I found your article about urban farming and backyard slaughter alarmingly one-sided and biased towards Novella Carpenter and her desire to kill animals. I’ve seen and read enough of Carpenter to be quite disturbed by the glee with which she describes killing the natural predators of the animals she plans to kill anyway. Strange contradiction, that.

The article’s title on your homepage (“Battling the Bunny Activists”) condescendingly dismisses those who care about nonviolence towards animals, but you also do nothing to challenge the same old arguments. It is absolutely not true that “animals are critical to the growing of vegetables.” Good soil – i.e. compost – is critical, and that is a natural process that worms take care of without the need for chicken manure. I know. I’m an urban farmer in Oakland.

Finally, Barbara Finnin asserting that she doesn’t want to “create barriers for feeding people” is a cheap shot that makes it sound like anyone who is opposed to backyard animal slaughter DOES want to “create barriers.” Noone is trying to stop people from feeding themselves. That’s not the issue. We’re trying to prevent more violence in an already violent city.

Harvest and sell vegetables, yes? Raise and kill animals? No.