Audio clip
Nicole Matthews
The ante went up Thursday in a battle over chicken-naming rights on city streets.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter Thursday morning to Mayor Ron Littlefield, saying the group would double the amount of a donation the city received from KFC Corp. to fix potholes on city streets.
KFC gave $3,000, and PETA is offering $6,000.
The catch would be that they want to put an evil depiction of KFC founder Col. Harlan Sanders on the road with the tagline, “KFC Tortures Animals,” the group said Thursday.
“We want Chattanooga residents to know what their road repairs really cost,” said Nicole Matthews, PETA spokeswoman. “It’s the lives of around 360 million chickens.”
On Wednesday, city crews were spraypainting temporary chalk logos that said “Re-freshed by KFC” on potholes filled with KFC-purchased asphalt. City officials said they possibly could repair up to 500 potholes with the money.
Richard Beeland, spokesman for Mayor Ron Littlefield, said Thursday the city would not accept the offer from PETA.
“We are not going to place ourselves into the middle of an argument between PETA and the KFC Corp.,” he said.
Mr. Beeland said it also would be inappropriate to accept PETA’s “awkward requirement” that maligns KFC.
KFC offered the same donations to Louisville, Ky., Topeka, Kan., and Warren, Ohio, officials. Ms. Matthews said the group made the same offer to Louisville, Ky., and also to a city in California that applied for the KFC donation.
Warren, Ohio, also received a $6,000 counter-offer, along with an offer to feed city workers vegetarian lunches, according to news reports.
KFC spokesman Rick Maynard said Thursday that “PETA’s reputation speaks for itself.” He noted that all of PETA’s effort to give money to cities in response to KFC has failed.
“They’ve made the offer,” he said. “Nobody’s accepted it.”
Cliff has worked for the Times Free Press for five years and covers Chattanooga city government. He previously covered Rhea County, as well as transportation and growth and development in Southeast Tennessee. A native of Maryville, Tenn., Cliff graduated in 2003 from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis on journalism. Before coming to Chattanooga, he was a crime reporter with Hernando Today, a supplement of The Tampa (Fla.) ...
I am a proud, life long member of PETA (People eating tasty animals) and I am offended by this group of crybabies trying to ruin our great organization. Some of the members of the whiner group have gone so far as to turn loose minks form a mink farm only to have them run over enmass on a local highway. Not only are minks a gorgeous addition to a good looking womans ensemble I would suspect they would make a very tasty, yet expensive snack. These other peta snivelers has resolved me to go to a KFC oday and absolutly pig out to show my support for their generous dotation to eradicate potholes in this area, that is a worthy noble cause. Now, do I get baked beans or corn on the cob? Hhmmmm.....
All this over some asphalt and spray paint? I'm so glad we have our priorities straight.....
KFC, PETA, who cares?! Don't we have enough advertisements bombarding us everyday? Do we really need them painted on our roads? I think it's a waste of money for KFC to offer it, period. As for PETA's counter-offer, well, they're just trying to spread awareness of corporate practices.
Chattanooga should just say "No thank you" and fix their own roads.
enufisenuf, your sarcastic comments are ignorant, unproductive and unnecessary. Grow up.
This story is makin me hungry for a 3-piece meal w/a side of popcorn chicken!
ctfpfan08 coming from you I will take that as a compliment, how about joining me for lunch? Oh yea, get a life
enufisenuf--
Every so often a great response to an article comes along...your first was it.
I rarely laugh at posts but every time I read it, my wife checks to make sure I am OK. Great belly laughs.
I don't care who pays for the repairs so long as I don't have to in taxes -- nor do I care what is temporarily chalk-painted over it. [The rain has solved the issue anyway.]
Once again, thanks and kudos to KFC and Ken Maynard for their great community spirit.
PETA needs to go eat their [Mexican] spinach salad and leave the adults alone. Ever notice how their food always seems to look like the real thing? And how they claim it tastes like the real thing?
Personally, I eat "the real thing". Protein makes your brain work...a veggie diet obviously doesn't.
Is this what we are coming to? Businesses paying for government work in exchange for cheap advertisement? Today we drive on KFC asphault patches, tomorrow we drive through the Fleet Enema or Always Tampon Tunnels?
I mean, where does it end? Walmart recently expressed interest in locating on Highway 151 in Catoosa County. But, the county leaders expected Walmart to pay to widen the highway as well as the bridge over I-75. Walmart has postponed their plans to locate there. How shameful!
chicken does sound good right now....and their biscuits? DELICIOUS!
These comments are cracking me up. I didn't realize that people took this group PETA serious. But, there is some funny comments on here.
I for one would rather have a few advertisements rather than another tax hike.
Pets/chickens = food.
KFC mistreats chickens? I thought they only used DEAD chickens. Is eating yummy fried chicken constitute abuse of a corpse?
una61 Very Good Point, and funny too.
Wow. What a shocker. Like I mentioned about this disgusting practice before- it's a horrible precedent that opens up a giant can of worms. Pretty soon we'll have corporate logos on everything. Truly sad.
Does KFC own their own chicken plant? If not than they dont mistreat chickens. They just cook them after they are already dead.
I am amazed that everyone has an opinion, before bothering to find out what kind of cruelty it is that is being reported. This is about cruelty to LIVE animals. I do not support PETA, am not a vegetarian and will not become one. I love eating chicken. Furthermore, I grew up visting friends' and relatives' farms and I am not squeamish. But when we allow people to do the kinds of things that the people who were filmed were doing, we are missing a far bigger point than what is happening to the chickens, and that is: what is happening to the human spirits of those engaged in the cruel acts. I would encourage you to Google and watch the video. Police and psychologists' files are full of these kinds of people who, lacking empathy, go on to torture humans as well.
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