Wherever we turn, we are told that animals are here for us to use. That there are laws in place to protect animals, that humane labels and rating schemes ensure that animals live happy lives and have happy deaths, and that suffering is an anomaly. That even though some animals may suffer, there’s really no point in trying to do anything about it, because the systems are so entrenched and we have so little power. At DxE, we are disproving all of these lies. 

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We have seen firsthand the magnitude of violence inside farms, slaughterhouses, and other animal exploitation facilities. Trillions of individuals suffering, all of whom are someone, not something. And we’ve seen firsthand that ordinary people can make a difference when we come together to take action. 

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Many power-holders are terrified of this truth. They are terrified of us recognizing our power. Companies like Whole Foods, Costco, and Smithfield, are doing everything they can to silence us and maintain the status quo, including suing the people who are bringing the truth out in the open. Our government is complicit, too. They fund animal exploitation, refuse to hold abusive corporations accountable, and criminally charge those who rescue animals, threatening them with years in prison. 

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Despite all the repression, we’re building a movement to win what animals really need: Rose’s Law, an Animal Bill of Rights. And it’s working. 

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We are seeing cracks in the opposition’s foundation. All around us, support for animal rights is growing. Hundreds of activists have directly participated in open rescues, movement leaders are voicing their support for the Right to Rescue -- the idea that all animals have the right to be rescued from situations of distress and exploitation -- and journalists are writing headlines that agree. Allied movements and progressive cities like San Francisco and Berkeley have condemned the prosecution of animal rescuers, and, in 2022, the previously unthinkable happened: a jury unanimously acquitted two DxE activists, securing a not guilty verdict for open rescue for the first time in history. Less than six months later, we won again. A California jury unanimously acquitted two more DxE activists for rescuing chickens from a slaughterhouse truck. 

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We have the momentum and we cannot stop now. 

2023 will bring more open rescues, more bold actions, and more trials. We will face off in court in Wisconsin, in New York, and in California again. We will mobilize over 1,000 activists to train, build community, and take action in support of the Right to Rescue. More cities and influential voices will join us. We will share the stories of rescued animals with millions. We will force the public to take a side: are you with the animal abusers or the animal rescuers? 

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Establishing the Right to Rescue will lay the foundation for all other rights. Because when we acknowledge that animals are individuals who deserve compassion and justice and rescue, we inherently negate the idea that they are just objects to be used, killed, and sold. When we enshrine the Right to Rescue we will shift the place animals hold in our legal, political, and social systems, transforming them from property to persons. The Right to Rescue could change everything.  

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But the enormity of animal agriculture - trillions of lives taken each year - demands that we do more. We must begin to dismantle the factory farms and slaughterhouses that put animals in need of rescue in the first place. In 2023, we continue to demand NO MORE FACTORY FARMS, urging the government to halt the expansion of this destructive industry as a first step to transforming it completely. If our politicians fail us, we will bring this directly to the people - launching a historic ballot measure to ban factory farms in our own backyard. 

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And throughout, we will continue to expose the abuse the industry is so desperate to hide. We will go right into the heart of darkness with our cameras and our compassion. We will take bold and sometimes controversial action to draw attention and disrupt the status quo. And we will stay on our toes, shifting gears when needed, because animal abuse is everywhere, but so are we. 

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As we tear down the industry, we lift up animals. We show the world the violence that must be left in the past, and the beauty the future can hold. 

With growing communities of activists everywhere, it won’t be long until these victories spread across the state, the country, and the world. Every day, we march forward along our roadmap, creating revolutionary social and political change for animals, and getting closer to winning Rose’s Law: Animal Bill of Rights. The power is in our hands. Join us.