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SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness
SHARK
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State will try to bring rodeo back to citySHARK launches investigation to identify animal abusersRodeo contractor won’t prod animalsLivestock contractor for rodeo suedRodeo head has advice on animalsChoice Hotels Drops National High School Rodeo AssociationState Journal-Register Profiles SHARK PresidentMedia Exposes AbuseIllinois Corruption
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The latest updates in SHARK's campaign to end animal abuse at Illinois's rodeos:
December 7, 2007: City Council Ignores Cruelty, Trades Ethics for Dollars Even after four years of animal abuse, injuries and deaths, and also four years worth of violations of the Illinois Humane Care for Animals Act, the Springfield City Council and the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau are pressing the Illinois Department of Agriculture to bring back the National High School Rodeo Association Finals. The Department of Agriculture has scheduled a meeting with the city on this issue Friday, December 7th. SHARK requested a place at that meeting, but was denied. Today, SHARK representatives are distributing video footage of some of the abuses and criminal violations from the 2007 National High School Association Rodeo Finals. This footage hasn't been distributed to Springfield media before, as SHARK investigators were tied up with major rodeos nationwide during very busy rodeo season. This footage includes a horse gored by a bull. The horse was subsequently killed as a result of the attack. SHARK also has video of a steer that was shocked over a dozen times in violation of rodeo humane rules and humane state law. The shocking also violated a court order prohibiting the use of the electric prod and other abuses at the National High School Rodeo Finals. SHARK's investigative video also shows horses who, because they weren't being regularly shocked, stubbornly refused to buck. The rodeo regularly had to pull horses out of the bucking chutes with ropes around their necks. In some cases horses were even dragged out by other horses. "Video of prior abuses and criminal behavior was submitted to the Springfield City Council last winter," says SHARK president Steve Hindi. "The Council refused to take any action whatsoever. Now the Council is practically begging on its hands and knees to keep the abusers in town. I guess when their integrity comes up against the bucks, the bucks win hands down." SHARK plans to have a video exposing the ethical bankruptcy of the Springfield City Council to the world via YouTube.com and other Internet posting sites within the next week.The media covering this issue didn't have the guts to cover the real reason why the IDOA shied away from courting the NHSRA again: the Department can't keep the abuse out of the rodeo, is too scared to enforce its own humane regulations against the rodeo folks, and doesn't want to face another two years of SHARK's investigations. The IDOA is either too corrupt or too incompetent to identify the people responsible for breaking state laws at the NHSRA Finals, even after more than a year of "investigation", but fifteen minutes behind closed doors with city officials is all the pressure it took to change their minds about shelling out more taxpayer dollars to buy the rodeo back. Read the story: "State will try to bring rodeo back to city". July 31, 2007: COURT ORDER VIOLATED AT 2007 NHSFR! Given the IL Department of Agriculture's overt act of corruption in protecting the criminally cruel rodeo people at the 2006 National High School Rodeo Association's Finals, and prior to the 2007 NHSRAF, SHARK obtained, over the loud protestations of the lawyer for the rodeo producer, a court order banning the electrocution or stabbing of animals, and banning of tail twisting at the 2007 NHSFR. With an unprecedented first agreed court order in place denying the use of electric prods, sharp metal objects and tail twisting- rodeo workers and contestants had a real problem on their hands.It wasn't long at all before the animals began to figure out that, for whatever reason, they weren't being brutalized the same way. This resulted in many horses and even bulls stalling in their chutes and refusing to "perform." This was even more proof that rodeo animals are NOT "Born to Buck," as rodeo masses claim, but rather that they are Abused to Buck, just like the abused dogs in dog fights.
In desperation, rodeo personnel began putting ropes around the necks of horses and literally dragging them out of the chutes the second and sometimes third time the gates were opened. It was a spectacle that defied logic or common decency, and exposed the rodeo for the perverse activity that it truly is. Meanwhile, rodeo personnel took extreme efforts to block their cruelty from view of our cameras, and there were many instances when SHARK investigators suspected that the agreed court order was being violated. But on Wednesday night, one investigator finally shot an unobstructed view of an electric prod being used on a downed steer in a chute - a clear violation of the agreed order. See the violation here. For this violation, Johnson and Jordan can expect to be answering to a circuit court judge in the very near future. As we have yet to finish reviewing all the footage from the Finals, it is likely that there are more violations to come.
Our efforts against the NHSFR began in the weeks before the rodeo even started. SHARK filed a lawsuit against Johnson and Jordan Rodeo under the Illinois Consumer Fraud law. Johnson and Jordan is the rodeo company that produced the 2006 National High School Finals Rodeo, where SHARK documented many animals being shocked and stabbed with coat hangers in an effort to get them to buck. SHARK's lawsuit against Johnson and Jordan asked a DuPage County Circuit Court judge to impose restrictions on the rodeo company to prevent the abuses that occurred in 2006. Under pressure from the court, Johnson and Jordan's attorney entered into an agreed order in which it promised that rodeo participants, "shall not utilize an electric prod, sharp metal objects to spike or stab animals and not twist the tails of the stock animals. To our knowledge, this is the first time ever that a court order has been imposed on a rodeo contractor to stop rodeo animal abuse. In its reply, Johnson and Jordan admitted that there was cruelty at the rodeo, and claim that they stopped it when they learned of it. This is mighty interesting, because in newspaper interviews, National High School Rodeo Association Executive Director Kent Sturman repeatedly denied that there was any cruelty at the rodeo, and even claimed that an internal review exonerated everyone involved! If there's one thing you can depend on from rodeo people besides their cruelty to animals, it's that they will habitually lie about it. SHARK's actions have followed outright obstruction from the most corrupt department in Illinois government, the Department of Agriculture. Under the direction of bureaucratic leech Charles Hartke, the Ag Department, after initially denying the abuses documented by SHARK investigators at the 2006 High School Rodeo Finals, conducted a phoney "investigation" to ward off public furor over the obvious and illegal cruelty. Department of Agriculture personnel waited for months to pass before turning over "investigation" results to the Sangamon Attorney that failed to identify even a single suspect! Efforts by SHARK to continue the investigation have been obstructed by these corrupt "public officials." The Department is refusing our efforts to find the criminals that the government is protecting. This outrageous behavior is par for the course for the embattled administration of democratic governor Rod Blagojevich, who has been the biggest imaginable disappointment for animal protectors. July 19, 2007: SHARK's lawsuit against 2006 NHSFR stock contractor was dropped when the stock contracter agreed to court order regarding humane treatment. Read the full story here: Rodeo contractor won’t prod animals July 17, 2007: SHARK files lawsuit against Johnson & Jordan, the stock contractor at the 2006 NHSFR. Read the article here: Livestock contractor for rodeo sued July 15, 2007: NHSRA Director continues to deny any wrongdoing, but cautions 2007 Finals rodeo participants against actions that SHARK's camera's could capture. Read the article here: Rodeo head has advice on animals July 15, 2007: The State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL) Profiles SHARK President. Read the article here. July 9, 2007: SHARK's President and Approved Illinois Humane Investigator, Steve Hindi, launches search for animal abusers' identities after failure from the Illinios Ag. Department. See the video HERE. July 3, 2007: The height of incompetence exposed again by media as state's attorney responds to abuse investigation. Read the full article and SHARK's response HERE. May 26, 2007: Scandal Continues to Surround NHSRA April 23, 2007: Join us in celebrating another great step in our battle against rodeo animal abuse. Below is a copy of the press release that went out to the media today. The repercussions of this will be felt throughout the rodeo world. Click here to read the NHSRA's pathetic attempt at damage control.
High School Rodeo Loses National Sponsor
Rules Violations, Animal Abuse Results in Early Termination of Contract Choice Hotels, one of the largest and most successful lodging franchisers in the world, has terminated its sponsorship, scheduled to run until 2009, of the National High School Rodeo Association (NHSRA). The early termination follows a review of video documentation supplied by SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK). Choice Hotels includes well-known brands such as Clarion, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality Inn, Sleep Inn, Econolodge, Rodeway, Cambria Suites, Mainstay Suites, and Suburban Extended Stay Hotel. The following is a statement from SHARK president, Steve Hindi: "We supplied Choice with video documentation of what happened at the 2006 National High School Finals Rodeo in Springfield, Illinois. The company did not rush to judgement, but instead conducted a very thorough investigation. SHARK congratulates Choice Hotels for its sense of corporate ethics, and for doing the right thing. Violations of Illinois State Law, violations of even the rodeo association's own rules, and animal abuse have cost the National High School Rodeo Association its most prestigious sponsor. We hope that other sponsors, especially local sponsors such as the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau and the State Journal-Register newspaper, will follow the lead of Choice Hotels, and will carefully weigh the impact that sponsoring animal cruelty will have on their image both now and in the future." The Sangamon County State's Attorney's Office is investigating pressing animal cruelty charges against the rodeo. Please let Choice Hotels know that you support the company's responsible and compassionate decision by emailing Anne Madison, Vice President of Corporate Communications at Choice Hotels at: Anne_Madison@choicehotels.com April 12, 2007: Today the National High School Finals Rodeo was busted again on the front page of the State Journal-Register! Journalist Bruce Rushton didn't hold back when he put together a hard-hitting piece exposing not only the abuse at the NHSFR as the recent investigation concludes, but the questionable competence of the Illinois Department of Agriculture to enforce the state's humane laws. We can't let opportunities from honest media exposure pass by! Please read this important article, and then contact the State's Attorney's office to urge prosecution of the abuses found in the investigation. Check out the full video and photos from SHARK's investigation at the NHSFR here on IllinoisCorruption.com. Probe finds rules broken at rodeoProsecution for cruelty to animals is up to state's attorney's officeSpringfield, IL- Rules designed to protect animals were broken at last summer's National High School Finals Rodeo in Springfield, according to a recently completed investigation by the Illinois Department of Agriculture. See the other hard-hitting articles and a satirical cartoon covering the abuses at the 2006 NHSFR HERE. What SHARK is asking you to do:1. SHARK is asking that people contact the Sangamon County State's Attorney's Office to urge vigorous prosecution of those involved in the abuses at the high school rodeo finals. It is crucial that the State's Attorney's office hear from the public! Only a prosecution of this criminal abuse will send a loud and clear message about the unacceptable nature of the cruelty and brutality at the National High School Finals Rodeo, including the uses of electric shock and spiking animals with sharp objects to make them "perform". Mentioning the State Journal-Register article will also let the office know that the public is attuned to what the media is exposing. Sangamon County State's Attorney's Office: email: county@co.sangamon.il.us phone: (217) 753-6690 200 S. Ninth, Room 402Springfield, IL 62701 2. Please send a Letter to the Editor thanking the State Journal-Register for publishing Bruce Rushton's article and urge the paper to withdraw its sponsorship of the 2007 National High School Finals Rodeo: Contact the SJ-R online: Email FormPhone: (800) 397-2472 The State Journal-RegisterOne Copley Plaza P.O. Box 219, Springfield, IL 62705-0219 Fax: (217) 788-1551 3. Thank Bruce Rushton at the State Journal-Register for investigating this story and having true journalistic integrity: Bruce Rushton can be reached at (217) 788-1542 or bruce.rushton@sj-r.com.March 28, 2007: The Illinois Department of Agriculture reportedly finished its investigation into the July 2006 National High School Rodeo Association's Finals Rodeo on March 14, 2007. With over seven months elapsed from the time of the crimes to turning a case over to the Sangamon County State's Attorney's Office, we hope the investigation was thorough and competent. The Ag Department is unfortunately requiring that SHARK file a Freedom of Information Request to view the report, saying that "they forgot to make a copy" of the report before sending it to the county attorney's office. Hmm...model of incompetence or really bad liars? SHARK is asking that people contact the Sangamon County State's Attorney's Office to urge vigorous prosecution of those involved in the abuses at the high school rodeo finals. THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!!! Only a prosecution of this criminal abuse will send a loud and clear message about the unacceptable nature of the cruelty and brutality at the National High School Finals Rodeo, including the uses of electric shock and spiking animals with sharp objects to make them appear wild. Please urge the prosecution of abuses at the 2006 NHSFR when contacting the Sangamon County State's Attorney's Office: email: county@co.sangamon.il.us phone: (217) 753-6690 Sangamon County State's Attorney's Office200 S. Ninth, Room 402 Springfield, IL 62701 February 9, 2007: The State Journal-Register, after publishing scathing articles on the abuse and subsequent criminal investigation, an op-ed piece condemning the rodeo's behavior, and a satirical cartoon (all of which can be seen here), has incredibly decided to sponsor the NHSRF again. In a conversation with SHARK President, Steve Hindi, SJ-R Editor Barry Locher made clear that his paper's coverage flows where the money is. By giving thousands of dollars worth of high profile publicity at no charge to the rodeo and implicit endorsement of the rodeo on its pages, the SJ-R is showing a sad lack of ethics. Below is the follow-up letter detailing the Journal-Register's position sent by SHARK to Mr. Locher. In true yellow form, no response was received. Should the paper ever send a response, we will be happy to post it.
February 9, 2007
Dear Mr. Locher,
Because it is important to us that SHARK be accurate, I would like to recount the key portions of our phone conversation on the evening of Tuesday, February 6, 2007. In case your recollection is different, I encourage you to write back with the facts as you recall them. The Journal-Register has decided to once again sponsor the National High School Rodeo Association finals. The Journal-Register does not actually give money to the rodeo association, but rather prints the daily rodeo extra edition at no cost to the rodeo. Not discussed was the amount of money the Journal-Register would charge the rodeo association were it not a sponsor. The Journal- Register prints at least seven of these special editions, and I believe it was actually more than that, and each edition looks like it has tens of thousands of dollars worth of content were the rodeo association paying for the publication. In that case (and please correct me if I am wrong), the rodeo is reaping publicity and advertising worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. The benefit to the Journal-Register is the additional advertising sold in these special editions. You referred to it as an “economic opportunity,” due to the public interest in the rodeo. I discussed with you my background as a businessperson, and my understanding of the need for a business to make a profit. I also talked about my beliefs with regard to business ethics. I pointed out that reporter Bruce Rushton did an outstanding job of accurately detailing the cruelty and criminal behavior at the high school finals, not only in 2006, but with the help of video archives, also some of the violations of 2000 and 2001. Additionally, the Journal-Register printed a damning editorial on the Op-Ed page along with a satirical cartoon about the rodeo in the October 1, 2006 issue. The cartoon depicts rodeo people committing the abuse and lying about it, while the government inspector is playing “See No Evil.” You stated that this amounted to “giving notice” to the rodeo that such behavior would not be tolerated. My response is that the rodeo in return “gave notice” to the Journal-Register that it couldn’t care less what your opinion is, just so long as your sponsorship continues. In my opinion, the Journal-Register should have absolutely terminated its relationship with the rodeo. In the distant second choice, the Journal-Register could have, but failed to insist that the conditions of a continuing sponsorship would be that the rodeo admit the cruelty committed and that the Journal-Register exposed, that those responsible make public admissions and submit to appropriate discipline, and that the rodeo association take all the necessary actions to absolutely ensure that all rules are followed in the future. In answer to your claim that the people of Springfield are interested in the rodeo, I posed a hypothetical scenario wherein the Ku Klux Klan would hold a lawful, nonviolent and profitable national conference in Springfield. This would result in intense interest. I asked if the paper would sponsor this event. You responded that it would not. I asked what the difference was; consider the hypothetical KKK conference would NOT be violating laws, but merely practicing 1st Amendment (albeit repulsive) speech. I asked where the ethical line drawn is drawn. I also discussed with you the case of Jerry Seabaugh, a high school contestant whose bull was illegally shocked just before it was released into the arena. Mr. Seabaugh received injuries requiring him to be taken out of the arena on a stretcher, and transported to the hospital in an ambulance. I stated, and SHARK has consistently stated, that the person who shocked that bull should be charged with not only cruelty to the bull, but also for endangering the life of a child. Is this of no consequence if there is enough advertising money to be made? The Journal-Register’s decision to again sponsor this event, with its long, consistent history of criminal cruelty, animal injuries and quite possibly deaths, and child endangerment, along with the absolute denial of well-documented facts, indicates that the “economic opportunity” takes precedent over social responsibility. You gave assurances that the Journal-Register’s reporting would be fair, accurate and balanced. Were that true, your special rodeo edition would be giving half its attention to the humane considerations surrounding the rodeo. That obviously will not be the case, even though there is plenty of public interest in the humane issues of the rodeo. Since you are the editor of the newspaper, I am not certain why it was you who called to tell us of the continuing sponsorship. It seems to me that would be more publisher Sue Schmitt’s decision. As such, I am including her as a recipient of this letter. The Journal-Register, as a cultural icon of Springfield and beyond, regularly prints its opinion on issues. Had some other organization made the decision to sponsor an event, in spite of a track record of criminal behavior against both animals and young people, absolutely no admission of past wrongdoing, and no assurances of a complete ethical overhaul, the Journal-Register would understandably have a field day condemning the utter irresponsibility of such behavior. This is a very, very sad day for the Journal-Register, and beyond that, for Springfield. The newspaper already has a three-year history of supporting a cruel and lawless event. Now with the facts out in the open, and with the vehicle for that story getting out being the Journal-Register, the paper has demonstrated that its ethics and principles are for sale. The actions of the National High School Rodeo Association and the Department of Agriculture, as reported in the Journal-Register, can be boiled down to one word – “Corruption.” To knowingly support what has gone on without so much as a promise of extensive change is to knowingly and willingly enter into and become part of that web of corruption. I look forward to a timely reply to this letter by whoever is the appropriate person. I do appreciate the time you took to call us, and your cordial and professional tone. I only wish that the decision of the newspaper with regard to the rodeo had been so proper. Sincerely,Steve Hindi President, SHARK CC: Publisher Sue Schmitt January 18, 2007: When SHARK learned that the Springfield Visitor and Convention Bureau (SVCB) planned to again sponsor the criminally-abusive National High School Rodeo Finals in 2007, we quickly sent another communication to Executive Director, Tim Farley. Click here to read SHARK's letter to the SVCBNovember 7, 2006: SHARK responds to Mr. Hartke's, Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, lack of concern:
Mr. Hartke,
I am in receipt of your letter of October 27, 2006 which replies to my letter of October 20, 2006 wherein I expressed concern about false statements being made by Illinois Department of Agriculture spokespeople. Of particular interest is the following from your letter: "The Department of Agriculture stands by all of the statements that have been issued. Sometimes not all of the comments that are made get aired or printed because of time or space limitations, and that may impact your perception as to the accuracy of the quotes." It appears that you are holding the media responsible for not fully reporting the Department's position and therefore losing the context. Is this correct? If that is the case, I encourage you to enlighten me as to what is the proper context of the statements. I renew my request for either an explanation or a public apology. If you are unable or unwilling to either explain the Department's positions or to take responsibility and apologize, I ask that you please advise as to whom I am to appeal this matter. For your convenience, I have included a copy of my October 20 letter below. I look forward to a response by the end of the week. Sincerely,Steve Hindi, President SHARK November 2, 2006: SHARK receives a response from the Illinois Dept. of Agriculture's Director, Charles Hartke, in regards to the formal complaint detailing false and misleading statements made the Ag Department. SHARK has demanded an apology for false statments made about our organization and reassurances that no further intentionally misleading statements be made by the Ag Department. Director Hartke failed on every level to either acknowledge the problems with his department and to take responsibility for the Department's deceptive tactics with the media. Read Mr. Hartke's response below.
Dated October 27, 2006
Dear Mr. Hindi:
I am in receipt of your facsimile and e-mail dated October 20, 2006, wherein you express concern regarding Illinois Department of Agriculture spokespeople. I have reviewed your concerns. The Department of Agriculture stands by all of the statements that have been issued. Sometime not all of the comments that re made get aired or printed because of time or space limitations, and that may impact your perception as to the accuracy of the quotes.
As to the other matters raised in your correspondence, the Department's Bureau of Animal Welfare is investigating the complaint you have made about the National High School Rodeo.
Thank you for sharing your concerns on these issues.
Sincerely,
Charles Hartke Director November 1, 2006: Unable to avoid media scrutiny and public pressure, the Illinois Department of Agriculture has agreed to conduct an investigation into charges of violations of the Humane Care Act. SHARK received confirmation of receipt of the requested evidence from the Department.
From: Eckert, Jackie
To: SHindi@aol.com Subject: 2006 National High School Rodeo Investigation Sent: Wednesday, November 1, 2006 4:11 PM This note is to verify that the Department has received the following DVD’s from your organization pertaining to the 2006 National High School Rodeo Finals. 28 DVD’s containing day performances, 32 DVD’s containing night performances, and 7 CD’s containing pictures. The Department will contact you in the next week to arrange an interview with you and any other individuals with information relevant to the investigation. If you have any additional documentation, please provide it to the investigator at the time of your interview. Thanks, Jackie Eckert Illinois Department of Agriculture Bureau of Animal Health and Welfare PO Box 19281 Springfield, IL 62794 October 20, 2006: SHARK files Formal Complaint regarding false statements made the Illinois Department of Agricuture Since SHARK released video footage showing criminal abuses of animals at the National High School Finals Rodeo, there has been a string of mistruths and deceptive statements from the Illinois Department of Agriculture. SHARK does not tolerate false accusations made regarding our organization, and SHARK President, Steve Hindi, has filed a formal complaint with IL Department of Agriculture.
October 20, 2006
Mr. Chuck Hartke
Illinois Department of Agriculture Springfield, IL Dear Mr. Hartke: Please consider this to be a formal complaint. Illinois Department of Agriculture spokespeople, in particular, Chris Herbert, have made blatant, apparently-intentional false statements as representatives of the Department. I am putting you on notice so that this dissemination of misinformation will stop. False Statement 1: No Formal Complaint Filed The first example of a misstatement is a claim by Department spokespeople according to a September 21 news story on ABC News Channel 20. According to anchor person Elizabeth Wooley: "The Department of Agriculture says it did not receive any formal complaint from Hindi in reference to the National High School Finals Rodeo event in Springfield." This is false. I sent E-mails to Dr. Colleen O'Keefe starting at the conclusion of the very first day of the week-long rodeo. Furthermore, many people including myself sent letters and E-mails to the Governor, and I made personal visits to his office. Somehow these apparently did not rise to the level of a "formal complaint." Therefore, on October 10, my associate Janet Enoch and I went to Department headquarters to file a "formal complaint." We announced ourselves and our intent to the receptionist, who placed a call, ostensibly to someone in the "Formal Complaint Department." We were surprised when a woman who said she was a secretary appeared not with a "Formal Complaint" form, but with a mere notepad. When we restated that we wanted to file a "Formal Complaint," she looked very confused. The secretary said she would take our information. I asked her if she wanted us to fill out a "Formal Complaint" form, but she said there was no such thing. She said she would just give the information to Dr. Colleen O'Keefe, the very person to whom I had E-mailed numerous complaints. The bottom line is, Mr. Hartke, that there apparently is no Formal Complaint, Formal Complaint form, nor Formal Complaint procedure. The issue of a Formal Complaint is apparently just a creation by Department spin doctors with precious little concern for telling the truth. The first time Ms. Herbert came to my attention was when she was quoted in the October 10 edition of the State Journal-Register. In an article titled, "Video reveals rodeo abuse," Ms. Herbert is quoted: "We've seen the tape. He needs to submit that to the state's attorney's office so they can determine if it's a violation or not." Ms. Herbert was referring to SHARK's NHSRAF video footage, and she was parroting the erroneous position of you and others in the Department who claimed that SHARK should — for some inexplicable reason — sidestep the investigation process that your own letter of September 11, 2006 to Ms. Karen Moore outlines: "The Illinois Department of Agriculture is authorized to investigate allegations of abuse under the Illinois Humane Care for Animals Act and local states' attorneys prosecute violations of the Act." False Statement 2: No violations at the rodeo as Hindi claims Perhaps we can overlook Ms. Herbert's misinformation in this case since it apparently originated from you. More problematic is Ms. Herbert's statement on September 21 in a news report by Springfield's ABC 20 television, wherein Ms. Herbert states: "Our inspectors, our investigators were at the rodeo the entire time and we don't believe that there were these violations that Mr. Hindi is alleging." The violations that SHARK alleges are that animals were spiked and shocked, and that many of the animals that were shocked were not stalling. This included two bulls that were not stalling. The rider of one of those bulls had to be removed from the arena on a stretcher, and transported to the hospital in an ambulance. To us this means that the person who illegally shocked that bull should be held responsible not just for animal abuse, but also for the young man's injuries. So far we have seen little indication that the Department shares our concerns for what happened to that young man. It is very difficult to understand how Ms. Herbert or anyone else in the Department couldn't believe our allegations. We had given out copies of the abuse to the media, to the Governor's office, to the Illinois State Police, and had posted numerous video clips on the Internet. But Ms. Herbert wasn't done yet. False Statement 3: Hindi won't hand over evidence Most problematic of all is a statement by Ms. Herbert in an October 11 story in the State Journal-Register, in which Ms. Herbert is quoted: "He never provided us with any evidence to do an investigation with. We asked him for a tape quite a long time ago. We need to put it in context. We said, 'Please send us the unedited version.'" This statement, Mr. Hartke, is absolutely false. On September 22, 2006, my associate Janet Enoch and I stopped at Department headquarters to drop off a video DVD which included numerous incidents of shocking and spiking of animals at the National High School Rodeo Finals. We spoke to Ms. Jackie Eckert and personally handed her the DVD. This belies Ms. Herbert's claim that, "He never provided us with any evidence to do an investigation with." Let's look at the rest of Ms. Herbert's statement. On September 25, 2006, subsequent to Ms. Enoch and I dropping off a video DVD, and in response to an E-mail from Ms. Enoch summing up our brief meeting and stating: "Please consider this our official and request for an investigation into this matter." Ms. Eckert sent the following E-mail message to Ms. Enoch: "Thank you for the CD. The Sangamon County State's Attorney has requested a copy of all video tapes, still photographs, or other evidence you have that may be relevant to the issues of alleged abuse." A similarly worded letter addressed to me was sent to SHARK's mailing address. At no time does this communication ask for anything to be sent to the Department. Instead it appears to be a continuation of the misdirection that had been given out by you and others in the Department for a number of weeks. The communication also does not ask for "the unedited version" of anything. In fact, the inclusion of the word "relevant" would seem to indicate that what was desired, supposedly by the Sangamon County State's Attorney, was edited footage, which was already in your hands. Furthermore, the claim that, "The Sangamon County State's Attorney has requested a copy of all video tapes, still photographs, or other evidence…" was highly suspect from the beginning. The State's Attorney has publicly stated that he can do nothing with the video footage until the Department has done an investigation. This is consistent with our position on the matter. For that reason we have refused to deliver our evidence directly to the Sangamon County State's Attorney's Office. Given the State's Attorney's public position on this matter, I am left to question if the State's Attorney ever actually made such a request. If the Department still wishes to claim that the State's Attorney made such a request, I would like the identity of the individual(s) in the State's Attorney's office who made this supposed request, that we might get a confirmation of the position, and inquire as to why their position suddenly changed. It should be mentioned that, of all the rodeo footage we have submitted to the Department over the years, I do not recall ever receiving a request for all of our unedited video and still picture evidence. We don't mind supplying all the evidence, but it has not been done this way before, leading me to believe that this current request is not based on any need to "put it into context," but rather that it is an attempt to conduct public relations damage control by shifting blame to us. To sum up the matter of Ms. Herbert and other Department spokespeople, I am not only demanding an end to the misinformation, but also that the Department issue a public apology, and I am warning the Department against the dissemination of any more slanderous information. Moving forward, I would suggest that you and your Department start taking responsibility for what has happened in this controversy and stop trying to pass responsibility and blame off on others. SHARK pushed for a meeting with the Department back in 2005 to resolve any concerns about the rodeo. Our effort was aimed at avoiding cruelty and subsequent controversy. We were held off by the Department until last February. At the February meeting, which did not include either you or Dr. O'Keefe, we detailed our concerns and followed them up with a letter. It took many weeks for a response to come from the Department, and then Ms. Van Dijk's letter was almost completely devoid of substance, although it did include a ringing endorsement of the rodeo. When it came to the rodeo issue, far more personal attention was to be found in your personal delivery of $55,000 of the taxpayer's money at a rodeo in Wyoming to court the rodeo to come to Illinois, not to mention your time in the announcer's booth at the rodeo whereas you publicly professed your love for the rodeo as the Humane Care for Animals Act was being violated right in front of you. The animals should be so lucky as to receive that level of attention from you or the Department. When the rodeo began, I sent Dr. O'Keefe E-mails raising concerns over what we were witnessing and documenting. These concerns were ignored. After the rodeo, when we went public with our video and pictures of rodeo abuses, Department spokespeople began a long line of excuses and false claims that continue to this day. Such a pattern of deception and outright lies leave me wondering if anyone in the Department has any sense of honor, integrity or sense of duty. The controversy today exists due to the incompetence and the corruption of the Department of Agriculture. It's time you stop trying to cover up these problems and instead deal with them in a professional and responsible manner. I expect a response from you by Friday, October 27, 2006 regarding the issues covered in this complaint. Sincerely, Steve Hindi President, SHARK |
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