after being confronted more than a dozen times by protesters. 

The silver lining of repression is that it gives movements the opportunity to prove how strong they are. While the past year has been hard, I feel incredibly grateful for all of the ways the animal rights movement has grown and persevered. And, at the end of the day, I count myself lucky in a lot of ways. If I find myself in a jail cell next year, I can still smile. I can still smile because I know Poppy, Ivy, Aster, and Azalea are free. I know I helped make them free. And while the prosecutors and police officers and company executives who put me there will remain on the outside, they won’t get to smile. They won’t get to gloat. They will have to spend the rest of their lives knowing that they defended and upheld some of the worst violence in human history. 

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As we enter the new year, I am thinking of the chickens who are suffering on Petaluma Poultry’s factory farms. I imagine a little hen who is undoubtedly writhing in pain. I imagine a timid rooster who is too weak to stand. I imagine a baby chick, still fluffy and peeping, gasping for air as life leaves her body. So many bodies have been torn apart this year. So many lives have been needlessly lost. But as we enter the new year, know that your rage is not an overreaction. Your rage is not ridiculous or absurd. It is one of the few reasonable things in our apathetic world. 

In 2025, put your rage into action. The animals need us, now more than ever, and, truthfully, I need your help, too.

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If you are setting new year's resolutions, here are some you could add to your list:

• Attend my trial in person. The trial will start on May 16th in Santa Rosa, California. People will be coming from across the country to show the authorities and the world that we will rise in the face of repression. You can get more information and register to attend here. 
• Get involved with a local activist group or start one yourself. You can check if there is a Direct Action Everywhere chapter near you on this page here, or fill out this form and someone will reach out to you about starting a chapter in your area.
• Learn a new skill to help animals. Practice public speaking, videography, leading chants, designing protest signs, or caring for rescued animals.
• Join the Perdue Trial Action Team. In the new year, we will be doubling down our efforts to put pressure on Perdue’s Petaluma Poultry and you can help by participating in online actions. Download the free messaging app Signal and then go to dxe.io/actionteam to join the action chat. 

The world can feel like a really dark place. In a lot of ways, it is. Billions of animals experience the worst of that darkness every moment of their short lives. But, never forget that we have the power to create transformative change. Prosecutions like the one I am facing only happen because the government knows this all too well. We cannot let them take away our power. I hope you’ll join me in fighting like hell in 2025.