Let's show kindness

To the editor:

The new proposal of the city’s parks department to ban the feeding of squirrels and birds in city parks is outrageous. This ban must be stopped for many reasons.

Even if you are not a person who feeds the squirrels or birds, there are many troubling ramifications of this rule being adopted. The fact that this proposal seeks to criminalize people, including our seniors, is sad and mean-spirited.

Undocumented residents would now be on the radar of U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and face deportation. And for what? Showing kindness to a squirrel or bird?

In the first place, any rat problem in the parks is well known to originate from the garbage and litter that is left everywhere. The parks department seeks to divert attention from this problem and focus the blame on people who feed the squirrels. Talk about overreach?

How is it that a city agency like the parks department can thumb their noses at the public as they boast how they don’t need city council approval?

Lucia Maria