An animal rights activist and UC Berkeley student was convicted Wednesday after releasing four chickens from a Sonoma County poultry facility \u2014 a caper she characterized as a rescue mission, but farm owners said was common theft. <\/p>\n
In a trial closely monitored by the poultry industry and animal rights groups, Zoe Rosenberg, 23, was found guilty of a felony charge of conspiracy, two misdemeanor counts of trespass and one count of tampering with a vehicle. <\/p>\n
She faces a possible sentence of up to five years. But she urged animal rights supporters not to let her conviction interrupt their activism. <\/p>\n
\u201cProsecutors hope that this will deter people from speaking up for animals, that it will deter people from rescuing them,\u201d Rosenberg said in an Instagram video <\/a>after the verdict was read. \u201cI ask that you do not let it. We will continue on, no matter what, until every animal is safe and happy, free.\u201d<\/p>\n Industry officials argue activist groups associated with Rosenberg harassed workers and poultry companies, trying to draw attention to their cause and using illegal action in the process. <\/p>\n According to prosecutors, Rosenberg planned for weeks to break into Perdue Farms\u2019 Petaluma Poultry and remove chickens from the facility, a caper that involved disguises, fake employee uniforms, tracking devices, rented vehicles and an \u201cAirbnb safe house.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cThe jury\u2019s verdict makes it clear: Personal beliefs don\u2019t justify breaking the law,\u201d Herb Frerichs, general counsel for Petaluma Poultry, said in a statement. \u201cThis kind of behavior has no place in any community that respects the rule of law.\u201d<\/p>\n Sonoma County prosecutors said Rosenberg led the social media wing of Direct Action Everywhere, or DxE, an animal rights group that, according to its website, \u201creject[s] the speciesism that enables the mass torture and killing of nonhuman animals.\u201d<\/p>\n The group has used \u201crescues\u201d to draw attention to its cause and taken similar cases to court. <\/p>\n In a statement, Sonoma County Dist. Atty. Carla Rodriguez criticized the group\u2019s tactics, saying the activists need to be held accountable when they \u201ccross that line.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, some activist groups continue to show a deliberate disregard for the law, believing that their personal cause justifies criminal conduct,\u201d she said in a statement<\/a>. \u201cThey have attempted to use the criminal justice system itself as a platform to gain attention and further their movement. The court system exists to uphold justice \u2014 not to serve as a stage for self-promotion or lawless behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n Rosenberg, in her testimony, confirmed that she helped craft social media content to push DxE\u2019s public campaign against the poultry farm. <\/p>\n She is looking to appeal her conviction, DxE said in a statement<\/a>. <\/p>\n The organization said Rosenberg\u2019s attorneys were not allowed to present a \u201cnecessity defense,\u201d in which attorneys could admit evidence that a crime was committed to prevent a greater harm or argue Rosenberg had no reasonable legal alternative to prevent the harm.<\/p>\n The group also argued that attorneys were restricted on presenting animal cruelty evidence during the trial. <\/p>\n \u201cThese charges carry a potential sentence of nearly 5 years in jail,\u201d DxE said in a statement. \u201cMeanwhile, Petaluma Poultry faces no consequences for leaving sick animals to die or scalding animals alive.\u201d<\/p>\n Industry officials have criticized DxE for its tactics. In a statement, Perdue<\/a> called the organization a \u201cradical activist group.\u201d<\/p>\n On Nov. 30, 2023, DxE co-founder Wayne Hsiung was sentenced to 90 days in jail after he and others from the group took dozens of chickens and ducks from Petaluma-area farms. He was convicted of one count of felony conspiracy to commit trespass and two misdemeanor charges of trespass, according to court records. <\/p>\n \u201cFor years, DxE has harassed farm families and workers, trespassed on private property and stolen from local businesses,\u201d Dayna Ghirardelli, executive director of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau, said in a statement<\/a>. \u201cOur community has consistently rejected their extreme tactics, and this verdict reinforces that.\u201d <\/p>\n Rosenberg, in her Instagram post, said the judge ordered her to wear an ankle monitor until her Dec. 3 sentencing hearing. <\/p>\n