This just in - an update on the Colorado incident

Attorney Tacy has been kind enough to update me on the situation in Colorado:


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Some additional information:

1) Reason for issuing the press release was the County's initial lack of response, then slow response. A supervisor of the Park Ranger who issued the ticket, appeared on site, the same day the ticket was issued and told Ms. Ryan that if she breastfeed again, she would be asked to leave the park. The very next day, Ms. Ryan left that Supervisor phone messages indicating that there was a law in Colorado that allowed women to breastfeed in public. Those calls were never returned. Two days after the incident, one of Ms. Ryan's neighbors (who happens to work for the County Parks Department) heard that Ms. Ryan was issuing a press release. Later that day, Ms. Ryan did receive a call from a "District Manager." He made several promises: 1) that the summons and complaint would be taken care of, 2) that Ms. Ryan would receive a formal letter of apology, and 3) the Park Rangers involved would apologize to Ms. Ryan. 12 days later, two weeks after the actual ticketing, Ms. Ryan had heard nothing. She had not received an apology letter; she had returned to the swim beach but no one had apologized; and she was still sitting on a formal summons and complaint telling her to appear in Court. So, the press release was issued. Now, of course, that the County has been inundated with calls (after our press release went out), they have been able to give the issue more priority (the District Manager represented to the press that a letter would be going out today, Friday).

2) Ms. Ryan is upset regarding the County's explanation to the press yesterday of why/how the summons and complaint was issued. On the television news reports that ran this story last night, Mr. Dan Reeves (the District Manager) attributed the issuance of the ticket, solely, to "poor" judgment and errant discretion of the park ranger who issued the ticket, whom he described as a newly hired, seasonal employee. The reality is that when the ticket was issued, there was several park rangers present and, more importantly, that ranger's supervisor showed up, onsite, and reaffirmed the policy, telling Ms. Ryan that if she continued to breastfeed, she would be asked to leave the park. With more than one ranger involved, and the involvement of a supervisor, it was disturbing to hear the Park's District Manager misrepresent the extent of their involvement.

There is good news. Mr. Reeves did communicate to the press that the Park Rangers were receiving training in response to this incident.
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Dorian Ryan and Mitchell Tacy deserve high praise for their handling of this abuse of Ms. Ryan's rights - and, more importantly, the abuse of the rights of Ms. Ryan's son to eat.

Let's all remember that, folks - this is ultimately about feeding a baby.