“Operation Wolf Patrol” is longitudinal film about the silencing of an activist group advocating against animal cruelty. When I set out to make the film I was concerned with environmental issues such as poaching, species conservation, and wildlife management. What I found in making the film was a turbulent political landscape characterized by extreme polarization, toxic masculinity, racism, and authoritarianism. When I look at “Operation Wolf Patrol” with this realization in mind I am struck by the fact that during the years I was filming, 2014 – 2018, I was documenting the unraveling of America at its fringes. Ultimately, this film represents 5+ years of work, a legal battle about free speech, and a changing America.