Camden: Let Us All Make A Difference

An email I received. I had no idea that this was a problem in our great city. I carry the weight. So I figured I make this public. We MUST SAVE YOLANDA AND HER TWO SISTER HENS.

"Dear Jason,

Yolanda and her two sister hens used to cluck happily in the backyard of their Boston home. They ate insects, chowed down on food scraps, and provided their owner, Audra Karp, fresh eggs. The backyard chickens also provided educational opportunities for neighborhood children to learn about food.

But now Yolanda is a chicken on the run. She and her sister hens were recently evicted from their Boston backyard by Boston's Animal Control. Audra Karp just lost an appeal to keep the chickens, thanks to the city's nearly impossible process to legally and responsibly own backyard chickens.

A group called Legalize Chickens in Boston wants to make Boston chicken-friendly so Yolanda can come home. They started a petition on Change.org asking the Boston City Council and Mayor Tom Menino to amend the city's laws to allow people to raise chickens in their backyards. Can you add your name to support legalizing chickens in Boston?

Cities from Chicago to Houston to New York have become chicken-friendly, making it easier for people to raise small flocks of hens in their backyard. Yet Boston, which aims to be one of the greenest cities in America, makes it virtually impossible for anyone to keep backyard chickens.

The problem is that under current laws, chickens are recognized as livestock, not pets, so keeping them in one's backyard runs counter to the city's archaic zoning laws. Members of Legalize Chickens in Boston have been working with one City Council member to update city zoning laws and legalize backyard chicken-keeping.

People across the country are starting to understand the benefits of keeping chickens: the birds can act as natural pest killers and provide food to their owners. Legalize Chickens in Boston wants City Council members and Mayor Menino to recognize these benefits, too.

The Boston City Council and Mayor Menino can make it legal for residents to keep a small flock of backyard chickens. Please sign the petition to legalize chickens in Boston:

http://www.change.org/petitions/boston-city-council-legalize-chickens-in-boston

Thank you for taking action.

- Michael and the Change.org team"

FUCK MENINO. LEZ DO THIS.