I started calling around and reached a TNR group who said they might help. I didn't do much more than that (well I adopted Pica) but over the past 18 years cats were trapped and fixed and trapped and fixed.
I wondered if it'd work. It seemed like new cats just showed up to fill the gaps.
The bodega cats were fixed too.
I just noticed that I have not seen a stray cat in a year. There isn't a colony at the garden anymore.
TNR *can* work. But it takes time. And a city wide effort. 2/