An Animal Rights Activist Said She 'rescued' Chickens. A Jury Convicted Her Of Conspiracy - Beritaja

An animal authorities activistic and UC Berkeley student was convicted Wednesday aft releasing 4 chickens from a Sonoma County poultry installation — a caper she characterized arsenic a rescue mission, but workplace owners said was communal theft.

In a proceedings intimately monitored by the poultry manufacture and animal authorities groups, Zoe Rosenberg, 23, was recovered blameworthy of a felony complaint of conspiracy, 2 misdemeanor counts of trespass and 1 count of tampering pinch a vehicle.

She faces a imaginable condemnation of up to 5 years. But she urged animal authorities supporters not to fto her condemnation interrupt their activism.

“Prosecutors dream that this will deter group from speaking up for animals, that it will deter group from rescuing them,” Rosenberg said successful an Instagram video after the verdict was read. “I inquire that you do not fto it. We will proceed on, nary matter what, until each animal is safe and happy, free.”

Industry officials reason activistic groups associated pinch Rosenberg harassed workers and poultry companies, trying to tie attraction to their origin and utilizing forbidden action successful the process.

According to prosecutors, Rosenberg planned for weeks to break into Perdue Farms’ Petaluma Poultry and region chickens from the facility, a caper that progressive disguises, clone worker uniforms, search devices, rented vehicles and an “Airbnb safe house.”

“The jury’s verdict makes it clear: Personal beliefs don’t warrant breaking the law,” Herb Frerichs, wide counsel for Petaluma Poultry, said successful a statement. “This benignant of behaviour has nary spot successful immoderate organization that respects the norm of law.”

Sonoma County prosecutors said Rosenberg led the societal media helping of Direct Action Everywhere, aliases DxE, an animal authorities group that, according to its website, “reject[s] the speciesism that enables the wide torture and sidesplitting of nonhuman animals.”

The group has utilized “rescues” to tie attraction to its origin and taken akin cases to court.

In a statement, Sonoma County Dist. Atty. Carla Rodriguez criticized the group’s tactics, saying the activists request to beryllium held accountable erstwhile they “cross that line.”

“Unfortunately, immoderate activistic groups proceed to show a deliberate disregard for the law, believing that their individual origin justifies criminal conduct,” she said successful a statement. “They person attempted to usage the criminal justness strategy itself arsenic a level to summation attraction and further their movement. The tribunal strategy exists to uphold justness — not to service arsenic a shape for self-promotion aliases lawless behavior.”

Rosenberg, successful her testimony, confirmed that she helped trade societal media contented to push DxE’s nationalist run against the poultry farm.

She is looking to entreaty her conviction, DxE said successful a statement.

The statement said Rosenberg’s attorneys were not allowed to coming a “necessity defense,” successful which attorneys could admit grounds that a crime was committed to forestall a greater harm aliases reason Rosenberg had nary reasonable ineligible replacement to forestall the harm.

The group besides based on that attorneys were restricted connected presenting animal cruelty grounds during the trial.

“These charges transportation a imaginable condemnation of about 5 years successful jail,” DxE said successful a statement. “Meanwhile, Petaluma Poultry faces nary consequences for leaving sick animals to dice aliases scalding animals alive.”

Industry officials person criticized DxE for its tactics. In a statement, Perdue called the statement a “radical activistic group.”

On Nov. 30, 2023, DxE co-founder Wayne Hsiung was sentenced to 90 days successful jailhouse aft he and others from the group took dozens of chickens and ducks from Petaluma-area farms. He was convicted of 1 count of felony conspiracy to perpetrate trespass and 2 misdemeanor charges of trespass, according to tribunal records.

“For years, DxE has harassed workplace families and workers, trespassed connected backstage spot and stolen from section businesses,” Dayna Ghirardelli, executive head of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau, said successful a statement. “Our organization has consistently rejected their utmost tactics, and this verdict reinforces that.”

Rosenberg, successful her Instagram post, said the judge ordered her to deterioration an ankle show until her Dec. 3 sentencing hearing.