Best Buy’s War Against Jimmy and One Feral Cat; BOYCOTT

Click on any photo to enlarge.


Jimmy is still living in his tent with four cats behind Best Buy at 19350 Nordhoff, at Tampa and Nordhoff in Northridge, awaiting a November 6 court date. Jimmy has been living there for over two years until Best Buy and three other stores took over the bankrupt Levitz building. For a full story on Jimmy, see Patrick McDonald's July 30 article in the LA Weekly: http://www.laweekly.com/2009-07-30/news/jimmy-on-the-edge-of-town/1


But Jimmy won’t move because he can’t get anyone to feed the all the seven colonies he feeds in the area, a total of about 30 cats. He’d rather risk the outcome of a trial and jail.

Unfortunately the Nordhoff Plaza security staff has stepped up its harassing activities against Jimmy by roughing him up one night. He filed a complaint against them at the Devonshire police station, after which security stepped up their harassment even more. (Since this was posted, the security company head guy apologized to Jimmy saying they were responding to pressure from management. Jimmy dropped charges.)

Jimmy cares for several cats on the bridge that had been cared for by Monica before Jimmy moved there. Monica still comes by and gives Jimmy cat food and supplies as do other people. Last week, Monica was stopped by the guards and told she could not come into the Best Buy parking lot unless she were shopping there. This to me indicates again that the guards are responding to Best Buy's complaints. She had to park on Tampa and walk the load of food and supplies a considerable distance to Jimmy’s tent.

Best Buy’s management denies they ever complained and blame it on the management company, claiming they have no control over the guards, yet months ago, one of the guards told Jimmy that Best Buy was upset because one of the feral cats Jimmy feeds comes into their three story parking structure. (Photo 3) 

However, now at night, security shuts off access to Jimmy’s tent and that cat with yellow police-style tape. (Photo 4) When guards see Jimmy feeding the cat, they grab the food and throw it into the flood control channel right in front of him. (As stated above, the security company backed off and they no longer do this.)

So it is not the County after Jimmy or even the railroad, but according to the guard, and a reporter who talked to Jimmy, it is Best Buy’s management who led the charge against him.

I talked to two managers at Best Buy. The second, the operations manager Dooreen said she doubted Best Buy ever complained to anyone about Jimmy.

However, I asked her whether sales had been down over the past three months as it is all over the Internet that best Buy was the source of harassing Jimmy. She did not respond. I told Doreen as the principal anchor at the shopping center, that Best Buy could stop Jimmy’s harassment with a single phone call to the management company and the security guards. She just told me to call the General Manager who would be in the store Thursday, October 15. I did, but he did not return my call.

Take a look yourself. Go there after the stores close and see the yellow tape blocking Jimmy’s access to his tent.

The photo with the cat’s footprints shows where the feeding station was destroyed and food thrown into the river channel. The guard's footprints show where he stomped out the feeding site.

This cat has not been fed in 6 days. (The cat is now being fed.)

BOYCOTT BEST BUY IN NORTHRIDGE. PLEASE CALL:

The management company never returned my phone calls.

Management company phone: Jenny Candia (626) 793-6362

Best Buy operations manager, Doreen, and General Manager, Ken: (818) 727-2036

                                   

Tell Best Buy's General Manager or Doreen that one phone call to the management company, and one word to the Guardian National Guards, and Jimmy would be left alone. In fact, I am sure if they called the City Attorney Atteukennian, he would drop charges against Jimmy. Tell them otherwise you will boycott THEIR Best Buy store.

Go around to the back of the building next to Bed, Bath and Beyond and talk to Jimmy for yourself. Hear his story.