Locals speak out against animal cruelty

A group of locals is fed up after saying they’ve seen enough cases of animal abuse. The group is busy in court every week, sometimes being at several cases of animal cruelty in just one day. Brawley resident Mikey Garcia said, “Committing a crime against an animal is committing a crime against society. Animals are defenseless. They have nobody to speak for them. They’ll love you unconditionally, so our job is to protect them.” They’ve been following a case of a man accused of shooting his puppy to death for peeing on the carpet.
“Show some remorse. If he showed some remorse and was sorrowful than maybe we wouldn’t be coming to court,” Garcia said.
They’ve also followed the case of a woman accused of letting her dog die a terrible death.
“That poor dog of hers had over a thousand ticks on him. He had no blood left in his body. And she’s a registered nurse, so you would think she knows better than to allow anything to have a thousand ticks on him. And the poor dog suffered and died,” Garcia said.
They sit in court wearing t-shirts that shout out a silent message, large bold letters on front and back: Speak For Those That Have No Voice. “Make people aware that we’re here and we’re going to hold you accountable if you abuse an animal, or neglect an animal,” Garcia said.
The group has over 50 members countywide. They say they’re growing and are united by their cause of speaking out for all animals, whether they be horses, dogs, cats or even rabbits. They said animal cruelty cases are increasing in the area.
“And that’s why we need to speak up about them. We need to be in the courtrooms to let them know this is enough. I’m hoping jail, for both cases. That’s what I’m hoping for,” Garcia said.