Andy Stepanian

Andy Stepanian is a social justice activist, artist, and political rabble-rouser. Andy is the co-founder of The Sparrow Project, a grassroots PR outfit that aims to braid popular culture, the arts, and revolutionary activism. In 2002 The Financial Times characterized Andy and his fellow activists as "succeeding where Karl Marx, the Baader-Meinhof gang and the Red Brigades failed.” Their actions drew the attention of Wall Street and the FBI resulting in a politically charged landmark free speech case called the SHAC 7 trial where Andy and 5 others were charged and convicted as terrorists for their activism. Sentenced to 3 years in federal prison Andy spent his last 6.5 months in a secretive federal prison program that NPR would later name 'Guantanamo North'. Andy's activism as part of the SHAC7 is the subject of a feature-length documentary due out in 2012 from Finngate Pictures. Since his release from prison Andy works for a publisher, consults for social justice groups, and speaks on his experiences at universities.