February 27, 2021

DEAR FRIENDS,
 

More than seven weeks after an attack on SHARK investigators by cockfighting thugs, serious charges have been filed. Attacker James V. Newcomb is charged with two counts of felonious assault, theft and obstruction, while attacker Shannon Clark is charged with one count of felonious assault, theft, and obstruction. If found guilty, Newcomb and Clark could be sentenced to years behind bars.

You may recall that SHARK president Steve Hindi suffered a head laceration that required six staples to close, as well as a broken rib and a back separation. The thugs stole and destroyed his drone and cameras, or at least, they thought they did. One camera remained, and that is what caught them.

 

Fortunately, Steve’s recovery is progressing, and he never stopped working. SHARK investigator Adam Fahnestock was repeatedly rammed by the same thugs, and his vehicle was wrecked in a ditch. His attack was also caught on camera.

We are very pleased that after seven weeks of pushing for charges, James Newcomb and Shannon Clark will face the charges they deserve.

You can read a more complete account of this story at Animals 24-7

For the past three years, California-based Last Chance for Animals, Heather Wilson, Patty Shenker and Amanda Lundberg have worked to ban rodeo’s tools of torture in Los Angeles. Last Chance for Animals launched a petition in support of the ban which received over 22,000 signatures.

SHARK supplied video from our decades of rodeo documentation which proved the abuse, injuries and death suffered by rodeo’s animal victims.

SHARK, the Humane Farming Association, Veterinarian Peggy Larson and others submitted statements in support of the ban to the Los Angeles City Council.

A lot of effort went into this multi-year effort.

On Tuesday afternoon, it was announced that the ban of rodeos tools of torture - electric prods, spurs, and buck straps are now officially banned in Los Angeles! And when there are no tools of torture, there are no rodeos. 

This is a great victory for the animal victims of rodeo. Let’s hope that this effort will broaden to other areas of California, and nationwide.

Please support SHARK's efforts against cruel and illegal cockfighting by making a generous donation to support our work. We still need money to help pay for our new travel van, which enables us to be where the killing is going on. 

We are not like other groups that hide in their offices and send out press releases - we are on the frontlines putting ourselves at risk to save lives.