As the defense begins its case, Moby tells UnchainedTV that Chicken Rescue Trial defendant Zoe Rosenberg is in the company of Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Now it's the Defense's turn as the Chicken Rescue Trial of 23-year old animal cruelty investigator Zoe Rosenberg enters its 16th day. It's a case that's riveted the nation. Some say it's also putting industrialized animal agriculture on trial. Members of the animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) have attended the trial daily to support Rosenberg and her legal team, which includes Chris Carraway of the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project and Kevin Little.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports, "Some of those spectators were in tears when Little showed the jury a picture of the 'condemnation pot,' which he said is where all chickens Petaluma Poultry deems not suitable for human consumption end up. He went on to display video of chickens flapping their wings as they hung upside down in a slaughter line."

Rosenberg faces about half a decade in prison after rescuing 4 chickens from a truck at the slaughterhouse in June of 2023. The total value of the chickens has been estimated at $24. It's not known how much this trial will cost taxpayers as it enters its 5th week in Sonoma County, California.

Music icon Moby is now praising Rosenberg, comparing her to historical social justice figures who faced imprisonment for their ethical beliefs. "When you look at history, the number of people who've been where she is, the number of people who have been arrested and persecuted for their ethical beliefs, she's certainly in good historical company," Moby told UnchainedTV reporter Michelle Celestino adding, "She's in company with Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King, Jr. and on and on and on, like with the suffragettes, like so many people who've been arrested for doing the right thing." Moby expressed sympathy for Rosenberg, saying, "I don't know if there is any comfort in that, but she's certainly on the right side of history."

The first defense witnesses expected? Fellow Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) member Rocky Chau and animal care expert Carla Cabral.

Cabral reportedly took care of the 4 chickens Zoe rescued (named Poppy, Ivy, Aster & Azalea) and is expected to describe their condition around the time they were taken off the slaughter truck. Zoe has said they were visibly ill and suffering, adding that her repeated attempts to get law enforcement to investigate the slaughterhouse were ignored, sparking her decision to undertake the rescue. The defendant and Direct Action Everywhere claim chickens are sometimes boiled alive at the facility due to the high speed nature of the killing process. The defense team also asserted that about 4,000 chickens were crammed into the slaughter truck from which the 4 chickens were removed.

The company in question, Perdue-owned Petaluma Poultry, denies the animal cruelty allegations insisting it has high animal welfare standards and calling Rosenberg and DxE extremists with a radical agenda. The company is invited on any time.

UnchainedTV is providing daily live coverage of the trial with a team of attorneys, analysts and reporter Matthew Zirbel live at the courthouse.

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