Two reasons for hope in fight against animal cruelty

Posted 11/15/17

To the editor:

Those of us who care about the treatment of animals are always immensely grateful for the smallest of favors. This past week we received two pieces of good news that give us …

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Two reasons for hope in fight against animal cruelty

Posted

To the editor:

Those of us who care about the treatment of animals are always immensely grateful for the smallest of favors. This past week we received two pieces of good news that give us hope.

The Bristol County District Attorney’s Office announced that it has just designated two staff members to oversee animal cruelty cases. Assistant District Attorney Melissa Hendrie has been named “Animal Cruelty Prosecutor.” Superior Court Victim Witness Advocate Debb Almeida has had “Animal Cruelty Advocate” added to her title. Although their appointment does not constitute an actual Animal Abuse Unit within the DA’s Special Victims Unit, as we had requested, it is a significant step forward.

I have heard good things about these women’s commitment to animal welfare and believe they are determined to infuse energy and focus into the DA office’s prosecution of animal abuse cases. Time will tell if they receive the resources required to succeed in convincing a lax judiciary branch to take animal abuse seriously and to sentence it as the felony it is.

Obviously, much depends on the judges; they decree whether or not someone who starves and tortures an animal pays any price at all beyond a year or two of probation. Still, the DA’s designation of an animal cruelty prosecutor and court advocate is welcomed and, I think, will help.

Our second piece of good news comes out of a meeting that Kathy Feininger and I (representing “Stop the Insanity Westport”) had with The Livestock Institute (TLI) of Southern New England’s board member Darrin Mendes and Executive Director Gena Mavuli.

We met to discuss the objections TLI had raised to an aspect of the Animal Action Committee’s first draft of a proposed Animal Site Registry. TLI objected to the idea of “permitting” for properties over two acres “on which all livestock is managed directly by the owner or his/her employee(s) and which generates $1,000 annually per acre in gross sales.” It was a good meeting in that concerns were shared, respect was earned and bridges were built.

We agreed much more than not, first and foremost about our shared goal for the humane treatment of farm animals, from birth to point of slaughter. (Yes, TLI is the owner-operator of the Route 6 slaughterhouse.) We all agreed that a Westport Animal Site Registry would be a step toward that goal. We also agreed that all animal inspectors should receive formal training so they know how to effectively determine whether or not the animals are in good health and free from disease, have adequate shelter, and ample food and water.

Three affirmations were made. First, Mr. Mendes promised to work with the Westport Agricultural Commission, Board of Health, and Animal Action Committee to help craft an Animal Site Registry form that our farming community can get behind. Second, on behalf of TLI, Ms. Mavuli committed to offering two animal inspector seminars annually. Third, Ms. Feininger and I pledged to press our Board of Health to adopt a regulation mandating that all state-certified animal inspectors working within Westport must complete training offered by either the State or TLI. (The state does not currently mandate any training of animal inspectors prior to their certification.)

This Friday, November 17, Richard Medeiros and several other defendants in the horror that beget our activism return to the Fall River Superior Court. We look eagerly and anxiously to the Attorney General’s prosecutors and to the presiding judge to deliver justice to the many animals that were treated brutally and died terribly on that tenant farm.

We look to AgComm, TLI, the Westport BOH, BOS and all related town agencies to work together to put into place new oversight regulations to make certain such cruelty never again happens in our community. We look to our DA’s office to tackle animal cruelty cases with vigor and focus.

We look to all of you and to ourselves to press judges to sentence animal abuse as the serious felony it is. We look to our judiciary for justice for abused and neglected animals, just as we hope for justice for all voiceless, helpless beings in this world.

I cannot think of anything better to emerge from the heartbreak of the Medeiros tenant farm than these things.

Constance Gee

Westport

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Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.