This mother has been in contact with the local and national LLL and they were telling us the story tonight. The park manager tracked the first woman down and shoved some internet print outs about HIV and breastmilk at her and then he actually shut down the park the next day due to possible HIV contamination by the second mother because she breastfed her baby on the pool deck.JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Holly Howe said she was discreetly nursing her baby under a blanket when a manager at the Kid's Kampus approached her.
"He said I couldn't breast feed because breast milk is a bodily fluid and I could contaminate the park and he would have to shut the park down," said Howe.
As an educated mom who had already nursed two other babies, Howe was incredulous. She tried to explain that Florida law gives women the right to breast feed in public places, but the manager, she claimed, would have none of it.
Finally, she and her five month old retreated to another area of the park, but according to Howe, the park manager followed her with papers he printed off the internet talking about HIV and breast milk. She left feeling harrassed and, in her words, "gross."
"I don't think anyone should have to feel bad or gross about giving their child the best nourishment. I was no threat," Howe said.
So Howe wrote a letter of complaint to the City of Jacksonville, and also contacted the Breast Feeding Coalition where her story came to the attention of its president, Loretta Haycook.
"I thought surely not in this day and time," Haycook said.
Haycook hoped it was an isolated incident, then a second, almost identical, complaint came in from another mom, Irma Persoff.
"He basically told me if I didn't leave the park he would close it down," said Persoff.
And according to her that is exactly what he did.
"When other women wanted to know why he had shut down the park, he told them to go ask me," she says.
Haycook calls the whole bodily fluid argument "assinine".
In fact, Haycook points to all of the well documented health benefits breast feeding offers, from preventing ear infections, to guarding against cancer.
"People should not be harrassed they should be patted on the back for breast feeding," she says.
For the record, Pam Wilson from the city's Parks and Recreation Department wholeheartedly agrees. She said the issues have been isolated to this park and that it will not happen again.
"First let me says the city has no plans to limit breast feeding and we encourage it. This has been the only incident at a city park and it was simply a misinterpretation by staff," Wilson said.
She says all city staff will be re-educated. That is something Howe and Persoff are happy to hear.
"Seeing a woman breast feeding in public is not the same thing as seeing a scantily clad woman at the beach. It's a woman nourishing her child the best way she can," said Persoff.
Craziness. And now they are simply "retraining" him instead of firing him...
I am happy with the park service's public statement about breastfeeding, which was refreshing to read.
(I just rant a lot about LLL)
If my leader ever read this thread they'd probably boot me out 
