Vernon bear protest insults Vernon police

It is an American’s right to protest peacefully. The demonstrators who were at the corner of Route 94 and Church Street in Vernon protesting the killing of bears by the Vernon police, were just doing that. The problem is that they shouldn’t have had some signs labeling the Vernon police as crazed, blood thirsty killers of bears! Our elected state governor, senate and assembly persons are the ones who create and maintain the laws of our state. The Vernon police must uphold and enforce those laws. Bears that under the laws are imposing or could impose a threat to the residents of our community are killed. The police don’t randomly patrol to locate and kill bears and only respond to calls from residents who feel threatened from encounter with a bear. The demonstrators should take their complaints to our elected state officials and request changes to the laws. They should also report anyone who is feeding the bears and creating the potential for a future unfavorable human-bear encounter. P.S. While the protest was taking place a female bear with three 5-month-old cubs was resting in my back yard. The bear and the cubs occasionally pass through the yard. We don’t feed them and my garbage is secured in bear proof receptacles. We avoid them and they don’t bother us. A member of the household witnessed a 400- to 500-pound male bear attacking and killing one of the cubs. It was a vicious attack and the mother could do nothing. She is still searching for the dead cub and is easily agitated. We are staying indoors until the mother and cubs leave to avoid a confrontation. Bill Cimaglia Vernon