Fighting a system that doesn't care

I want to share with you just how I feel about helping the owner of Max get justice for him. Max slipped out of the house on May 11, 2013, he was a beloved family member of a dear friend of mine. He was 15 years old. My friend did everything possible to reclaim Max, everything! THE SYSTEM FAILED MAX, THE SYSTEM FAILED MY FRIEND! The animal control officer picked Max up a few doors down and he vanished, plain and simple, HE IS GONE. We have a public servant that is paid with our taxes that did not follow proper procedure and has refused to tell the truth. AND NO ONE IN AUTHORITY CARES! The township of Voorhees was notified two weeks after Max disappeared and were sincerely sorry it happened. They told us they were going to withhold payment to the animal control company until the truth about Max was told. WRONG, THEY DID NOT, THERE WAS A PAYMENT MADE THREE WEEKS AFTER THAT STATEMENT. She was eventually fired but I can assure you it was only because her boss felt the pressure from Voorhees Township to do something. Her boss didn't help my friend get answers the days following Max's disappearance. He allowed all his officers to place animals into foster care without proper shelter intake. Of course now with the pressure on, he has "reviewed the protocol and will no longer allow employees to place impounded animals in foster care, all animals will go to designated shelters". THIS SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN ALLOWED IN THE FIRST PLACE! Every bit of evidence we needed had to be requested through OPRA. We were questioned as to why we needed it and told the police reports may not be supplied. WE DEMANDED IT, IT IS OUR RIGHT! Even the shelter wouldn't give us their log to prove Max never arrived, we had to OPRA it. I called the NJSPCA to make a report, hoping they could help. SEVENTEEN phone calls just to get the case assigned. Weeks later after I sent them all my evidence I gathered, they said they interview her boss and although it was wrong they wouldn't file charges. THEY NEVER SPOKE WITH THE ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER! They said they couldn't without "mirandizing" her. I asked for their report and guess what? Forty five minutes of my life was wasted talking with an officer about all he has done in his 30 some years helping animals. I DON'T CARE! Then he refused to release it saying "have your attorney request it". I told him we don't have an attorney, he said sorry but you can't have it. AGAIN THE SYSTEM FAILS. People ask me who I spoke to at the NJSPCA, honestly I spoke to so many I have to refer to my notes, what a mess! Now onto the courts to file charges. Do you know how many eye rolls from the township court clerk we got when explaining why we were there? She tells us that we need to file in criminal court, I show her the statue that allows us to file in municipal court. She takes it back to her boss who comes out of her office but stays 20 feet away and doesn't speak to us. More eye rolls and the clerk begrudgingly allowed us to file. I wanted to scream, this is our government, we are entitled to do this, this is her job to do it, we weren't filing charges against her. I notified Camden County Shared Services since the animal control company is paid by them. They never had a complaint about that company. Well I guess not, who would go through all this?? They were going to look into it. I told them that they get what they pay for and unfortunately our animals are suffering because they went with the lowest bid. Months later, I am still waiting for a return call. The prosecutors don't know the laws pertaining to animal abuse and theft of property. And honestly they don't want to educate themselves. "Our case is clogging up the system". One prosecutor repeatedly said to my friend "So you let your cat out". When my friend would try to reply, she would repeat it over. NO SHE DID NOT LET HER CAT OUT, ANIMALS GET OUT. IT WAS ONE DAMN TIME MAX GOT OUT. AND WHO THE HELL ARE YOU OR ANYONE ELSE TO PASS JUDGEMENT ON MY DEAR FRIEND WHO HAS DONE NOTHING WRONG!!! The prosecutor refuses to listen to us and walks away. And then, we go before the judge, the animal control officer with her lawyer on one side, my friend and I on the other BUT WAIT...where is the prosecutor who is representing Max??? SHE NEVER CAME INTO THE COURTROOM!! So the judge suggested we get a lawyer and postponed the trial until March. DO YOU SEE WHY NO ONE WOULD PURSUE THIS? They don't want a private citizen to question authority, they don't want us to exercise our rights and will make it damn hard if you try. We have been treated like crazy animal people, third class citizens and all we are doing is exercising our rights! We are college educated registered nurses, although unfamiliar with the court system, WE ARE NOT STUPID!! PEOPLE, do I sound angry? Well I am, I am an animal rescuer "in my spare time". I protect and fight for the animals for FREE, without your tax dollars helping. We have people in authority that are paid with yours and mine tax dollars that don't care, that don't want to do their job and don't want people like us interfering in their day to day business. IT IS TIME FOR PEOPLE TO GET ANGRY WITH ME! People in authority that handle our animals are frequently abusing our animals and misusing their authority. Take the time to educate yourself and see how many animal control officers have injured and killed needlessly, have killed our ferals, have destroyed feral feeding stations, have given misinformation leading to the deaths of animals. I work with several animal control officers that are great...but the ones that are bad leads to suffering and death of our animals. WE NEED TO BE THEIR VOICES, WE NEED TO TELL OUR POLITICIANS WE ARE NOT GOING TO TOLERATE IT ANYMORE! POLITICIANS ARE OUR EMPLOYEES! THE POLITICIANS DELEGATE THE MONEY USED FOR OUR SHELTERS AND OUR ANIMALS. IT IS OUR MONEY! THEY NEED TO STOP USING IT DOING BULLSHIT STUFF FOR THEIR POLITICIAN FRIENDS AND DELEGATE MORE FOR OUR ANIMALS. THEY NEED TO FUND SPAY/NEUTER CLINICS! SHELTERS IN THIS COUNTRY NEED TO STOP HIRING PRISONERS AS CHEAP LABOR IN THE SHELTERS, THEN ACT HORRIFIED WHEN VIDEOS SHOW THEM KILLING ANIMALS. HIRE THEM TO WORK IN YOUR OFFICES. OUTLAW THE DAMN GAS CHAMBERS! MAKE ANIMAL CRUELTY A FELONY AND FORCE THE PROSECUTORS TO DO THEIR JOBS! WE DON'T HAVE TO ALLOW THEM TO SHUT DOORS IN OUR FACES...WE NEED TO LEARN TO KICK THEM OPEN. WE NEED TO BE HEARD!!! FOR GOD SAKES PEOPLE, START SCREAMING! THE ANIMALS CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT US

Joyce Moyer

Post by Joa's Arc.

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