PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Jonlyn Freeman, Animal Welfare Advocate from Flatbush Cats
4:10:22
·
158 sec
Jonlyn Freeman, an independent rescuer and volunteer for Flatbush Cats, testifies about the urgent need for increased city-funded spay/neuter programs in New York City. She highlights the overwhelming burden on rescuers, particularly in low-income neighborhoods, and the crisis of cat overpopulation due to lack of affordable spay/neuter services.
- Freeman emphasizes that the reliance on private institutions for spay/neuter services has become a disaster for animal welfare in NYC.
- She compares NYC's situation to Washington DC and Boston, which have invested in preventative measures and seen decreased shelter intake as a result.
- Freeman calls for significant city funding (around $65 million or more) to establish a comprehensive spay/neuter program to address the crisis.
Jonlyn Freeman
4:10:22
Can you hear me?
4:10:23
Yes.
4:10:25
Alright.
4:10:27
My name is John Lynn Freeman.
4:10:29
I'm an independent rescuer and volunteer for Flatbush cats, and for many years I volunteered with neighborhood cats.
4:10:36
I live in district 40.
4:10:38
Rita Joseph is my council member, and I wanna thank her for the work she did to get Fat Bush Vet funded.
4:10:43
It's an invaluable resource.
4:10:45
I started organizing other rescuers at the end of the pandemic in the New York City cat rescuer alliance.
4:10:52
This stopped being about cats 4 years ago when I realized that privately funded Spayner appointments were not going to resume the service levels we had before the pandemic.
4:11:03
For me, it became about the crushing burden that rescue work has become for New York City residents.
4:11:08
Particularly in the epicenterous of cat overpopulation.
4:11:12
Low income neighborhoods where low income residents are taking it upon themselves to solve this municipal problem with their own limited money, their precious free time, working themselves to physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion.
4:11:26
The over reliance on private institutions to provide Spay Neuter for all of our needs has become a disaster for animal welfare in New York City.
4:11:35
Only an elite few can afford the rising cost of Spain Newder.
4:11:39
So many residents have abandoned their unfixed cats, which are now reproducing outdoors and exponential numbers.
4:11:45
Many of us who wanted to focus on feral cats are now overflowing with abandoned pets.
4:11:50
Some found too late to save or with serious injuries that need expensive veterinary care.
4:11:55
We compete for an ever dwindling number of rescue appointments for Spain later each month.
4:12:00
We don't push this rock up a hill every summer and watch it roll back down because we're crazy.
4:12:06
We do it because this crisis is solvable.
4:12:10
Not every city is in a crisis.
4:12:12
Washington DC and Boston invested in preventing an animal welfare crisis by providing adequate spay neuter programs to all residents.
4:12:20
AS FA Newder avail availability increased, shelter intake decreased.
4:12:24
It's that simple.
4:12:26
It's a great relief to hear from city council members today that the ACC is overfunded.
4:12:33
Now that we agree on that, I'd like to hear you say that we're going to allocate funding and start Citibank at Spain Newder.
4:12:39
We're not talking about discretionary funding $5000 here or a $150,000 there.
4:12:45
We're talking about a program that would get us out of this crisis us more like 65,000,000 or more.
4:12:51
You've shortchanged us for years, driving us into debt.
4:12:54
Will the city now pick up the tab for the public work we've been doing?
4:12:59
Thank you.