2/13/2004
SLAUGHTERVILLE, Okla. -- Residents of this central Oklahoma community have a beef over an animal rights group's attempt to raise awareness of animal abuse.
Slaughterville administrator Marsha Blair received a letter from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, urging the town to change its name from Slaughterville to Veggieville.
"I am writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, our 800,000 members and supporters, and other compassionate Americans to ask Slaughterville to change its name -- which conjures up images of the violent and bloody deaths of terrified chickens, pigs and cows -- to Veggieville, a friendly name honoring a heart-healthy and compassionate alternative to animal corpses," the letter said.
PETA, based in Norfolk, Va., promises to donate $20,000 in veggie burgers to a school district nearest to the town, said Bruce Friedrich, director of PETA's vegan campaigns. A vegan is someone who abstains from consuming animal products.
The town was named after a grocery store run by James Slaughter in the early 20th century.
Friedrich, who once lived in the town of 3,600, said Thursday he knows the origins of the name.
"People find our requests amusing, and they chuckle," he said. "But when they're laughing, they have the opportunity to consider the animal abuse it brings up."
For Blair and other residents, the Slaughter family's lingering reputation makes the town's name a sacred cow.
I used to be a card carrying member of PETA
But I have since come to my senses.
