Has a free the animals movement taken root in Western New York?
The Niagara County Sheriff's Department issued a public warning to farmers on Tuesday that at least two instances of trespassing have taken place on farmland in Newfane since a social media post encouraged people to attend an animal "right to rescue summit" last weekend in the City of Tonawanda.
"I’m not going to put up with it if they think they’re going to come and steal livestock," Niagara County Sheriff Michael J. Filicetti told The Buffalo News. "This stuff definitely gets stranger by the day."
Sheriff's officials posted the alert after the event last Saturday focused on encouraging animal rescue.
"All farmers in the area need to be aware and stay alert of suspicious activity related to this meeting," the public alert said.
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The "Open Rescue Experience" event, posted on the WNY Vegans Connections Facebook page, featured a "Right to Rescue Summit."
As part of the event, a "veteran open rescuer" was to discuss the "stages of animal rescue, from researching facilities to winning at trial."
"Whether you want to plan your own high-impact open rescue or simply be a supporter, this workshop will inspire and empower you to make a difference in the lives of animals," the post said.
The morning after the event, two people were seen on a Newfane farm taking pictures and video in a cow barn, the sheriff said.
"When confronted, they got in a car and fled," Filicetti said.
Tracy Murphy, the operator of Asha's Farm Sanctuary in Newfane, was among Saturday's scheduled panelists. She was charged with grand larceny last summer, accused of refusing to return two cows that wandered onto her property from a nearby farm. She declined to comment when reached Tuesday night, because she said she is still under a gag order that prohibits her from speaking publicly about her case, which is still being adjudicated in court.
Murphy's attorney, Wayne Hsiung, who also is an animal rights activist from California, said that he was a facilitator at last Saturday's event, which was a workshop that he has previously presented at law schools.
"This was an event about the right of every citizen in this country to give aid to sick, suffering, abandoned animals," Hsiung said, arguing that the purpose of the event was mischaracterized by the Sheriff's Office.
He said Murphy did not make a presentation at the workshop.
"She did speak about her case prior to the workshop, around noon on Saturday, and she just described how she became an animal rights advocate, why she decided to start a sanctuary and how much she's been traumatized, frankly, by the prosecution that's unfolded over the past year," Hsiung said.
He also said that Facebook posts by Niagara County Sheriff's Office "are both false and defamatory and leading to a torrent of death threats" against Murphy.
"If Niagara County is actually concerned about trespass, and actually concerned about criminal violations, they really should be investigating how their own conduct is encouraging and inciting people to engage in threatening conduct against my client," Hsiung said.
"There are people on Niagara County's own Facebook pages threatening to kill, shoot or hang Tracy," he added.
Hsiung said a hearing scheduled last Thursday in Newfane Justice Court was vacated because Murphy's lawyers are attempting to have the case moved to a higher court on the grounds that she cannot get a fair and impartial trial in Niagara County.
Meanwhile, the sheriff said Saturday's session was very concerning to his office and the local farm community.
"Now we have people who are trained to essentially take farm animals to rescue them," Filicetti said.
Niagara County Legislator Shawn Foti, of Newfane, said his neighbors discovered people on their property taking pictures of their farm and animals. He called the action vegan extremism and said it is hurting farmers.
"They're scared. They're scared for their lives," Foti said at Monday's Legislature meeting. "Their family members have received threats. We’re a rural community, we’re right to farm, we’re ag-extensive. We put a lot of time, money and pride into our agriculture."
Filicetti said he understands people have different philosophies and lifestyles – but "when you go and start stealing animals as a result of that initiative, that’s a crime. You're breaking the law."
The Sheriff's Department asked residents to report any suspicious activity in and around local farms by calling 716-438-3393 or 911 in an emergency.
