If we have learned anything about Front Street leadership in the last 4 years, it is just because they say something does not at all make it true.
There is a bit of controversy surrounding today's vigil that Fix Front Street held at the shelter. The shelter held a volunteer/foster appreciation event there today as well. The volunteers were told that we knew this event was going on with them and insinuated that we intentionally chose the date of our vigil for just this reason. They were also told that we were asked not to have our event and we refused.
Let me clear up some of those misconceptions. When we were planning the vigil, we were completely oblivious to any events whatsoever being held at the shelter today. We actually chose this day to coincide with a protest being held at Contra Costa county animal shelter today. Our original intent was to have multiple protests throughout the state and various locations such as Sonoma county and Fresno. Sadly, we did not have time to plan and engage the other areas, so it ended up just being just Contra Costa and us today.
We did receive notification about the volunteer event. The only problem is we just received that notification YESTERDAY. Julie Virga received a communication to her nextdoor messages. Please see the photos below for said communications, Julie's response is in blue.
A single days notice was not enough time to cancel our event. We kept a respectful distance and did not engage with the volunteers, other than to say thank you for being a volunteer and/or foster.
But since we are on the subject of volunteer appreciation. Does shelter leadership truly appreciate their volunteers? Based on the ones they kick out of their shelter, I would say not. The most recent volunteer kicked out of there was quite literally single-handedly responsible for hundreds of death row listed dogs annually leaving that shelter and going to rescue. What did she do that was so egregious? What was her crime? She used the word euthanasia on her own personal Facebook page. There was nothing said "bashing" the shelter, other than saying that the animals were at risk for euthanasia. She was promoting these death row dogs, something that the shelter itself refuses to do. This particular volunteer would commute to Front Street from about an hour away. Her vacations and holidays were dedicated to Front Street animals. She would use her own funds and would transport Front Street animals sometimes states away to rescues. If they were so quick to admonish her and push her out, they couldn't possibly appreciate volunteers. She is also not the first volunteer that this has happened to. I know of at least nine people many of whom were long-term volunteers that were removed for the same reason.
To recap, shelter management like Phillip Zimmerman & Lizz Thompson (Jennifer Crosco & Shannon Quinn are also often part of these meetings to kick people out) find the word euthanasia so deplorable that they don't want a volunteer to help animals because of it. Yet, the actual killing of 1,090 animals in a year does not offend them to the same extent as the simple usage of the word. Volunteer appreciation that is not.
Comments