AN ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST who took four chickens from a Petaluma poultry production facility in 2023 was found guilty of felony conspiracy and misdemeanor counts of trespassing and tampering with a vehicle, the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office said.
Zoe Rosenberg, 23, who describes herself as an animal cruelty investigator for the nonprofit animal liberation group Direct Action Everywhere, or DXE, illegally entered Petaluma Poultry — a subsidiary of Perdue Foods — in June 2023 and “rescued” four chickens that she said were sick and neglected. She took the birds to a sanctuary and has named them Poppy, Ivy, Aster and Azalea, DXE said.
“I will not apologize for taking sick, neglected animals to get medical care,” said Rosenberg in a statement after her conviction. “When we see cruelty and violence, we can choose to ignore or to intervene and try to make the world a better place.”
Rosenberg even filmed the chicken rescue, so this wasn’t a case of did she or didn’t she. The defense presented a case in which Rosenberg believed she was acting lawfully since Petaluma Poultry was allegedly abusing animals. The group supports what they call the “right to rescue,” much like how citizens have a right to break into hot cars if they see a pet in distress.
The Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case against Rosenberg, painting her motives as the wrong approach and a simple case of trespassing.
“This verdict affirms that no one is above the law,” said District Attorney Carla Rodriguez in a statement Wednesday. “While we respect everyone’s right to free expression, it is unlawful to trespass, disrupt legitimate businesses, and endanger workers and animals in pursuit of a political or social agenda.”
What could be described as the “Big Meat” industry has been a focus of DXE’s activism, which has included some creative protests over the past few years.
In early 2023, the group protested at a San Francisco Costco store and projected video of pigs dying in a Southern California slaughterhouse.
A video of a Foster Farms plant was projected at a Safeway in Oakland that same year. As images of turkey chicks at a factory farm were shown, a protester could be heard saying, “They’re so young, full of life (and) wonder.”
DXE activists have spilled fake blood at stores like Safeway and Trader Joe’s, the latter of which filed for an injunction against the group in July. Chef and television host Tyler Florence was also confronted by them at a book signing in Napa last year over his partnership with Petaluma Poultry.
I will not apologize for taking sick, neglected animals to get medical care.
Zoe Rosenberg, animal rights activist
Prosecutors in Rosenberg’s trial won their conspiracy charge after detailing the lead-up to the crime.
“Rosenberg and co-conspirator Raven Deerbrook planned the incursion for weeks, complete with disguises, false employee uniforms, tracking devices, rented vehicles, and a prearranged ‘Airbnb safe house’ where the stolen chickens were taken for filming and social media use,” the District Attorney’s Office said.
For her part, Rosenberg proudly stated that she organized the rescue of the chickens after “years of investigations” into the facility. Initially, DXE turned over its findings of alleged cruelty at another Petaluma Poultry site to the Sonoma County Animal Services department, which then contacted the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.
DXE alleged that birds were found collapsed on the floor or stuck on their backs with no food or water. The group released images of chickens in distress. County animal services officials found that the facility contained birds that were emaciated, bruised, unable to walk and had necrotic wounds “so deep that muscle and bone were exposed,” DXE said.
None of this was allowed to be presented at Rosenberg’s trial, the animal rights group said.
“At trial, the court severely limited what the jury was able to know about these prior findings at Petaluma Poultry, despite the fact that they heavily influenced Ms. Rosenberg’s belief that rescue was necessary,” DXE officials said.
Conviction adds to DXE’s tally
Rosenberg isn’t the only DXE activist to be prosecuted and found guilty for actions in Sonoma County.
In November 2023, Wayne Hsiung, 44, was sentenced to three months in jail and two years of probation for felony trespassing at chicken and duck farms in 2018 and 2019. Hsiung, a San Francisco attorney and co-founder of DXE, is hoping to make legal the right of people to enter places such as a factory farm to remove animals that are being “exploited” or are in distress.
The animal rights group said that Hsiung was doing just that when he and hundreds of others in DxE converged on Sunrise Farms in Petaluma on May 29, 2018 and removed chickens. Hsiung and others did the same thing on June 3, 2019 at the Reichardt Duck Farm, also in Petaluma.
Prosecutors said Hsiung and others effectively shut down farm operations at both locations and chained themselves to fixtures at the duck farm.
In the case against Hsiung, Rodriguez again took a hard line about the difference between activism and breaking the law.
“The First Amendment is not a license to commit crime,” said Rodriguez in a statement at the time. “Mr. Hsiung went beyond mere activism and decided to engage in unlawful, reckless, and potentially dangerous behavior, putting farmers, their employees and flocks of birds at risk of harm by his conduct.”
As for Rosenberg, she is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 3 and is facing up to five years in jail. After the verdict, the judge allowed her to remain out of custody but ordered her to wear a GPS ankle bracelet.