Peter Daniel Young
Encyclopedia
Peter Daniel Young is an American animal rights
activist. He was indicted by a federal grand jury
in 1998 on charges related to fur farm raids in Iowa
, South Dakota
, and Wisconsin
in 1997. He was in hiding for seven years, before being arrested in San Jose
and sentenced to two years' imprisonment in 2005. Young was released in February 2007.
. At the age of nine, he moved to Mercer Island, Washington, near Seattle, where he graduated from Mercer Island High School
. He became vegan in 1994. Young describes himself as becoming more active after being shocked by visit to a chicken slaughterhouse
in Seattle's Chinatown
-International District. He participated in a campus animal rights group as a student at the University of Washington. Young describes himself as being strongly influenced by mid-90s vegan straight edge
bands like Vegan Reich, Earth Crisis
, and Raid
: "The vegan straightedge scene is directly responsible for the course my life has taken."
. A two-week period in October saw the release of at least 8,000 mink and fox from six fur farms in Iowa
, South Dakota
, and Wisconsin
, along with the destruction of the breeding records at each farm. On October 28, police officers pulled over Young and Samuel in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, after officers received a call from fur farmers who suspected that the two were surveying farms. Their vehicle was impounded, and a search warrant application was granted the following day. The search of their vehicle yielded animal rights literature, fur farm addresses, and other suspicious items.
Samuel was arrested on September 4, 1999 in Belgium and was extradited to the United States to face trial. He agreed to cooperate with the government in exchange for a reduced sentence of two years. Young was arrested in San Jose, California
on March 21, 2005 on charges of shoplifting
CDs from a local Starbucks
and was extradited to Wisconsin to face trial for the fur farm raids.
In August 2005, prosecutors were forced to drop the extortion charges against Young because a Supreme Court ruling had changed the definition of "extortion." In September 2005, Young pleaded guilty to conspiracy to release mink from six fur farms in South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Iowa; and the actual release of 2400 mink from a farm in Medford, Wisconsin. Prosecutors argued that Young had acted on behalf of the Animal Liberation Front
, but Young's attorney denied this.
Young was sentenced to two years in federal prison; 360 hours of community service at a charity "to benefit humans and no other species"; $254,000 restitution; and one year probation. He was released from Victorville
, California
's federal prison on February 1, 2007. Before being sentenced, he told the court, addressing fur farmers, that he would "forever mark those nights on your property as the most rewarding experience of my life."
's reunion tour, and helping to release a vegan straight edge
hip hop
compilation.
Young has also done numerous speaking engagements and continues to be involved in the animal rights movement. He has been a featured speaker at animal rights conferences held in the United States and has spoken at animal rights conferences in Europe. Young serves as an advisor for the North American Animal Liberation Press Office.
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
activist. He was indicted by a federal grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
in 1998 on charges related to fur farm raids in Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, and Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
in 1997. He was in hiding for seven years, before being arrested in San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
and sentenced to two years' imprisonment in 2005. Young was released in February 2007.
Early life
Young grew up in Los Gatos, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. At the age of nine, he moved to Mercer Island, Washington, near Seattle, where he graduated from Mercer Island High School
Mercer Island High School
Mercer Island High School is a public high school located in Mercer Island, Washington in the U.S., as part of the Mercer Island School District....
. He became vegan in 1994. Young describes himself as becoming more active after being shocked by visit to a chicken slaughterhouse
Slaughterhouse
A slaughterhouse or abattoir is a facility where animals are killed for consumption as food products.Approximately 45-50% of the animal can be turned into edible products...
in Seattle's Chinatown
Chinatown
A Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...
-International District. He participated in a campus animal rights group as a student at the University of Washington. Young describes himself as being strongly influenced by mid-90s vegan straight edge
Straight edge
Straight edge is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs. It was a direct reaction to the sexual revolution, hedonism, and excess associated with punk rock. For some, this extends to not engaging in promiscuous sex, following a...
bands like Vegan Reich, Earth Crisis
Earth Crisis
Earth Crisis is an American metalcore band from Syracuse, New York, active from 1989 until 2001, reuniting in 2007. Their most recent record, To the Death, was released in May 2009 through Century Media....
, and Raid
Raid (band)
Raid were a Tennessee based straight edge hardcore band that formed from the ashes of the band One Way. Along with the Californian band Vegan Reich and the English band 'Statement', Raid helped pioneer the Vegan straight edge movement and the Hardline lifestyle and ideology.Their music was loud,...
: "The vegan straightedge scene is directly responsible for the course my life has taken."
Fur farm raids
In the fall of 1997, Young and a friend, Justin Samuel, set off from Washington with the plan to release animals from fur farms in the Midwest on their way to FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. A two-week period in October saw the release of at least 8,000 mink and fox from six fur farms in Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, and Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, along with the destruction of the breeding records at each farm. On October 28, police officers pulled over Young and Samuel in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, after officers received a call from fur farmers who suspected that the two were surveying farms. Their vehicle was impounded, and a search warrant application was granted the following day. The search of their vehicle yielded animal rights literature, fur farm addresses, and other suspicious items.
Arrest and imprisonment
In September 1998, a federal grand jury indicted Young and Samuel each on four charges of "Extortion by Interfering with Interstate Commerce", and two charges of "Animal Enterprise Terrorism". Young remained wanted by the FBI for over 7 years.Samuel was arrested on September 4, 1999 in Belgium and was extradited to the United States to face trial. He agreed to cooperate with the government in exchange for a reduced sentence of two years. Young was arrested in San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
on March 21, 2005 on charges of shoplifting
Shoplifting
Shoplifting is theft of goods from a retail establishment. It is one of the most common property crimes dealt with by police and courts....
CDs from a local Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
and was extradited to Wisconsin to face trial for the fur farm raids.
In August 2005, prosecutors were forced to drop the extortion charges against Young because a Supreme Court ruling had changed the definition of "extortion." In September 2005, Young pleaded guilty to conspiracy to release mink from six fur farms in South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Iowa; and the actual release of 2400 mink from a farm in Medford, Wisconsin. Prosecutors argued that Young had acted on behalf of the Animal Liberation Front
Animal Liberation Front
The Animal Liberation Front is an international, underground leaderless resistance that engages in illegal direct action in pursuit of animal liberation...
, but Young's attorney denied this.
Young was sentenced to two years in federal prison; 360 hours of community service at a charity "to benefit humans and no other species"; $254,000 restitution; and one year probation. He was released from Victorville
Victorville, California
Victorville is a city located in the Victor Valley of southwestern San Bernardino County, California. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2010 census, the city had a population of 115,903, up from 64,030 at the 2000 census.-Geography and climate:...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
's federal prison on February 1, 2007. Before being sentenced, he told the court, addressing fur farmers, that he would "forever mark those nights on your property as the most rewarding experience of my life."
Since Release from Prison
Since his release, Young has been giving speeches, selling merchandise on Earth CrisisEarth Crisis
Earth Crisis is an American metalcore band from Syracuse, New York, active from 1989 until 2001, reuniting in 2007. Their most recent record, To the Death, was released in May 2009 through Century Media....
's reunion tour, and helping to release a vegan straight edge
Straight edge
Straight edge is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs. It was a direct reaction to the sexual revolution, hedonism, and excess associated with punk rock. For some, this extends to not engaging in promiscuous sex, following a...
hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
compilation.
Young has also done numerous speaking engagements and continues to be involved in the animal rights movement. He has been a featured speaker at animal rights conferences held in the United States and has spoken at animal rights conferences in Europe. Young serves as an advisor for the North American Animal Liberation Press Office.
Voice of the Voiceless
Young also operates a website named Voice of the Voiceless. The website reportedly is intended to, “Report on and bring a better understanding of the Animal Liberation Front and direct action animal liberation movement” and offer “tools for legal animal rights activism.”Bold Native
Young had a cameo appearance in the film “Bold Native,” a film concerned with the topic of animal liberation. Young played the role of “Peter” in the film.March 2010 Home Raid
In March 2010, the FBI served a search warrant on Young’s home. It was reported that cell phones, computers and other electronic items were confiscated by the FBI. Young believed the FBI raided his home in an attempt to connect him to a 2004 Animal Liberation Front raid at the University of Iowa and because he was a supporter of the ALF. Young stated, “The message is if you vocally support ALF, we’re coming after you.”August 2010 Home Raid
In August 2010, Young’s home was raided by the FBI. The search warrant alleged Young and his roommates had harbored Walter Bond, an individual suspected of setting fire to a leather shop and restaurant. Young denied that Bond stayed at the home.Law Enforcement Scrutiny
Young has been a vocal supporter of the ALF has continued to come under scrutiny from law enforcement, as demonstrated by the raids on his home. This scrutiny not only resulted in raids on his home, but law enforcement has also used confidential informants to monitor Young.Writings
- "This Country Must Change: Essays on the Necessity of Revolution in the USA" (Arissa Media Group, 2009). ISBN 9780974288475
Further reading
- "Peter Young resources", Fur Commission USA.
- An Interview with Animal Liberation Prisoner Peter Young, Animal Liberation FrontAnimal Liberation FrontThe Animal Liberation Front is an international, underground leaderless resistance that engages in illegal direct action in pursuit of animal liberation...
website - Interview with Convicted ALF Warrior/Volunteer Peter Young, originally published in No Compromise MagazineNo Compromise (magazine)No Compromise was a San Francisco, California, USA-based bi-annual animal rights magazine, first published in the winter of 1989. The magazine covered global aspects of animal rights and promoted a vegan lifestyle, which included the use of cruelty-free products.The magazine was founded by Freeman...
, Issue 28. - Liddick, Donald. Eco-Terrorism (ISBN 0275985350)