American Animal Rights Prisoner

Urgent ELP! Bulletin (18th September 2007)

Dear friends

An American, Joshua Rosenberg, has been arrested and remanded into
custody accused of damaging windows of a resturant selling foie gras.

Please send letters of support to:

Joshua Rosenberg - 11/16/1977
Travis County Correctional Complex
3614 Bill Price Road
Del Valle, TX 78617
USA

Please note Josh's name and date of birth must be included on the
envelope. Unless he makes bail, it looks like he'll be held until at
least October 3 (see below article).

Hearing set for man charged in restaurant vandalism
Arrest made in foie gras case.

By Dale Rice
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

A court hearing has been set for Oct. 3 in the case of Joshua
Rosenberg, who was arrested last week and charged with criminal
mischief in connection with the vandalism of Restaurant Jezebel.

Bail for Rosenberg, 29, who remained in the Travis County Jail on
Monday, was set at $20,000 on the felony charge. He was arrested
Sept. 10 by Austin police.

The charges stem from an incident that occurred in late August,
when Rosenberg participated in an evening demonstration against the
serving of foie gras (the liver of force-fed ducks or geese) in
front of the restaurant. He is accused of returning about eight
hours later to deface the restaurant windows with acid after
cutting power to the building.

Video cameras on backup battery power captured the vandalism, and
Jezebel chef-owner Parind Vora turned over the information to
police.

That damage followed an earlier round of vandalism, when someone
spray-painted slogans on Jezebel and four other restaurants that
serve foie gras or veal: Aquarelle, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse,
Ruth's Chris Steak House and Spaghetti Warehouse. Under the name
"Vegangstar," someone put photos on the Internet and took credit
for that vandalism.

The vandalism occurred after Central Texas Animal Defense launched
a campaign against foie gras this summer in Austin, with Jezebel as
its primary target. Noah Cooper, coordinator of the campaign, said
Monday that it was unfortunate that the suspect was linked to his
organization.

"We tried all along to make it clear that's an approach we don't
want to take," he said. "We don't want to be associated with that."

Cooper said Rosenberg attended the Jezebel demonstrations
sporadically and never discussed any potential vandalism with other
members of the group, which intends to continue its protests
outside Jezebel, at 914 Congress Ave., every Tuesday and Friday
during dinner, Cooper said.

Although the campaign hasn't succeeded in removing the fare from
Jezebel's menu, it has had an educational value among those who
walked by the restaurant and learned about the process, he said.

Cooper said fear of a similar campaign may have prompted other
restaurants to take quick action. The effort against the serving of
foie gras recently expanded to San Antonio, he said, and two
restaurants there have removed the dish from the menu.