SHELTER REFORM ACTION
COMMITTEE
P.O. Box 268-Gracie Stration
New York, NY 10028
http://www.ShelterReform.org
Contact: Gary Kaskel (212) 876-0090
F O R I M M E D I A T E
R E L E A S E
New York City, April 23, 2004 - We are troubled by both the tone and substance
of DOH Commissioner Frieden’s
remarks on Monday's animal shelter board meeting that he would lose no sleep
over the destruction of animals that his department deems dangerous to public
health, which sounds like the kind of antiquated thinking from the
unenlightened days when NYC drowned stray animals in the East River.
There are humane ways to deal with dangerous animals other than killing
them.
Such remark alarmingly demonstrates the goals of the Health Commissioner are at
odds with the City’s own stated goals of going “no-kill” with
its animal care and control agency.
It is further troubling that no one is defining who decides what is a dangerous
dog and by what standards such determination is made. We fear that the
term “dangerous dog” is a euphemism for breed specific
extermination by City bureaucrats who do not have a modern and compassionate
attitude towards animals.
The Health Commissioner has further tightened his grip by demanding that all
public statements by Animal Care and Control’s management be cleared
through his office, strongly suggesting that this arrangement is an unhealthy
one for the First Amendment rights of animal advocates, and more importantly, that
AC&C is being treated by the DOH
as if it is part of a City agency and not the independent charitable contractor
that it is.
We believe due to the composition of AC&C's board
of directors, headed by Dr. Frieden, the relationship
of the City and its not-for-profit contractor is illegal. Therefore, the
Shelter Reform Action Committee (SRAC) has committed to filing a lawsuit against the City
and the AC&C, as third party beneficiaries of
this municipal contract, to overturn this board of directors and seek a court
order to change AC&C's bylaws to protect the
public interest.
SRAC is a coalition of humane organizations and
animal advocates that has been closely monitoring municipal animal management
since AC&C's creation in 1994 (formerly called CACC). SRAC successfully sued the
City over Freedom of Information and Open Meetings Law requirements in 1998
when the shelter was run by a former DOH employee.
"They were wrong then, and they're wrong now," said Gary Kaskel, SRAC's co-chair,
"and the citizens of
"Mayors and Health Commissioners come and go," Kaskel
added, "but we are here to stay. We will continue to fight for those
with no voices as long as it takes to make things right."
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