thsas comment-7764 2009-05-16T16:35:43Z 2009-05-16T16:35:43Z Zemog. Take a flight and look out the window. Nearly all of the planet is uninhabited by humans. thsas 2009-05-16T16:35:43Z Zemog Gomez comment-7760 2009-05-16T15:11:56Z 2009-05-16T15:11:56Z The whole city and most of the planet for that matter is a concrete jungle. If you want to complain about litter - we could start by not driving so much in cars, using bikes more, walking more, using mass transit including Amtrak, not flying so much, picking up stray litter whenever, and not approving any more roads. I agree with Tab, overall the park is clean. Some days it's dirtier, some days it's cleaner. They City can't clean it every day - go green brigade! Zemog Gomez 2009-05-16T15:11:56Z Felicia Pitre comment-7673 2009-05-15T14:16:50Z 2009-05-15T14:16:50Z Thank you! Felicia Pitre 2009-05-15T14:16:50Z Felicia Pitre comment-7672 2009-05-15T14:16:22Z 2009-05-15T14:16:22Z I do believe that it was more than "a small handful of people [displaying] poor judgment." The entire pond area was trashed! Please, take a look for yourself! Felicia Pitre 2009-05-15T14:16:22Z TAB comment-7671 2009-05-15T07:52:42Z 2009-05-15T07:52:42Z I have been to the park many times and it is always very clean. There has always been the ir-responsable few that can leave a litter trail and it is our responsablitity to take responsablility for those less ethical and clean up after them and i am proud to say this happens more often than not in todays environment. I have been feeding bread to birds since i was a little boy and i am now a senior and still feed them and i have never known the birds to come up ill and or die because of feeding bread. Feeding birds pieces of bread sure puts a lot of smiles on little childrens faces including mine. if bread hurts the birds dietary needs then signs should be posted to what to feed the birds and or not feed them for their health by parks and recreation and or volunteer groups. TAB 2009-05-15T07:52:42Z thsas comment-7659 2009-05-14T22:52:21Z 2009-05-14T22:52:21Z Great story and we are concerned about this. We don't walk the park very often, but we will be on the look out for this problem and happy to help out if we see it. thsas 2009-05-14T22:52:21Z trapper comment-7652 2009-05-14T22:52:13Z 2009-05-14T22:52:13Z Oh great EliRoth, now we can't feed the ducks at our city ponds? Sorry, but that sounds like a bunch crap in telling people it's dangerous. Last time I looked the duck populations healthy and people enjoy time with the birds. trapper 2009-05-14T22:52:13Z drlogan comment-7655 2009-05-14T22:04:37Z 2009-05-14T22:04:37Z Agree with Beerzie, just because a small handful of people displayed poor judgment, doesn't mean everyone in Sacramento is a littering animal abuser. drlogan 2009-05-14T22:04:37Z Oracle comment-7654 2009-05-14T21:44:19Z 2009-05-14T21:44:19Z Good story. Many people are brain dead and some of them wander through McKinley Park, leaving a trail of ignorance and sloth. The writer deserves a medal. We should all be so responsible. Oracle 2009-05-14T21:44:19Z Marilyn Clark comment-7650 2009-05-14T20:14:25Z 2009-05-14T20:14:25Z Yesterday I read a blog post by Craig Newmark about using the web to turn good intentions into action. Reading your story made his post real for me. Read it here: http://www.cnewmark.com/2009/05/if-we-ran-the-world-about-turning-good-intentions-into-action.html. Thank you for your post, for raising awareness, and for taking action! Marilyn Clark 2009-05-14T20:14:25Z Kelly Krehbiel comment-7649 2009-05-14T20:12:04Z 2009-05-14T20:12:04Z I actually had a unique story idea about this the last time I went. It basically involved a subset of locals acquiring expired bread from local bakeries, and using this bread to 'fatten up' the wildlife in the pond. They'd then come back at night during the holidays and select a few for their festivities. Twisted to be sure, but I could think of no other justification for the massive amounts of bread some people seem to show up with. That said, let's all be especially vigilant during the holidays - ok? LOL Kelly Krehbiel 2009-05-14T20:12:04Z Felicia Pitre comment-7648 2009-05-14T20:04:54Z 2009-05-14T20:04:54Z I agree with you 100%, and will contact you through the email address provided. Felicia Pitre 2009-05-14T20:04:54Z Felicia Pitre comment-7647 2009-05-14T20:04:17Z 2009-05-14T20:04:17Z Thank you for reading and responding. Felicia Pitre 2009-05-14T20:04:17Z Felicia Pitre comment-7646 2009-05-14T20:03:56Z 2009-05-14T20:03:56Z Thank you for your positive and encouraging comments! Felicia Pitre 2009-05-14T20:03:56Z Felicia Pitre comment-7645 2009-05-14T20:03:33Z 2009-05-14T20:03:33Z ...and thank you for reading! Felicia Pitre 2009-05-14T20:03:33Z EliRoth comment-7643 2009-05-14T19:51:01Z 2009-05-14T19:51:01Z Feeding bread (or anything else for that matter) to the wildlife is dangerous to them and unhealthy for the pond. If you are interested in joining our efforts to install education signs near the pond, please contact me at EatOutSacto@yahoo.com. EliRoth 2009-05-14T19:51:01Z Tommy VanWormer comment-7642 2009-05-14T19:49:20Z 2009-05-14T19:49:20Z I'll bet if you took a poll of the people around the pond or around the 'play' equipment you'll find that a very small percentage lives within a 5 mile area of the park. People who live in the area know how to behave and clean up after themselves. People from outside the area don't feel like they HAVE to. It's not their 'backyard'. They feel that it's the 'park workers' (whoever THEY are) jobs. This was quoted to me on more than one occasion. It saddens me to think that 'we' as a unit have not learned much in 10 or 15 years about protecting the environment & all that resides within. When my son was 2 we went to the park religiously and witnessed the same abhorrent behavior. My son is now 14. Thank you Monique for being proactive and sharing your rightfully disappointed story. Tommy VanWormer 2009-05-14T19:49:20Z beerzie comment-7641 2009-05-14T19:36:51Z 2009-05-14T19:36:51Z "Sacramento residents do not care about wildlife or the environment, and disappointing because it appears that the City of Sacramento does not care about wildlife, the environment, or the residents of Sacramento" Wow. You are painting with some broad brush strokes there. I can understand your disappointment, and applaud you bringing this to our attention, but this is, as a person who lives a block away, not necessarily representative of the majority of McKinley Park's many users, nor indicative of the policy or practices of the City of Sacramento. (I'd like to hear how an understaffed parks department can keep on top of litter 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.) beerzie 2009-05-14T19:36:51Z John Schmidt comment-7636 2009-05-14T18:18:17Z 2009-05-14T18:18:17Z Thank you, Monique, for giving me hope and lifting my spirit today. John Schmidt 2009-05-14T18:18:17Z David Watts Barton comment-7634 2009-05-14T17:57:24Z 2009-05-14T17:57:24Z This is a disturbing story, save for one fact: YOU cleaned up the litter! This is community involvement at its most basic and welcome: Instead of going home and grousing to your friends, you documented the story! Beyond that, and perhaps even more importantly, you did something to resolve the situation, if only temporarily. You picked up the trash! Litter is such a basic and frustrating fact of life almost anywhere, it would be easy to just shake your head and walk away, as others probably did. But YOU picked it up. As with other minor crimes, like graffiti tagging and broken bottles, removing the damage goes a LONG way toward preventing it from occurring again. So: Bummer about the litter, but you did two things that will help ensure that it doesn't happen quite so soon again. You set an example. Big props to you for that. And thanks again for the story. As quotidian as it may be, this is the heart of what citizenship - and citizen journalism - can be. Please write again. David Watts Barton 2009-05-14T17:57:24Z Jonathan Mendick comment-7629 2009-05-14T17:40:21Z 2009-05-14T17:40:21Z Great job on these photos. They compliment the story very well. It is hard to believe (and sad) that people left nearly whole bags of hamburger buns and packages of cheese. What a waste! Jonathan Mendick 2009-05-14T17:40:21Z Felicia Pitre comment-6076 2009-04-14T03:50:45Z 2009-04-14T03:50:45Z Thank you for sharing Bella's humbling beginnings and beautiful growth! Felicia Pitre 2009-04-14T03:50:45Z Angela Murray comment-6062 2009-04-13T23:14:01Z 2009-04-13T23:14:01Z An edit - my Bella was a stray who appears to have had some traumatic experiences in her life - yet she continues to love and trust people with no inhibition. It was a gift to watch her grow and emerge from her shell as we cared for her and she realized she was safe. To be entrusted to care for an animal is a privilege, and the three years we have had her have been the most joyous of my life. Angela Murray 2009-04-13T23:14:01Z Angela Murray comment-6059 2009-04-13T23:06:53Z 2009-04-13T23:06:53Z I agree there are lessons to be learned from our beloved pets - in fact my avatar is a picture of, conincidentally, my own beautiful Bella, who holds my heart in her hands and has given me more joy than I could ever imagine. I too, believe life is too short to live without forgivenes. The difference is, most dogs misbehave, and some humans intentionally and consciously hurt others, which is harder to forgive - there's a huge difference between the two. A dog's misbehavior is not an intent to hurt its owner, while people's behavior can be selfish, inconsiderate, and intentionally hurtful. Dogs do not have the same ability as humans, and vice versa, but that does not mean we cannot learn lessons by their unconditional love, forgiveness, and absolutely resilient spirits. Angela Murray 2009-04-13T23:06:53Z The Parrhesiac comment-5723 2009-04-08T16:17:32Z 2009-04-08T16:17:32Z I can remember couple of times when I was 14 that I felt I needed to run. It is better safe than sorry, there are a lot of crazy people out there and personally I would rather have my children be safe by running and risk bruising their ego, over somehow appearing guilty. Also no offense, but I have kids, they always put themselves in the best light..and yes even lie, so they don't appear guilty to their parents...that's just what kids do... The Parrhesiac 2009-04-08T16:17:32Z Felicia Pitre comment-5718 2009-04-08T15:30:21Z 2009-04-08T15:30:21Z Indeed! Felicia Pitre 2009-04-08T15:30:21Z Felicia Pitre comment-5717 2009-04-08T15:30:08Z 2009-04-08T15:30:08Z My appreciate of cats is quite new. I do see, however, that their temperaments are completely different than dogs. Felicia Pitre 2009-04-08T15:30:08Z Felicia Pitre comment-5716 2009-04-08T15:27:30Z 2009-04-08T15:27:30Z John, This incident occurred in Elk Grove. No, my son did not do anything to precipitate this incident. If he had, I would not have insisted on calling and writing the local police department. My son is a good kid, and I trust his word. Regarding running, I agree with my son--that would make him appear guilty; he is 14, not 7. Nevertheless, thanks for reading and replying. Felicia Pitre 2009-04-08T15:27:30Z Mark Forsyth comment-5705 2009-04-08T04:54:34Z 2009-04-08T04:54:34Z I'm a fan of forgiveness. Life's too short to hold grudges. Mark Forsyth 2009-04-08T04:54:34Z Jeff McCrory comment-5701 2009-04-08T00:13:37Z 2009-04-08T00:13:37Z I just saw that the "gadfly" wrote for that blog, so I was wondering if that was you. You seem to pay attention to city politics and with the same POV as that blog, so I was just trying to place you. Jeff McCrory 2009-04-08T00:13:37Z Jeff McCrory comment-5700 2009-04-08T00:07:31Z 2009-04-08T00:07:31Z Yeah. That's me. Jeff McCrory 2009-04-08T00:07:31Z The Parrhesiac comment-5697 2009-04-07T22:39:37Z 2009-04-07T22:39:37Z No, but I know who does. Why? Are you the same Jeff McCrory who is a web Tech for AFSCME? The Parrhesiac 2009-04-07T22:39:37Z Jeff McCrory comment-5696 2009-04-07T22:10:11Z 2009-04-07T22:10:11Z Galt, I asked you this in another thread. I don't know if you saw it. Do you run the Sacramento Insider blog? http://www.thesacramentoinsider.com/ Jeff McCrory 2009-04-07T22:10:11Z The Parrhesiac comment-5693 2009-04-07T20:59:23Z 2009-04-07T20:59:23Z Felicia...you didn't state what neighborhood this incident occurred in, I am curious... was it in North Natomas...? they have quite an clan of racists up there, especially around Creekside, who are worried African Americans will hurt their property values... Also..I have kids...so i know they do dumb things...maybe your son did something he shouldn't have... what precipitated this confrontation... it's possible it was not racially motivated at all. The police were also right..teach your son to run...never let some stranger in that kind of situation get close enough to grab or hit you. The Parrhesiac 2009-04-07T20:59:23Z Colleen Belcher comment-5688 2009-04-07T18:57:40Z 2009-04-07T18:57:40Z So you've taught your dog Spanish? I wonder if you have ever owned cats and tested out the same theory of instant forgiveness. My cat seems to hold grudges, not for longer than a half a day, but this is an eternity compared to how quick my dog forgives or forgets his punishment. Colleen Belcher 2009-04-07T18:57:40Z Felicia Pitre comment-5686 2009-04-07T18:48:29Z 2009-04-07T18:48:29Z The police basically stated that my son should have ran away; however, my son thinks that would have made him appear guilty. The following day, I emailed the chief of police and local councilperson. The investigation was assigned to a "beat officer," but there is not much that can be done regarding the past incident. I am grateful, however, that the incident was reported and folks are now aware of the occurrences. (My son continues to walk the neighborhood with and without friends, but he is also more aware.) Felicia Pitre 2009-04-07T18:48:29Z Colleen Belcher comment-5684 2009-04-07T18:42:25Z 2009-04-07T18:42:25Z What was the advice given by the police? What suggestions did they offer? Will you let your son continue to walk home? Is there a friend or classmate that he could walk home with for most or part of the way so he wasn't walking by himself? Colleen Belcher 2009-04-07T18:42:25Z