Jeremy Beckham's guest appearances

Jeremy Beckham

THE PETA PODCAST

The Simple Heart w/ Wayne Hsiung

OwlTail

There were so many cliffhangers in the recent open rescue trial in Utah. The mistrial that was nearly declared on the first day, due to the court’s failure to provide us information about jurors. The decision to close our case, despite not calling all of our witnesses, because of a strategic error I had made in failing to prep one of our witnesses. And the gamble to move forward with submitting the trial to a jury, even when the court agreed that there was a fundamental miscarraige of justice – the state’s efforts to paint Smithfield in a rosy light, while denying us the ability to show evidence of animal cruelty – on the last day. Jeremy Beckham, a long-time activist who has sued the government around a dozen times – and won every case – is the perfect person to break it down with me. The trial, which was described by the judge as the greatest in the history of St. George, had so many wrinkles to it that those who were watching from Zoom just would not pick up. Thankfully, Jeremy was sitting in the gallery, one of the small number of people allowed into the courtroom, all the way through trial. There are a lot of lessons we can learn from the trial about social change, the law, and even human psychology. This conversation will help us start to draw them out. The New York Times - Animal Rights Activists Are Acquitted in Smithfield Piglet CaseThe Intercept - ACTIVISTS ACQUITTED IN TRIAL FOR TAKING PIGLETS FROM SMITHFIELD FOODSThe Salt Lake Tribune - Animal rights activists found not guilty on all charges after two piglets were taken from Circle Four Farms in Utah Jeremy Beckahm’s animal rights organization - Utah Animal Rights Coalition (UARC)

There were so many cliffhangers in the recent open rescue trial in Utah. The mistrial that was nearly declared on the first day, due to the court’s failure to provide us information about jurors. The decision to close our case, despite not calling all of our witnesses, because of a strategic error I had made in failing to prep one of our witnesses. And the gamble to move forward with submitting the trial to a jury, even when the court agreed that there was a fundamental miscarraige of justice – the state’s efforts to paint Smithfield in a rosy light, while denying us the ability to show evidence of animal cruelty – on the last day. Jeremy Beckham, a long-time activist who has sued the government around a dozen times – and won every case – is the perfect person to break it down with me. The trial, which was described by the judge as the greatest in the history of St. George, had so many wrinkles to it that those who were watching from Zoom just would not pick up. Thankfully, Jeremy was sitting in the gallery, one of the small number of people allowed into the courtroom, all the way through trial. There are a lot of lessons we can learn from the trial about social change, the law, and even human psychology. This conversation will help us start to draw them out. The New York Times - Animal Rights Activists Are Acquitted in Smithfield Piglet Case The Intercept - ACTIVISTS ACQUITTED IN TRIAL FOR TAKING PIGLETS FROM SMITHFIELD FOODS The Salt Lake Tribune - Animal rights activists found not guilty on all charges after two piglets were taken from Circle Four Farms in Utah Jeremy Beckahm’s animal rights organization - Utah Animal Rights Coalition (UARC)

The Greatest Trial in St. George History - Jeremy Beckham

Amy Meyer

Amy Meyer was volunteering at an animal sanctuary near Salt Lake City, Utah when she decided, on the spur of a moment, to take a literal turn off her usual path. She had driven by a massive slaughterhouse on the way to the sanctuary many times. It always made her sad to think of the animals sent to their deaths, just a few hundred feet from the road. But one day in February 2013, she decided she would not just drive by. She would stop – and try to do something about it. And by merely stopping and pulling out her camera, from a few hundred feet away on a public street, she set off a chain reaction that trigger a nationwide legal battle for free speech and animal rights. A small horde of police cars surrounded her. She was charged with violating Utah’s newly-enacted “ag gag” law. And her normal life suddenly transformed. Amy’s story, in which her partner Jeremy also played a key role, shows two very important things. The first is that the state has been corrupted by industry influence. When even our most cherished civil liberties are blatantly violated at industry behest, something has gone wrong in American democracy. The second lesson, however, is that when we fight back – and work together with inclusive coalitions of activists, media, and ordinary people – we can win. This is a good one. And an important story to keep in mind as Paul and I go to trial. Because in less than one week, on Monday, Sept 26, we are going to ask you to join us in fighting back against industry influence again. Stay tuned for more. Music by Dayzee Deva (cover of "Everybody Have Fun Tonight”)

Amy Meyer was volunteering at an animal sanctuary near Salt Lake City, Utah when she decided, on the spur of a moment, to take a literal turn off her usual path. She had driven by a massive slaughterhouse on the way to the sanctuary many times. It always made her sad to think of the animals sent to their deaths, just a few hundred feet from the road. But one day in February 2013, she decided she would not just drive by. She would stop – and try to do something about it. And by merely stopping and pulling out her camera, from a few hundred feet away on a public street, she set off a chain reaction that trigger a nationwide legal battle for free speech and animal rights. A small horde of police cars surrounded her. She was charged with violating Utah’s newly-enacted “ag gag” law. And her normal life suddenly transformed.  Amy’s story, in which her partner Jeremy also played a key role, shows two very important things. The first is that the state has been corrupted by industry influence. When even our most cherished civil liberties are blatantly violated at industry behest, something has gone wrong in American democracy. The second lesson, however, is that when we fight back – and work together with inclusive coalitions of activists, media, and ordinary people – we can win.  This is a good one. And an important story to keep in mind as Paul and I go to trial. Because in less than one week, on Monday, Sept 26, we are going to ask you to join us in fighting back against industry influence again. Stay tuned for more.  Music by Dayzee Deva (cover of "Everybody Have Fun Tonight”)

Amy Meyer and Jeremy Beckham - Fighting Ag Gag

Jeremy Beckham is a long-time animal rights activist who I’ve wanted to have on the show for a while. For one, Jeremy has an encyclopedic knowledge of animal rights history – and the lessons from that history for anyone who cares about social change. For another, Jeremy has an important perspective on modern progressive politics, and how our desire for safety has insulated us from the very people we need to change. But probably the most important reason I wanted to have Jeremy on is that he’s lived one of the most interesting lives of anyone I know. Raided by the government while living in a “squat” house in Utah; touring the country to protest primate experiments with a band of stuffed animals (who saved him at a key moment in his tour); and diving into the darkest aspects of our society, into spaces that few people even know about, much less dare to explore… Jeremy’s biography would make for a wonderful movie. But it also has important lessons in it. Among the most important is this: to truly understand the world, or make change, you have to dive deep. This is a long one, but a fun one. Hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did, as Jeremy and I dive deep into a whole host of issues for nearly 3 hours. Music by Moby: Everything That Rises

Jeremy Beckham is a long-time animal rights activist who I’ve wanted to have on the show for a while. For one, Jeremy has an encyclopedic knowledge of animal rights history – and the lessons from that history for anyone who cares about social change. For another, Jeremy has an important perspective on modern progressive politics, and how our desire for safety has insulated us from the very people we need to change. But probably the most important reason I wanted to have Jeremy on is that he’s lived one of the most interesting lives of anyone I know. Raided by the government while living in a “squat” house in Utah; touring the country to protest primate experiments with a band of stuffed animals (who saved him at a key moment in his tour); and diving into the darkest aspects of our society, into spaces that few people even know about, much less dare to explore… Jeremy’s biography would make for a wonderful movie. But it also has important lessons in it. Among the most important is this: to truly understand the world, or make change, you have to dive deep. This is a long one, but a fun one. Hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did, as Jeremy and I dive deep into a whole host of issues for nearly 3 hours. Music by Moby: Everything That Rises