For more information visit BandOfMercy.org

On Tuesday night the City Council for Irvine voted historically for animals by banning the sale of cats and dogs due to cruel puppy mills and pet over population.  With a 4-1 vote in favor of the ban, the City Council noted the importance of animal protection over big business even in one of the most conservative cities in Southern CA.  The City Council banned out right all rodeos and exotic/wild animals in circuses in addition to voting against puppy sales. The City of Irvine has now raised the bar of humane legislation and will send a message of compassion to other neighboring areas.
 

Over 50 animal rights activists from over half a dozen groups congregated at the meeting for the animals including activists from Animal Defenders International, Animal Protection and Rescue League-OC, Band of Mercy, Companion Animal Protection Society, In Defense of Animals, Last Chance for Animals as well as several others.

This bold and pro-animal legislation in Irvine is now among others in other Southern California and takes on similar actions to stop puppy mill animals from being sold in their cities.  Cities including West Hollywood, Glendale and Pasadena are all talking action for animals. Such progressive steps have not only created more awareness about puppy mills but also allow for more animals to be adopted from shelters -- preventing thousands of deaths each year.

Recently activists have also pressured The Irvine Company, a giant in business, to take a more humane stance. Band of Mercy is cheering as the Company refuses to renew the leases to pet stores and will bring in adoption only and shelter animals to the public looking for a companion.

If that wasn't enough for one week in SoCal, it has been reported now that Macerich, an American shopping center developer, is banning the sale of live animals in more than 70 malls across the nation!

_________________________

(Donate Now and Help Drive the Revolution of Compassion)

From the beginning to the end, without compromise.
~ Band of Mercy

For more information visit BandOfMercy.org
Forwarded to Band of Mercy from See You In The Streets:

When future generations ask what you were doing during the animal holocaust -- what will you tell them?

Los Angeles – Get ready to flood the streets. For those who are silenced, speak out now.

Over 70,000 primates are imprisoned, poisoned and murdered in laboratories across the U.S. Hundreds of thousands more also suffer worldwide not only in labs but during transport and in breeding facilities.

In solidarity with Primate Liberation Week, powerful demonstrations against primate vivisection at UCLA will be held in Los Angeles on the following date:

Saturday, October 22 at 11:30AM

MEETING PLACE: Starbucks Coffee.

8985 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, California 90035

Free parking ALL Day; right off the 10 Freeway in the Albertson's shopping center; there is also a CVS and a Ross Dress for Less in the same shopping center. The Starbucks is right in front of the shopping center on Venice Blvd.

Activists will be leaving at 12NOON. PLEASE BE ON TIME.

Signs will be provided.

--
"See You In The Streets" is not an official organization, but rather a group which forwards demo announcements and wrap up's of legal protests throughout the Southern California area. SYITS does not advocate or encourage illegal activity and assumes no responsibility for written content it receives and forwards on, nor any occurrences at the demonstrations it announces.

_________________________

(Donate Now and Help Drive the Revolution of Compassion)

From the beginning to the end, without compromise.
~ Band of Mercy

For more information visit BandOfMercy.org
Forwarded to Band of Mercy:

California bans the shark fin trade as Governor Brown signs AB 376 into law

Written by Shark Savers 
Friday, 07 October 2011 16:08

Today, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law AB 376, which bans the sale and possession of shark fins in California.

This is a great step forward for sharks and the oceans and we thank Governor Brown for his important action. California now becomes the largest economy in the world to outlaw the destructive shark fin trade. It is also the 4th state in the United States to ban shark fins, joining Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington state, effectively shutting down the West Coast as a port, distribution center, and market for the shark fin trade.

AB 376 was authored by Assemblymembers Paul Fong (D-Cupertino) and Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael). AB 376 passed the Assembly by a vote of 65 to 8 on May 23rd and the Senate on September 6th with a vote of 25 to 9. Both of the votes were bipartisan. We thank Assemblymen Fong and Huffman for fighting so long and hard for this bill.

In his statement, Governor Brown stated, “The practice of cutting the fins off of living sharks and dumping them back in the ocean is not only cruel, but it harms the health of our oceans. Researchers estimate that some shark populations have declined by more than 90 percent, portending grave threats to our environment and commercial fishing. In the interest of future generations, I have signed this bill.”

Shark Savers considers this bill, and others like it, one of the most important ocean conservation measures taken. The shark fin trade has been devastating to shark populations. Sharks are critical to the healthy balance and functioning of the oceans. Scientists have increasingly been warning of the possibility of a "trophic cascade", the collapse of the ocean food chain as a result of losing sharks, the ocean's apex predators. We need bills like this and we need to protect sharks.

California is a beacon for other states and countries with Governor Brown's signing of this bill to ban the shark fin trade. There is international momentum towards shark protection, with the recent declaration of a shark sanctuary in the Marshall Islands and previous announcements in Palau, the Maldives, the Bahamas, Honduras, and Raja Ampat Indonesia. Mexico recently declared a moratorium on shark fishing. Costa Rica has tripled the size of its world-famous sanctuary in Cocos Island. Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands outlawed the shark fin trade earlier this year.

Shark Savers has been working hard to contribute to this great accomplishment. The coalition of organizations and individuals, of which we were just one part, worked harmoniously and unceasingly right up until this signing of the bill by Governor Brown. We know that many of you contributed to this effort with your letters, phone calls, or emails. We thank Lush Cosmetics for participating so enthusiastically and energetically in our campaign to pass AB 376, bringing this message and enlisting the support of their customers.

Thank you all for being a part of this great victory.

_________________________

(Donate Now and Help Drive the Revolution of Compassion)

From the beginning to the end, without compromise.
~ Band of Mercy

For more information visit BandOfMercy.org
Forwarded to Band of Mercy:

08-18-11 - Animal Rights Activists Hack 'Dog Wars' App

08-11-11 - Pet Shop Owner Withdraws Harassment Complaint; Faces Payment of Legal Fees

08-09-11 - Superintendent Sets Out to Save the Frogs

08-07-11 - Buddhists Free Lobsters to Live Another Day

08-07-11 - Air Canada Targeted for Animal Research Cargo, but says hands are tied

08-07-11 - Jail Time Yields a Clash on Vegetarian Meals

08-07-11 - OC Man Poisons, Cuts Dog, Attempts to Burn House

08-07-11 - Lawmakers Call for Review of Monkey Stimulus Spending

08-05-11 - 600 Caged Cats Rescued from 2 Trucks in Wuxi near Shanghai

_________________________

(Donate Now and Help Drive the Revolution of Compassion)

From the beginning to the end, without compromise.
~ Band of Mercy

For more information visit BandOfMercy.org
Forwarded to Band of Mercy:

From bad news to good and better news.
We were upset to hear last week we heard about Ringling Brothers elephant, Sarah, collapsing after a show.  When things like this happen in your own backyard in front of us we get upset and outraged.  When I hear stories like the following I remember that we can make change possible.

On to the good news
Glendale passes a ban on Puppy Mill dogs
http://puppymillmom.blogspot.com/2011/08/glendale-california-passes-ban-on-dog.html

The Irvine Company to shut down puppy stores
We are hearing that The Irvine Company, a SoCal real estate GIANT, has announced they will lease to stores that sell dogs or cats. They also said existing leases will NOT be renewed.

That means that RUSSOS PET STORE at FASHION ISLAND (Owner by the Irving Company and less than 1/2 mile away from I HEART PUPPIES) and their location at THE SPECTRUM will be gone!

Best Friends will be running the North East Valley Animal Shelter in LA
We just learned that Best Friends will be running the NE Valley Shelter in LA as decided by the city council yesterday.  The shelter wasn't fully running or open to the public and now Best Friends will be using it to save the lives of 1000's of animals each year.

_________________________

(Donate Now and Help Drive the Revolution of Compassion)

From the beginning to the end, without compromise.
~ Band of Mercy

For more information visit BandOfMercy.org
Forwarded to Band of Mercy:

Protest "ZOO Keeper":

When: Wednesday, July 6 · 4:30pm - 6:30pm

Join the protest against this new movie. The giraffe (who was also the Toys R Us giraffe) collapsed and died during production of "unknown causes" at age 18 - giraffes typically live 25-28 years in captivity. American Humane was on set at apparently claims there was no mistreatment of animals. However, the company they used for exotics has been cited for failure to provide vet care, not cleaning filthy cages, not providing shelters, and only providing animals with minimum space. The company used for elephants was the one exposed in the recent ADI investigation:http://www.ad-international.org/animals_in_entertainment/go.php?id=2119&ssi=7

_________________________

(Donate Now and Help Drive the Revolution of Compassion)

From the beginning to the end, without compromise.
~ Band of Mercy

For more information visit BandOfMercy.org

Come join Band of Mercy, Vegan Outreach and VegFund in this collaborated event !!

We will be distributing Vegan Outreach to the public at the 107th Huntington Beach 4th of July Parade/Festival. Quarter of a million people attend this event every year and we have the chance to educate about veganism and the animals' plight to every single one of them! Activists will be handing out free vegan food samples with every pamphlet.

Meet activists at the corner of 12th and Orange at 9am and we will head down to the pier from there.

If you would like to come and help us outreach then please email us today!

_________________________

06-20-11 - Project Rescue: Kitten Rescue Wrap Up

_________________________
Latest News

San Francisco Considers Banning the Sale of All Pets

Congress is considering a Crackdown on So-called Puppy Mills
_________________________

(Donate Now and Help Drive the Revolution of Compassion)

From the beginning to the end, without compromise.
~ Band of Mercy

For more information visit BandOfMercy.org
Forwarded to Band of Mercy:

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/victory-in-the-campaign-to-ban-circus-animals-2302073.html

Victory in the campaign to ban circus animals

Government concedes defeat after bribes and intimidation fail to deter rebels

By Martin Hickman, Consumer Affairs Correspondent

MPs voted to ban wild animals in circuses last night after David Cameron's attempts to bully Conservative backbenchers into voting against the measure backfired and ended in a humiliating public defeat. In a decision hailed by campaigners as an "historic victory for animal welfare and protection", MPs of all parties unanimously backed a ban and the Government signalled that it would introduce one, ending forever the days of lions, tigers, elephants and other wild animals in the big top.

In an act of desperation, Conservative whips had warned they would impose the most serious parliamentary voting sanction, a three-line whip, to bring recalcitrant backbenchers to heel and get them to support the Government's alternative proposal of a licensing system. But in a victory for The Independent's campaign for a ban and for the long campaigns waged by animal welfare organisations, Downing Street backed down when it became apparent that it would lose the vote despite what backbenchers described as "desperate" measures. One of the three MPs who brought the cross-party motion for a ban disclosed that he had first been offered a government job – and then threatened that the Prime Minister would look "very dimly" on his recalcitrance – unless he amended or withdrew the motion. Mark Pritchard, a Conservative backbencher, stood firm and insisted that the measure be voted upon.

As astonished MPs listened, Mr Pritchard said: "Well I have a message for the whips and for the Prime Minister of our country – and I didn't pick a fight with the Prime Minister – I may just be a little council house lad from a very poor background but that background gave me a backbone. It gives me a thick skin and I'm not going to be cowed by the whips of the Prime Minister on an issue I feel passionately about and have conviction about.

"There may be some other people with backbones on this side and they will speak later, but we need a generation of politicians with a bit of spine, not jelly. And I will not be bullied by any of the whips."

MPs from all sides of the House including the Liberal Democrat MP Don Foster, Labour's Nia Griffiths and the Green leader Caroline Lucas attacked the Government's position, saying that both public and parliamentary opinion was in support of a ban.

The motion was to "direct" the Government to introduce a ban.

Shortly before the vote, the Animal Welfare minister, Jim Paice, said: "If at the end of this debate the House were to approve this motion then of course we will have to respect that."

Animal welfare groups were ecstatic. The RSPCA said: "This is a win for democracy as well as animal welfare." It said it hoped the Government would quickly and formally announce a ban.

Animal Defenders International, the group which shot undercover footage of the beating by a Romanian groom of Anne the elephant at Bobby Roberts Circus, said: "This debate and vote has exposed the Government and demonstrated just how out of touch they have been with their peers, the public, and animal welfare groups."

Mary Creagh, the shadow Environment Secretary, said: "The public will be absolutely delighted that MPs from all parties have stood up to the Tory-led Government on this issue to achieve such a fantastic result. The vote brings to an end 48 hours of chaos and confusion from the Government about their position on a ban. It is extraordinary that David Cameron used such bully-boy tactics to threaten his own MPs and tried to impose a three-line whip on the vote."

The Government had initially planned to ban wild animals from circuses but the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was forced to do a U-turn, and instead proposed a licensing system, after Mr Cameron, a keen hunter and shooter, blocked the move.

Mr Paice blamed a court challenge to a ban in Austria for the decision, but there was no court challenge and he was forced to admit during an emergency debate, called because of the misinformation, that he had misled the Commons. The Government's subsequent claim that a ban could be challenged under the Human Rights Act or the EU Services Directive was challenged by lawyers and the European Commission.

The Government and MPs came under intense pressure from voters. More than 32,000 signed The Independent's online petition calling for the Government to change its mind, and supporters of the protest group 38 Degrees, which had forced Defra to abandon plans for its forests sell-off, deluged MPs' offices with hundreds of emails, letters and phone calls.

During the debate, MPs said the issue was emblematic of wider animal welfare issues. But the most astonishing contribution came from Mr Pritchard who had secured the backbench debate, which should have had a free vote. He said: "On Monday if I offered to amend my motion or drop my motion or not call a vote on this motion – and we're not talking about a major defence issue or an economic issue or an issue of public-sector reform, we're talking about a ban on wild animals in circuses – I was offered reward and incentive. If I didn't call for a ban – I was offered a job. Not as a minister, it was a pretty trivial job.

"Then it was ratcheted up to last night and I was threatened. I had a call from the Prime Minister's Office directly and I was told unless I withdrew this motion that the Prime Minister himself would look upon it 'very dimly indeed'."

He told MPs: "It remains a mystery why the Government has mounted such a concerted operation to stop there being a vote on this motion."

_________________________

(Donate Now and Help Drive the Revolution of Compassion)

From the beginning to the end, without compromise.
~ Band of Mercy

For more information visit BandOfMercy.org
Forwarded to Band of Mercy:

Events

05-22-11 World Fest 2011

News

05-19-11 - WeHo Council Vote 5-0 To Draft Historic Ordinance To Ban The Sale Of Fur In West Hollywood!

05-17-11 - For Over One Hundred Years Americans Knew Pit Bulls For What They Did Best. Babysitting.

_________________________

(Donate Now and Help Drive the Revolution of Compassion)

From the beginning to the end, without compromise.
~ Band of Mercy

For more information visit BandOfMercy.org
Forwarded to Band of Mercy:

Save The La Jolla Seals !
They Need Your Help

When: 10am 5-7-11
Where: corner of Girard and Prospect in La Jolla

http://bandofmercy.org/events/2011/11-05-07.htm

On May 7th, 2011 come and show your support for the protection of the La Jolla harbor seal colony.

It is time that we join together to call for a protected sanctuary for the seals. "Shared use has been leading to harassment of these precious citizens of La Jolla. Let's keep the rope up. Lets stay off the beach. Lets stop the harassment.

We will walk through the village
and rally at Casa Cove.

Meet at 10am at the corner of Girard and Prospect in La Jolla for this peaceful show of support. Bring signs encouraging the city to leave just one beach for the seals.

*note "shared" use advocates and agitators are not welcomed and will be asked to leave the rally.

more info at SaveSanDiegoSeals.com
_________________________

(Donate Now and Help Drive the Revolution of Compassion)

From the beginning to the end, without compromise.
~ Band of Mercy