Re the Feb. 7 article, City, neighbors feud over Gardens: As a resident of Pinecrest for 30 years and a member of the so-called angry mob that showed up at the Pinecrest Village meeting in November, I’m astonished that ordinary moms and dads of families wishing to live safe and peaceful lives are called names and unfairly accused of voicing our feelings in the venue our society offers us.

Mayor Cindy Lerner was the one who responded with hostility to our opposition to her plans for a “party city agenda” (her words). These types of activities, that will become commonplace are simply inappropriate for a residential community and park. Imagine large crowds, noise, drinking, traffic, and music so loud that it rattles your windows being promoted on a regular basis in anyone’s neighborhood. It’s just not right.

We all love the garden, just as the Scherr family, my former neighbor and former owner of The Parrot Jungle did. Mrs. Scherr told me many times how they tried to sell the garden to someone who would follow her family’s example and keep the garden a peaceful, low-key place for the community to enjoy in a manner that would be an asset to the neighborhood, as a destination for families and children, for school field trips and birthday parties — which Parrot Jungle always was in the years the Scherr family owned and operated the venue, including the restaurant.

The garden is for families and their children to have a safe and positive experience without fear of excessive crowds and partygoers who have been drinking and then getting into cars and driving through our streets at all hours of the day or night.

The mayor’s agenda goes beyond what she is publicly admitting to. A Peacock Garden Café facility sounds like a perfect match, but only if it is regulated in a manner that doesn’t negatively impact our safety and quality of life. Our mayor and her cronies are attempting to push their agenda on the community.

No one should be forced to live under these circumstances, nor does anyone have the right to ridicule and demonize those who are simply attempting to preserve the quality of life in their community.

Bonnie Perkins, Pinecrest