Dear Senator Cory Booker

As it is well known that you are a long time animal advocate, we the undersigned ask for your support for a No Kill shelter to return to 298 Walton Ave., South Orange NJ.

We also would appreciate help from Congressman Donald M. Payne Jr., State Senator Richard J. Codey, Assemblywoman Mila Jasey, and Assemblyman John F. McKeon.

The previous No Kill Shelter was run by the non- profit organization, the Jersey Animal Coalition, which raised funds from animal advocates, with a percentage from South Orange and Maplewood and was built on South Orange Department of Public Works property.

When the shelter failed an inspection in March 2014 a court case began which ended in the loss of the building to South Orange.

Since that time both Maplewood and South Orange started sending animals to Associated Humane in Newark. By January of 2015 Maplewood changed to a full service contract with AHS while South Orange retained its own Animal Control Officer and without a formal contract began sending animals to Dr. Kimani Griffith in Mine Hill, NJ. When the veterinarian was involved in failed inspections at the East Orange Animal Shelter, the town ended its relationship with him at the urging of activists.

Meanwhile the former JAC building at 298 Walton has stood empty, despite pleas from the community to allow another Non Profit Animal Shelter to take its place and carry on the mission that animal activists originally hoped for.

It should be understood that finding another location would require renting a space with consideration of zoning, and raising the money all over again.

A Request For Proposals was promised since January of 2015. A request for temporary use for rescued local animals from a hoarding rescue was refused with the reasoning that the town was not interested in temporary use.

Recently without fanfare the town temporarily rented the space to a gym, with no conversation with one of the interested parties People for Animals, while acknowledging to the press that they had interest in the location. PFA was having meetings with its board and voluntarily helping our town of South Orange craft a TNVR ordinance.

We have come out to Town Hall meetings, joined a large vocal community and shared our pleas in writing to Village President Sheena Collum.

As a man who dreamed of a No Kill Shelter in our neighboring town of Newark can you please now raise your voice and help us be at least one of the few towns in our state to have a No Kill shelter.