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Wednesday, July 20, 2005Denver Pit Bull Owners in a Panic Over BanDenver's ban applies to any dog that looks like a pit bull. The animal's actual behavior does not matter. [snip] Denver banned pit bulls in 1989 after dogs mauled a minister and killed a boy in separate attacks. The Legislature passed a law in 2004 that prohibited breed-specific bans, but the city sued and a judge ruled in April the law was an unconstitutional violation of local control. Hmm. I wonder how people compare to pit bulls. Faith and Values has a Christian Science Monitor write-up on homicides from August of 2004 which notes: Denver recorded its 49th homicide Aug. 4, which represents a 69 percent increase from the same period a year ago. Tim Twining, chief deputy of the gang unit in the district attorney's office in Denver, says the city has seen a spike in newer and younger gang members. A database currently lists 6,300 members in the area.I haven't found solid 2005 numbers, but some web commenters seem to be indicating that the town hasn't become an urban paradise. So, Denver has a major gang problem. Murders number in the dozens. And local law enforcement is seriously committing resources to round up DOGS that look like they might be dangerous. This on the strength of TWO killings and 20 or so attacks over an extended period of time. The court agrees that the city has the right to go about its business this way. Fine. I'm appalled, but if that's how the city leaders want to run their town, I guess they can. But if I were a Denver citizen, particularly one from a rough neighborhood, I'd be a little bit upset that a city with its law enforcement problems is wasting its money on a) dog-hunting deputies and b) lawsuits to enable their heroic efforts. A hint, then, to Denver residents: If you call 911 and the cops aren't responding fast enough, don't tell them the bad guy's got a knife. Say he has a rottie. By the way, the TurkeyBlogger is not a Rottweiler afficianado. I've been known to wince when one of the ugly things wanders into a dog park where superdog Pascal is at play. But I've known Rotties whose families loved them and who made pretty good members of their human pack. Denver's law is not about dangerous dogs, it's about an easy way to appear to be doing something about a minor issue, rather than taking on the more bothersome task of identifying and taking care of individual dogs - and humans - that have actually proved a danger. 
posted by gbarto at 5:57 PM |
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Day By Day© by Chris Muir.Old TurkeyBlog here.
