DISPATCH FROM DARIUS--SEPTEMBER 2006
darius talks about his upcoming release and his time behind bars

By the time you read this, I will be on the last leg of my time here at Federal Correctional Facility-Fort Dix, if not already out on the streets. To say that my incarceration went smoothly is an understatement. Time flew past.

Being this close to the end does offer me some perspective. After everything I have been through, what I feel the most is hope.

First, the support I have received from across the country and around the world has reminded me what an incredible movement I am fortunate enough to be a part of. Every single card and letter reminded me that whatever separates us—be it miles, oceans, or barbed wire fences—I am never alone.

Hope can not grow in the shadow of fear. Perhaps this case was meant to teach me a lesson, but what I learned is not what they intended. I learned to never fear them again. I Have seen the worst that they can do to us, and it is nothing to fear. An inconvenience. This experience is one I hope not to repeat, but if that is what it comes to, I am no longer afraid.

But what truly gives me hope is the undying courage of those still on the outside fighting. We know that the government spent years and millions of dollars to build the SHAC 7 case. They simply cannot and will not prosecute many activists in this way. Their intent is obvious—persecute a few to scare the many.

I have to be honest, at first I believed their plan had worked. At the time I came in, very little activism of any kind seemed to be happening. But then letters began arriving. Letters from people who had heard about our case and were angry. Not afraid, just angry. In that anger, people found inspiration. Some became active for the first time. Others who had moved on rejoined the struggle. Those who were not already, went vegan. Grassroots materialized in old strongholds like Boston and Chicago, while others appeared in the most unexpected of places. The new hotbed of animal liberation…Milwaukee?? But of course it is action that matters most. It is the battles waged and won over the past year that afford me the most hope. What an incredible year it has been. Victories have come on all fronts, from conservative, to militant and above ground to underground. From New Jersey’s bear hunt being cancelled, to the successfully campaigns against POM and Schumacher furs, to legislation in Arizona outlawing gestation crates and veal crates—it has been remarkable.

Closest to my heart, of course, is the campaign against Huntingdon Life Sciences. They may have hoped that the SHAC 7 case would mark the end of the road. We now know it was just another bump along the way, and there’s plenty of fuel still in the tank. The year end financial statements—showing a loss of over $14 million for 2006 and HLS’s total debt now over $100 million—tell me what I have always believed: we will win. There could be no better support for my codefendants than knowing they will one day be released into a world without Huntingdon Life Sciences. With a little bit of hope and a little bit of action, we can make that world a reality.