Monica Sharma testifies remotely supporting ban

You may begin.

Thank you for staying so late.

I've been online since 10 a.m.

And I appreciate what's going on over here.

I just want, like everything has almost been covered by everybody who's been talking and I totally am in support of this bill, but I'm so amazed, you know, that

I understand this was originally for the welfare and the well-being of horses.

I am a pet lover myself.

I have two rescue dogs.

I have two dogs in the past that we've lost.

But I cannot compare the life of my son to a life of my pet.

And I love my pets as much as you can think.

It's just come down to a human life being in the part of a horse, you know, well-being.

I don't know how we're comparing the two.

It's very unfortunate.

I just hope no mother ever has to think, you know, is my son the same importance as a...

Horse on a street.

Horse lives are very important.

Dog lives, extremely important.

Any pet, any life, extremely important.

Everyone has a right to live.

But don't bring human life down to, you know, thinking with the horses.

It's really, really not comparable.

It's sad that, you know, it happened the way it did happen.

Everyone has a right to get a...

Fair living, you know,

They have a right to livelihood.

They should completely be able to achieve whatever dream they have.

And it's wrong of them to say that they cannot adapt to a new lifestyle or adapt to a thing.

Everybody adapts to everything.

We've been through three different businesses in a lifetime, three different careers.

After my children, I started something else.

Before my life, I had something else.

Everyone changes.

Everyone evolves.

Everyone can continue to grow into something else.

If your livelihood is a reason for somebody's death, change it.

It's not worth it.

We are all going to die one day.

But, you know, I would be.

Devastated to know that because of me or my business.

Time is up and if you want to just summarize in a couple of sentences, that's fine.

I'm just in support of the bill.

I'm a lot in support of the bill.

This bill should definitely be passed.

And I appreciate all the councilmen over here and the councilwomen and everybody here who's been so respectful and patient.

But I must say that Councilman Gennaro was very rude to the people who did not support him.

I hear you.

We have to move on.

Thank you.

Melissa Pellicer.

You may begin.

Melissa Pellis.