What Was With the Protesting Chickens? Both Sides Speak Out on Demonstration Against Miami Commissioner

A group of folks dressed in chicken costumes showed up to protest a Miami city commissioner at a city event this past weekend at Bayfront Park. Police even got involved, arresting one man.

Documentary filmmaker Billy Corben, who never shies away from controversy and isn't afraid to express his opinions about Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo, was the videographer who went to film the chicken protest.

"We were there as part of a peaceful protest, at a public park at a public event that was financed by public money that the public was invited to," Corben said.

The event was being held to celebrate a new walkway and sculpture garden at Bayfront Park.

"I was the videographer with the chickens who were conducting this peaceful protest in part to remind Miami who their elected representatives are," Corben said.

Corben told NBC 6 that the chickens were protesting Carollo and what Corben called the misappropriation of city money.

He said the chickens were not disrupting the event. Though police did arrest a man, Morgan Gianola, who was charged with resisting an officer without violence, trespass after warning and with disturbing the peace.

"The truth of the matter is that the police did this, not for the sake of public safety or for the crowd, they did this for one man. Because one man could see the chickens and he could see the signs that they were holding," Corben said.

Carollo told NBC 6 that he was focused on the event and handing out certificates of appreciation to the artists, and not focused on the chickens.

"If their intention was to get my attention, they didn’t get it," Carollo said. "I did find out later on that there had been one arrest made. I believe very strongly in the First Amendment, but the people that were there had a right to their First Amendment, too. The First Amendment of these handful of chickens that were paid to be brought there by people that don’t live in our city — and the chickens that live in our city — they were given their First Amendment rights. They were disturbing, according to the police report, and according to what people were telling me."         

Gianola's attorney called the charges "ridiculous" and said he expects the charges to be dropped.