Hey, Chicago, ‘I’m ME, Not MEAT!’ Proclaims Pro-Vegan Ad Blitz

PETA’s Provocative Billboards in Top Pork-Producing State Urge Everyone to See Animals as Individuals and Go Vegan

For Immediate Release:
July 12, 2018

Contact:
Audrey Shircliff 202-483-7382

Just ahead of several meat-heavy summer festivals—and because Chicago has long supported the meatpacking industry and is located in one of the country’s top pork-producing states—PETA is serving up some food for thought to Windy City residents with three giant billboards (and a fourth one is expected to go up this week) promoting the idea that animals are much more than the sum of their parts. The ads show either a cow’s or a pig’s face next to the words “I’m ME, Not MEAT. See the Individual. Go Vegan.”

“Just like humans, cows and pigs are made of flesh and blood, feel pain and fear, have unique personalities, and value their own lives,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA’s thought-provoking ads encourage everyone to forgo the flesh of sensitive animals in favor of Gardein’s Porkless Bites, Beyond Burgers, Fakin’ Bacon, fruits, veggies, nuts, pasta, beans, grains, and the many other hearty and delicious vegan options available today.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—notes that calves in the meat industry are castrated and branded and spend their short lives on cramped, filthy feedlots. To kill them, workers shoot them in the head with a captive-bolt gun, hang them upside down by one leg, and cut their throats—often while they’re still conscious. Pigs’ tails are chopped off, their teeth are cut with pliers, and males are castrated—all without pain relief. At the slaughterhouse, they’re hung upside down and bled to death.

The ads can be seen at the following locations:

• The intersection of N. Ogden Avenue and W. Fulton Boulevard near McDonald’s
• The intersection of N. Damen Avenue and W. Roscoe Street in Roscoe Village, near the location of the Roscoe Village Burger Fest
• 811 S. Jefferson St., near several meat-serving restaurants, including Portillo’s Hot Dogs, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chipotle, The Berghoff, and Athena Greek Restaurant
• 69 W. Division St., above Jimmy John’s and close to Chicago q and The Halal Guys

For more information, please visit PETA.org.