International Protest Against Kill Pounds & Breed Specific Legislation 9/16/16 – 9/17/16 #sleepoutforanimals

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 9/16/16-9/17/16

Activities to Protest New York Animal Care and Control in New York and Nationwide Locations will Highlight Criminal Complaints Against Animal Control Facilities.

The media is invited to these events, where there will be interview, photo and broadcast opportunities with rally leaders.

WHO: Kate Riviello, President, nokill-newyork.org; (845) 856-7366

WHAT: Sixth International Protest Against Kill Pounds & Breed Specific Legislation

WHEN: September 16 & 17, 2016 (Sleep-out locations 9/16 8pm to 9/17 2pm); see location list below for sleep-out locations or specific dates.

WHERE:  At these participating locations; details about these locations’ violations against animals are noted at the end of advisory.  Phone numbers noted are for local protest contacts in these cities.

• 9/16/-9/17: New York Animal Care & Control – 110^th Street & First Avenue, NY, NY; sleep-out location.

• 9/16, 7-10 pm: Maricopa County Animal Control, 2500 S. 27th Avenue (just south of Durango), Phoenix, AZ;  9/17, 7-10 pm: 2630 West Rio Salado Parkway, Phoenix, AZ, (480) 888 5019.
• 9/16-9/17: Des Moines, Iowa State Capital – Repeal BSL, sleep-out location (515) 897-2155.

• 9/16-9/17: San Antonio Animal Control, 4710 State Highway 151, San Antonio, TX, sleep-out location (903) 618-0431.

SIGNIFICANCE:
Kate Riviello, founder of NoKill-NewYork.Org, a leading voice for animal rights and activism in the New York metro area, continues her protest campaign against New York Animal Care and Control (operated under the auspices of the Department of Health in cooperation with the Mayors Alliance President Jane Hoffman). At the New York rally, Riviello will reveal over 20 criminal complaints with allegations of felony animal abuse, misdemeanor animal negligence, as well as conversion of grant dollars, conspiracy and racketeering. The group will sleep outside on September 16, 2017 in continuing protest. Plans include producing a 90-minute documentary on the event from video footage that will be captured at the locations and submitted to a major film festival for distribution.

• One complaint alleges that hundreds of cats are missing and presumed dead; two cat rescue organizations are unable to account for the current disposition of hundreds of cats that were pulled from the shelter’s “death row” with tens of thousands of grant dollars dispensed.
• In at least three other criminal complaints, it is alleged that three dogs were wrongfully killed by the rescues and veterinarians with felony charges filed.
• In dozens of criminal complaints, lack of veterinary care is alleged for each animal for which the complaints were filed.
• In another complaint, a dog named Popeye was wrongfully killed. He was fraudulently advertised for a specific adoption fee which was raised when the adopter arrived. When the adopter did not have the higher fee requested upon arrival, the dog was killed.

Complaints against these shelters/locations:

• Maricopa Animal Control in Arizona, which has one of the highest kill rates of cats and dogs in the country;
• San Antonio Animal Control in Texas, where the high kill rate persists and a stray dog named Faith was just murdered, even after the family was informed that the microchip was present and to come retrieve their dog (lawsuit pending);
• and Des Moines, Iowa, at the state capital, where Breed Specific Legislation is rampant throughout the state. The contracted facility, Animal Rescue League in Des Moines, has admitted to killing 10,000 dogs and cats per year.

At all locations, activists will wear red, chant, hold signs, and host press conferences regarding specific stories about certain dogs and cats. Activists everywhere will be contacting elected officials in these areas in the weeks leading up to the protest.

NoKill-NewYork.Org welcomes anyone anywhere to proceed to their local high-kill animal control facility and protest on these days (wearing red) and to make a video and send to nokillnewyork@gmail.com to include in the documentary.

For New York area information, call (845) 856-7366; for local contacts in other cities, call the numbers listed above.

UPDATE 9/16/16:  Unfortunately Miami, Chicago and Indianapolis are cancelled.  However, the above four locations are poised to host.