By Karen Glover

Sound Familiar? … as in…THE BIRDS…the 1963 fictional horror film by the Master, Alfred Hitchcock. Maybe your initial reaction is this comparison is certainly far-fetched…but is it? Hopefully, after reading the observations and facts gleaned from various published articles and commentary, you may readily agree with thousands of Somerville Citizens who are victimized on a daily basis by this out-of-control diseased RAT infestation.

The following comparisons to a fictional horror story do highlight that Somerville Citizens are, in fact, living a daily real life rodent horror story. In the Hitchcock film, The Birds increasingly multipy and eventually overrun the town. In Somerville, diseased RATS have increasingly multiplied at warp speed and have overrun our city. Diseased RATS have burrowed into our homes, basements, kitchens, bedrooms, businesses, buildings, restaurants, driveways, backyards, cars, boats, you name it…a diseased RAT is looking at your property as a safe haven from the incessant drilling, digging, more drilling, more digging that dominates our city, enriching developers, but ruining the homes, the property, the health, safety and wellbeing of our victimized citizenry. The drilling, drilling and more drilling awakens the nest of RATS and even the RATS can’t stand the ear shattering noise and scurry to the surface to escape and find safe haven inside and outside our property.

Similar to the Hitchcock horror film, Somerville Citizens live with the anxiety that diseased RATS are ever present. We see the burrow holes at the baselines of our property, so we know diseased RATS are living in our homes…just like the Birds were living in the attic of the home in the Hitchcock movie. Let me repeat…the RATS are living in our homes. The diseased RATS are chewing wires on our properties, very possible residing in our stoves. (think Thanksgiving Dinner)…a potential horror story? Yes, you can make a sizable expenditure and purchase a stove manufactured specifically sealed to keep out rodents. Well, what do you do about the basement, your child’s bedroom where diseased RATS have been known to scratch sleeping children? What do you do about all the wires in your home, car boat, etc. etc.? Well, you can call an exterminator at your own expense for repeated, multiple ongoing visits…wow…lots of money!

If your home is located, let’s say, Minnesota Ave. or Richardson Ave. or any parts of the city where homeowners are told that…funding for zapping diseased RATS are unavailable for your part of the city!…What? Huh? Funds UNAVAILABLE? Pleeaasse! Let’s see, are funds unavailable for the mayor’s street, the transportation guru’s street, the Ward 7 city councillors street, etc. etc.? Hopefully, they and their families never experience the trauma of RAT infestation, but, of course, if they were in this traumatic situation, in two seconds every available means of RAT CONTROL under the sun would appear at their doorstep and be put into immediate eradication mode.

Can a grandparent of seven grandchildren really relax with peace of mind in his backyard where his

Grandchildren are at carefree play, well supervised, many adults present, but still knowing the unpredictable presence of diseased RATS is an ever present danger. Why?…for several reasons: in a split second, one child out of the seven children running around the yard can excitedly see something moving which captivates the child’s ever curious playful mind, the child for one second chases it, then the diseased RAT WILL ATTACK!

Diseased RATS can transmit hideous and sometimes fatal diseases to humans and pets from the diseased RATS urine, and feces which the RATS spread in the dirt of backyards, and, by the way, in the interior of homes and all sorts of property. We all know that playing children get dirty, and we often have to wipe their little faces off from dirt the little ones just get on and in their mouths just from digging and playing in nature. By the way, wear your gloves and a mask while gardening…maybe some outdoor knee pads because you don’t want your jeans in direct contact with RAT urine and feces.

Simply search online and you will readily have a list of the many hideous and gross diseases RATS carry and easily transmit. Simply search online and you will readily have a list of the numerous methods of RAT CONTROL available to the City of Somerville. Our RAT Czar Colin Zeigler is a fan of Smart Boxes, there are gasing methods, birth control, sterilization, and many more methods, some deemed to be inhumane to RATS and others to be humane. The point is that RATS MUST BE ERRADICATED NOW. The point is multiple methods have to be used simultaneously and continuously…not an experiment with Smart Boxes…see how that goes…no, multiple eradication methods is a MUST RIGHT NOW and NO part of the city should be left unattended! It’s obvious to any conscientious, concerned homeowner to keep trash cans covered, no available food sources around, but even doing this 100%…we are way beyond covering trash cans as the best solution!

On November 15, 2022 an article appeared that stated Somerville’s RAT problem is under control! Please…outright Propaganda! Outright Lies! Ask Somerville dog owners if they feel comfortable taking their dogs out for a nightly walk…NO, THEY DO NOT! Walking around the City of Somerville at night is a big part of Somerville’s Real Life Rodent Horror Story…seeing diseased RATS congregating around restaurants and everywhere else doesn’t make for a peaceful, carefree stroll.

Somerville’s Real Life Rodent Horror Story stems from the additional sickening feature of the gross human element. Our City is infested with humans ( officials mimicking TERMITES) chewing up the very fabric of Somerville by digging up every spare inch of land and inviting their other best friend humans (mimicking LOCUSTS) which swarm into the city by the multitudes to dig their claws into the land for the sole purpose of personal greed and enrichment. These human termites dig, dig and keep digging and don’t mind disturbing the nests of their fellow rodents, RATS!…who, again, scurry to the surface and like human termites and locusts, victimize our lives.

What can a tax-paying Somerville Citizen who is being victimized by the Rat infestation do…unfortunately, not much with this current city administration…EXCEPT… to realize that these developers are just waiting for you to throw your hands up in the air and give up…maybe then they can get their claws into your property and achieve their long term goals whatever they might be…but know whatever their goals are…they are certainly not in your best interest. We need to relentlessly and continuously call every office at City Hall, The Health Department, Our Representatives, Our Senators, Everybody Who Works for Us! Our hard- earned money pays for their salaries. Let’s see if the Mayor responded to the Editor of this Newspaper’s request that she call or email the paper with a response. My educated guess from personal experience is she could not be bothered…she and her woke colleagues are busy fulfilling their imaginary mandates for bike lanes, unnecessarily and dangerously rerouting traffic, anything these City officials are currently doing to create other unnecessary hideous messes and gross mismanagement of the City of Somerville without our imput…we didn’t vote for bike lanes, etc…only their militant bike groups have input and influence. Call and demand accountability to use every and all methods of RAT ERRADICATION NOW! No more propaganda! No more lame excuses!