PETA protesters asked to leave Chattanooga

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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This story is about the same group who was here in Asheville on Monday:

Protesters ended early their pro-vegetarian demonstration near Miller Park this morning after they said city officials asked them to leave.

Passersby near the intersection of Market Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard gawked at a nearly naked woman covered in fake blood and wrapped in cellophane on a tray on the sidewalk — to simulate packaged meat — with a banner reading “Meat is Murder” held above her.

“They’re not breaking a law by protesting, but breaking the law by disturbing the peace,” city of Chattanooga park ranger Todd Weller said.

Ashley Byrne of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said they planned to stage the demonstration on a public sidewalk instead of obtaining a permit for an event in the park.

“What we were doing was legal, but I wasn’t going to let anybody get arrested,” she said, adding Mr. Weller asked them to move.

However, city parks and police officials couldn’t agree on who asked the protesters to leave.

Kevin Brady, Parks and Facilities Maintenance director, said he received a call from a park ranger asking whether PETA had an event permit for Miller Park, and the group didn’t. However, public sidewalks are out of the Park and Recreation’s jurisdiction, he said.

“We don’t enforce these rules,” Mr. Brady said. “The police asked them to leave because they were causing traffic problems.”