In 2014, at the age of 11, animal activist Zoe Rosenberg founded the Happy Hen Chicken Rescue (later renamed to Happy Hen Animal Sanctuary). From there, activism has been her story. In 2016, she was arrested at age 14 on live TV during a Los Angeles Dodgers game for pitch invasion for protesting the alleged maltreatment of farm animals by a meat supplier used for “Dodger Dog” hot dogs, which are a popular attraction at Dodger Stadium. In 2018, she then chained herself to a gate at the slaughterhouse on the campus of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in an attempt to rescue a cow. She and a 31-year-old coconspirator were arrested and issued stay-away orders.
Her veterinarian mother was also arrested for allegedly contributing to the delinquency of a minor, but those charges were later dropped. At this time, Rosenberg became an organizer of the San Luis Obispo chapter of Direct Action Everywhere (DxE), the animal activism group whose website states it “is a global network of activists working to achieve revolutionary social and political change for animals in one generation.”
In 2019, at 16 years old, she rushed onto the field at Levi Stadium at the College Football Playoff National Championship displaying a banner protesting stadium vendor and meat supplier Starbird and Petaluma Poultry. In 2022, now a student at University of California, Berkeley, she was arrested for chaining herself to a basketball hoop during an NBA playoff game between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Minnesota Timberwolves in protest to the Timberwolves team owner’s farm. In 2023, she was arrested for taking four chickens from a Perdue Farms Petaluma Poultry facility on behalf of DxE. They had claimed alleged animal abuse, but Rosenberg decided to take the chickens due to perceived inaction from law enforcement.
Her activism has earned her the Youth Activist of the Year by the Animal Rights National Conference. The above information was pulled from her Wikipedia page. Now, at 23 years old, Rosenberg faces a litany of legal challenges. On Oct. 29, she was found guilty of trespassing and conspiracy. She is facing more than five years in prison. Her representation, Animal Activist Legal Defense Project, plans to appeal all charges.
The Animal Activist Legal Defense Project’s website quotes Professor Justin Marceau, a director of the project, “Today’s animal rights movement is hindered by an unmet need: While relying heavily on activists and insiders to uncover wrongdoing and urge systemic reform, there has historically been a dearth of available legal support. The Animal Activist Legal Defense Project fundamentally alters this state of affairs, with significant and distinctive benefits for the future of the animal rights movement and for the future of animal well-being.”
In June of 2023, Rosenberg and several members of DxE disguised themselves as workers, drove 40 miles to Petaluma Poultry, where they encountered a truck carrying “thousands of chickens.” The activists removed four chickens, put them in buckets, and drove away. The activists filmed the operation and later released the footage, which led investigators to the arrest of Rosenberg in November.
Rosenberg’s attorney, Chris Carraway, said in a statement, “Sonoma County spent over six weeks and hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to protect a multibillion-dollar corporation from the rescue of four chickens worth less than $25.” According to an article published by The Guardian, her attorneys argued the case wasn’t about whether she took the chickens, but why she took them.
In an Instagram post by Rosenberg, she claims, “I was just convicted of a felony for rescuing four suffering chickens from Perdue’s horrific Petaluma Poultry slaughterhouse. Throughout my trial, it was clear that the Court does not view animals as individuals entitled to protection and safety. It was clear that our legal system views them as things that can be used and abused as humans please.”
This was a focal point in debate throughout the trial. Defining legal terms between “someone” and “things.” In an article by The Daily Californian, Rosenberg said, “In California, it doesn’t specify beyond the word ‘someone.’ Our argument was the ‘someone’ should apply to animals, because animals are different from inanimate objects and things.” The judge threw this argument out since animals are legally classified as “things.”
According to an article in The Press Democrat, jurors took three-and-a-half hours of deliberation to convict Rosenberg on all counts. Outside the courtroom, DxE members waited and approached at least one juror for comments while two other jurors were escorted around by security. Rosenberg is free on bail but wears an ankle monitor. She is due for sentencing on Dec 3. During the trial, at least two DxE members who were called as witnesses invoked their Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination, according to the same article.
Remember that DxE was largely behind Measure J last year. This would have significantly impacted agriculture in the country and put multi-generational meat, poultry and dairy products and producers at risk in Sonoma County.
Over the last few columns I’ve written, people have asked what I mean when I say agriculture is being attacked from the outside. This is one example. Anyone who aims to harm the livelihoods and businesses that deal with agricultural products through physical, vocal, regulatory or legislative action is attacking agriculture from the outside. Today, only 2% of the population are tasked with feeding the remaining 98%. Sticking together and working together is how we are going to endure, both in good markets and in bad. — LOGAN IPSEN
