Protestors sitting behind Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor disrupt playoff game

A woman stormed the court and was immediately tackled by a security guard.
Protestors sitting behind Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor disrupt playoff game
Protestors sitting behind Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor disrupt playoff game /

For the third time in two weeks, a Minnesota Timberwolves game was disrupted by protestors. 

Saturday night during the third quarter of the playoff game between the Wolves and Memphis Grizzlies, a protestor who was sitting directly behind Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor's wife, Becky, bolted out of the stands onto the court only to be immediately tackled by a security guard. 

As the protestor was being dragged off the court by multiple security guards, another protestor behind the Taylors was apprehended and removed from the stands. The video even shows one of Minnesota's assistant coaches, Micah Nori, was in the stands helping during the mayhem. 

Here's the video. 

As was the case during previous protests – a woman gluing her hand to the floor and another woman chaining herself to the hoop – the organization Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) has claimed credit. 

The woman who stormed the court, identified by DxE as Sasha Zemmel, of St. Louis, Missouri, was dressed a referee and "shed an outer jacket" to reveal a shirt that states "Glen Taylor roasts animals alive." 

DxE says the protests were carried out to raise awareness of DxE's investigation into Rembrandt Enterprises in Iowa, a company owned by Timberwolves majority owner Glen Taylor.

It has been confirmed by the Iowa Department of Agriculture that 5.3 million birds had to be destroyed in Buena Vista County – where Rembrandt Enterprises has a facility – in response to the outbreak of avian flu that has forced the culling of millions of poultry birds in the Midwest in an attempt to prevent further spread.

DxE alleges that Rembrandt used the controversial practice of "ventilation shutdown," where barns are closed and all ventilation sealed and fans turned off. Heaters, steam, or gas is then pumped into the barn to raise the temperature to the point the animals die either from overheating or suffocation.

DxE released footage that it claims to show the aftermath of a cull at Rembrandt Farm, which shows a handful of disheveled birds that survived, and at one point shows a conveyor belt seemingly transporting dead birds from one of the barns onto the back of a semi-truck with an open trailer.

The practice has spawned a protest movement including a group called Veterinarians Against Ventilation Shutdown, which describes it as a "brutal, painful method of animal depopulation."

USA Today reports the practice is approved by the USDA but "in extreme cases only," such as when an infected population "is too large."

DxE has demanded Taylor expedite the sale of the Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx to minority owners Mark Lore and Alex Rodriguez, who are set to take over majority ownership in 2023. 


Published
Joe Nelson
JOE NELSON

Title: Bring Me The Sports co-owner, editor Email: joe@bringmethenews.com Twitter: @JoeBMTN Education: Southwest Minnesota State University Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Expertise: All things Minnesota sports Nelson has covered Minnesota sports for two decades, starting his media career in sports radio. He worked at small market Minnesota stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before joining one of the nation's highest-rated sports stations, KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. There, he was the producer of the top-rated mid-morning sports show with Minnesota Vikings announcer Paul Allen.  His radio experience helped blossom a career as a sports writer, joining Minneapolis-based Bring Me The News in 2011.  Nelson and Adam Uren became co-owners of Bring Me The News in 2018 and have since more than tripled the site's traffic and launched Bring Me The Sports in cooperation with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation umbrella. Nelson has covered the Super Bowl and numerous training camps, NFL combines, the MLB All-Star Game and Minnesota playoff games, in addition to the day-to-day happenings on and off the field of play.  Nelson also has extensive knowledge of non-sports subjects, including news and weather. He works closely with Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard to produce a bevy of weather and climate information for Minnesota readers.  Nelson helped launch and manage the Bring Me The News Radio Network, which provided more than 50 radio stations around Minnesota with daily news, sports and weather reports from 2011-17.