SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A California animal rights activist who took four chickens from a major Perdue Farms poultry plant was found guilty Wednesday of trespassing and other charges, which could carry a sentence of up to five years.
Zoe Rosenberg, 23, did not deny taking the animals but argued she wasn't breaking the law because she was rescuing the birds from a cruel situation during the nearly seven-week trial in Sonoma County, an agricultural area
of Northern California.
The Santa Rosa jury took less than a day to find Rosenberg guilty on all counts. The activist with Direct Action Everywhere, or DxE, a Berkeley-based animal rights group, was on trial for two misdemeanor counts of trespassing, a misdemeanor count of tampering with a vehicle and a felony conspiracy charge.
Rosenberg said she does not regret what she did.
“I will not apologize for taking sick, neglected animals to get medical care,” Rosenberg said following her conviction. “When we see cruelty and violence, we can choose to ignore it or to intervene and try to make the world a better place. I chose to intervene, and because I did, Poppy, Ivy, Aster, and Azalea are alive today. For that, I will never be sorry.”
The group named the birds and placed them in an animal sanctuary for rescued farmed animals.
Rosenberg's attorney, Chris Carraway, said after the verdict that the district attorney's office was ignoring criminal animal cruelty in Sonoma County factory farms and that he plans to appeal the verdict.
“Sonoma County spent over six weeks and hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to protect a multi-billion-dollar corporation from the rescue of four chickens worth less than $25,” Carraway said in a statement. “No doubt, the District Attorney’s office would never have spent a fraction of this time or money if the chickens had been dead in a supermarket meat case."
Judge Kenneth Gnoss denied prosecutors' request for Rosenberg to be taken into custody and instead ordered an ankle monitor to ensure Rosenberg does not return to Petaluma Poultry, where the birds were taken. Rosenberg’s sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 3.
District Attorney Carla Rodriguez said in a statement the verdict affirms no one is above the law.
“While we respect everyone’s right to free expression, it is unlawful to trespass, disrupt legitimate businesses, and endanger workers and animals in pursuit of a political or social agenda," she said.
Petaluma Poultry has said that DxE is an extremist group that is intent on destroying the animal agriculture industry. The company says the animals were not mistreated.
"The jury’s verdict makes it clear: personal beliefs don’t justify breaking the law," Herb Frerichs, general counsel of Petaluma Poultry, said in a statement. “DxE members admitted to planning and carrying out illegal acts — including break-ins, theft of private data, and stealing livestock — under the guise of activism and to gain publicity.”
Frerichs said the company supports the right to free speech and lawful protests, but this was not that.
Rosenberg testified she disguised herself as a Petaluma Poultry worker using a fake badge and earpiece to take the birds, and then posted a video of her actions on social media.
Petaluma Poultry is a subsidiary of Perdue Farms — one of the United States’ largest poultry providers for major grocery chains.
The co-founder of Direct Action Everywhere was convicted two years ago for his role in factory farm protests in Petaluma.
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This story’s headline has been corrected to say the company name is spelled Perdue, not Purdue.
