Petaluma Poultry Demonstrator Arrested: Police

PETALUMA, CA -- A Berkeley resident was arrested early Monday on suspicion of trespassing after he allegedly refused to move from his position in front of a Petaluma Poultry truck at the business on 2700 Lakeville Highway, Petaluma police said.

Jonathan Frohmayer, 32, of Berkeley, was among a group of 20 demostrators who had "surrounded a large tractor trailer truck," not permitting the truck to move, according to a Petaluma police statement.

"Over the past few months numerous demonstrators have been contacted at Petaluma Poultry," police said. "The demonstrators repeatedly have been attempting to impede the traffic of Petaluma Poultry vehicles entering their facility despite numerous advisements from Petaluma Police."

The animal rights demonstrations have frequently been taking place at nighttime.

At 12:20 a.m. Monday, officers responded to find the demonstrators allegedly blocking the truck from moving, "creating a traffic hazard that was unsafe for the demonstrators in the roadway, the driver of the truck, and other motorists on the roadway," police said.

Officers ordered the group to get out of the roadway. Although the demonstrators initially did not respond to the officers’ commands, all but one eventually complied, police said.

The one demonstrator, later identified as Frohmayer, was allegedly sitting in front of the truck on the private driveway to Petaluma Poultry, and security staff on scene requested that he be placed under citizen's arrest for trespassing, police said.

"Frohmayer was compliant with officers but refused to get out of the roadway," police said, "and was taken into custody without incident." Frohmayer was transported to Sonoma County Jail where he was booked on suspicion of one count of trespassing.

The Petaluma Police Department said it "encourages and supports those who choose to exercise their constitutional right to free speech, however," it "requests those who choose to do so be respectful of everyone in our community and obey all laws."

According to a news release from Direct Action Network, Frohnmayer, an attorney and organizer with the grassroots animal rights network, was arrested "for peacefully sitting in front of a transport truck outside of the slaughterhouse gates."

Frohnmayer, a graduate of Stanford and the University of Oregon Law School, was participating in a vigil organized by Bay Area Animal Save when "a truck holding thousands of chickens drove into a throng of activists," the group stated.

“The truck pushed right into us,” activist Rachel Ziegler said. “The security guards said they were going to run us over.”

According to Direct Action Network, or DxE, the activists were holding signs saying, “No hate for truckers. Just love for animals," when the incident occurred.

"Security guards shouted at the demonstrators as the truck approached the facility," the group said. "When the truck pushed into the activists, Frohnmayer sat down on the sidewalk in front of the entrance to the facility, refusing to leave unless the birds were spared."

Vigil participants say Frohnmayer was moved by his concern over animal cruelty.

"A lot of the birds were struggling to breathe," said activist Leslie Goldberg. "They could barely move at all. It was heartbreaking to see them in so much pain.”

The activists say the chickens are "denied any protections in transport under the 28 Hour Law and endure horrific suffering on transport trucks." They cite recent DxE exposés inside of slaughterhouses as demonstrating "the inherent cruelty of using animals for food."

The activists say the police, instead of arresting Frohnmayer, should have charged Petaluma Poultry, "which falsely markets itself as 'a happy place to roost,' with animal cruelty."

Photo courtesy of Direct Action Network/Photographer Michael Goldberg