Sonoma County: Prosecute Animal Cruelty, Not Animal Rescue

58 nonviolent activists were swept up in a mass arrest by Petaluma police last month and charged with felonies for trying to give food and water to starving animals at the largest organic poultry producer in the nation. The farm owners yelled homophobic slurs, threatened to run us over with a truck, and were so aggressive that the police pulled out a taser to stop them from hurting us. Yet instead of addressing the animal cruelty at the farm -- or the threats and aggression of the farm owners -- the officers arrested dozens of activists, demanded $20,000 bail for each, and issued a press release falsely accusing the activists of violence. They also made mocking comments on social media in support of the industry and, despite promises to give the animals care, had all the starving animals killed. This abuse of the law cannot continue. Ask Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch to prosecute animal cruelty and drop the charges against nonviolent animal rescuers.