After stealing four chickens from a Sonoma County poultry facility two years ago, UC Berkeley student and Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) extremist Zoe Rosenberg, 23, has been found guilty of all counts, including felony conspiracy. She could now face up to four and a half years in prison for her role in the 2023 chicken heist.
Although her attorneys tried to paint the theft as a “rescue,” the jury disagreed, finding her guilty on all counts, including felony conspiracy, as well as the two misdemeanors for trespassing on various occasions and a third for tampering with a vehicle or its contents. She will be sentenced on Dec. 3.
Video footage captured by animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere shows Rosenberg entering the farm in protective gear, taking four chickens from crates on a truck bed and carrying them off of the property.
According to NPR, this decision could have ‘reverberating effects throughout the country, as DxE has escalated these missions – referred to as ‘open rescues’ – in recent years.”
Hannah Thompson-Weeman, president and CEO of Animal Agriculture Alliance, is encouraged the jury came to a conclusion so quickly in deliberations.
“The crimes committed by DXE extremist Zoe Rosenberg are just that – crimes,” she says. “This decision is a reinforcement that laws must be followed and cannot be bent because of extreme beliefs and ideologies.”
The jury’s verdict makes it clear that personal beliefs don’t justify breaking the law, says Herb Frerichs, General Counsel, Petaluma Poultry, in a release.
“DXE members admitted to planning and carrying out illegal acts — including break-ins, theft of private data, and stealing livestock — under the guise of activism and to gain publicity,” Frerichs says. “This kind of behavior has no place in any community that respects the rule of law. We fully support the right to free speech and lawful protest, but that’s not what this was.”
Rosenberg’s defense team is expected to appeal, creating the opportunity to set a legal precedent for the practice, NPR reports.
“The actions committed by Rosenberg and other members of DXE continue to pose a threat to the health and safety of livestock and poultry – the very animals that they claim to be protecting,” Thompson-Weeman argues. “We will be interested to see the outcome of sentencing and hope that it will leave animals safer from repeat offenders who put them at risk.”
Rosenberg was not taken into custody following the decision, NPR reports. However, Judge Kenneth Gnoss mandated she wear a GPS-equipped ankle monitor and stay 500 feet from Petaluma Poultry and all Perdue facilities. She was also ordered not to contact six individuals believed to be fellow activists.
“DxE’s stated mission is to end meat consumption by abolishing all forms of animal agriculture,” Perdue said in a release. “They regularly deploy illegal tactics that jeopardize community safety in service, undermining the economy and national food supply.”
