Pressured by Lawsuit, Civic Center Farmers Market Bans Chicken Sales

Good to know that left wing bullies have at least one place in the world where they can push people around and use lawsuits to put struggling small business people out of business, and play off of racist stereotypes. How "open and tolerant" they are.

I'd like to clarify and correct some items in this article:

- The lawsuit filed by activists addressing violence, anti-gay slurs, and other civil rights violations was not the primary reason for the ban, though it certainly did help get the attention of the market's Directors as they could no longer simply ignore the problems. For over two years, activists documented and reported illegal animal cruelty (Animal Care & Control cited Raymond Young for 795 cruelty violations in May 2009, which the D.A. refuses to prosecute), state health code violations, violation's of the market's main permit's animal welfare and public health laws, federal food stamp laws, wastewater contamination, and apparent violations of CA's direct marketing laws applicable to farmers' markets.

- The chickens being sold were not "broilers." They were primarily worthless "spent" former egg-laying hens sold off cheaply by several Central Valley factory farms (evidenced by their cut-off beaks, advanced ages, their breed [Rhode Island Red, developed for egg production and poor for meat] and the fact that one of the farms listed on the health permit belongs to Gemperle Industries, one of CA's largest egg producers).

- The hens were $6 or $5.50 each.

- The hens were brought not only to homes, but illegally to restaurants (documented on video and by customers), into public housing (including for persons with HIV/AIDS such as nearby GEDC) and for Santeria ritual sacrifice (their bodies sometimes winding up in public parks to the horror of children finding them). Homeless persons frequently bought them as "pets" only to meet terrible fates on the streets. Some escape or are "set free" to become burdens on animal rescue organizations (including Animal Care & Control) if they survived long enough.

- The slaughter of some of the birds by unlicensed individuals violated state humane poultry slaughter laws, which officals refused to enforce.

- Contrary to Ms. O'Malley's statement, the Dept. of Public Health has repeatedly found violations involving feces spread in public areas, and customers and vendors bringing live animals near produce and other food for sale (though the Dept. was originally very resistant to responding to our earlier documented complaints). In fact, they held a hearing on 11/9/2010 and gave both the market and Raymond Young Poultry final warnings, though they refused to follow up with enforcement afterward even though we submitted proof of violations almost every market day since. You can see examples of feces spread throughout public areas at http://youtu.be/4trXVvThQAA. In addition to the market, feces on these bags get spread through public transit, restaurants, and shared housing.

Feces from factory-farmed animals (both wet and dry/airborne) are known carriers of many dangerous pathogens, and small children, persons with HIV/AIDS, pregnant women and the elderly are particularly vulnerable.

- Neither Jayce Benton/Bullfeathers Quail or Raymond Young Poultry are "small farmers." Mr. Young sources his birds from 3 enormous factory farms (owned by others) in 3 Central Valley cities (Modesto, Manteca and Wilton), and Mr. Benton owns a gigantic enclosed-shed factory farm in Arbuckle, with a tiny fraction of his sales being at the farmers' market.

- No cultural or ethnic group has been "singled out" and such accusations are simply an attempt to distract from the real issues. LGBT Compassion campaigns against illegal/unethical cruelty and law violations no matter who does it, and for what reason. In fact, they campaign against others in their own community (LGBT) involved in gay rodeo, and traditionally "American" activities such as factory farming, circuses, dog breeding, rodeo, and dog-fighting. Several of its key people are Asian, and many of its volunteers and supporters are Chinese, other Asian, or other ethnicities. As with many other social problems throughout history, a long-standing and tenacious demand by for a product does not make it legal or ethical - and change is inevitable. Compassion and respect for the law are recognized by many people in different cultures.

In summary, the sale of live birds at farmers' markets is inherently cruel, directly creates violations of state health laws and places the public at health risks, and should not be subsidized and supported by a city like San Francisco.

More information, including many video and documents, can be found at http://lgbtcompassion.org/livemarkets/ and http://www.youtube.com/user/LGBTcompassionDotOrg

Also, contrary to this article, LGBT Compassion has always equally protested and documented violations of both vendors (Jayce Benton/Bullfeathers Quail and Raymond Young Poultry). Market manager Christine Adams claimed otherwise in a prior interview, presumably to infer that there was a racially-motivated reason to leave Mr. Benton alone.

Contrary to the reporter's and Mr. Benton's assertions that sales won't be affected, supermarket chickens (which, though they also suffer tremendously on factory farms, likely suffer less for a shorter time than the market's birds) is not a substitute for live chickens and game birds, and Chinatown shops cannot compete with the prices and supply of the birds sold at a city-subsidized farmers' market with little overhead to the vendor, at a major public transit hub with easy parking. People from other cities have been able to easily load up vehicles with up to 100 birds (often for restaurants), which is difficult and more expensive in Chinatown. There is likely no other public area where the filth, stench and cruelty of such an operation would again be allowed, and it would immediately be protested as well, for the same problems, until it was gone.

Doesn't Raymond Young Poultry sell chickens off the back of trucks parked on Grant Av and Stockton Street? I seem to recall their being parked with sales for years now.

4th gen SF native.