During his crusade to save the deer in Shawnee Mission Park, Jason Miller's protest tactics have often prompted a gallery of police officers. In fact, when a battery of Bite Club of KC activists tried to block traffic into the Johnson County park in October, Miller fully expected to get arrested. (Despite his best efforts, Miller left in his Saturn SUV, not a paddy wagon.)
Now, the provocateur is trying to use the legal system to tie the hands of the Johnson County Park and Recreation District. Last week, Miller filed for a temporary restraining order to halt the impending bow hunt in Shawnee Mission Park.
And yesterday afternoon, he got a hearing in front of Johnson County Circuit Court Judge Kevin Moriarty.
In his claim, Miller alleged that park officials, including director Michael Meadors, had "abused their power, misled the public and violated their own laws" in approving a bow hunt to pare down the overpopulated deer herd to an ecologically manageable level.
Miller suggested that he is acting on behalf of "thousands of members of Bite Club of KC who reside at various locations around the world," each of whom would suffer "severe emotional trauma caused by the unnecessary annihilation of additional deer in Shawnee Mission Park."
Miller also argued that the "public interest" would be served if the parks' district were "forced to manage the deer population via non-lethal means, thus sparing the public the trauma associated with gratuitous killing of wildlife."
Last week, when I asked Randy Knight, community relations manager for the parks district, if he had any comment on Miller's allegations, Knight had a concise, one-word answer: "No."
According to Miller, Judge Moriarty was much more talkative at the hearing yesterday afternoon. "We sat there and went back and forth for 45 minutes," Miller said afterward. "He seriously considered our case."
Then, he dismissed it.
But, for the Bite Club founder, the $166 it cost to file the petition was money well-spent. "A lot of the things the judge said were favorable to our position," Miller said. "And, it showed, again, that we put up a fight."
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I brought in the new year with a fine 3lb. Deer Roast. MMmmm You know, Venison is very lean and good for you. You All should try it, at least once. Open your mind, experience the joy of being closer to nature by enjoying nature at her finest. Be a part of the circle of life.
...A journey of a thousand miles, starts with the first step... Take that first step, non-believers! Open your eye's, Open your hearts...open your mouth's to nature's bounty!
Let's all live together enjoying what nature can and has provided.
I respect your decision to eat what you will, just respect mine.
Posted by an independent vegetarian who has worked with area Animal Rights activists:
Jason Miller and his Bite Club of KC have raised the bar on activism in Kansas City. On behalf of deer in an urban park, Jason has probably waged THE most robust campaign on behalf of animals in Kansas City's history.
I wonder if older teams, like the late PAR [People for Animal Rights - KC] or AOK [Animal Outreach of Kansas - Lawrence] could have brought the commitment from Judge Moriarty to use non-lethal means of deer-population control next time, that Jason has done.
Now comes the next job for Miller - to hold JOCO's "feet to the fire" on their commitment to use non-lethal methods in 2010.
Good night, and good luck
He may not have won the case for the deer, but he surely brought a subject to light which NO one thinks about. Deer are sadistically killed all over the country, and no one gives a thought about it. When fighting for animals, we always have to start somewhere....Like the Chinese proverb: "a journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step"
"Carolinetc says:
Jason did everything he can for the deer and he is a true hero."
Maybe we should give him one of those participation ribbons that they give the kid that loses the sack race that says "if you did your best, you won!"
Jason did everything he can for the deer and he is a true hero. His fight was relentless thru all the barage of insults and threats he ignored instead continued speaking against the killing. Deer war is not an easy war because wildlife serial killers and state can use all kind of lame excuses to kill them. Deer are sentient being capable of pain and suffering and so unfair how they use their bodies for their killing pleasure. I am tired of Johnson County and the wildlife serial killers calling the deer killing a "harvest". It's NOT "harvest" its KILLING, "harvest" is for potatoes and deer are NOT potatoes.
Here is a quote from a Veterianarian
"Consider the physiology of the deer who dies by suffocation, choking on its own blood,or the deer who dies after an arrow penetrates the diaphragm. The presence of a highly sophisticated nervous system in deer certainly suggests that their nervous systems
perform the same functions as human nervous systems. The presence of the same
neurochemicals in deer as in humans similarly shows that they feel pain as we do."
Click onto my name and watch the video. That is bowhunting sadism and "professional archer" is just another euphemistic words because they are all the same slob bowkillers who enjoy destroying life. The video are 3 or 4 different clips from bowhunting snuff videos I found on youtube. In one clip (1:00) you will see doe suffocating in her own blood the most common way a deer dies from bowhunters.
THERE IS NO "QUICK DEATH" in bowhunting that I have learned from viewing hundreds of hunting videos.
The good news that came of all this is the Non-Lethal options are more publicised now and Johnson County (if they keep their words) consider using it next year. SADLY the park will forever be remembered as DEATH PARK and you will never be able to rid of the bad karma that lingers in there after so many horrific death is such short time.
of course by putting it in print that Miller felt the Judge payed close attention and was completely engaged, he has now totally blown any opportunity to ground an appeal of the decision. And, probably more in Miller's wheelhouse, he has blown the chance to spin the decision to people as horrific miscarriage of justice. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.
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