GEORGETOWN, Ky. (LEX 18) — For over a year, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has been traveling from town to town across the country with an attention-grabbing truck, and on Friday, the organization’s campaign arrived in Georgetown.
In response, locals flocked downtown, some even carrying buckets of chicken or homemade signs against the organization.
PETA’s campaign features a life-size chicken transport truck covered in images of birds bound for slaughter. The traveling campaign is called Hell on Wheels. In addition to the depiction of chickens, the truck plays a disturbing audio track of birds being slaughtered.
“Well, the Hell on Wheels truck is designed to get a reaction, and without fail, every place we visit, it gets a reaction,” said Amber Canavan, PETA vegan campaign project manager.
As expected, the truck got a big reaction from some locals.
“This is a small town in Kentucky and you're gonna play distressed bird sounds in front of a locally-owned business? Shame on you. Go to a big city and do that,” said Trinity Harris.
Notified ahead of time, police let the community know that PETA had a right to protest under the First Amendment and planned on parking their truck near Galvin's restaurant on Main Street. With no open parking spaces, the truck ended up circling the block for about an hour.
Co-owner of Galvin's, Stephanie Jones said her clientele showed up in droves on Friday to support the restaurant.
“Our community has always stepped up to help us. Every time, 100%,” she said.
On what's typically "Fish Friday," Jones said the hottest menu item was actually chicken, in opposition to PETA’s campaign.
Co-owner Dan Galvin responded to the support, “It's overwhelming because you do this day to day and you get tunnel vision, but something like this happens that makes news, you hope the community has your back and days like today you figure it out.”
According to Jones and Galvin, PETA emailed them ahead of time and shared vegan recipes and ingredients, urging them to alter their menu. Galvin said the restaurant offers some vegetarian options.
“To try to force us to conform to their thing is pretty much un-American,” said Galvin. “We're doing our thing. If they want jackfruit or vegan, there's a restaurant space available across the street.”
Similar sentiments were shared at Bourbon Barrel Beef across the street and from protesters on the corner.
“Let people do what they want to do. If you want to eat meat, eat meat, if you want to eat vegetables, eat vegetables,” said Joseph Hebert.
Still, many questioned, why Georgetown and why Galvin's?
PETA responded, telling LEX 18, “The truck is hitting every small to medium town it can on the way. Places where maybe you've never necessarily seen a PETA protest before or a PETA billboard and here we are right on Main Street."
According to Canavan, PETA is targeting popular downtown restaurants with meat on the menu, like Galvin's.
Regardless of the reactions, their goal is to make people think.
