OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) — A group of animal welfare activists gathered at an Oakland Safeway on Wednesday evening, protesting the treatment and killing of poultry.
“We’re here protesting the violence behind Thanksgiving and the continued mass slaughter of over 40 million turkeys every single year, and that’s just for Thanksgiving,” said Cassie King, an organizer with Direct Action Everywhere.
The protest comes one week before one of the animal rights group’s members finds out whether she’ll serve prison time.
Video shows Zoe Rosenberg taking one of four chickens from a slaughterhouse in Petaluma in 2023. Rosenberg says they had been investigating Petaluma Poultry, a division of Purdue Farms and determined animals were in distress and needed to be rescued.
Petaluma Poultry told us Rosenberg’s quote “extreme tactics” jeopardized safety at the plant.
A jury found Rosenberg guilty last month of trespassing and other charges; she now faces up to 4-and-a-half years in prison.
“There’s a lot of heaviness, certainly right now, just mentally preparing for that,” said Rosenberg. “We’re continuing to try to keep the pressure on, too, though, for these animals.”
MORE: Jury convicts Bay Area activist who took 4 chickens from Perdue plant
Jurors found animal activist Zoe Rosenberg guilty of trespassing and conspiracy for taking four chickens from a Northern California processing plant.
The 23-year-old U.C. Berkeley graduate is taking time with her family ahead of her sentencing.
“I am currently at my family’s animal sanctuary. Just saying goodbye to the animals and everyone here in case I am taken into custody next week,” said Rosenberg.
The high-profile case caught the attention of Hollywood star Joaquin Phoenix, who released a statement reading in part: “I urge the Sonoma County District Attorney to prosecute the years of documented animal cruelty at Perdue’s Petaluma Poultry slaughterhouse; not the people trying to stop it.”
“We’re not going to stop fighting for animals. What this repression is doing is actually fueling people to come out and expecting hopefully hundreds of people to be at Zoe’s sentencing this week,” said King.
Rosenberg is due to be sentenced on December 3 in a Sonoma County courtroom.
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