Animal Defenders of Westchester

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We advocate on all animal protection and exploitation issues, including experimentation, factory farming, rodeos, breeders and traveling animal acts.

Animal Defenders of Westchester
P.O. Box 205
Yonkers, NY 10704

Articles

Activism Unleashed
By Heather Moore

Putting the Reins on the Rodeo

Another dedicated activist, Kiley Blackman, the founder of Animal Defenders of Westchester (ADW), a grassroots group with approximately 50 people on its mailing list, persevered until she got the Bronx International Championship Rodeo canceled.

"It was canceled after its third time here," said Kiley, who contacted the event's sponsors and local politicians, wrote letters to the editor of area papers, and held high-profile demonstrations. "The politicians originally blew me off," remarked Kiley. "I persisted to a degree that I surprised even myself�because I am a pessimist, and they were clearly 'married' to this rodeo."

Her diligence paid off just when she was starting to lose hope. "I had asked John Dudley [the district manager] of Community Board Three [which governs the district the rodeo was in] for a formal meeting to show video, implements, etc., and we were in the process of arranging it. I had faxed in a request, as per his direction. After a few weeks, he called me at my job with the good news; I almost started crying with joy."

Kiley and other members of ADW are now using a similar strategy to convince NBC Channel 4 to stop broadcasting bull riding.

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