A 15 year old boy was killed this week in Omaha. He became the youngest victim of a shooting in the city this year.
What makes the story more painful is that the boy had had a tough life. In and out of foster care -- basically abandoned by adults his whole life.
For Christmas, his foster family was going to tell him that they were permanently adopting him -- that he was finally going to have a stable home. Forever. They thought it'd be a great Christmas gift for the boy -- turns out, he didn't live long enough to receive it.
Omaha has had a surge in violent crime recently -- like many cities through the US. Young Anthony Ray was the 35th murder victim of the year so far -- after a record setting 41 murders in the city last year. Because of budget woes, Omaha has made pretty significant cuts to their police force over the past few years. Omaha is pretty much above the national average in most crime categories now.
This is part of what is so disturbing by the city council's rash decision to include breed specific language in their new dangerous dog law. This decision has added cost to providing animal control -- to the tune of about $500,000 in added animal control costs. The money was justified in the name of "public safety" -- and yet, the police force is underfunded and dealing with much more violent problems than canines.
Listen, I'm in favor of funding for animal control. But I'm also think that it is the responsibility of cities to run animal control on as little money as is necessary -- because from a public safety perspective, dogs are only a minor public safety concern. And it really bugs me when cities put in senseless laws, that require increased funding to enforce, when, there are much better ways to spend that money in the name of public safety.
Would increased police presence have saved Anthony Ray? We'll never know. But I can almost assure you that there will be another Anthony Ray, long before there is another canine attack that kills someone in Omaha.
In the name of public safety, let's demand that tax dollars are spent in ways that improve overall public safety -- let's not demand that this money be spent enforcing animal control laws that DON'T make people safer. This is why I cringe when I read articles like in Cincinnati, where they were having difficulties enforcing their BSL, so they decided to use police resources to help them enforce it. That's not improving public safety. That's taking resources away from things that truly benefit public safey. When we create safer communities, we all win. And we should be outraged when cities insist on ineffective uses of our tax dollars and resources.
Excellent post about a very sad story.
As we know, Bill B has found a way to maintain outstanding AC services without spending taxpayers' money at all.
Why everyone wouldn't want to copy his program in a locally pertinent form is totally beyond me.
Dogs are the safest animals around. Dogs are not a threat to public safety, but can create problems occasionally when not maintained properly.
Somebody got suckered into panic policy-making, which always creates more problems than it pretends to solve.
Posted by: Selma | November 14, 2008 at 12:16 PM
This is a horribly sad story. My heart is heavy and sick over this.
You know, a thought occurred to me reading your post...do you think AC depts/councils push for BSL as a means to actually get more funding and support?
I mean, I honestly think that the motivation has to be something/anything other than public safety - REAL public safety.
For instance...laziness on AC's part, a reason to get more funding, a means to squelch the 'teeth fear factor' (as Janis mentions in her book, for some reason animal teeth are more frightening to people than guns - and a myriad of other more dangerous things - slippers and ballons)?
If it was really about public safety then why WHY aren't people grasping that bans are misguided? Especially people who allocate city funds?
it's so common sense to me, I just do no understand why it's not common sense to everyone. *sigh*
thanks for the story Brent. Will send good thoughts and prayers to this little boy and family. In my minds eye there is a nice fluffy, furry dog from rainbow bridge that is with this boy providing him eternal constant, loyal and unconditional companionship and love. :-)
Posted by: krislars | November 14, 2008 at 03:55 PM
I should add that my comments about AC supporting bans is a generalization...as we have seen if AC remotely supports, it generally passes.
I am not sure about Omaha AC's stance on the matter...but I'm guessing they didn't do too much to fight it if it's in place.
Posted by: krislars | November 14, 2008 at 03:57 PM
Nah, it's AR lobbying. They go for places that are a little out of the mainstream.
I'm surprised that they are still pushing breed bans because mandatory neutering is faster and more acceptable to the low-information public, but it might just be some aftershock stuff happening.
Posted by: Selma | November 14, 2008 at 11:36 PM
It is very very scary in Omaha. There have been three more killings since then and one shooting. Three of the shootings were related(or so the police say). Two men killed a spanish man on 15th and Dorcas over money, these same men shot a man on 50th and Underwood at a Atm, and then went and killed a woman who was getting off work at a Convenient Store on 50th and Underwood for no reason. She had no money and they didn't take her jewelry. They just did this for fun. Sick! The next night a man was killed at bar on 42nd and H. None of the assailants have been caught. They are still at large. I'm terrified to get off work when it is dark outside. My work is literally a mile and half from where the murder of the girl took place. Granted I have my husband with me and Earl with me, but this is so so scary...and to think they want me to muzzle him after January 1st in this crazy city. I need him to be unmuzzled. Not that he will bite, but if someone sees him they might not be as likely to come up to me. This city is out of control and yes they are worried about pitbulls.. They made the news again last night. Ridiculous, eh?
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Three Dogs Attack Owners Who Try to Separate Them
Posted: Nov 14, 2008 06:39 PM
FEATURED VIDEO
Three Dogs Taken from Home Following Fight
Omaha, NE - Two Pit Bulls and a German Shepherd are in big trouble after turning on their owners. The dogs live in a house near 42nd and Burdette with their owners. On Friday, the animals got into a fight with each other. The animals bit their owners who tried to separate them. Action 3 News talked to one of the Pit Bull owners who claims his dog is innocent.
The Humane Society took all three dogs and the owners are wondering if they'll see their pets again. "This just makes me sick," says Pit Bull owner, Jake Hamilton. Jake Hamilton owns the two Pit Bulls. He claims his roommate's German Shepherd attacked them. "Everybody just was trying to separate it and they stuck their hands in and some of them got vicious bites," says roommate, William Whitehouse.
Hamilton tells us his Pit Bulls, Richard and Princess have never shown aggression to any other dogs, people, not even his kids. But because of their breed, he's worried he'll never get them back. "My dogs are getting taken. Princess is pregnant and she's getting taken," he says.
"That's a good dog too," says Whitehouse as he points to the German Shepherd. The owner of the German Shepherd lost her dog too, but wouldn't talk to us about what happened.
Posted by: Action 3 News Reporter Erika Summers [email protected]
Posted by: Angel | November 15, 2008 at 07:25 AM
Oh by the way, someone had posted that AC didn't fight this. They pretended they did...but when they had a opportunity to make a bunch of money off of people that owned bully breeds they went for it. They even made sure American Bulldogs were included in the ban. They want everyone to take classes and pay $80.00 a year to test out of the muzzling....and then buy the yellow vest, harness,etc. Those who can't pass the test they want to buy muzzles from them. This has turned into a cash cow for the humane society. They make me want to vomit even more than the city council that passed these laws. UGH! They told a lot of people you can come and take the test, you don't have to train if you don't want to. So a lot of these people will pay $75.00 to try to test out of the muzzle and fail. This is a hard test to pass. They will just loose their money. I got a letter from the place I am training my dog the other day, saying that the other people that train there are uncomfortable with the bullies, and that I will have to muzzle him and have him on a special harness etc. I wrote them back informing them I won't be muzzling him until the 1st and I won't have him on a special harness at all. If you read the ordinance carefully it only spells out that you have to have a certain kind of harness if you pass the CGC. If you don't have the CGC it only specifies harness and not more than 6 foot leash. Also in the original ordinance it specifies if a pitbull is outside it must be muzzled. It says nothing about inside a business, a friends home.etc. If you read the humane societys page they try to fluff it and change it saying that the dog must wear a muzzle when he is away from his home, even when that is not they way the real ordinance reads.Omaha stinks and is crooked period.
Posted by: Angel | November 15, 2008 at 07:35 AM
BAN the Nebraska Humane Society. We need a campaign to cut them off of all public funding. AW are there to PROTECT THE ANIMALS and when they don't, they loose their right to the name "humane" - and our donations.
Posted by: MichelleD | November 15, 2008 at 06:58 PM