Before I hand things off to our guest poster, I just want to touch base with everybody and hope y’all are doing ok, staying healthy and have enough toilet paper to see you through. Weird times we’re living in right now for sure. I apologize for the radio silence since this started. I’m sure some people will be disappointed to learn that I’m perfectly healthy as are my peeps. I just buggered my hand up and have been a bit busy with life things. This whole social distancing thing hasn’t really interrupted my flow because animals still need care so at least outside still exists for me to a degree. I’m thankful for that. Anyhow, all that is boring and not what people come here for, so let’s get back to the matters at hand. Our guest post. I’m not sure if y’all are ready for this. I wasn’t. It’s tough. My heart hurts. So, I’m going to hand things off to our guest poster for now. I’ll circle back at the end when you’ve all had a chance to pick your jaws up off the floor.
~~~~~~~~~~
I found it very difficult to begin the process of writing this.
My initial thought —was about the many people I consider friends that would cut their ties or talk behind my back, because they still don’t believe she’s capable of what she’s been accused of. Well, coming from someone who was a trusted source to dispel rumors and lies previously, this is no different. Because what Michelle, Ingrid, and whoever else have been saying……have been lies.
I found myself compartmentalizing previous “guest posts”. While were a few who had known Michelle well enough for me to believe their experience as fact, some were more like “7 Degrees of Kevin Bacon” and they made false or highly exaggerated claims.
However, this isn’t about a non-profit operating haphazardly. It’s about bad ownership and neglect that can’t hide under the umbrella of an organization and I’m just a girl who fell in love with a bunch of horses, that probably forgot what it was like to have lived in a real home and be loved if they were ever so lucky. I know I’m not the only one who silently promised to see them through to their forever homes. I was motivated, albeit suffering from pretty severe compassion fatigue by the time I moved off the ranch (by the requested eviction date), to continue assisting with the horses care after hearing of some new “business plan” wherein Michelle was rebranding herself (in what capacity-I never paid enough attention because I did not care).
My focus was always on the horses. For a while it felt like a clean slate, maybe it would be a great small-scale ranch where we all work together to adopt out the remaining horses, but they actually had to go to homes. That was the deal. My mom and many friends would constantly ask me why I was still helping as they saw the toll it took on
me physically and mentally, being reminded that any time spend there was time away from my own horse. But my horse gets fed 3x a day, with additional flakes thrown at night when the temperature drops. His 106’x66’ stall is cleaned throughout the day. He always has friendly visitors to give him treats and I maintained a 4-5 day a week schedule with him.
Michelle’s horses don’t have that luxury. If not for a friend and I constantly staying vigilant in the proper care of equines—they would have dropped weight a lot sooner, gone without baths, grooming, having rocks from the herds picked out of their hooves, empty/or dirty waters, wounds and ailments NOTICED and addressed. About 99% of the photo and video content posted was taken by myself or my friend. They would have gone without human interaction, exercise in the arena, and most of all, love. I can’t answer the question as to why the ones that are there won’t confront Michelle and stay true to how they really felt in sidebar conversations. I became more confrontational with her in the final months leading up to my decision to walk away-as I stated in private messages that have been posted. I was met with snark and lies.
I take full responsibility in the role I played as an enabler for the past 3 1/2 years. We all have a difference of opinion or perspective and I really just thought I was helping these horses until they were adopted into families. I wasn’t bringing Michelle food, Starbucks or any other personal requests. I picked up feed only a handful of times at Hampton because they were not my animals and I didn’t feel financially responsible for them. I will only financially take care of my own horse, as I have since the day he became mine.
Robyn tried to get money for hay from all the residents towards the end of HC and boy was she slack jawed when I showed her all my monthly payments through Paypal for my horse, you’d think the treasurer would have known that….I would never be stupid enough to give them cash, I even paid the former (and still my current) farrier personally with cash, check or directly through Paypal.
There was a total shift upon moving to Pauma Valley (Joe the farriers parents’ property).
Prior to being “personal horses”, the remaining equines at the former ranch were mainly taken care of by volunteers and the residents that didn’t include Robyn or Michelle, her (Michelle) excuse of being busy “raising money” in the comfort of her house seemed justified with the amount of horses and the fact they never missed a meal (yet). While yes, Michelle filled waters…about 4 times maybe, that was when we were an absolute skeleton crew (4-5 of us and over 130 horses) and I couldn’t be outside in the heat for more than the 10-11 hours I was already doing.
Pauma to me, was to finally lay to rest the opinion that so many tried to push on me. I form my own opinion of people and didn’t feel right adopting others views without being analytical myself. I TRULY thought Michelle would take advantage in a positive way. Step up to the plate and prove everyone wrong. I refuse to bash Michelle’s horse-sense. She is very intelligent when it comes to horses. I’ve seen her confirm medical issues before a vet can even utter it. I’ve watched her work with horses and how most would soften under her guidance. Which makes their lack of care that much worse, it’s HER lack of caring ABOUT them. It takes a certain kind of evil to be able to sleep at night while your animals have sub-par care and empty bellies, bodies full of unattended wounds and underlying illnesses. In short, I wasn’t a wolf hiding amongst the sheep, waiting to attack.
She considered me a friend. I considered her a …..person who had too many damn animals.
We had a very strange relationship. She would vent to me and ask for my honest opinion- sometimes at 2 or 3 am, whether she liked what I thought or not- she’d listen. I often felt sorry for the personal hardships she had been dealt and just figured if I was there making sure the horses were ok then it was one less thing for her to worry about and she could focus on how to bring money in for the animals care. Once the numbers got down, I figured we’d all kind of fade off and she would solely care for the remaining few she had wanted to keep. Because ultimately finding homes for the horses was our/my goal. I didn’t foresee what would ultimately lead to the dissension amongst the group and my removal from that toxic environment.
If I have learned anything from being in the company of Michelle, it’s that the squeaky wheel doesn’t get the grease, it gets the boot. And then comes being labeled a “hater” with reasons being “she probably wasn’t getting enough of Michelle’s attention”, “they didn’t get the horse they wanted” or something to that effect. Neither apply to me.
I was discussing my frustrations to very few for a long time as I never knew who would relay info back to Michelle. I didn’t trust many people with how I often felt. I tried talking to Adrianne a few times, but she’d muddle the conversation and underlying message so bad that Michelle would throw an all-out tantrum. I really wish I had video of one, they were insane and also somewhat funny to witness. The tipping point for me -wherein I felt compelled to document what was happening, was Barry.
(Warning: disturbing images follow)
I wish those days were the lasting memories I had of and with him.
Sadly, this would be more accurate:
We all loved Barry from the moment he set his hooves on the ranch. I’m not referring to Michelle or Brittany. Michelle thought very little of him until she saw the response to her Del Mar video featuring him. Britt never received much of Michelle’s attention; anyone who spent enough time there could see it plain as day. Britt also vented to a few of us quite often about her mother preferring Ajay to her or that she felt her mom simply didn’t want to be with her. So, when we saw that the kid-who could literally not care less about most of the animals thrown at her (in lieu of love and attention), was Barry’s new owner, we all became suspicious.
In the following weeks after Michelle “adopted” him for her child, Barry would get plenty of attention. Britt would ride him while her mom supervised and paraded him all over the ranch while we were still full of volunteers. Britt would join myself and another in the daily mucking of our privately-owned horses for all of maybe 2 weeks (yes, we did muck our own stalls, contrary to what has been stated prior). Then she lost interest. She couldn’t even be bothered to put his fly sheet or blanket on him. Barry would subsequently spend a majority of his time in a stall. His little girl no longer receiving the attention from mommy, so her time with him no longer served a purpose.
Others and I would bring him out, bathe him, turn him out in the arena, give him his daily previcox, and I was even lucky enough to take him out on one last adventure under saddle, before his life came to an end.
While out on our ride, Barry would get spooked by another horse and left me with no choice other than to bail off his back. He would end up in a ravine along training, after trying to make his way home. Upon hearing this, Michelle was of no help, shockingly (sarcasm) she wasn’t even at the ranch. A few others and I spent well over an hour guiding a very scared Barry up a steep incline and out of almost knee-high mud.
We spent the next 2 hours at the barn with him, grooming all the mud off, cleaning up minor scrapes, and settling him into a barn stall. Not his little girl. Not the mom who made many believe in her daughters’ “connection” to him. I don’t even recall her requesting text updates on his condition.
Sadly, Barry’s age and lack of vet care took its toll. The move to Pauma Valley was hard on him, Barry started going down throughout the entire period of his stay at that property-due to no longer receiving the injections for his legs he needed and not getting the turnouts he should (with having arthritis). I would show up often to a down Barry, struggling to get up. Face covered in scrapes and wounds.
Once, he hit his face so hard into the stall wall that he bit a chunk of his lower lip, leaving me to remove a piece of hanging flesh.
I should have spoken up on his behalf; I should have questioned why I was the only person to tend to his DAILY incurred wounds. Instead, I would stay with him until he was calm and comfortable, treating all his injuries and changing his wraps.
Even with an infection, Michelle left wrap changes to me. I wasn’t the one who lived within 100 ft of him😒.
Every time I saw him, he would be worse. Neither Robyn, nor Michelle, took it upon themselves to clean him up.
(I never got a response…)
I can’t think of even one occasion that Michelle, or Robyn for that matter, would handle his medical care. No call to a vet was made. No vet saw him.
I was surprised that I got slight assistance after getting him up, one afternoon, from Robyn; mostly it was only my friend and I. He needed the muscles on his back legs stimulated to get the blood flowing after spending who knows how long down and struggling. He was wobbly so Robyn held his lead while I kneaded and worked his muscles. Aside from that, Robyn was beyond worthless.
Many of Michelle’s shit-talking texts were from that period. Robyn stayed at her husband’s house with her daughters and rarely showed up to help or visit her own horses. So, my friend and I took it upon ourselves to be Barry’s caretakers. My friend even bought Valentines gifts “from Barry” for Britt and left them at his stall—notifying her it was there. Days later, there it sat. Along with a lonely, heartbroken Barry.
One evening, we saw her approaching the barn. We asked if she was finally coming to see Barry, “No, I’m coming to see Corky. I like spending time with him”.
My friend and I were furious and flabbergasted.
Now Michelle will give some bullshit excuse such as, “she can’t watch him decline, it’s too hard for her”. This is the same kid who sat on a dead horse while playing with her phone. She didn’t give a rat’s ass about him. Just like the pug she calls a “piece of shit” or the n-word and carries around like a rag doll. Like her mother, she feigns interest while getting the attention she seeks from others. When the spotlight and adoration wanes, so does their “love”. Barry needed extra care, that’s it. When he clearly wasn’t going to get it, he should have been put down due to discomfort. He was in pain all the time his last few months.
Sadly, he would wait for that compassionate release for many more months. Even with someone offering to pay for the injections.
So, I would continue to show up. For him. For all of the animals.
(Screenshot from a video sent to Michelle and Robyn. After getting him upright and cleaning his eye)
(pre-flush)
But I would always do my best to clean him back up and allow him to be kept comfortable with pain management.
That mouth will tell you how much pain he was in. He thrashed so often and for such long periods that his left eye remained swollen for well over a week.
I was the sole person painstakingly cleaning every single wound. How do you see that face and not feel the need to care for him? How do you allow your child to shirk her responsibilities and just let the care fall upon others? I guess I was just raised better than that. And I have a conscience.
Barry would once more make another trip to yet another property. His body completely failing him at this point.
Next would come the GoFundMe.
This photo couldn’t be more misleading to the relationship, or lack thereof, he had with the girl who was supposed to love him. I always remembered when Michelle asked Britt on a video what she would do when he could no longer be ridden, “love him” was her calculated answer. Because like her mother, she knew what to say to pull at people’s heartstrings. (Off camera-she was nothing but racist profanity and disrespect for people and animals alike)
Barry would get a bullet and his body would remain in his barn stall to bloat and stink for 3+ DAYS. Yes, he was cremated and no, Britt never shed a tear or came to say goodbye to him.
I said my goodbyes the morning he left this world and couldn’t help but bawl my eyes out. Michelle was all dramatics as usual (because there were people around) and stated that she had an “unreal moment” with him before he was gone. He probably looked at her and thought “finally, I am free from you”.
After that day I was vigilant in making sure that every horse’s issue was addressed, repeatedly if necessary. However, with my school semester creeping up in a few months I knew I had little time left with the horses.
My friend and I busted our asses grooming horses, taking photos and getting video for adoption ads as we were still being told the majority of horses would be leaving. As we had access to the messages on the AlphaMare page, we would learn Michelle was turning down offers for horses but showing more interest in people who wanted to pay her to take theirs. Ice Cream, Chance, Christina Pagan’s 3, Monarch…..it’s like it wouldn’t end. These horses would just show up, no discussion with the actual caretakers of the animals was had.
-And we all saw how much she loved him by how under worked, under fed and beat up he was/is. He was also well behaved for EVERYONE. Way to sabotage a great future for him.
What made it worse was as previously posted, the lack of help on Michelle’s part and her endless list of BS. Empty or filthy waters, her NEVER mucking-not even once; depending on others to supply the grain that the hard keepers needed, and what made me feel nothing but malice towards her, under feeding the horses and damn well knowing it.
My friend and I were there 2-3 days a week with me being solo on Sundays. We would be there from around 8:30ish am until around 8-9pm at times. I believe there was only 1 day a week that Michelle was responsible for all the care and needs of the animals. Aside from my friend and I, Ingrid had also voiced a concern for the amount the horses were getting fed. She’d vent her frustrations; Michelle would condescendingly chime in and Ingrid would apologize for speaking up. Until she just stopped complaining and became almost submissive, I suspected a full lobotomy at that point.
The amount of feed created such issues within the herds when it came to aggression, more wounds were showing up from fighting over food and it was exhausting. We’d sit and watch everyone eat, dragging the avocado feeders further and further apart to prevent the bullies from eating the majority of the 1 flake per horse allotment. So, we just started feeding them the appropriate amounts and figured we’d deal with Michelle’s wrath later.
-Michelle’s dinner vs Horses dinner
One morning while my friend and I had shown up there was no hay, not a big surprise as MANY times we’d have to call Robyn (before she split) or Michelle as to who was going to go get hay so we could feed. Ingrid picked up hay quite a bit and from my observations Adrianne paid for 99% of it, always calling in orders. While we waited to hear, another resident came out and chatted with us a bit. We discussed how they were basically convinced to move there under false pretenses, “everyone hangs out, takes care of the animals and it’s really relaxed and peaceful”. Right…. This person didn’t know Michelle was either rarely there or hiding inside. Then my friend and I were made aware that the horses actually missed a meal due to no hay and Michelle not caring. My friend would leave and not come back after hearing that. She was done.
It was increasingly difficult for me to keep returning without the support of another person who saw through all the bullshit. They were my second pair of eyes to make sure the horses weight was kept up, previcox was actually given out, waters were cleaned and filled etc.
I had planned to continue going weekly to monitor the animals conditions until school started. I had taken a few weeks off from going out to get ready for the semester and just decompress with more time spent with my own horse. Until I went out with a girlfriend one night and ran into the ranch resident. It was made aware to me that at that point the horses had missed more than that one meal we knew about. I was told verbatim “it’s more like 5”. I was in tears on my way home and immediately messaged my ranch friend the next day. Something had to be done.
Michelle still texted me quite a bit to figure out how to navigate school as the horses were put on the back burner after she was allowed to attend college classes. School (ie free money) took precedence over everything.
(Enrollment and FA take literally MINUTES to complete 🙄; Michelle conning someone into grooming her horses for her)
-Her lying is so bad that she’s “in class” on a day there are no classes and before the semester even began..oh boy.
And apparently no one else cared the cows were supposed to get a bale a day but were rationed about 4-6 flakes a day. Kim Said also told another that she often feeds breakfast and dinner within an hour of each other because she can’t be bothered to stay all day. How about just pick one meal to feed and have someone else do the other? I can’t even believe she owns a horse.
Anyway, I had enough. Your heart can only be broken so many times and I could no longer stand the thought of the animals with empty bellies except for the sand they ingested. The low, filthy waters, lack of vet care and just care in general.
I was going to feed on one of my last days out there after taking a bit of a break. I pulled up to an open property gate and one of Christina Pagans horses was out and nose to nose with some mares in the front herd. I let everyone in the group chat know as most were oblivious to securing gates and even how to catch a loose horse (like, don’t even know how to halter a horse, and that is not a joke). Upon putting the horse back in the arena, I noticed a plethora of snot pouring from his nose, and now those mares, in a herd of around 12, would most likely get sick also. Along with the others in the arena. Cool.
I doubt Christina was notified that her horse was sick but if you’re dumb enough to board your horse with Michelle, then you shouldn’t assume she’d update you on your animal- like a legit facility would do.
But that wasn’t the worst of it. As I went around and said hello to all the animals, I was horrified. There were so many skinny horses and Solar and Spartans stall was absolutely flooded due to the leaking hose that no one swapped out. Now I had been taking care of a bulb abscess on Solar’s back right. I ended up having to put a boot on him as no one would allow him a dry arena to stay. I tried moving him, but he was always moved back to the stall that flooded on and off. A wound on the inside right of Chrome was unwrapped, exposing skin that was sloughing off, oozing open wounds with hot to the touch flesh. Hello infection. The last time I had changed the wrap, I had started dating them, to be sure it was changed. Michelle was there with her new victim, oops…. boyfriend. As I’m crouched down cleaning Chromes leg I hear an obnoxiously pleasant voice say “hi……HI…”, I looked up to see Michelle. I said hi and basically focused on Chrome, she came over and jokingly said “I was wondering who the blonde way”. “The same blonde that’s been taking care of the horses for the past 3 years…” was my answer. She laughed and then introduced me to her ATM, whoops…. BOYFRIEND. Then she continues to tell me she wanted to talk about a wrap change schedule (I was internally confused and also laughing as she was clearly putting on a show), I guess I muttered something and she informed me how she had just changed Chrome’s wrap a few days prior. Let me try this again; she’s telling me she changed Chrome’s wrap, the same wrap I was removing that had the last day I was out’s date written on it, a few days prior. There are no words. This is the level of pure idiocy I was dealing with. I even sent her photos of said wrap with the date on it right after it was last wrapped. The woman makes my brain hurt. Once she was gone I would go get an extra bucket of grain to give to Chrome, thankfully Ingrid must have picked up a bag of senior. I did not want him leaving with an injury and underweight, but I could only do so much.
On December 3rd I told them I wouldn’t be committing to any days out there anymore. I attempted to get Adrianne to learn how to halter and lead a horse, in case of an emergency. She was 100% not interested. Maybe because I wasn’t Michelle? Who knows? But I couldn’t watch the horses continue to lose weight, grain not be provided for the older ones and wounds that were ignored by everyone except me.
I was still in constant contact with my friend who had left; I vented all my frustrations to her. I was then approached by an outside party. Word was getting around about the lack of care and the condition of the horses. Michelle had also been lying to my friend and I about actually following up on rehoming certain horses. She would reach out to people she had absolutely ripped apart online and I wasn’t surprised that they didn’t respond to her messages. No one wanted anything to do with her, that’s why Chrome went to Ohio- no one wanted to be stuck in the contracts that AM had bought from HC. She had even been in talks with a place for the cows to go- but in December she just stopped following up with the livestock sanctuary that said they’d take them.
I was given the number to call to report everything I had seen. Looking at those horses, I knew I had to do it. My report was taken around the 2nd week of January. I was asked if I still had access to the property and I said yes. I was asked if I could return and get updated photos and video documentation. I was picking up previcox and knew Michelle wouldn’t turn down a hand-out, so I said I’d drop some off. Adrianne was on the property and left after my first 5 minutes there. I spent a good hour or so walking through the herds and photographing everything. I was always one to take photos, so I knew I had documentation by the week and month showcasing the deteriorating condition of the animals.
I had a feeling that after my friend and I were no longer there to speak up about the care that things would go to hell and I was right. Horses that would freely roam the property while we played music and cleaned– looked AWFUL; they’d rushed to the fencing to knicker at me. Specifically, Tortuga.
The donkey purchased for Michelle’s son, Ajay. Like Barry, I spent more time with Toots than the boy he was bought for. He would call for me and push all animals away as I entered the herds. I loved his dog-like personality and affectionate nature. So sad to see another animal given to a child that would neglect and ignore it.
-I always made the time to snuggle him. It wasn’t his fault he was bought to languish in a herd of neglected horses.
(Bonsall- Rizzo and Tortuga)
(Bonsall- Rizzo, Solar, Shasta, Tortuga)
Always my little shadow.
I would leave with a heavy heart and a sick feeling in my stomach. I would send everything to the assigned officer. I would return once more and document Braveheart, Christina’s horses, Change (former private buyer auction horse), Rizzo and again Solar. I would go visit my mom and just start crying the second I saw her. It was too much. Everything that has been posted was first given to who we entrust with taking action against neglectful people like Michelle. But my friends and I would wait weeks and hear nothing had been done. Notice after notice would be posted at the property, but of course these would be ignored (just like the letter from the AG I saw on the seat of Michelle’s truck), ultimately giving Michelle more time to pressure Adrianne and others to chip in more money for feed.
Michelle would contact me after the Shasta post. She was convinced it was an old photo and would send me one “from today”. She must think I’m stupid because Shasta looked like she had been curried, but still just as thin. Imagine telling the person who took the photo, who knows the photo is not even 30 days old, that it MUST be an old photo and then make up some BS reason as to why she’s skinny. The only reason was carelessness and neglect. That’s it.
I would be asked a few times who I thought the “mole” was and it was truly difficult to pretend to speculate. I’m a terrible liar and cringed every time I got a text or call from Michelle. Ever have a one-sided conversation with a sociopath? Boy, it was painful to say the least. I just needed to keep my access to the horses secure in case it was necessary to document more.
After more time had passed and clearly no action was being taken, I needed to make sure this just didn’t go away. If the officers with Animal Control refused to do their jobs, then I needed to make sure that Michelle knew she wouldn’t be able to hide what she was doing and that the people assisting her blindly aren’t innocent either.
I then caught wind that Kim Said was telling people I was the mole. This was prior to any photos being posted that I knew directly pointed to me. I didn’t care and was relieved to have a real “out” of future conversations or interactions with anyone there but the things that were posted were things I had said privately to Michelle. The same person who talked badly about Kim since she first volunteered at HC. So I took it and ran with it. We all know that if someone talks badly about others with you, that they are surely talking badly about you with others. This couldn’t be truer with Michelle.
But seeing as how she felt the need to talk to someone, she knew I detested, about me…. I’ll offer up the story of the bedroom window drug deal 😊
This was within the first 3ish months of living at the ranch. Michelle, Robyn, Myself, Britt and another, were in Michelle’s BMW coming back from I think the Spaghetti Factory. We come off the 78/Washington and Michelle stops at an ATM, she says something about the Wells Fargo- HC card and gets out and retrieves money. Her and Robyn are blathering on while we drive in the neighborhood right by the car dealerships on the edge of Escondido, around Garrick Way. We end up in front of a residential house and Michelle gets out. The other person in the back seat and I were exchanging confused glances as Britt was verbally assaulting Robyn. I look to my left and see Michelle knocking on a window and an old man opening up. She says something, hands him cash and he momentarily disappears and reappears a few minutes later. When she gets back in the car, Robyn must have smelled pills and starts to whine in a very juvenile and disgusting tone, “you didn’t tell me you were stopping at the candy man’s!”, Michelle reminds her that she didn’t have any money and she wasn’t going to front for her pills anymore. We drove home, quiet in the backseat- we had just unbeknownst to us, been taken on a drug run.
Love, Skeletor aka Sarah
Now that everybody’s head has exploded, I’ll take the mic back for just a minute. First off, I want to offer my sincere gratitude and respect to our guest poster. It’s no secret that I’ve been harsh in the past. Vile even. That makes it all the more humbling when somebody like that decides to be the bigger person and reach out for the common good. We don’t all have to agree on every single point, but those of us that are truly in it for the animals, will always have our common ground and goals. We ultimately want the same things. We want these animals liberated and cared for as they deserve. If the pics and videos of BarryBoi didn’t break your heart, you don’t have one. The fact that Manson can’t lay down her sword and get over herself enough to end this suffering tells me all I need to know about her. She’s a monster.
I’m sure many of you are sitting home with many worries of your own right now. I hope you all stay healthy and secure and we can move forward into a new normal once this is over. A better normal where maybe we appreciate the small things and learn to appreciate enough rather than constantly seeking more. In the meantime, let’s make some use of this idle time and keep the pressure on these agencies to do their damn jobs. They are essential services so they’re still working. These animals need help. Let’s not let another innocent soul suffer like Barryboi did and let’s not let his sad ending be in vain. Once again, Thank You, Sarah. You are a warrior and I appreciate your leap of faith and tenacity.
PS. This post wasn’t necessarily a last shot and by no means all there is as to the fuckery that is Manson. Screenshots abound. The longer those animals are held hostages, the more will trickle out. I. WILL. NOT. STOP. #releasethehostages