Thursday, October 1, 2026
Eighty-four local residents came together to rally against the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter on May 7. The protest was organized by Hope for Hempstead, a local shelter-reform advocacy group, and was held on the southeast corner of Hempstead Turnpike and Gardiners Avenue in Levittown.
Hope for Hempstead, which has led several protests of the Town's animal shelter in the past three months, came together in May to protest the Town of Hempstead's self investigation of the widely criticized "Kill the Kitty" video — a 17-year-old video that surfaced in March, showing shelter employees joking about preparing to euthanize a kitten. The video outraged residents Long Island-wide, and garnered negative attention nationwide.
Derek Donnelly, director of Hope for Hempstead, said he believes that town officials are “incapable” of conducting their own investigation of the shelter's workers and animal-care policies. The advocacy group believes a state investigation, instead, is necessary, he said.
“We demand an independent operational and fiscal investigation of the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter,” Donnelly stated a rally release. “It’s long overdue for our state-elected officials to stand up and do the right thing for our animals and our community.”
In addition to the town’s investigation, the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office has been conducting an investigation of the shelter for the past six months. The shelter has an annual budget of more than $7 million.
Diane Madden, a Hope for Hempstead member, who was banned from the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter last November — when the shelter banned all volunteers from its facility — said that Town of Hempstead officials have proven several times that they cannot investigate themselves. After volunteers were banned, but before the "Kill the Kitty" video was released, she explained, the Town stated that a shelter investigation was unnecessary, despite several complaints from members of the community, who were suspicious of the shelters' actions. Town officials owe local residents an in-depth, state investigation, Madden added.
“What we are demanding is an independent fiscal and operational investigation. That is what will bring forth the kind of change that is long overdue at The Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter,” Madden said. "We will continue to shed light on this unfortunate situation for the sake of the animals and the taxpayers until volunteers are welcomed, life saving policies and procedures are put in place, and the animals have the kind of services that a $7.1 million annual shelter budget can afford."
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