SANTA ROSA, Calif. — A jury found animal activist Zoe Rosenberg guilty on Wednesday of trespassing and conspiracy after she removed four chickens from a poultry processing plant in Petaluma, California. The 23-year-old activist, affiliated with Direct Action Everywhere, did not dispute taking the chickens but asserted she was rescuing them from a cruel environment.
Rosenberg is now facing a sentence of over five years in prison. Her spokesperson, Lauren Gazzola of the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project, mentioned that an appeal will be pursued following the conviction.
Her attorney, Chris Carraway, criticized the overreaching response from Sonoma County, stating that the legal and financial resources spent to protect a multi-billion-dollar corporation were unnecessary for a case involving the rescue of chickens valued at under $25.
The incident took place at Petaluma Poultry, a company that supplies chickens to Perdue Farms, a leader in the poultry industry. During the trial, defense attorneys argued the case revolved around the moral implications of rescuing animals rather than the act of taking them, highlighting the contrast between animal welfare and corporate interests.
Rosenberg faced charges that included two misdemeanor counts of trespassing, a misdemeanor for tampering with a vehicle, and a felony conspiracy charge. This trial in Sonoma County comes on the heels of previous prosecutions of activists associated with animal rights campaigns in the same region, where agriculture is a predominant industry.
