My post at DaTechGuy blog this week is about the slippery slope that we now find ourselves facing now that the 5th Circuit has approved removal of the NOLA Confederate monuments.
Have you seen the list of names that Take 'em Down NOLA wants changed? It's incredible.
Can anyone tell me why Lane Street is racist? Perhaps one of the apparently many offended people in New Orleans might know.
Maybe Mitch could tell me.
Maybe not.
Monday, March 27, 2017
Monday, March 20, 2017
Politicians Fiddling Around With Flood Relief Dollars in Baton Rouge
The politicians are fiddling around trying to see who gets the biggest slice of that pie while people are living in gutted houses, tents, and campers.
The state wants to award a $250 million contract to a company to oversee flood recovery when there are already non-profits like The Cajun Relief Foundation who are in place and doing what needs to be done.
Go here and read my post.
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
The 5th Circuit Confederate Monument Ruling is a Slippery Slope
Be sure to read Jeff Sadow's column in The Advocate:
At best, that’s a shortsighted argument. Each of the generals’ statutes, after more than a century of residence, have become part of the local landscape, in addition to gaining listings in the National Register of Historical Places. Important period sculptor Alexander Doyle, who has several other works scattered around the city, executed each monument. Two figures played a positive role in area race relations after the war. Beauregard, who served as a state and local official, advocated during Reconstruction for voting rights for blacks. Lee, by his battlefield surrender and counseling in favor of peace and against continued military activity, helped spare the South from complete ruin and speeded the end of slavery.
As predicted, this move to remove Confederate monuments is now spreading to other parishes:
The Confederate monument removal frenzy has now spread from New Orleans to Lafayette, Louisiana. A monument dedicated to Confederate General “Alfred” Mouton should be removed, according to activists with the group Move the Mindset. A member of the group, Frank Crocco, says that he agrees with New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu that Confederate statues “don’t represent the community anymore.”
Where does it end?
Previous Posts at DaTechGuy blog:
Mayor Mitch Landrieu's Solution to 172 Murders: Equity Circles (12/26/16)
Removal of Historic Confederate Monuments in New Orleans Thwarted -- For Now (12/21/2015)
Report from Louisiana: Update on the Confederate Monument Removal Controversy (1/18/2016)
The Lives of My Ancestors Mattered Too (2/1/2016)
The Ongoing Battle of the Confederate Monuments: An Update (4/18/2016)
Confederate Monuments and Unintended Consequences (6/27/16)
Report from Louisiana: Revisionist History and Confederate Monuments (9/19/2016)
Report from Louisiana: Mass Shooting in New Orleans While Landrieu Fiddles (11/28/2016)
Previous Posts on This Blog:
The Confederate Battle Flag Rises Again in South Carolina
Can the Violence in NOLA be Alleviated with Equity Circles? (12/26/16)
Shreveport Work of Art Still Needs Funding for Restoration (10/22/16)
Can You Help Clio? Restoration Fundraiser is Now Underway (9/5/16)
Epperson Demands UDC Remove Confederate Monument Within the Year (7/6/16)
Epperson's Continued Attack on the Confederate Monument (6/22/16)
Report from the Caddo Commission Meeting in Which Ken Epperson Blasts "Jake-Leg Bloggers" (6/9/16)
Caddo Parish Confederate Monument Under Attack (5/19/16)
Joseph Welsh Texada's Life Mattered Too (1/31/16)
The Heartbreaking Removal of the New Orleans Confederate Monuments (1/17/16)
Sunday, March 12, 2017
CPAS: "A Broken Jaw Isn't Extremely Painful." Please Help BJ
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| BJ |
Added: This post has been slightly modified from its original version to reflect the fact that there are indeed some compassionate workers at CPAS and that BJ was given pain meds for his jaw. It is to their credit that CPAS put BJ in a kennel by himself for observation. But, is that enough?
This is BJ. You see the pollen tassels on his cage? He's outside in this cold, in a concrete slab kennel, with a broken jaw at Caddo Parish Animal Services.
BJ is of unknown age and breed because he was brought in as a stray. CPAS doesn't bother with those details in stray/hold.
BJ came into CPAS probably Friday March 10, and was put into the stray/hold kennels with several other dogs. To their credit, the workers at the shelter noticed something was wrong with BJ so they took him outside and put him in medical hold.
Carrie Zamora spotted BJ in the outside hold area and noticed he had not eaten and had thrown up bile in his kennel. Unable to chew his food, he swallowed it whole and then threw it up. She alerted a vet tech and as it is obvious that the dog has a broken jaw, (you can see his tooth is askew in the photo), Carrie asked that he be given soft food. Susan Votaw, also with POLA, tried to feed BJ some soft food from her hand, but he simply couldn't do it.
Carrie offered him some peanut butter from her finger but he could barely take that.
Carrie asked for a veterinarian evaluation and she and her team were told that BJ does indeed have a fractured jaw but that it probably isn't extremely painful. BJ didn't appear to be in any pain when the vet looked at him but he was given an injection Friday for pain just in case. It's unknown if he got another shot.
But let that sink in for a minute.
It probably isn't extremely painful. A broken jaw. Which leads to starvation.
Let's recap: Caddo Parish Animal Services brought in a stray dog several days ago. The dog has an obvious facial indication that he has a broken jaw. They did not do a medical evaluation on him on intake, but instead put him in a kennel with other dogs. Eventually someone noticed something amiss and moved him outside where he threw up bile after trying to eat hard, dry food. This drew the attention of rescue workers who asked for an evaluation and were told that a fractured jaw isn't all that painful. They did concede to giving him soft food, which he still can't eat.
That's where we are right now with BJ.
BJ is a sweetheart of a dog: he is probably a lab/hound mix and he wants to please. Look at Susan's video of him: you can see he is wagging his tail as he looks up at her. He wants to please her but he can't eat the food she is offering. Look at the expression in his eyes. Don't shy away from it - this is our reality at this shelter.
POLA Foundation is monitoring BJ and plans to go into the shelter today and feed him via syringe. There's no way of knowing when he ate last and how dehydrated he is because he hasn't had a thorough veterinary evaluation that would include an x-ray for the jaw.
Volunteers Deanna Robinson, Stacy McKeever, and Donna Gill along have been working with Carrie and Susan to help this dog, but he needs all our help now.
In a humane shelter, this dog would be on IV fluids if needed and under veterinary care rather than outside on a cold slab with nothing but a bowl of food he can't eat and water he can't drink.
But CPAS is not a humane shelter: remember, Caddo Commissioner Mike Middleton pointed out on multiple occasions that CPAS "is not a rescue." While CPAS has made token steps toward improvement, there is a very long way to go. There are some compassionate workers there, but in so many ways their hands are tied.
POLA needs donations to help this dog. He will be taken to their veterinarian tomorrow, Monday, for x-rays and probably surgery. Hopefully there is no infection yet, but there likely is. If you can make a donation to help BJ, go here and click on the DONATE button. Put "BJ" on the notes line and you
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| Cody |
How many other dogs like BJ are at CPAS?
There's at least one more. This is Cody. He came into CPAS a couple of weeks ago and was pulled by Donna Gill who is fostering him in her home because he is severely emaciated and sick. CPAS put Cody into an outside kennel with a larger dog so obviously Cody has been having to compete for food for at least the past few weeks and has continually gotten weaker. He's now in a proper foster situation, but how many more are there?
When will this city get tired of this and demand change?
Addendum: Perhaps CPAS used good protocol by putting BJ in medical hold and erring on the side of caution before giving him an anesthetic to look at the jaw. Perhaps BJ is not in real pain and as I said, I'm told that he received an injection for pain. My main concern is that this animal is at the shelter over the weekend, unable to eat or drink, and could be dehydrated. My issue is that he needs funds and donations to be pulled by a rescue for medical attention. I am at least grateful that CPAS lets volunteers and rescues in who can identify and help with these problems.
Outside Reading:
Local Animal Advocates in Uproar... (KTBS 1/9/17)Two Pets are Dead...(KTBS 1/13/17)
Animal Rescue Groups: There is Something Not Right at this Shelter (The Times: 1/14/17)
Animal Activists Still Looking for Answers... (KTBS: 12/9/16)
Facebook Post About Dog Attack Triggers Social Media Storm (KTBS 12/5/16)
Previously:
Animal Shelter Success Stories: Why Can't CPAS Be one of Them?
Sex with a Dog? Caddo Commission Must Act
An Open Letter to Every City and Parish Public Official (12/21/16)
A Call for Change: Animals are Not Property (12/20/16)
Save Spot the Stunning Super Dog (8/14/16)
The Lucky and T-Bone Story Gets Personal and Nasty (3/18/15)
Change is Needed at Caddo Animal Services (3/15/15)
Snapshots from the Braveheart Trial (1/29/15)
An Open Letter to Every City and Parish Public Official (12/21/16)
A Call for Change: Animals are Not Property (12/20/16)
Save Spot the Stunning Super Dog (8/14/16)
The Lucky and T-Bone Story Gets Personal and Nasty (3/18/15)
Change is Needed at Caddo Animal Services (3/15/15)
Snapshots from the Braveheart Trial (1/29/15)
Saturday, March 11, 2017
Animal Shelter Success Stories: Why Can't Caddo be one of Them?
The first-hand, documented cases of animal abuse and neglect have been exposed nationwide and it is now far past time for members of the Caddo Parish Commission, in whom authority over the Caddo Parish Animal Services lies, to take action.
The time for excuses and obfuscation is over.
I am challenging Parish Administrator Woody Wilson, Assistant Administrator Randy Lucky, members of the Animal Services Board, members of the Caddo Animal Shelter Advisory Board, the Caddo Parish Commission Animal Services Committee, and all members of the Caddo Parish Commission, to work together and turn this shelter around.
Don't let this travesty define your legacy.
Huntsville, Alabama brought their shelter from one that adopts out 30% of their animals to one that now adopts out over 90% through a higher volunteer presence and a spay/neuter program that has reduced the overall number of unwanted animals in their community.
Lafayette, Louisiana has turned their shelter around through an alliance with the Target Zero organization which has implemented changes in ordinances that now allows rescue groups to pull dogs more easily. The city also found ways to fund a new animal shelter which allows their adoptable animals to be more easily seen and seen in a more favorable light.
In Baton Rouge, the Companion Animal Alliance negotiated with the city and took over their shelter. At the time the shelter had an 80% euthanasia rate; it is now around 30% and has empty cages. They've just broken ground on a new facility. The shelter is working with rescues to facilitate adoptions and has implemented a TNR program.
Hesperia, CA Animal Shelter cited lack of leadership as one of their problems and has turned their shelter around. They now have a 20% euthanasia rate and "some physical changes at the shelter include the addition of an X-ray room for shelter Veterinarian William Connelly, a policy and training manual, a dog ID engraving machine, a new work space environment for staff and an emphasis on social media and community engagement."
Longview, TX turned their shelter around from a 70% euthanasia rate to 40% currently and still falling. Their city leaders toured successful shelters across the country and then brought in a new leader who knows how to run a shelter. The shelter is now focused on spay/neuter programs, microchip programs, and has built a new facility.
In Waco, TX, the city has partnered with the Humane Society and has dropped their euthanasia rate to 29%. They have made tremendous gains in improving the health conditions at their shelter by sealing floors, ripped out ceilings stained in rat droppings, and replacing AC systems. Puppies are isolated from larger dogs and the city is taking a hard line on back-yard breeders.
Shelters all over the country are cleaning up their act, lowering euthanasia rates, taking steps to control sanitation and prevent spread of disease, working to create family-friendly shelters where animals can best be shown in a favorable environment.
There is no reason why Caddo Parish can't do the same.
I challenge the Caddo Commission obstructionists to drop the egos, drop the politics, and take a step toward change. The time for token "policy review" is over - we've heard that for at least a decade.
There is simply no reason why Shreveport should be stuck with an antiquated shelter with little concern for sanitation, with too many untrained workers, many of whom show no compassion. There is no reason why we should not have a shelter that is a true shelter, modern and up to date, family friendly, with meeting rooms for potential adoptions, with an on-staff veterinarian, an x-ray machine, working cameras to monitor kennels and situations, and with a strong alliance with rescue groups and volunteers.
Don't let this hell hole of abuse and neglect be your legacy.
Be the change.
Outside Reading:
Local Animal Advocates in Uproar... (KTBS 1/9/17)Two Pets are Dead...(KTBS 1/13/17)
Animal Rescue Groups: There is Something Not Right at this Shelter (The Times: 1/14/17)
Animal Activists Still Looking for Answers... (KTBS: 12/9/16)
Facebook Post About Dog Attack Triggers Social Media Storm (KTBS 12/5/16)
Previously:
Caddo Parish Animal Services Remains an Embarrassement to the Parish
Sex with a Dog? Caddo Commission Must Act
An Open Letter to Every City and Parish Public Official (12/21/16)
A Call for Change: Animals are Not Property (12/20/16)
Save Spot the Stunning Super Dog (8/14/16)
The Lucky and T-Bone Story Gets Personal and Nasty (3/18/15)
Change is Needed at Caddo Animal Services (3/15/15)
Snapshots from the Braveheart Trial (1/29/15)
An Open Letter to Every City and Parish Public Official (12/21/16)
A Call for Change: Animals are Not Property (12/20/16)
Save Spot the Stunning Super Dog (8/14/16)
The Lucky and T-Bone Story Gets Personal and Nasty (3/18/15)
Change is Needed at Caddo Animal Services (3/15/15)
Snapshots from the Braveheart Trial (1/29/15)
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
Caddo Parish Animal Shelter Remains an Embarrassment to the Parish
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| Will: Pulled from CPAS by Big Fluffy Dog Rescue |
SHREVEPORT – Bear with me, readers, for this week I’m bringing you a local problem but it is one that needs national attention in order for it to be rectified. Your help is needed.
Our local animal shelter is deplorable. The city of Shreveport has a population of just over 200,000 people, and are the third largest city in the state of Louisiana, yet we can’t seem to figure out how to run a humane animal shelter. The problems at Caddo Parish Animal Services are epic and have been going on for years. Any attempt to solve the problem has only been a token one.
Consider the following:
July 2007: CPAS director fired for failing to properly perform his duties, for example: failing to do rabies tests on a racoon that had scratched a man, among other offenses.
September 2007: CPAS adoption coordinator Raymond Abney resigns his position, citing multiple, horrific cases of torture, neglect, and abuse at the shelter.
October 2013: Karen Dent’s Golden Retriever escaped her backyard when a tree fell on a fence; CPAS picked up the dog. Dent called the shelter and was told she could claim her dog, but when she arrived the dog had been euthanized.
October 2013: A puppy was found in September in a Shreveport storage locker, abandoned and left to die. Literally at death’s door, he was rescued and taken to the emergency vet clinic and then transferred to Benton Animal Hospital. By October he was in foster care with a vet tech and making a nice recovery at which time CPAS comes to their home and seizes the emaciated, still very fragile dog, as evidence of the animal abandonment crime. “Braveheart” was heartlessly placed in a kennel at CPAS rather than allowed to stay in foster care under the attention of a vet tech. Massive public outcry resulted in animal cruelty charges against the owner of the storage locker. (Braveheart’s story has a happy ending.)
August 2014: Adoptions volunteer Reed Ebarb resigned his position at CPAS after director Everett Harris verbally attacked Ebarb and his attempts to move more dogs into rescue and off the euthanasia list. Ebarb was vigilant in compiling and reporting monthly euthanasia rates to the public which was often well over 70%.
March 2015: Two malnourished dogs, dubbed Lucky and T-Bone, were picked up by CPAS after a citizen complaint of neglect, found to be full of parasites, yet when PetSavers Rescue offered to take the dogs and vet them, director Everett Harris denied the request, igniting yet another firestorm of public outcry.
August 2015: Amanda Middleton was travelling through Shreveport, blew a tire, and her dog, Libby ran off and got lost. Libby was lost for two days before being found and taken to CPAS where a microchip was scanned and her family identified. A Humane Society volunteer had permission from the eight-months pregnant Middleton to retrieve the dog and meet Middleton halfway to return the pup, but director Everett Harris refused to release the dog to anyone but Middleton, despite written permission from Middleton to do so. Middleton drove all the way back to Shreveport from Houston to get her dog.
August 2015: CPAS director Everett Harris was placed on administrative leave, and then resigned, after posting an offensive photo on Facebook of dogs with a Star of David and Nazi symbols drawn on their heads and the caption “How to deal with the difficulties of life.” He said he meant to post the picture to a private account rather than the public CPAS page. Harris was on paid leave for several months, then terminated.
October 2016: Amber McMillan’s two dog were euthanized despite her multiple visits to CPAS searching for them. McMillan contends that her dogs were not in any of the stray hold kennels she was shown when she went to the shelter. She showed photos of her dogs to the employees at the shelter and filed paperwork. The dogs were killed nine days after intake.
November 2016: DeAnna Robinson adopted a large breed dog from CPAS; he weighed only 30 pounds when she brought him home. He was emaciated and could barely walk. He had been housed in a kennel at the shelter with five other dogs.
December 2016: A stray dog, “Ellie,” wanders into a man’s yard; the man brings his own dog outside and orders it to attack Ellie who subsequently dies from her injuries. The event is captured on video which creates a social media firestorm. CPAS fails to press charges, thereby sanctioning the inhumane attack.
December 2016: “Tini” was picked up by CPAS on December 30 after being hit by a car; her owners determined that Tini was at the shelter but they were not allowed to pick her up for four days, despite that fact that the dog had a broken jaw and other injuries and needed immediate medical care. Because of the New Year’s Eve holiday, Tini had to stay in the shelter rather than be reunited with her family.
January 2017: American Boston Terrier dog rescue attempted to pull several dogs but the dogs either starved to death or were euthanized before the rescue arrived.
January 2017: Big Fluffy Dog Rescue out of Nashville TN, came to CPAS to pull two dogs but left with 17, and later came back for more, because of the deplorable conditions in which they found the dogs in the CPAS shelter, which included inadequate medical care for broken bones, malnourished dogs, and overcrowded kennels. BFDR is urging public outcry against the abuses at the Caddo Parish shelter.
January 2017: A citizens meeting to discuss continued problems at CPAS is attended by two Caddo Parish Commissioners who cite lack of first-hand accounts as one reason why no change has been made at CPAS.
February 2017: CPAS kennel worker placed on leave, and then fired, for having sex with a dog. The act was filmed by another CPAS worker. Where this act actually took place has not been revealed; reports are that it was not at the shelter, but does it matter?
Obviously, the problems at the shelter are ongoing and it doesn’t seem to matter who the director is. Meanwhile, literally hundreds of dogs (and cats) are euthanized each month.
The shelter’s euthanasia rate is right around 50 to 60% right now, down from previous years where there was a 77% or more euthanasia rate. This decline is due to the help of some tireless rescue groups and an improved willingness by the current director to work with rescues.
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| Euthanasia at CPAS |
There are volunteer rescue groups that work to pull dogs from the shelter and take them to states “up north” where stricter spay/neuter laws have resulted in lower numbers of available pets. Our dogs have a much better chance at adoption there.
That being said, this shelter still needs major change. State inspections have taken place but they are announced at least ten days in advance which gives the shelter time to clean up their act. After the public meeting in January, two Caddo Commissioners toured the shelter, but again, it was announced.
The Parish Administrator, Dr. Woody Wilson, has control over this situation. He works for the Caddo Parish Commission, but his oversight of CPAS operates is completely independent. There is no system of checks and balances and Wilson has the final, and only, voice.
Granted, we have a huge problem here in unwanted animals; too many people in this area see animals as property and all too often refuse to get their animals spayed or neutered. The director’s job at the shelter is a huge one. But it’s clear to me that this director has lost the faith of the public by this most recent string of allegations, and something must be done.
For years, and years, we’ve been told by the Parish Administrator that they are revisiting and reviewing laws, policies, and procedures yet we are still battling this issue. The public outcry rises, we get lip service, public outcry dies down, and the cycle continues. When public outcry rises, we are dismissed as crazy animal people who get their information from social media. When citizens go to shelter board meetings to voice concern, they are quickly shut down if their experience is not first-hand.
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| Caddo Parish Animal Shelter |
This shelter needs to be cleaned up, literally; all policies need to be examined, updated, revised. Dogs in stray/hold, for example, are kept in outdoor pens regardless of the weather. Too many dogs are crowded into pens thus creating feeding issues and fights. When Big Fluffy Dog Rescue pulled their thirty dogs, they wrote:
Caddo Parish Animal Shelter in Louisiana has been the subject of serious complaints for years. In January, Big Fluffy Dog Rescue took in more than 30 dogs from this shelter. Most of the dogs were emaciated, many had serious health issues and most had bite wounds consistent with fighting for resources. Big Fluffy Dog Rescue attempted without success to determine whether the cause of the animals' suffering was the shelter itself or if the dogs came in to the shelter in that condition. Caddo Parish did not appropriately investigate the issue and the concerns of animal rescuers were largely swept under the carpet and derided by the local government as unfounded. Local media covered the story.
There is a veterinarian “on call” but not on site. Dogs with broken bones or other injuries languish. There is no feral cat or TNR program; there are no online records – everything is still done on paper. If a volunteer speaks out or complains about conditions or abuse, they are banned from the shelter. Quite often they choose to remain silent so they can continue to help the animals in the shelter. Any online presence is due to the work of volunteers. If you go to the shelter’s page and click on animals for adoption, you might find a few, but these are out of date and do not nearly reflect the number of available animals.
The issues are epic. But at the very least, the neglect, abuse, and miscommunication must be stopped. And sex with animals? Please. Is this the best we can do with vetting our employees (this woman was a paid employee – not a volunteer!).
To be clear, I’m not calling for the firing of current director Chuck Wilson; while he may not be perfect, many of the volunteers appreciate his efforts yet Wilson is hogtied by the current structure of oversight. The source of the problem lies in the fact that the control is all with the Parish Administrator Woody Wilson who has shown very little interest in making this shelter a safe and humane shelter for animals.
Please share this with any animal rights advocates or organizations you know that might be able to help the citizens of Caddo Parish clean up this shelter and turn this situation around. Ideally the shelter should be privatized or turned over to a competent, established rescue with a humanitarian mission. Please email or write letters, polite and respectful letters, to Parish Administrator Woody Wilson, and the Assistant Parish Administrator who is reportedly working Woody Wilson’s job while he is being investigated on a residency issue.
A national outcry is the only thing we haven’t tried. There are plenty of citizens here who want to make a difference; the problem is in the politics. We need help and you can contribute by helping to shine light on this issue.
Points of Contact:
Shreveport Mayor Ollie Tyler: mayor@shreveportla.gov
Added: Thanks to The Dead Pelican for the link!
Added: Thanks to The Dead Pelican for the link!
Outside Reading:
Local Animal Advocates in Uproar... (KTBS 1/9/17)Two Pets are Dead...(KTBS 1/13/17)
Animal Rescue Groups: There is Something Not Right at this Shelter (The Times: 1/14/17)
Animal Activists Still Looking for Answers... (KTBS: 12/9/16)
Facebook Post About Dog Attack Triggers Social Media Storm (KTBS 12/5/16)
Previously:
Sex with a Dog? Caddo Commission Must Act
An Open Letter to Every City and Parish Public Official (12/21/16)
A Call for Change: Animals are Not Property (12/20/16)
Save Spot the Stunning Super Dog (8/14/16)
The Lucky and T-Bone Story Gets Personal and Nasty (3/18/15)
Change is Needed at Caddo Animal Services (3/15/15)
Snapshots from the Braveheart Trial (1/29/15)
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