Over 40,000 people have signed this petition. Despite this being nearly FIVE TIMES more than the number of people who voted Mayor Gusciora into office in 2018, it doesn't seem to matter. Not to him. Not the media. And not to anyone at the county or state level.
When I started this petition, I thought - maybe if the mayor sees how many people want answers about this, he'll return my texts and emails again. Maybe he will answer the volunteer emails when they say they are concerned about the welfare of the animals in the shelter, or the dogs being kept in an undisclosed boarding facility.
Or maybe the media will share the story and then the mayor will respond and him and his HHS team will see that these volunteers just want to help. They love these animals, and they just want to see them get the best possible chance at life outside the shelter.
But nothing has happened. Despite over 40,000 people signing this petition, every concern that volunteers are sharing are still being ignored. Every OPRA request I have personally filed for information on statistics ranging from bite records to euthanasia information to adoption/transfer statistics has either been ignored, delayed, denied or returned with a response from Officer Munoz that says, "No Records". But there have to be records. They are required.
If you're interested in more about the OPRAs, here is a link to the document I created to track the requests and responses: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-MJGDatBI7x5czINjdSMS1wv2nubHjhq/view?usp=sharing
I tried an OPRA attorney. No response.
I tried all my media contacts. They thanked me for reaching out but didn't follow up. (News12, NJ.com, ABC, CBS, among others)
I tried the Department of HHS for the city. I tried the NJ State DOH. I tried the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office. I tried the Governor's office. I tried my contacts at the US Senate.
So...
Do I feel utterly and completely defeated?
Not even a little.
Do I feel utterly and completely disgusted with the systems that are supposed to be working to protect us and animals?
100%.
Maybe they are counting on us giving up.
Well, we're not. We don't want a fight. We want a conversation.
Please join us in continuing to email the mayor to ask for a chance to sit down with him and his team and address these concerns. We are asking that he include the concerned volunteers and any other member of the public who would like to help. Please be kind and professional in your email and please don't stop when you get a boiler plate response. Instead, email again. Because the ask here is for a discussion, not a boiler plate email response.
You can reach the mayor at rgusciora@trentonnj.org.
You can also reach the Governor's Office at 609-292-6000. Maybe if the mayor won't listen to us, Governor Murphy will.
The mayor is up for reelection on November 8th. This should be something he should have to (and want to) address. You can see his campaign page here.
On a personal note, this continues to be a really, really difficult time for me and my family. The harassment from online trolls hasn't stopped despite blocking them as often as I can. I've also been kept from doing other good work in the city completely unrelated to the animals. A few of my former colleagues have even said they won't work with me right now for "political reasons', even though I'm not a politician.
Some of the people who love me most have told me that maybe it is time to move on. But they know - because they know me - I will always, always, always fight for what is right and admit when I am wrong.
To me, this is something that I can't let go of until there is change.
Thanks for continuing to be a voice for those who can't speak. It matters. Believe me, please. It matters. SO, PLEASE KEEP SPEAKING UP.