SANTA ROSA, Calif. — Jurors found animal activist Zoe Rosenberg guilty on Wednesday of trespassing and conspiracy after she took four chickens from a processing plant in Northern California, according to a spokesperson for her advocacy group. At 23 years old, Rosenberg does not deny her actions, asserting that she was rescuing the animals from a cruel environment.
Facing more than five years behind bars, Rosenberg plans to appeal the verdict, as articulated by Lauren Gazzola, a spokesperson for the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project.
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, stated Chris Carraway, Rosenberg's attorney.
Rosenberg, affiliated with Direct Action Everywhere, took the chickens from Petaluma Poultry in 2023, a company that services Perdue Farms, one of the largest poultry suppliers in America. Defense attorneys argued that the trial should focus on her motive for rescuing the birds rather than the act of taking them. However, prosecutors emphasized that she engaged in unlawful behavior regardless of intention.
Additionally, Rosenberg was charged with two misdemeanor counts of trespassing, a misdemeanor for tampering with a vehicle, and a felony for conspiracy. The trial revealed underlying conflicts in Sonoma County, which has a significant agricultural industry, and echoed past incidents where animal rights activists faced legal repercussions for similar actions.
Facing more than five years behind bars, Rosenberg plans to appeal the verdict, as articulated by Lauren Gazzola, a spokesperson for the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project.
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, stated Chris Carraway, Rosenberg's attorney.
Rosenberg, affiliated with Direct Action Everywhere, took the chickens from Petaluma Poultry in 2023, a company that services Perdue Farms, one of the largest poultry suppliers in America. Defense attorneys argued that the trial should focus on her motive for rescuing the birds rather than the act of taking them. However, prosecutors emphasized that she engaged in unlawful behavior regardless of intention.
Additionally, Rosenberg was charged with two misdemeanor counts of trespassing, a misdemeanor for tampering with a vehicle, and a felony for conspiracy. The trial revealed underlying conflicts in Sonoma County, which has a significant agricultural industry, and echoed past incidents where animal rights activists faced legal repercussions for similar actions.
