In Defense of Animals (IDA)
October 2014
Please help IDA support vegan author and activist Colleen Patrick-Goudreau to stop backyard slaughter in Oakland, California. Tell the Oakland City Council that animals are not plants. Ask them to reject the proposal on urban agriculture that classifies animals as plants by including them under "Community Gardens."
This proposal would allow people to raise "livestock" in the city without needing a Conditional Use Permit.
"If this passes, it will have negative impacts on thousands of animals for decades to come," says Goudreau. She encourages everyone in Oakland to get involved to stop the slaughter and cruelty before it begins.
Listen to Colleen Patrick Goudreau's podcast "Animals Are Not Plants."
Sign an online petition here...
Learn more about the perils of backyard slaughter and take action against
similar ordinances in your area.
Send the letter below asking the Oakland City Council to reject the proposal
on urban agriculture, which classifies animals as plants.
Attend the Community and Economic Development (CED) Committee Meeting where
they will consider the proposed Urban Agriculture changes.
What: Community and Economic Development Committee Meeting
When: October 14 at 1:30 p.m.
Where: Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Hearing Room 1, Oakland,
CA 94612
The letter below will be addressed to the following Oakland City Council Members.
Sending the letter helps to show your concern, even if you don't
live in California.
Personalize and submit the form below to email your comments to:
Oakland City Council Members
District 1, Dan Kalb
District 2, Patricia Kernigh
District 3, Lynette Gibson McElhaney
District 4, Libby Schaaf
District 5, Noel Gallo
District 6, Desley Brooks
District 7, Larry Reid
(Valid street address is required - P.O. Boxes cannot be used)
Backyard Slaughter means:
I urge the Oakland City Council to reject the urban agriculture
proposal, which seeks to classify animals as plants under "Community
Gardens." I agree with Oakland author Colleen Patrick-Goudreau who asserts
that animals are not plants.
Many communities are reversing animal ordinances in a new trend to raise
animals for food in their backyards. Often residents do not realize the
hidden costs of raising animals and sadly abuse or neglect them. One such
resident said eggs from chickens living in his backyard cost him $40 per
dozen. After their city reversed animal ordinances, a chicken rescue group
in Minneapolis reported a sharp increase in abandoned birds.
If the City of Oakland joins this trend, I fear that local animal abuse
cases and wildlife conflicts will increase, backyard farm animals will be
dumped at the shelter, and more dogs and cats will be euthanized. I don't
want to experience the sights, sounds, and smells of backyard slaughter in
my own neighborhood, which conflicts with my personal values and emotional
well-being.
For the above reasons and many more, I urge you to vote against the upcoming
Urban Agriculture proposal, which seeks to classify animals as plants and
sets the stage for a rise in animal abuse. Removing the phrase "and/or
animal products and livestock production" from the definition of Community
Gardens would resolve my concerns about the Urban Agriculture proposal.
Thank you for everything you do for animals!
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