In two weeks, on Thursday 25 February at 12:30pm Pacific, the first 2021 meeting of the EBRPD Natural and Cultural Resources Committee is slated to occur. The meeting is scheduled, but, as of this posting, the agenda is not.
THIS MEETING IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT! After their horrific policy of shooting cats was exposed, and thousands of people, including everyone who signed this petition, expressed their outrage, EBRPD put a TEMPORARY moratorium on their policy of shooting cats. As of today, they have not yet agreed to ban this barbaric and inhumane practice permanently. They promised to do an internal investigation, and to present their findings to the Natural and Cultural Resources Committee, who will discuss the issue before taking it before the full Board of Directors.
The meeting on 25 February, two weeks from today, will be the first time that this issue will actually be on a meeting's agenda. Previously, concerned citizens were allowed to send emails, leave voicemails, or to make brief comments live during the Zoom meetings. Public input was limited because we were addressing the Board regarding "items not on the agenda." Under the Brown Act, the Board could not even discuss the issue: "No action or discussion shall be undertaken on any item not on the agenda."
It is absolutely essential that we let EBRPD know that we have NOT FORGOTTEN their atrocious policy and their despicable actions. Months have gone by, and many monumental events have occurred on the national and even the global scale, but our outrage and our vehement demand for permanent change at EBRPD have not lessened.
Although the agenda is not yet posted, and thus it is too early to send emails or voicemails to EBRPD, I wanted to touch base with everyone and let you know that this is happening, and soon! I will check the linked page every day, and I will send another update as soon as the agenda is posted. At that time, I hope with all my heart that we will make our voices heard! I know that leaving a voicemail or sending an email is asking a lot more than asking for a signature, and for those of you who are ready and able to do so, I am profoundly grateful. For those of you who want to speak up, but find the thought of writing an email or leaving a voicemail daunting, I completely understand. I really do. Other than this petition, I don't think I have ever written anything to any group of people larger than a handful of friends and family, or perhaps a group of classmates. I also have a terrible fear of public speaking, and although I have attended the Board meetings via Zoom, I have never spoken. I have been awed by the eloquence and passion of those who did speak. If you want to contact the Board, you have time to think about what you might want to say and how you might want to say it. When I send an update that the agenda is officially posted, I will also write a brief "template." Something starting with "I am writing to voice my support for a permanent ban of EBRPD's decades-long policy ..." or something similar. If you want to copy/paste the template and send it, fine. If you want to use part of it, but not all of it, also fine. If you hate it, but it helps you figure out what you want to say instead, that's good too! I know I say this every time I post, but I am no more qualified to speak about this than any of you, and less so than many of you! My goal with sending a "template" would absolutely NOT be to dictate what any one of you says to EBRPD, just to encourage everyone to speak their mind and to facilitate that for those of us who are less confident about "speaking up."
In the weeks since my last update, a lot of people have been actively working to make EBRPD's temporary moratorium a permanent ban. On a local level, the leaders of the municipal shelters have banded together and spoken with EBRPD representatives. They are providing EBRPD with contact information for "point people" for park employees to contact any time a situation with a domestic species arises. For Alameda, for example, the Executive Director of FAAS (Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter) has given them his contact information, the information of the shelter's Operations Director, and at least one other person. The same is being done by shelters throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The shelters are also streamlining and improving their abilities to work together and support one another, so, for example, if one shelter is suddenly inundated with a large number of animals needing spay/neuter appointments, they can easily reach out to the others to see if anyone is able to help. There have been two, if not more, meetings between shelter directors and EBRPD representatives, and I've been told by several of the people who attended the meetings that the EBRPD representatives seem genuinely open to alternatives to shooting cats.
On a national level, Alley Cat Allies has committed to changing policy not just at EBRPD, but at the horrifyingly long list of governmental agencies that commit animal cruelty in the name of conservation. In a recent update, which is worth reading in its entirety, they wrote:
We support compassionate conservation, and we know that with sound public policy, common sense information, and best practices with a focus on sterilization and colony care, we can protect both cats and birds.
We want justice for the victims in the Oakland cat shootings. We will build a better, more compassionate world in their memory.
In 2021, Alley Cat Allies is prioritizing a complete rooting out of the entrenched thinking and outdated policies that underpin the systemic cat killing programs undertaken by far too many government agencies – local, state, regional, and national. EBRPD is not alone in the wrong it has done. It should take no comfort in the company it keeps on that score. Killing animals should not be normal operating procedure in our parks or anywhere else.
We will work to see that tax dollars are never again spent inflicting pain and suffering on animals. We will fight to see that protection and compassion are the cornerstones of policies impacting both endangered species and cats going forward.
If the Board of Directors does not vote to permanently ban their policy, I still plan on visiting EBRPD parks. I sincerely hope it does not come to that, but if it does, I will do so while wearing a t-shirt from Alley Cat Allies, shown in the picture attached to this update. I will visit in order to continue to spread awareness of EBRPD's policy to as many members of our community as possible. If it comes to that, I hope to see some of you there!