Where is the compassion?
By Sue Elmore ? letters to the editor
My husband and I have lived in Lake County for 10 or more years. We are both disabled and retired. My husband is legally blind. We have owned and raised blue and gold macaws, an endangered species, for 20 years.
My question is “where is the compassion?” I will explain ? I have had respect for all law enforcement ? today I have a somewhat different opinion, not disrespect, just a different opinion.
Just how far can a police officer go to arrest a person for a “failure to appear” bench warrant ? on a misdemeanor at that? My husband had missed a court date on Feb. 25 and a bench warrant was issued. Realizing it, he called his attorney and was put back on the docket for March 23. His attorney called and confirmed this. Somehow, that information didn”t get into the computer.
On March 5, around 5 p.m., I returned home to find my normally loud house, strangely quiet. I opened the unlocked front door and saw my male blue and gold macaw, named Robyn, sitting on my computer chair and my female, named Blue, under my bed. She had laid two eggs two weeks before and was sitting on them. Robyn was unusually quiet and as I got closer to him, I saw that the side of his face was bruised, swollen and bleeding and that his bottom beak had a one-fourth to one-half inch chip in it. I had to call my veteranarian in Marin for help.
My husband then called from jail and explained what had happened. He said law officers entered without asking and looked for him by searching the house. My uncaged male bird approached the officer and the officer used his flashlight to ward off my bird, causing the injuries. I always warn and pick up my bird before I answer my door. He was only trying to protect the female on her eggs. Don”t you think animal control should have been called and the bird caged and then the home entered? My husband wasn”t running, he only wanted to pick up his bird, but they wouldn”t let him. They wouldn”t believe what my husband told them. That threw my husband into a panic attack and he was handcuffed and was having trouble breathing.
In summary, I will always have respect for the law, but to what extent I”m not sure. Having two beautiful birds, endangered species, one with injuries to the face and beak (I had to hand feed him for a week) and the other, my female, never returning to her eggs.
I am not writing this letter for any type of gain. I just want to voice my opinion and be able to take care of our birds; they are our life. We have had the male for 20 years and the female for 11 years and they are our best friends. If a little compassion had been used this would not have happened and I would not be moving from Lake County.
I feel laws need to be either changed or revised to include using discretion and compassion when it comes to entering your home on a minor offense, without a search warrant or asking for permission. Isn”t that invading your privacy? Just a little compassion could have made a huge difference.
Sue Elmore
Clearlake
