In response to a post I saw this morning on Johnny Northside, I began to compose a community impact statement about what people around me have experienced from the "Cat Lady," Joy Mattice. I had intended to post it quickly, but had work commitments and wished to track down specific people who were the best recipients of that statement, City Attorney's office employee Laufele Murphy and our local CCP/Safe contact Jennifer Waisanen. Only after I clicked "send" on my letter to them would I publish my letter.
(And by the way John, I'm not proposing a solution to the feral cat problem. I'm proposing a solution to the Joy Mattice problem. As far as I'm concerned, Charles Darwin can help out with the feral cats.)
My impact statement is after the jump, unedited.
To Whom it May Concern:
I understand that Joy Mattice is going to be sentenced as
soon as Thursday, November 1 for activities related to illegal ground feeding
of feral cats. I would like to submit
the following as a community impact statement.
Joy does not respect other people, or their property, or the
effects her actions have on the community where she operates. One friend of mine recently bought a house
that had been vacant for several months.
During the vacancy period, Ms. Mattice began using the garage as a place
where she would feed feral cats. She did
so by leaving cat food open on the ground in and near the garage. So many cats flocked to the garage that the
smell of cat urine is unavoidable. My
friend has tried any number of remedies and has been unable to abate that odor. It is so pervasive that there have been
serious discussions about demolishing the garage and building new as the only
way to get rid of the smell.
Several blocks away, another neighbor had to deal with Joy
coming around and leaving cat food in an alley.
That ground feeding attracted raccoons, mice, and rats. The additional feral cats and other vermin
have significantly harmed this person’s enjoyment of her own back yard, and led
to her need to take pest control steps within her house.
In both of these cases, Ms. Mattice and a friend of hers
were verbally abusive and threatening to the neighbors who simply wanted her to
stop feeding the cats on their own property.
Another friend of mine told me of a similar verbal confrontation with
Ms. Mattice and her companion.
Ms. Mattice does not respect other people’s private
property. She does not respect other
people, period. When confronted, she
gets combative and threatening towards others.
I am glad to see her finally getting some kind of a sentence, but I worry
that she will simply return to the same habits and places as before. Those places are the Hawthorne, Jordan, and
Near North neighborhoods.
Therefore, I am asking for as strong of a sentence as is
reasonable, which should include geographic restrictions so that she cannot
come to the communities she has afflicted.
Sincerely,
Jeff Skrenes
2601 Penn Ave N
Minneapolis MN 55411
952-210-1086
Jeff.exyooper@gmail.com
Geographic restrictions? Oh, yeah, like THAT will happen.
ReplyDeleteRemember when we were trying to get a geographic restrict on "The Shitter" who was defecating on people's property? Remember how hard it was to get that restriction, and how tightly it had to be written?
You seriously think you're going to keep Joy Mattice out of Jordan, Hawthorne and the large "near North" area?
Joy Mattice is a focused force of nature, like Susan B. Anthony. Here's my suggestion.
NEGOTIATE WITH HER. Ultimately, she means well.
I mean, just to continue with my previous thought about geographic restrictions...we have people that live in places like Brooklyn Center who come to our neighborhood and sell drugs. They get caught, they get convicted.
ReplyDeleteWhere is THEIR geographic restriction?
Where is the restriction that says as little as "You can't stand on that corner anymore where you got caught"?
But you think "the cat lady" is going to be banned from the heart of North Minneapolis for feeding stray cats? I can see why you might ASK for that but is that really going to HAPPEN?
No. It won't.
I'll let the courts decide what is and isn't appropriate or feasible here. I am making the statement though, that Joy Mattice does not come to north Minneapolis - and especially the Near North community - for any other reason than to break the law and harass those who disagree with her. For such people, isn't geographic restriction an appropriate response?
ReplyDeleteSure, I might not get it THIS TIME. But when she walks out of that courtroom with a slap on the wrist and continues her illegal and abusive behavior, the next time she comes before the court they'll think long and hard about this kind of a measure.
Negotiate? If she can't even abide by occupant property owners' wishes for her to stay away from their homes, what is there to negotiate about?
ok ass hole lets start by the fact that you are seriously onesided and misinformed. Joy owns home on the north side. Joy has justs many supporters on the north side more so then the whine asses. really??? Most of the people there that are bitching, are trouble makers and doingillegle stuff themselves. Joy does the neighborhood a good service...feeds the homeless, stoping animal abuse and dog fighting working with dozens of rescue groups. I am working hard to get the stupid city ordinance changed. You are so hateful, obviously hate yourself to go after a Grandma and some animals.raccons get in garbage either way.
DeleteI'll stand by my statement that Joy did not live in the neighborhood, on the grounds that such a statement came directly from her. Whether it was true or not, she made that comment. But if she does indeed live here, then my stance is the same. Stay off of other people's property and feed stray cats at your own home.
DeleteShe should be forced to live in one of the vacant houses with 20 or more cats. That would cure her!
ReplyDeleteI feel bad for the raccoons. I posted on JNS that animals get caught in the crossfire of human desires, desires that are either well-meaning (and ill-conceived) or just selfish and self-serving, and the raccoons are no exception. Unfortunately a very disturbed individual began posting ad nauseum about how he has shot and drowned hundreds of cats instead of communicating like a rational human being with the cat owners and his city government. He unwittingly proved my point.
ReplyDeleteOMG Jeff! How bad are cats?
ReplyDeleteWould you rate them above slum lords? How about hookers, drug dealers, or run of the mill gang bangers?
Have you ever had a pack of stray cats chase you down and bite you? Have you ever even seen 2 cats roaming together? Where do you think all these cats come from? Where do they go?
You say that your friend bought this house after Ms. Mattice supposedly lured cats there to piss. But you never actually saw this happen, so it is pretty much conjecture. You also contrive a notion that there is so much feeding of stray cats going on that they can not possibly eat it all; and this attacks Mice and Rats(which these cats are to gorged to chase and eat), and Raccoons.
Do you know what Raccoons are really attracted by? Dog Food. You know what else they eat? Dog poop.
When is the last time you saw a yard full of dog waste stinking up the neighborhoods? When is the last time you saw one of our local studs walking his scary pit bull with a pooper scooper? Doesn't Happen. Next we'll need to start getting rid of the Dogs!
Would you say that if it could be documented that a cat pissed on a nice older home that might be grounds for a maniacal housing inspector to demo it? Do you really think that the City needs to prioritize cats?
Do you think that City Attorney's office employee Laufele Murphy and our local CCP/Safe contact Jennifer Waisanen really need any further deviation from their efforts to improve community livability by chasing little old ladies with cat nip in their purses?
Damn Jeff, what are you thinking?
I'm thinking that Joy Mattice and her accomplice trespass in my community, are verbally abusive to those who are negatively affected by their actions, and that such behavior needs to stop.
DeleteIn regards to the circumstances I described from three different friends, no, it is not "conjecture." It's reliable, credible information--secondhand but from sources I consider to be entirely credible.
And yes, raccoons and rats are drawn to the cat food, whether it's before the cats get there or after they've eaten their fill and left. I'd guess the dog situation you described doesn't help, but neither does that negate Joy's actions.
And when my friends and neighbors are threatened with physical harm, you're damn right I want my CCP/Safe contact and a city attorney to make that threat a part of their efforts to improve community livability.
Obviously the City is unable to control the problem of pet owners turning out unwanted cats.
DeleteSo if you think that local mice, rats, and raccoons are attracted and flourishing on what Ms. Mattice is "smuggling" into the community; then why doesn't the City use this same technique to catch the Cats, Rats, Mice, and Raccoons so Ms. Mattice wouldn't have to smuggle cat food into the community to trap and neuter/spaying cats that would otherwise continue to breed? They could use one of the vacant homes that they intend to demo (but don't yet have any good documentation).
Why? Because you are delusional. It isn't happening. Go get some opinions from wildlife professionals.
I hope the City attorney and CCP/Safe personnel can handle this scary little old lady you want to banish from our North Side kingdom...because they aren't doing to well with the two legged vermin that they were hired to eliminate!
This society is getting delusional for sure, irresponsible pet owners, give little cats to their children or they buy some kittens, they grow up, they never neutered them nor taking to the vet, then there are dozens of cats running the neighborhoods hungry, some times sick. And when an "old Lady" comes in their rescue feeds them and takes them to neutered them, she brings them back to their neighborhood of course.
DeleteWhat do you want the old lady to do and many other "old ladies" that care for cats( never see a man feeding feral cats), they do much needed work with these animals.
We need laws regulating pet ownership and the spaying of pets.
They need to work with this lady not punish her.
With so many other problems that we have now!
Actually Johnny Northside doesn't know what he's talking about (as usual). Geographic restrictions are frequently used as part of sentencing for people who commit offenses is specific areas.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, the court can tell someone that they "can't stand on a specific street corner", or in an entire neighborhood. It is frequently used to keep people who gamble, drink, shoplift, create a disturbance, or loiter with intent out of specific areas.
Granted Joy is just trying to be nice to poor little kitties, but my neighbors cat craps in my yard all the time because my other neighbor has one of those backyard garden in a box that attracts rodents. I've tried negotiating with them, now I just call animal control.
Funny how Johnny North promotes negotiating with Joy Mattice (who is the widow of a Minneapolis cop), but thinks he should just trash everyone else he doesn't agree with.
Maybe JNS should practice what he preaches. Or is he just concerned about headlines?
I forgot to include an example of how large an area a geographic restriction can be:
Deletehttp://www.minneapolismn.gov/www/groups/public/@mpd/documents/webcontent/wcms1p-084312.pdf
PS For Johnny Northside to compare Joy Mattice to Susan B Anthony is like comparing Megan Goodmundson to Eleanor Roosevelt. Neither Joy nor Megan compare to great and respected American leaders who shaped our county's history. So give it a rest and go back to trashing Jill Clark.
Hi Eric thanks for the info. Where did you getthis document? Are there similar onces for the other precincts?
DeleteYes, there are. But I couldn't find one for the 4th. It's in the MPD crime stats stuff on minneapolismn.gov
Delete