Los Angeles Indymedia : Activist News

In schools and temples across the U.S and Israel, animal rights activists protested kapparot (kaparot). The Jewish ritual of atonement has made the news in recent years and has just finished its bloody few days where activists battled it out with practitioners.

At one kapparot in Los Angeles, children participated and some, laughing, with blood on their clothes and hands, were allowed to taunt activists holding signs outside the school the killing was taking place

Full story and photos: Kapparot Chicken Slaughter Causes Outrage: Activists Demand Change by Julia Mackenzie.

INGLEWOOD, CA -- Dressed as bees, several people collapsed on the floor of pesticide aisle at Home Depot on S La Cienega Blvd this Saturday morning.

Aside from the theatrics, the activists cheerfully announced to shoppers and staff alike, "today is International Honey Bee Day! Join the fight to Save the Bees!" and handed out pamphlets titled "The Plight of the Honeybee" linking the collapse of 40% of honey bee colonies in the last decade in the United States to the use of insecticidal seed treatment in genetically engineered (GE or GMO) crops.

Other actions in Southern California included ones in San Diego and Long Beach.

Full story and photos: Southern California Swarms to Save the Bees in Solidarity with Honey Bee Day Around the Globe by Occupy Los Angeles OWS

There is a growing movement in recognition of vegan prisoner rights as well as in providing more healthful non-animal foods.

Pictured at right: Dave McDonald, who was in jail in California on a dubious drug charge. A vegan who had been vegetarian for 42 years, the 73 year old man was not given vegan mails by the Marin County Jail. He lost 50 pounds. Being a philosophical vegan was not acceptable to jail officials. He had to be affiliated with a particular organized religion.

Jails serving higher percentages of vegan food find health care expense and food costs are reduced and that prisoners are more peaceful because of less adrenalin and uric acid in the diet.

Story and resources: Do Vegan Prisoners Have a Right to Nonviolent Meals? by Law And Ethics

For the last eight or so years, the Rose Parade has been the focus of activism on issues such as U.S. military aggression, calls for George W. Bush's impeachment, crimes by banksters, the endangered U.S. Constitution, China's oppression of Tibet, and this year a Sea World float (featuring "happy" orcas) was the target of animal rights activists. (According to the KPFK evening news (1-02-14) Wall Street was also depicted in an "unofficial" float entry near the beginning of the parade route. Discussion of it begins near the 30-minute mark.)

Nineteen animal rights activists were arrested for trying to block the Sea World float. Protesters at several locations along the route held up signs as the float passed. The float was accompanied by police, some in riot gear, in areas where activists were known to be. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of leaflets were distributed to parade spectators.

Story and pictures: Protesting Sea World at the Rose Parade by R. Plesset

(Photo above courtesy of Nicolas Tomas.)

Birds rescued from meat production, cock fighting rings, and the ritual of Kaporot have, in many cases, gone on to live decent/happy lives (some of them have even reproduced). Profiled here are turkeys Biggie and Autumn Tootsie of Riverside; Pooka, a goose in northeast L.A.; and several chickens. People who rescue them give advice about mistakes to avoid.

"There's nothing more impressive than looking at these turkeys every day and just counting the blessings that they've been given--and they know it," says Jen DeCarlo. "They're very grateful animals, just like we're very grateful humans to have them here. That's two less on someone's Thanksgiving platter, which is better than both of them being gone.

" . . . Our species domesticated them, so now we have to take care of the damage we've done. They can't go out and do it themselves anymore."

Full story and photos: Birds Who Survived the Holidays and Other Tragedies by R. Plesset

Just 10 years after the Ballona Wetlands were acquired and preserved (an endeavor that took decades), they are again under attack. The Annenberg Foundation, which has done impressive work elsewhere, plans to purchase the wetlands, develop part of it, and restore Area C. The latter proposal has been described as "a phony restoration" to "give crony engineering companies some business" and "way too aggressive" for the highly- sensitive habitat. Annenberg claims their plans have been misrepresented, but there was no elaboration.

On Thursday, October 17, a demonstration was held outside the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills during that facility's very extravagant grand opening. Protest signs supported Annenberg's various plans, that include a pet rescue center, but lambasted any construction on or restoration of Ballona, which is among the remaining five percent of L.A.'s wetlands that has not been destroyed.

(Photo courtesy of the Wetlands Defense Fund.)

Story and photos: Ballona Wetlands Again in Jeopardy by R. Plesset