Help Josh get the word out about his willingness to fill the newly vacated position of running the Carson shelter in Gardena, California.

Who to email?
mmayeda@animalcare.lacounty.gov, areyes@animalcare.lacounty.gov, info@lacountyanimals.org, plearned@animalcare.lacounty.gov, dreagan@animalcare.lacounty.gov, molina@bos.lacounty.gov, markridley-thomas@bos.lacounty.gov, seconddistrict@bos.lacounty.gov, zev@bos.lacounty.gov, don@bos.lacounty.gov, fifthdistrict@lacbos.org, info@lacounty.gov, njenkins@bos.lacounty.gov, djordan@bos.lacounty.gov, lrichardson@bos.lacounty.gov, brobinson@bos.lacounty.gov, amjohnson@bos.lacounty.gov, kkatona@bos.lacounty.gov.

Where to call?
213-974-1311 or 213-974-2222.

You can also sign a petition HERE.

Some of the rhetoric coming out of the Israel/Palestine conflict is so disparaging and reminds me of how hateful individual people can talk so terribly about entire groups. It’s a poisoning of the well.

I’m specifically talking about a Facebook post that was made by Israeli politician Ayelet Shaked on 6/30 of this year, 1 day prior to the kidnapping and subsequent murder of a Palestinian boy named Muhammad Abu Khudair. It’s claimed that his death was a random revenge killing that came in response to the murder of 3 Israeli teenagers. Within this post by Shaked, which cites an article by Benjamin Netanyahu’s former advisor Uri Elitzur, she promotes the idea of eviscerating the Palestinian people in a move of mass genocide. This post declares that “the entire Palestinian people is the enemy,” that “in wars the enemy is usually an entire people, including its elderly and its women, its cities and its villages, its property and its infrastructure,” and refers to Palestinian children as “little snakes,” while attempting to justify the universal destruction of their homes, or else “more little snakes will be raised there.” Terrible sentiments to be sure.

Just to be clear, I’m not implying that Shaked is ultimately to blame for any awful action that was committed by someone else. But the promoting of open genocide and hatred needs acknowledged, and surely adds to whatever energy that’s out there that’s incrementally moving some of us backwards. How this may play out in the public domain, especially when there’s further “support” for the hateful ideas (this particular comment was “liked” over 5,000 times at the time of me writing this), tends to then lead to the misrepresentation by some of pitting 1 group against the other, sweeping everyone up in a bitter and false feud of having to represent a side. This is a continuous perpetuation of divisiveness. Promoting that idea. Leading to that end.

In reality, we are all people, and also individuals in our own right. The horrendous actions of select Palestinian individuals do not represent the entire population of Palestine. They simply represent the person(s) who committed the act. To the same point, the horrendous actions of select Israeli individuals do not represent the entire population of Israel. They simply represent the person(s) who committed the act! Further, those horrendous actions do not represent every person who practices a specific religion, or any other conceptual separator. In a rush to blame, or react, people should not promote these evil ideas of collectively punishing entire groups for the actions of specific people. That is tyranny and the brazen incitement of hatred. It emboldens the draconian ideas of death and destruction. It pushes others to enter a primal state of me vs. you, and at whatever cost, and by using whatever means. As a matter of fact, collective punishment for the acts of a few is a war crime according to the protocols and treaties that came out of the Geneva Conventions of 1949. Having this mentality, in any realm, leads to the worst possible ends. This is not what life is all about. 12 million people live amongst these 2 countries. 12 million people.

To relate my thoughts to Pit Bulls: In reality, dogs are all dogs, and also individuals in their own right. Except there’s a certain faction of folks out there who exist only to push collective blame, vilify breeds/types/groups, and promote extermination by any means possible. These are not the same concepts? You explain to me how.

People should try to love each other. We are all that we have. Don’t let evil elements who deal in darkness affect your individual heart and your state of mind. Let’s love the Israeli people and the Palestinian people. Let’s not add to the divisive fervor, turning our backs on the uninvolved (innocent) from both sides in the process. To paraphrase Dr. Martin Luther King, hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.

This past week I was fortunate enough to sit in on a Town Hall meeting about poverty that was hosted by Tavis Smiley. He brought in 5 different panelists and there was some really interesting information shared all around. Smiley is someone who comes at issues in a very genuine way and can take part in a dialogue at any time, no matter the party affiliation or differences in opinion of those that he may be talking with. That’s a great quality. In my eyes we seem to learn the most when there is a kind of friction of ideas, and the working through of those ideas, instead of just some lauded person being surrounded by his or her yes-men.

Poverty. What does it look like? What manifests out of it? These are extremely crucial elements and to attempt to solve anything you damn well need to attempt to account for these realities. I’m all for personal responsibility but there is also a thin line that surrounds this concept. We really need to be careful not to turn “personal responsibility” into a soundbite that just comes out in the form of a standard defense mechanism. Meaning, we cannot just flippantly condemn poor people for not taking responsibility if they were only given very few options that would ever pass for “responsible” in the first place. Our lives are all not the same. Each of us live very dynamic lives and it would be the kind thing to do if we could empathize with another person prior to moving to criticize them. By any standard I’m financially poor myself, but I also know that I’m better off than certain folks as well… If not in direct funds available then at least in direct support from engaged family and/or friends. I’m a lucky person, regardless of my real financial hardships that I do face. So with all of that, when I’m down I hope that I’m not kicked, and it’s because of that rule that I really try not to kick others.

What we find ourselves in the middle of today is that less than 1% of our country’s population owns over 40% of the nation’s wealth. A little over 400 individual people in America have a totality of wealth that is equivalent to the bottom 150 million people! 150 million people is half of the country. That half of the country is in or near poverty. This is data taken directly from the United States Census Bureau. By “near” they mean a couple of paychecks away… To give further context to this topic, we need to look at how arcane and out of touch the actual poverty level is ($23,000 for a family of 4), when aligned with living in certain areas of today’s United States. That whole thing might need some updating. Yet this debate, if there ever even is a debate, is always framed to seem like this only affects a small portion of us, as if it’s not relatable and thus not worth making a fuss over. That’s not okay.

For instance, Smiley talked about how nearly 30% of the Californians who are officially living in poverty actually live in Los Angeles County. They matter, their pets matter. We should be showing them support and not indifference or condemnation. This was a great quote that I wanted to include…

It used to be that in California what we did in public policy either cast a long shadow or a long sunbeam across the nation. It used to cast a long sunbeam. So much of what we are doing now is casting a long shadow across the country.

Here’s some pertinent statements from Marqueece Harris-Dawson of Community Coalition…

You look at a community like South Los Angeles. The number 1 employer is the school districts, the city, and the county, and in that order. All of those institutions, for the last 10 or 15 years, they’ve hired virtually no one.

So historically we have an income support system called welfare, and then we stopped that and we said now you have to go to work, except at the same time what we’ve done is that we’ve allowed companies to hire workers and then pay them in a way where government still has to subsidize that family.

We have this idea that we’ve let creep into our government that is actually very dangerous: Every work/job has to be worth more than what we are paying the worker. As long as you have that as an ideal, especially as the rate of profit goes down and down and down, you’ll have a situation where people will be working for things hardly called wages.

^Working may no longer be enough to raise certain people out of poverty. That is a problem. The lack of a living wage. Does that explain everybody or everything? Hell no. But if you think that that isn’t a current reality for some folks out there then you are kind of fooling yourself.

This came from Jonathan Fielding, director of the Public Health Department for L.A. County…

Poverty is a universal poison. We think of lead poison as bad in such a way. Poverty is an environmental poison. It’s a poison for everybody, because if you look at the impact of this poison it equates to higher healthcare costs, higher welfare payments, higher unemployment insurance. It’s causing a tax on everybody else, and so you should feel as though you have skin in the game. Why is the average life expectancy 85 in Brentwood and only 72.8 in Watts, which is just 20 minutes across town?

Well, there’s definitely a connection to poverty and poor health, just like there’s a connection to poverty and crime, just like there’s a connection to poverty and incarceration, and just like there’s a connection to poverty and how someone may treat an animal. That’s not to excuse any of it, just to point out that there’s a connection. At what level? I don’t know, but you can’t just pretend that it doesn’t matter. That’s also not to say or imply that people living in extreme poverty are guilty of any of those crimes. Not at all. But with less options and limited choices comes a higher rate of bad decisions. Poverty isn’t just about people being “poor,” and then allowing that characterization to so easily go in 1 ear and out the other. Poverty can permeate all aspects of a person’s life. It can lead to very legitimate suffering in a bevy of different ways. Many times it is a life and death situation, absolutely. Sometimes these issues are so multifaceted that we don’t even know where to start. But the point is that you have to start. We need more people willing to engage within this conversation. This is a “caring” issue. It is not a 1-stop shop, nor does 1 size fit all. Yet most of the really wild judgment that you will see will come directly out of that ideology. It’s important to make fundamental shifts in the rhetoric, because if all you are going to do is speak about groups of people in this negative and broad fashion then all you are going to end up accomplishing is alienating a lot of people that you don’t even know.

I’ve saw animal-related issues and the many purported solutions to some of those issues directly intersect with poverty, lack of education, and lack of access. If you want to solve these problems then you cannot ignore or condescend this issue. As I learn I’ve tried to include what I’ve learned into my writings. Many times I learn by directly seeing it play out in front of my face. When these topics are touched on there is oftentimes a heavy level of judgment that comes out of the woodwork. I think my first dose of being directly thrown into this kind of a fire/backlash was when I tried to partially defend a man who had his home raided by Scotlund Haisley and Animal Rescue Corps. It’s a whole new world when emotions come unhinged. Aside from that, being the moderator of my SwayLove Facebook page (and just being on Facebook in general) I see all kinds of random commentary that falls into this wheelhouse of outrageous judgement, and in December I wrote about it in a way that took on the hypocrisy of being an advocate for a portion of something while you are out possibly being really cruel to another portion of something else. Then there was the online fallout behind the Karma Rescue fiasco, which saw someone’s dog get rehomed after its owner came forward to try and get her dog back. Do you fight BSL (breed-specific legislation)? Well, if you do then you will find these many issues front and center alongside any desire to profile or target certain dogs, because the profiling goes beyond the dogs. And in May a bunch of us met with and witnessed the testimonies of many good-hearted folks who are trying to do the right thing but are coming up against a backwards mechanism that directly feeds off of this problem.

Poverty. Are we all becoming desensitized to this topic due to an utter lack of coverage on this topic? Quite possibly. A recent study from FAIR shows that over a 14-month period (1/2013-2/2014) “an average of just 2.7 seconds per 22-minute nightly news program was devoted to segments where poverty was mentioned.” Yikes. But this isn’t just a recent failure, this is a failure that simply continues to extend into our present lives. Did you know that it had been more than 50 years since a presidential debate had even asked a single question to any of the candidates about poverty? It only became a minimal focus in 2012 because of the leaked Mitt Romney video that showed him making his claim about the 47%. It’s never on any agenda. Very few in the mainstream media ever focus on it or even talk about it at all (and I say “mainstream media” because they’re the ones that formulate the most plastered messaging).

There’s a lot of stigma attached to poverty as well. Many people would probably rather not even admit that they are in it. Can you blame folks for not wanting to self-identify or acknowledge that they’re in dire need of help? Pride is part of the human condition. That, along with the demonization aspect of being called (or treated as if you are) “lazy” or worse. But knowing how much this issue may touch our own lives, and definitely people that we know, it should then be an issue that is ultimately able to galvanize lots of support instead of being something that splinters people and makes them feel ashamed.

More from Marqueece Harris-Dawson…

When people are living in poverty the choices that they end up making are really shaped by the choices that they have. A lot of times it’s not a lack of will or motivation but because of structural barriers that cause lack of opportunity and lack of investment in our neighborhoods and in our young people and their future.

^So very true. Someone’s socioeconomic status is of incredible importance. What kind of education do people have access to? What are their employment options? Will it pay a decent wage? What resources are present in their community? Is it safe? Does it have healthy food? What is the level of social neglect or police surveillance? Is there ample access to parks and playgrounds and churches and hospitals and grocery/drug stores? These are all factors that matter.

What are some more solutions, both in the bigger context of poverty and what we could take for the more focused realm of animal-related issues?

These are 2 differing thoughts from Tavis Smiley…

Wall Street has helped get us into this mess, Wall Street can help get us out. How? It’s very simple. It’s a small tax on every financial transaction that is done. Wall Street doesn’t produce products, they produce deals.

The toughest problem is that what we are trying to solve is that getting the media, getting those of us who control these stories being told, to tell the story that ought to, in fact, be told.

^I think a lot of people could take a very important lesson from that last statement. It’s up to us to advocate on behalf of the taken advantaged of, provide a voice or some kind of support, provide a platform for other people to share their stories, let them talk about what they are seeing, or worse, what they are enduring. Remain rational, represent yourself well, keep the judgment at a minimum, step outside of an already held perception. All of these things go a long way in “telling the story that ought to be told.” To his point about Wall Street, it also needs added that many financial establishments are doing this with fiat money that’s being printed out of thin air. So, how about they stop doing that already? Or tax those transactions. Or both! Towards the end of the forum I also gave a short comment that could easily be a solution to some of the nation’s financial woes… End the wars. Stop the militarism and interventionism, stop the policing of the world. This would immediately save $1 trillion (probably closer to $2 trillion) dollars a year. In turn, imagine what that money could be used for instead…

In summing up the point of this piece, I’m not saying that people should universally be given a pass, NOT AT ALL, but just that they shouldn’t be universally scapegoated or talked down to as if they aren’t actual individuals. That’s all. In my view, if you can at least treat people with respect then you’d be helping and not further perpetuating the many issues that often eat at the core of pet ownership, breed neutrality, and animal rescue.

To close, people might say: “Well, you try to tear down shelters all the time! How hypocritical of you!” No I don’t. When I speak about shelter-related issues it is primarily linking back to the Carson shelter, and in those cases they are pretty specific and detailed/documented statements/criticisms that I put out there. These things are based in actual incidents and not uninformed generalities. When I talk about shelters in the more general sense I mindfully scale back how I speak, and while I at times still have what I’d feel are legitimate criticisms, I never state or imply that all shelters are 1 way or that everyone that works for them are 1 way. I’d challenge anyone to find evidence to the contrary, as I’ve written enough about both topics. There’s a huge difference in speaking about specific incidents and/or examining the way a public shelter is run and typecasting massive groups of anything (whether by race, religion, economic status, place of residence, appearance, etc.) by judging them in the most ignorant of ways. A huge difference.

So this past week I was watching Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel and there was a story that Andrea Kremer did on NFL cheerleaders that I found especially interesting, mostly because of the system structure and how I found it to be eerily paralleled with that of the shelter and rescue worlds. Bear with me as I lay this out and then I’ll get to my point soon enough, if you won’t already have seen it coming for yourselves…

Kremer interviewed Lacy, a girl who’s been cheerleading her entire life and is now a member of the Oakland Raiderettes, cheerleading squad for the Oakland Raiders. Her 2013 Raiderette agreement outlined how they’d be paying her a paltry $125 for each home game. Lacy stated that in the moment that was a secondary concern compared to the excitement that she felt after making the team…

So I get the contract and it’s like, where do I sign? I was over the moon.

Being a former cheerleader for the Golden State Warriors, Lacy viewed this Raider job as the pinnacle of her profession. Andrea Kremer described her life as “young women growing up wanting to be them and grown women fighting every year wanting to join them.” It was made abundantly clear that there were an endless array of girls lined up and waiting to fill any void left by someone who may have taken issue with any portion of the job. Regarding the lackluster money, keep in mind that the Oakland Raiders payroll is close to $125 million per season and the NFL is both the most popular and wealthiest sports league on the planet.

With the season now behind her it’s detailed how they practiced 3x a week, did 9 months worth of photo shoots and team meetings, as well as 9 months worth of workouts. They were paid for none of this. Each girl made barely over $1,000 for the entire season, much of which was soon gone because they had to come out of pocket for all of their own expenses (hosery, eye lashes, makeup, tanning, nails, amongst other things). Lacy soon learned that this wasn’t the exception but practically the rule for all of the other NFL teams as well…

You don’t make money. You’re better off serving beer and hot dogs in the concession stand than you are performing on the field as a cheerleader.

Then we meet Alyssa and Maria, 2 members of the Buffalo Jills, who cheerlead for the Buffalo Bills. They didn’t even get paid for their home games. They both went into debt to cheer, 1 girl using her student loan money to pay for the $650 uniform. These girls had to routinely perform a “jiggle test,” equating to jumping jacks in very little clothing, so that their coaches could see if their body was “tight enough” to be on television. Either Alyssa or Maria (it wasn’t made clear in the piece) actually failed 1 of the jiggle tests and they were actually held back from cheering for numerous games…

We’re just thinking, who are we to question this contract? We just made the Bills cheerleading squad.

They spoke about how the squad leaders wanted “total control.” Some of the “glamour requirements” that are present in the Buffalo Jills handbook speak to such an accusation…

11) Never use a deodorant or chemically enhanced product. Simple, non-deodorant soap will help maintain the right PH balance for your vagina.

12) When menstruating, use a product that is right for your menstrual flow. A tampon too big can irritate and develop fungus. A product left in too long can cause bacteria or fungus build up. Products should be changed at least every 4 hours.

14) Do not be overly opinionated about anything. Do not complain about anything.

Other requirements for the Jills ran the gamut of having to attend fundraisers in skimpy clothes, getting auctioned off at these events and then having to ride golf carts around while sitting on the laps of men, and being routinely groped and touched in unwelcome ways. This exchange was both obvious and sad…

The glamour requirements, is it really about how you insert a tampon? What do you think it all comes down to? Control. Why do it? For the love of cheering.

The cheerleading squads, which are owned or contracted out by the teams and not the league, generally make below minimum wage. By contrast, the team mascot usually makes between $35,000 and $65,000 a season. Lacy is now suing the Oakland Raiders for failure to pay minimum wage…

I just felt I had to do it, no one’s done it. What if no one ever does it?

This has prompted more lawsuits (Bengals, Jets, Buccaneers, Bills), and Alyssa and Maria are part of the lawsuit that’s currently going forward against the Buffalo Bills and its squad manager Stephanie Matheson. Here’s how Matheson views the situation…

These girls were never made to do anything they never wanted to do. We were creating a team of well-rounded young ladies and they could have resigned at any time. They are told right up front what is expected of them. If you think it’s going to be too much you don’t have to do it.

Matheson said that she oversaw and ran the cheerleading squad by herself, and with no financial support from the Bills, which is why she didn’t have any resources to actually pay her cheerleaders. The Buffalo Bills lawsuit has “forced” Matheson to suspend the entire Jills team “indefinitely.”

Shockingly, the Raiders and the Bills, as well as the NFL, declined to be interviewed for the segment. Also worth note: This season the NFL will allow fans to use their cell phones to order up cheerleaders to their seats. WTF!? -Dead-

Now before I go into the many directions that my brain was firing on while watching, why has no NFL franchise player put a stop to this/shined a light on this? Someone making $20 million a season could easily bankroll his entire franchise’s cheerleading squad for the year and probably receive the world’s most powerful PR while doing it. How has this not happened? Maybe because they’d embarrass their team/employer? But I mean, this entire story is embarrassing! Also, allowing drunk fans to order cheerleaders to their seats? Wow. Just wow. Anyways…

So, after reading #14 from the Jills handbook you should probably know where I’m going with this… “Do not be overly opinionated about anything. Do not complain about anything.” This type of a statement always seems to coincidentally find its way into shelter volunteer applications and rescue partner “contracts,” as well as other types of papered agreements that serve to grant people a certain level of access. This could not be a bigger red flag.

Viewing the story as a whole, the normal question is WHY? Of course, why would you put up with x, y and z? Well, the girls already answered that and I think their answer would serve to represent many other people (in many other forums) as well. Love. Love for whatever you may be interested in.

With that, if people truly love something, anything, why must others sometimes feel the need to take advantage of them while holding what they desire in front of their nose like a carrot? This is so relative to the sheltering system. Do you know how many people enter their jobs with great attitudes and aspirations, only to be desensitized and covered in red tape? You shouldn’t have to shear off half of your principles just to do something that you love. That goes for anything. You shouldn’t have to make internal deals with your conscience in order to justify staying around for the access to the animals. The access is the cheerleading job in this parallel.

Just as potent, animal rescuers have all the dirt on the most poorly run shelters, not compassionate managers, and blatant violations of basic operating procedures. Yet many will not talk. Why? Because they have a certain level of access and they don’t want to be retaliated against, thus having their access taken away. Some are surely shills for the system, but many others dislike whatever system but have made an internal barter of silence in order to save as many animals as they can save. I totally understand this point of view! It makes perfect sense to me. But it also allows the injustices to keep happening, and that can’t be ignored in the context of how do we change (insert here) system. Why doesn’t a cheerleader for the Raiders rock the boat? Because there’s 500 other girls who would gladly take her place. To hell with feminism and women’s rights, proper pay, decent work conditions or general respect. That’s why.

Some will say: “Well, they signed the contract.” To that I say, so what? Wrongs are wrongs, violations are violations, indecency is indecency. None of that gets repackaged or justified simply because you “signed a contract” not to say anything. To hell with that cowardice, minion way of thinking.

Speaking of minions…

In this HBO segment Stephanie Matheson represents herself like a total sellout in every aspect. Her flippant and dismissive attitude of compartmentalization and abandonment of any cause is quite literally what’s wrong with this country. Way to lead by example Matheson! Dismissive literally defines her person… Telling the girls that they could leave at any time, and that they know “what is expected” from them. What do you think goes into the process of interviewing/hiring someone to be an animal control officer with the L.A. County Department of Animal Care and Control? Hmm. Then, when her girls get the courage to file a lawsuit attempting to address the many wrongs that they all face (including Matheson), Matheson fails to stand beside them and instead suspends them indefinitely! Sound familiar? I know Carson shelter volunteers that have been forced out, just like I know Rancho Cucamonga volunteers that have been forced out, and this isn’t a rare concept. Control.

If we woke up tomorrow to the news that a “Pit Bull” killed a person in Pasadena would that then immediately make Councilman Steve Madison a prophet?

Would it justify the hundreds of thousands of days that have literally went by without a Pasadena death being linked to a dog or a dog bite (actual proof and reality) then being wiped from the history books?

Would this singular incident then justify all of the rhetoric used by Mr. Madison over the span of the last 2 years (much of which has entered the realm of referring to them as “killing machines, extremely dangerous, inherently dangerous, rocket launchers, fully automatic machine guns and time bombs”) in order to sweepingly indict millions of dogs simply by the way that they look?

Would Steve Madison bother to check the circumstances surrounding the incident, instead of using the “breed” of the offending dog as his talking point and focus?

Would this happening immediately serve to render all of my many points made to counter his bigotry null and void?

Would this incident mean that every other Pit Bull in Pasadena should be viewed as guilty of the same thing?

The answers are 6 very obvious NO’s. But if Councilman Steve Madison were taking this same quiz he would probably offer up a YES for every question instead.

We’ve already saw glimmers of this type of arrogant, grandstanding behavior when Madison gleefully flaunted and exploited the police shooting of 3 loose dogs (identified by them as being Pit Bulls) days after the January City Council meeting. The dogs were alleged to have bitten a man who was walking his bicycle in the wee hours of the morning. Conveniently, Madison payed no attention to the fact that the dogs were out and running loose, amongst other questionable things. Prior to this we’d heard him say on numerous occasions that “it’s only a matter of time” before (insert here) happens in Pasadena. This is the behavior of a fearmonger hellbent on exploiting the sensationalism linked with this topic, and at the expense of flat out ignoring the depth of the issue…

What’s so surprising to me is that Councilman Madison almost relishes an attack, so that he can then proclaim himself “right” in the press and have a specific body to be able to stand upon while continuing to push for his desired agenda. This is shameful behavior from any elected official and his blatant disengagement from reality (and ignoring of public safety) should be far more concerning to residents than any dog.

Please consider coming out to the next Pasadena City Council meeting where this issue will be on the agenda, happening on July 14th.

On June 22 I issued a public invitation to both William Johnson and Jeff Borchardt, anti-Pit Bull folks, to have them join me on the next Bull Horn video podcast that we try to do about once a month. At the time of this writing I’ve heard nothing from either of them. I’d also like to point out that this invitation will continue to stand for any time going forward as well. And beyond them, the same continuous invitation also stands for Colleen Lynn, Damn James, Merritt Clifton, Kory Nelson, Dennis Baker, Anthony Solesky and Kenneth Phillips (or anyone else).

Here’s an update from July 17, after 25 more days of silence from Johnson and Borchardt…

Many of us know the tactics used by the anti-Pit Bull hate group DogsBite.org. Probably the most notable is selectively highlighting certain happenings and then using those specific incidents to push an all-encompassing ideology of demonization onto the “group” that is being targeted or alleged to be committing the incidents. This is the concept of collective blame.

So with that, I’m going to use this same type of tactic to highlight individual police officers who have acted criminally, maliciously or unlawfully; in an effort to then mirror the vilification process of what groups like DogsBite try to do to Pit Bulls. This is obviously done for example purposes only…

Below is a snapshot in time that aims to focus on April 16th through April 30, a mere 15 days. I easily come up with 17 highly egregious incidents carried out by individual police officers in less than 1 hour of research, and another (which is noted but happened in March) that’s present for further context. This wasn’t hard, this was easy. In reality, this list probably signifies less than 5% of all highly insane actions carried out by differing police officers from across the United States in the same time frame.

4/16 ~ A Riverside County police officer entered a fenced yard and accidentally shot himself after trying to kill a “very large” dog that he said was “threatening his life.” The dog’s owner refuted this version of events and said that the dog simply barked at him after he entered the fence. Live news coverage showed the dog, a much smaller Pit Bull-type dog named Precious, playing with the family’s 3 children.

4/18 ~ A Green Bay police officer threw a bar patron up against a car, slammed him onto the ground, and all for simply questioning the arrest of 1 of his friends. They’ve since charged the man who was assaulted with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

4/19 ~ Buffalo police brutally beat a man after he willingly submitted to them after exiting his car and running across the street. This was all brought upon after an undercover officer began tailing the man, causing him to fear for his life and attempt to speed away. As the handcuffed man is being roughed up he is seen repeatedly apologizing and asking them to stop. He was charged with resisting arrest.

4/21 ~ Jurors finally began deliberations on a 2008 police raid of a wedding party where more than a dozen guests were beaten with batons, tazed and pepper sprayed. This happened after an off-duty cop thought that he saw the bride’s brother walking outside with an alcoholic beverage and called for backup. Incredibly, none of the almost 40 cops who were eventually present reported any use of force.

4/21 ~ An elderly Missouri man dialed 911 to get an ambulance for his wife who has dementia. When the police showed up they proceeded to throw the man down, beat him and handcuff him.

4/21 ~ A 19-year-old New Mexico woman was shot and killed after being suspected of stealing a truck. She allegedly pointed a gun at someone. This came on the heels of the U.S. Department of Justice having released a report on their police department, Albuquerque, in which they detail what was defined as “patterns of excessive force.” Since 2010 the Albuquerque police department has shot 38 people, killing 24 of them.

3/16 ~ A month earlier an Albuquerque police officer shot and killed a homeless man after he was found to be “illegally camping” on a hillside in a rural part of the city. He was not resisting their advances but was still shot at least 7 times in the back after being told to “get on the ground” by numerous officers who were pointing guns at him. The police chief later said that the shooting was “justified.”

4/22 ~ A Texas man called the police to report that his home had been burglarized. Upon arrival, 1 of the officers promptly shot his dog, a Blue Heeler named Candy, in the head for no reason. They then mocked the dog’s owner and threatened to taze him as Candy lay dying on the ground. The dog was actually shot behind the ear, indicating that she was shot from behind.

4/22 ~ 8 shots were fired in a crowded Utah courtroom, ultimately killing the defendant, after he made his way towards the witness stand while holding an ink pen in a “threatening manner.”

4/22 ~ Philadelphia police officers dressed in plainclothes demand that a pizza delivery driver stop for them while he was walking back to his car on a dark street. He suspected that he was being robbed so he began running for his car. The officers proceeded to shoot the man’s car 14 times, hitting him at least 3 times. The victim could possibly be left permanently blind after the incident, as 1 of the shots damaged his eyesight.

4/23 ~ Virginia police tie up and interrogate a 75-year-old woman after cops mistakenly raid her home.

4/24 ~ Kern County police officers raid the wrong apartment complex, point weapons at a nude mother who was getting into the shower, and this played out right in front of her children.

4/25 ~ Multiple Boise police officers arrested a resisting high school student and then confiscated the cell phones of the many other students who were recording the altercation.

4/26 ~ A Tennessee police officer choked a 21-year-old college student out of consciousness while he was handcuffed and not resisting.

4/27 ~ Long Beach police shot and killed a man as he exited a car and ran toward the beach. They shot him multiple times in the back. The police department first claimed that the man had “assaulted” an officer, but as witnesses began coming forward the story changed to the man having a “large wooden stick,” which caused the officers to fear for their lives. Their story changed again when it was claimed that the man was reaching into his waistband.

4/28 ~ A Louisiana police officer shot and killed a homeless man’s dog, a Black Labrador-mix named Arzy, while it was calmly tied to a leash. The innocent man, who was originally being hassled for trespassing in a park, was forced to sit handcuffed as his dog died.

4/29 ~ An off-duty Baltimore police officer shot a man at least 3 times after getting into a verbal dispute with him outside of his apartment complex. He is being charged with attempted murder.

4/30 ~ Dash cam footage showed a Nevada police officer illegally extorting $50,000 from an innocent driver coming home from Las Vegas.

From my quick research there’s anywhere between 800,000 and 1.2 million members of law enforcement in this country, depending on your definition of law enforcement. By contrast, there’s between 75 and 80 million dogs in this country, many millions of which are Pit Bull-types (and then many millions more which are subjectively and ambiguously referred to as being Pit Bulls with no evidence).

Yet dogs are killing about 30 people per year (even as their population rises), while I don’t think it’s in any way a stretch to say that the police probably kill at least 1 person per day in the United States. For example, In Los Angeles County alone the police department shot and killed 54 people in 2011. At least 12 of the 54 were allegedly unarmed. This, as the overall number of homicides in that area had “fallen to historic lows.” Also equally worth note, many of the police departments across the U.S. don’t release any information on the “use of force” by their police, and the federal government makes no serious effort to collect such data. I state this only to imply that whatever number I put out there is in actuality probably higher.

Using some quick math and the low end of the dog population as well as the high end of the law enforcement population renders out these numbers: 30 / 75,000,000 = 0.0000004% of all dogs have killed someone at any given time within that calendar year. 365 / 1,200,000 = 0.0003% of all law enforcement have likely killed someone at any given time within that calendar year.

I state all of this simply to drive home what the DogsBite tactic looks like in another realm. You can do this over and over again if your focus is simply on scapegoating huge groups of anything for the actions of the select few. Be as it may, it remains a never-ending activity of erroneousness and ignorance.

(Not that it needs to be stated, but I do not believe this sweeping negative connotation of police officers. I do not believe them to be a collective reflection of the incidents that I highlighted. I know that there are hundreds of thousands of good police officers and members of law enforcement from all across the country. At the end of the day they are each individual people, with families, and their own stories and track records.)

But this type of shit and chicanery is the DogsBite.org philosophy and ideology. Make absolutely no mistake about it!

SwayLove is a California based organization that advocates on behalf of Pit Bulls, all shelter dogs, positive shelter reform, community engagement and transparency, and against any form of breed-specific legislation. These efforts include, but are not limited to, photography, journalism, educational video production, attending and speaking at City Council meetings and other functions, and trying to be a positive example as an activist for these causes.

Please click here to purchase the shirt pictured below, it is unisex and comes preshrunk in the color gray.

This shirt attempts to signify some of the many ills that are being promoted when a politician attempts to ban or regulate a breed or “type” of dog on the back of a tragic incident that may occur. “Pit Bulls” are primarily the chief victims of such legislation, which is always brought forth with the intent of sweepingly vilifying a massive group of dogs (millions) that can’t even be properly identified, as there’s never a consistent definition to what is or isn’t a Pit Bull. Further, it implies that your dog is guilty of something that it never did, and simply because of the way that it looks. This legislation and the rhetoric that comes with it perpetuates all types of negative stereotypes that oftentimes ends in broken families. Innocent dogs are scapegoated and honest public safety measures go ignored.

By purchasing this shirt you are not only helping me and showing an appreciation for my cause, but more importantly, standing against the injustice of dog and owner profiling. Every time this shirt is worn it just might give someone you have never met an opportunity to ponder the issue, even for a brief moment. It could plant a seed in their mind, it might lead to a question, but it will always be a tool for publicly standing up for all dogs.

Much like other fundraisers, if the “goal” is reached within the allotted time frame then the shirts will be shipped shortly thereafter. If not, your payment will not be processed and nothing further will happen. If the goal is ultimately reached other people can still continue to order until the campaign closes. I’d obviously like to sell as many shirts as possible and assist in multiplying this message around the United States and elsewhere. Thank you for your time.

Please click here to purchase the shirt pictured above, it is unisex and comes preshrunk in the color gray.

This is unacceptable behavior. Everything about how a shelter SHOULD work is disgraced by the way that the Carson shelter treats their temperament testing process. For Pit Bulls especially, this is a disastrous reality when a dog has to wait 2 weeks or longer for their damned temperament test to be done. That means they are waiting to pass, which would then allow them to finally come out of their cage to be walked or played with! Pit Bulls are locked down and treated as off-limit entities until they pass this stupid test. And then for the ones that are lucky enough to get one requested, staff takes weeks to do it! This defines apathy and carelessness to the highest degree.

I came across a Facebook post this morning and the woman that wrote it is asking folks to share it so that’s why it’s being duplicated here. This woman is to be commended for being so courageous and open with her experience.

I do not have a blog. If I did I would post this there, as this will be lengthy. I keep things here on Facebook pretty light and post about my crazy, funny family life. I am posting this for 2 reasons. First, I see more and more pictures of babies with their pups. I am absolutely not saying there is anything wrong with that… I do it, too. Second, I am noticing my son being more and more aggressive with Daphne, our amazing white lab.

Putting together these pictures and writing this post brings up so many emotions that I really never wanted to feel again. I have realized, that when faced with it, the pain never goes away, ever. I can put myself in that hospital again in my mind like it was happening now. It’s a horrible, heart wrenching feeling.

Our gorgeous Scrappy suffered constantly from ear infections. This we knew. We have a pool and there was no way to keep him out, he loves to swim. Oftentimes I would come home and he would be alone just doing laps… So funny!! He was on meds for his ear infections but I became lazy on taking him to the vet which seemed like constantly. I started splitting his pills in half so they would last longer. Why? To save a buck? Shame, shame, shame on me!! I assumed he learned to live with the pain… I mean, why keep swimming? He was a smart dog!

THIS WAS/IS THE SWEETEST DOG ON THE PLANET!!

Hey, I consider myself pretty sweet too but I snap on occasion.

I was not home when this happened, I was on a shoot. I got a call from Tom saying he was on his way to the hospital, he told me what happened. I could not understand? I got in my car and drove. I don’t think I said a word to Britt, who was with me. My mind was numb. When we got to the hospital Brittany was ahead of me when walking into the room. She tried to stop me from entering. I have never felt that kind of pain in my heart, never. It is a different kind of pain when it is your child. The pain was crippling, hurt me to the core. When they stitched up Zach I had to leave the room because they had 2 nurses holding him down and the doctor straddled over him. I seriously thought I was going to faint. Daddy was with him, Zach was not alone.

Zach was playing with Scrappy… Sitting on him and reached forward and grabbed both of his ears, hard. Scrappy snapped. In about 5 seconds he ripped my son’s face to shreds. It was knee jerk. Kind of like when someone steps on your broken foot, you lash out.

Dogs can’t yell, they can’t curse you out or say ‘OUCH!!’ It was a knee jerk reaction from the sweetest Golden Retriever that would actually die for Zach. It just happened.

When we came home from the hospital I went to the backyard and looked at him and just cried… He cried, too. He felt awful, I know he did.

Because the hospital considered this a mauling, it was reported and he was to be put down. Within 24 hours animal control was at our door for quarantine. He did his 14 days. In the meantime my mom, who happened to own property in Texas at the time (but lives here), made a massive plea and campaign to keep him alive and she would take him to Texas (he is with her still). This was granted.

I can’t tell you enough how this was such a blow to our family because Scrappy was family, he was not just our ‘family dog.’

I am sharing these pictures after all of these years because if your animal is trying to tell you something, please listen. If your dog swims regularly there is a good chance they will have ear infections. Be proactive, listen to their eyes… They really want to tell you.

I LOVE my pets so much and I have learned so much by this experience. I ask, no I beg, that you share this because I wish I would have paid closer attention. Please, take your pets to the vet, the clinic. Anywhere where they can get the help they need because they do love you so much.