Peter Daniel Young is an American

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sa ...

activist. He was indicted by a federal

grand jury A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a pe ...

in 1998 on charges related to

fur farm Fur farming is the practice of breeding or raising certain types of animals for their fur. Most of the world's farmed fur is produced by European farmers. In 2018, there were 5,000 fur farms in the EU, all located across 22 countries; these ...

raids in

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

, and

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

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.Wanted animal rights activist arrested after 7 years on the run
''

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

'', March 29, 2005.Animal activist to plead guilty and serve two years
''

San Diego Union-Tribune ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...

'', ''

'', August 31, 2005.

Early life

Young grew up in Los Gatos,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. At the age of nine, he moved to Mercer Island, Washington, near

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, where he graduated from Mercer Island High School in 1995. He became vegan in 1994. Young describes himself as becoming more active after being shocked by his visit to a chicken

slaughterhouse A slaughterhouse, also called abattoir (), is a facility where animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a packaging facility. Slaughterhouses that produce meat that is no ...

in the Seattle Chinatown-International District. He participated in a campus animal rights group at the University of Washington, but was not a student there. Young describes himself as being strongly influenced by mid-1990s vegan

straight edge Straight edge (sometimes abbreviated sXe or signified by XXX or X) is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs, in reaction to the excesses of punk subculture. For some, thi ...

bands like

Vegan Reich Vegan Reich was an American hardcore punk band from Laguna Beach, California, United States, active from 1987 to 1999. Fronted by singer-songwriter Sean Muttaqi, the band was formerly identified with the controversial hardline subculture, a mor ...

Earth Crisis Earth Crisis is an American hardcore punk band from Syracuse, New York, active from 1989 until 2001, reuniting in 2007. Since 1993 the band's longest serving members are vocalist Karl Buechner, lead guitarist Scott Crouse, bassist Ian Edwards ...

, and Raid: "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

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. A two-week period in October saw the release of at least 8,000 mink and fox from six fur farms in

, and

, along with the destruction of the breeding records at each farm. On October 28, police officers pulled over Young and Samuel in

Sheboygan County Sheboygan County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is named after the Sheboygan River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 118,034. Its county seat is Sheboygan. The county was created in 1836 and organized in 1846. At th ...

, 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.ALF Biography on Peter Young
'' Animal Liberation Front'' website.

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, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...

on March 21, 2005, on charges of

shoplifting Shoplifting is the theft of goods from an open retail establishment, typically by concealing a store item on one's person, in pockets, under clothes or in a bag, and leaving the store without paying. With clothing, shoplifters may put on items ...

CDs from a local

Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain. As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 c ...

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,

. 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,

federal prison A federal prison is operated under the jurisdiction of a federal government as opposed to a state or provincial body. Federal prisons are used for convicts who violated federal law (U.S., Mexico), inmates considered dangerous (Brazil), or those s ...

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."Peter Young's Statement to the Court
, ''North American

Animal Liberation Press Office Animal Liberation Press Offices relay anonymous communiques, photos, and videos to the media about direct action undertaken by the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), Animal Rights Militia (ARM), Revolutionary Cells – Animal Liberation Brigade, Jus ...

'', November 8, 2005.

Since release from prison

Since his release, Young has been giving speeches, selling merchandise on

's reunion tour, and helping to release a vegan

hip hop compilation.Animal Rights: Activist, former animal liberator to speak at Pitt - News - News - Pittsburgh City Paper - Pittsburgh
/ref>Vegan Edge Hip Hop
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 Liberation Front-line

Young also operates a website named Animal Liberation Front-line. The website reportedly is intended to, "report on the Animal Liberation Front (A.L.F.) and all actions for animals carried out above the law."Animal Liberation Front-line, About Page
/ref>

Film appearances

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.Bold Native, IMDB
/ref> Young has also been featured in documentaries, including ''Skin Trade'',Skin Trade, IMDB
/ref> ''Edge - The Movie'',Edge, IMDB
/ref> and '' Speciesism: The Movie''.Speciesism - The Movie, IMDB
/ref>

Home raids

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."Fruhwirth, Jess

March 17, 2010, Salt Lake Weekly. 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.Fruhwirth, Jesse

August 13, 2010. Salt Lake Weekly.

Law enforcement scrutiny

Young has been a vocal supporter of the ALF. As a result, he 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.Fruhwirth, Jesse

May 12, 2010. Salt Lake Weekly.

Writings

*''The Blueprint: Complete Guide to Ending the Fur Industry.'' (Warcry Communications, 2020) *''The Jetsetting Terrorist.'' *''This Country Must Change: Essays on the Necessity of Revolution in the USA.'' (Arissa Media Group, 2009).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Peter American male criminals Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American animal rights activists People extradited from Belgium Place of birth missing (living people) People extradited to the United States People extradited within the United States American prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of the United States federal government Mercer Island High School alumni