Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
A California A woman standing trial on charges of taking four chickens from one of Purdue Farms’ major poultry plants has thrust animal treatment at slaughterhouses into the national spotlight as her defense team argues she protected the birds from abuse.
Closing statements are scheduled for Tuesday in a case that could see 23-year-old Zoe Rosenberg face more than five years in prison. During the seven-week trial, her defense focused not on whether she took chickens from Petaluma Poultry in 2023 — Rosenberg shared video of the theft online and posted it on social media to hundreds of thousands of followers during the trial — but rather on the justification for doing so.
Meanwhile, prosecutors have argued that the case is not about why she took the chickens, but whether she committed an illegal act.
Kevin Little, one of Rosenberg’s attorneys, said during his opening statement, “This is no nonsense. This is a ‘why-dunit’.”
He said Rosenberg, who is charged with three misdemeanors and felony conspiracy, investigated the plant for two months before taking the birds and consulted with a veterinarian who was concerned about images that showed the animals being boiled alive. His other attorney, Chris Carraway, said in a statement that it was “a defense, not a crime.”
Rosenberg is an animal rights activist with the group Direct Action Everywhere, or DXE, known for animal rescues and protests that often garner national attention. Perdue Farms is one of the nation’s largest poultry producers and supplies to major grocery chains. safe route,
In recent years, similar cases involving animal rights activists have had mixed results in juries across the US but in California Sonoma CountyWhere agriculture is one of the main industries, Rosenberg faces a particularly uphill battle. The county is believed to have prosecuted more animal rights cases than any other in the country. san francisco The Chronicle reported.
As a condition of his release from custody, Rosenberg had to wear an ankle monitor while attending classes at the University of California, Berkeley until the start of his trial last month.
“An enormous amount of government resources have been expended in prosecuting me for the alleged ‘crime’ of saving four tortured chickens from a Perdue slaughterhouse,” he wrote in a letter. Instagram Post on Monday.
“What is most troubling, however, is that these resources are not being spent on preventing criminal animal cruelty in Purdue’s facilities. Poppy, Ivy, Aster and Azalea are safe, but many others are not,” she said, referencing the names given to chickens by her group.
As the Press Democrat reports, prosecutors say Rosenberg entered Petaluma Poultry four times without permission and attached GPS devices to 12 delivery vehicles before taking the chickens from a trailer and driving away with them, while about 50 DXE members demonstrated outside.
Another DXE member, Raven Deerbrook, faced similar charges before reaching a plea agreement in June 2024. She described herself as a former DXE member and testified for Rosenberg last week, saying she initiated an investigation into Petaluma Poultry and informed Rosenberg about possible animal cruelty, the Press Democrat reported.
Rosenberg testified that he disguised himself as a Petaluma poultry worker by using a fake badge and earpiece, the Press Democrat reported. She and other members of the group filmed the action and shared it. She said that she is not taking action as per any criminal conspiracy, but out of concern about animal cruelty.
Prosecutors say the sabotage at the processing plant fits Rosenberg’s pattern of activism and was part of a coordinated campaign.
“You want open defense to be something that’s everywhere?” Deputy District Attorney Matt Hobson asked Rosenberg during cross-examination last week, the newspaper reports.
“Yes,” Rosenberg replied.
Rosenberg was previously arrested for tying himself to a basketball post during an NBA playoff game between the Memphis Grizzlies and Minnesota Timberwolves in April 2022. She was protesting Rembrandt Farms, which houses millions of chickens and is owned by then-Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, for alleged animal abuse.
DxE states on its website that its mission is to close down slaughterhouses everywhere.
“We will achieve revolutionary social and political change for animals in one generation,” the group says.
,
Golden reported from Seattle.