Four protesters at racetrack are cited for trespassing

Four people who forced the cancellation of Thursday’s horse racing at Golden Gate Fields by chaining themselves together and laying down on the track were cited for trespassing after being arrested, police said Friday.

The protest over recent horse deaths at the track also caused a mass COVID-19 vaccination site near the track to be closed for several hours, causing hundreds of people to have their appointments canceled.

Police arrested Omar Aicardi, 43, of Modesto; Rocky Chau, 32, of San Francisco; James Crom, 29, of Oakland; and Rachel

Ziegler, 28, of Oakland about 6:30 p.m., according to Albany Assistant City Manager Isabelle LeDuc.

All four were identified previously by the Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) group that protested and “were prepared to be arrested,” Almira Tanner, the group’s lead organizer, said Thursday. Attempts to reach the group Friday were not successful immediately.

Seventeen other members of the group protested at the entrance near Gilman Street and Interstate 80. They held blue-and-gold placards that read, “Shut Down Golden Gate Fields” and chanted “It’s not entertainment” and “There’s no excuse for animal abuse.”

All seven of Thursday’s races were canceled. Friday’s races were scheduled to start at 12:45 p.m., and no delays were expected.

At least five horses have died at the racetrack this year, according to a state database of racehorse fatalities.

In 2020, more than 20 horses died on the track, causing the Berkeley City Council and Mayor Jesse Arreguín to request a special investigation on behalf of Berkeley residents.

The California Horse Racing Board’s website listed four of the deaths as training related, with the fifth labeled as “other.” That meant the horse’s death did not occur during racing or training.