TUSCALOOSA, AL — As customers turned out for the grand opening of Tuscaloosa's new Raising Cane's, animal rights activists were also on hand Monday to protest the chicken finger chain and call attention to the treatment of chickens in the meat industry.
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The demonstration, which included a woman soaked in fake blood hanging upside down like a slaughtered animal, was organized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) outside the new Raising Cane's at 1241 McFarland Blvd. E — the chain's first standalone location in Tuscaloosa outside of the University of Alabama.
Tricia Lebkuecher, a director of campaigns at PETA, told Patch that the group hoped to use the restaurant's opening to draw attention to what it views as animal cruelty behind the fast-food industry.
"Raising Cane's celebrations neglect to mention the chickens who suffer on factory farms and are killed violently at slaughterhouses before ending up in Cane's fast-food bags," Lebkuecher said.
The protest provided a stark contrast to the festivities surrounding the opening of the popular Louisiana-based chain's new Tuscaloosa restaurant.
There was also a small contingent of counter-protesters, mostly from the local radio station 95.3 The Bear, with one individual — an intern at the radio station who goes by the on-air nickname Cornbread — in an inflatable costume of a man riding a large chicken.
While the protestors stood holding signs and carrying out the graphic demonstration, Cornbread shouted phrases like "Eat more chicken."
Another woman taking cell phone video of the protest confronted organizers by asking for their thoughts on abortion — a practice that has been illegal in Alabama since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022.
No demonstrators were allowed on the Raising Cane's property and were ordered to stay on the sidewalk during the protest.
Lebkuecher said PETA specifically wanted customers to consider the conditions chickens experience before patronizing restaurants like Raising Cane's.
"Chickens are bred to grow extremely large, unnaturally quickly," she said. "They're confined to filthy sheds by the thousands and they are killed when they are just six weeks old. If you're eating Raising Cane's chicken, you are eating baby birds, and no amount of secret sauce can hide the cruelty inherent in every bag of chicken that Raising Cane's sells."
PETA is known for demonstrations that employ graphic imagery and provocative displays to attract attention to animal welfare issues.
Lebkuecher said that approach was intentional during Monday's protest.
"Facts and figures aren't always enough to grab people's attention, and we're here with a visual representation of how chickens suffer and die in the meat industry," she said.
Lebkuecher was deliberate when she described slaughterhouse practices in graphic terms, saying chickens can remain conscious during portions of the slaughter process.
"Chickens are hung upside down by their ankles, their throats are slit, and they're dunked into scalding-hot defeathering tanks," she said.
She further claimed that because slaughter lines move quickly, some chickens miss stunning or throat-cutting procedures before reaching defeathering tanks.
PETA used the demonstration to encourage customers to stop eating animal products altogether, with Lebkuecher arguing that consumers can make an impact through their everyday food choices.
"We are asking people to consider the chickens and to make kind choices three times a day at every meal," she said. "No one needs to eat meat, dairy or eggs to survive. We can get everything that we need from a healthy, well-balanced vegan diet."
Lebkuecher encouraged those interested in PETA's campaign to visit the organization's website for its vegan starter materials.
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