My personal experience at Living Roots Organic Farm in French Lick, IN, was far from the image of farm life and work that was initially presented to me. I lived and worked on this property for five weeks and what I witnessed was deeply troubling. The management was unstable, workers were disrespected and underpaid (in my case, $6.25 per hour for manual labor), animals were neglected, housing conditions were substandard (my cabin had a problematic leak, another had bedbugs, the entire team shared one shower, etc.), and fire code violations were real (think huge warehouse space stacked and packed from wall to wall with old electronics, mattresses, etc.) To add insult to injury, I was falsely accused of theft and intimidated by the owner and 2 other men into leaving the farm -- in such a way that I had to call the authorities to safely escort me to a hotel. This accusation seemed ironic considering that my laptop went missing during the first week I spent on the farm and was never recovered. Moreover, in my second week on the farm, the owner's dog was stolen in the middle of the night by a former worker who claimed the dog was being mistreated.

The owner of this farm is Michael Hicks. Under his leadership, these unethical practices have been allowed to continue unchecked.  These incidents are not isolated occurrences - every former employee I've spoken with has corroborated the problematic behavior of Mr. Hicks. Additionally, this is not just about my personal experience; it's about the rights of young people who come here seeking a meaningful work experience only to be exploited; it's about women who deserve respect but do not feel safe; it's about animals that deserve care but are neglected or even abused. For instance, a former employee recounted an incident where Mr. Hicks accidentally ran over a pig with his tractor. Instead of seeking assistance or euthanizing the injured animal, he chose to leave it in the field to fend for itself

We need an investigation into these allegations against Living Roots Organic Farm in order to protect future workers from experiencing what I did. It is crucial that we hold those responsible accountable for their actions so that they can't continue exploiting others under the guise of organic farming and community living.

I urge you all to sign this petition demanding an immediate investigation into Living Roots Organic Farm by relevant authorities in Bloomington IN or French Lick IN. Stand with us in our fight for justice and fair treatment on farms across America!