Sonoma County Jury Begins Deliberations on Charges Against Berkeley Animal Activist Accused of Raiding Petaluma Poultry Plant
A Sonoma County jury began deliberations Tuesday in the case of 23-year-old Zoe Rosenberg, a Berkeley animal activist accused of trespassing at a Petaluma poultry facility and taking four chickens during a series of incursions two years ago.
Prosecutors argue that Rosenberg's actions were part of a coordinated effort to attract attention to the group Direct Action Everywhere (DxE), which has been known for its aggressive protests at farms and grocery stores. In their closing arguments, prosecutors emphasized that Rosenberg's goal was not to rescue suffering animals but to promote DxE and gain publicity.
However, defense attorney Chris Carraway argued that Rosenberg genuinely believed the chickens were being mistreated and acted out of compassion, rather than publicity. "This is about Zoe Rosenberg's sincere belief birds were suffering at a slaughterhouse," Carraway told jurors.
The jury will now deliberate on one felony conspiracy charge against Rosenberg and three misdemeanors tied to multiple trespassing incidents at the facility between April and June 2023. If convicted, Rosenberg faces a sentence ranging from probation to five years in jail.
National attention has centered around this case due to Rosenberg's ties to DxE, which has drawn criticism for its tactics. The group supported a failed ballot measure to ban large-scale poultry and livestock operations in Sonoma County last year and has staged demonstrations and picketed grocery stores that sell Petaluma Poultry products.
In her testimony, Rosenberg acknowledged entering the facility and taking the chickens but maintained she was glad the birds were able to receive proper care. The verdict will carry significant weight in Sonoma County, where DxE's protests have intensified in recent years.
A Sonoma County jury began deliberations Tuesday in the case of 23-year-old Zoe Rosenberg, a Berkeley animal activist accused of trespassing at a Petaluma poultry facility and taking four chickens during a series of incursions two years ago.
Prosecutors argue that Rosenberg's actions were part of a coordinated effort to attract attention to the group Direct Action Everywhere (DxE), which has been known for its aggressive protests at farms and grocery stores. In their closing arguments, prosecutors emphasized that Rosenberg's goal was not to rescue suffering animals but to promote DxE and gain publicity.
However, defense attorney Chris Carraway argued that Rosenberg genuinely believed the chickens were being mistreated and acted out of compassion, rather than publicity. "This is about Zoe Rosenberg's sincere belief birds were suffering at a slaughterhouse," Carraway told jurors.
The jury will now deliberate on one felony conspiracy charge against Rosenberg and three misdemeanors tied to multiple trespassing incidents at the facility between April and June 2023. If convicted, Rosenberg faces a sentence ranging from probation to five years in jail.
National attention has centered around this case due to Rosenberg's ties to DxE, which has drawn criticism for its tactics. The group supported a failed ballot measure to ban large-scale poultry and livestock operations in Sonoma County last year and has staged demonstrations and picketed grocery stores that sell Petaluma Poultry products.
In her testimony, Rosenberg acknowledged entering the facility and taking the chickens but maintained she was glad the birds were able to receive proper care. The verdict will carry significant weight in Sonoma County, where DxE's protests have intensified in recent years.
The fact that she was willing to break the law for that reason says something about how much she cares about animal welfare.
Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems like this whole thing is a bit of a misunderstanding.
! On one hand, I feel for Rosenberg and her actions seem super driven by compassion for the animals 
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. The group's tactics can be pretty extreme and it's understandable that people might view their actions as attention-seeking or even radical 
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I know some ppl think DxE's methods are too much, but at the end of the day, Rosenberg is just trying to make a difference 
. Fingers crossed the jury does what feels right and not just follows the crowd 
. I mean, didn't she think about the consequences of her actions? And now we're having to waste time and resources on this trial because of it...and let's be real, DxE's tactics are just gonna give animal lovers a bad rep 
. Rosenberg says she was acting out of compassion, but I'm not buying it. If she really cared about the chickens, wouldn't she have tried to get them out safely or through proper channels? 
. I mean, what if Zoe really did think those chickens needed help? It sounds crazy, but we shouldn't judge someone's intentions without seeing the whole picture 
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. The fact that DxE has been doing this kind of stuff for years and people are still kinda okay with it is wild 
anyway, the jury deliberations are on 
fingers crossed she gets a good outcome 
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also gotta feel for the chickens tho, they did end up getting proper care from what Rosenberg said so maybe it was all worth it? 
. I get why the prosecution is all like 'publicity stunt', but come on, who wouldn't wanna help animals? It's like if people were doing that for kids or puppies in shelters... we'd be all about it 
but defense is like "nope, zoe genuinely believed those chickens were suffering at a slaughterhouse" 
fingers crossed for zoe! 
it's time 4 us 2 rethink what's really important 
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i don't think we should be too hard on her for trying to help animals. maybe the prosecution is just trying to make an example out of her? 