VEGAN PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE LETTERS
The Abolitionist’s Interview Darius Fulmer

Every one loves receiving letters and cards from like-minded people. For vegan prisoners of conscience activists, it’s imperative to send a card or letter, so they know that are thought about and listened to in the outside world.

Remember when writing to include in the prison number:

Darius Fulmer # 26397 – 050
FCI Fort Dix
P O Box 2000
Fort Dix, NJ 08640

Dari’s support website is: www.shac7.com/dari

Abolitionist: Darius, what is your daily routine in prison?

Darius Fulmer: My routine here is not exactly exciting but it gets me through the day. It varies depending on whether I am working or not on a given day, but it always has some combination of meals, jogging, lifting weights, playing chess, and writing letters. My “job” here – wandering the compound sweeping up litter – is only 6 hours a week, so it barely warrants mention. Mail Call each evening is always the highlight of the day. It is the only part of life here which I do not know exactly what to expect beforehand.

Abolitionist: How have you been keeping healthy and in good spirits?

Darius: I have to give credit where credit is due. For all my disagreement with the prison system, they do make it very easy to stay healthy. We have access to a jogging track, weight room, exercise bikes, treadmills, organised soccer, football, basketball and softball leagues, aerobics classes, yoga classes, nutrition classes … and it shows. Unlike the rest of the country, obesity is almost non-existent in here!

The ‘good spirits’ are not as easy. Some days are better than others. There is no reason for it. One morning you wake up feeling fine, the next, just being here gets to you. The letters of support and the tremendous love I have been shown by my family and friends have made a world of difference. But nothing makes me happier in here than getting news of successful actions and victories by those still fighting on the outside. A few days ago I heard about a liberation in Princeton, New Jersey – which is not far from here. I haven’t stopped smiling since.

Abolitionist: What are your prison inmates like?

Darius: Average, average people in every way. The media portrays “criminals” as something different than the average person, a separate species but the people in here are no better or no worse than anyone else.

Abolitionist: Is it possible to be a vegan in the US Prison-Industrial complex, and if so, what’s it like?

Darius: Being vegan at FCI Fort Dix is very easy. There is a ‘no flesh’ alternative at every meal. It is not always vegan, but usually is. We have veggie burgers, soy dogs, soy tacos and burritos, even tofu. When the ‘alternative is not vegan, there is always unlimited rice and beans available and the commissary sells soymilk! It amazes me how far we have progressed. I have more vegan options in prison in 2007 than I did in college in 1997.

Abolitionist: Is there a plan in place on how you intend to spend your time in prison?

Darius: I would like to say I have some grand plans to make the most of my time here, but I don’t. Right now I am content just keeping in shape, getting some reading done, and waiting for September 28th to come. I can get back to conquering the world then.

Abolitionist: You have been through a lot this past year. How have you coped with it all?

Darius: Being here is not difficult in and of itself. What is hard is being taken away from my life. It’s the same feeling I had as a child on Christmas Eve, only instead of one night of watching the seconds pass by, too excited to sleep, I have a couple of hundred nights to go.

Abolitionist: What are your political views, on activism and what do you think of the future of animal liberation?

Darius: My opinion on the future of activism has completely changed over the past few months. It is no secret that there has been a general lull in action – both above and underground – the past couple of years in the United States. I expected it would take a few years for the movement to get past this stage of fear and regain momentum. But from my first day here, people from all over the country have been writing to me, explaining how our case inspired them to go vegan, get involved, start new groups, etc. People are legitimately pissed off and translating it into action then come the victories…the POM campaign, Schumacher Fur’s in Portland, Oregon, Surace Logix in Boston, Massachusetts. For so long now we have settled for so little. We were content protesting – we never really expected to win, so we never actually planned to. The Huntingdon Life Sciences Campaign blew that bullshit right out of the water. Now we have had a foretaste of winning, we have realised it suits us well. The Government took their shot at stopping us, but now I believe it did not work. Even direct action is picking up again. I am very optimistic at this point.

Abolitionist: Are you an object of curiosity in jail or do you blend in with everyone else?

Darius: Everyone who I have discussed my case with in here has been supportive. A lot of people are curious about veganism and animal liberation. I have had a few good discussions on the subject – even with my cock-fighting, dog-fighting, hunting, former circus animal trainer roommate. When he sat down to ask me about animal rights I think he expected me to go off at him. I did not sugarcoat my views, but I did present them in an honest and respectful way. If me and a guy with a cockfighting tattoo on his forearm can find common ground, anyone can.

Abolitionist: Will Huntingdon eventually collapse?

Darius: There is something I have been concerned about. There are a lot of people and groups getting active out there again, but most seem to be working on random, independent campaigns. Have we forgotten that Huntingdon is still operating? This looks all too much like the fur campaign in the 80’s. Once the movement had them on the ropes, we backed off. Instead of finishing the job, activists assumed the fur industry was done and moved onto other campaigns. The Fur Industry then used this opportunity to rebuild and now fur is as big as ever. I would hate to see history repeat itself.

Remember that the last of the SHAC7 should be released in 2011. There is absolutely no excuse to allow him to walk outside of those gates into a world where Huntingdon Life Sciences is still abusing animals.