Poultry protesters

Eureka, Ca - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals protesters were confronted with counter-protesters outside the Kentucky Fried Chicken on Broadway, Eureka, on Thursday. Though other animal-abuse protests have occurred outside the local KFC, this was the first PETA-sponsored gathering.

Charlie McKenzie, the campaign assistant for PETA, UK, organized the protest. McKenzie said that they were fighting the animal abuse that goes on in the farms that supply KFC with chicken, and that KFC has done nothing to improve their animal-rights standards. The specific complaints involve the breeding and transportation practices, as well as the method of slaughter as being unnecessarily cruel.

According to McKenzie, other fast-food restaurants such as McDonalds, Wendy’s, and Burger King have worked to cooperate with PETA’s demands.

McKenzie said that PETA has brought two lawsuits against KFC, one of which was successful and the other still pending. However, there is no national law prohibiting cruelty to chickens, so PETA is unable to sue KFC for that offense. “These movements begin with the people. The people can make it happen, we want to inspire them, ” McKenzie said.

The recently formed Humboldt State University group AWARE, or Always Working for Animal Rights and Equality, has held protests before and worked with PETA for this protest.

The counter-protesters, though not an official group, appeared with cardboard handmade signs. The protesters purchased buckets of chicken to eat and hand out to passersby, and infiltrated the PETA members to discuss the issue of animal cruelty and propaganda.

Hollice Rogers, a College of the Redwoods student who appeared to protest against PETA, expressed his opinion that PETA is too extreme and that the organization relies on propaganda.

An employee of KFC who chose not to be named due to corporate policy, said, “They came, we work. They’re kids; they do what they gotta do, we do what we gotta do.”

The employee expressed some concern that this sort of protest may deter some elderly customers, though some come in and eat at KFC in defiance of the protest.