Because everyone is doing it

I think maybe it's time to reframe the conversation and rethink how we talk about BSL. 

This week, the folks over at the Freakanomics blog were talking about the differences between perception and reality.  Their blog posting takes a look at the show "Friday Night Lights" (which is, really, one of the best-written and acted shows on TV, maybe ever) and a descrepency in the perception it may have painted on high school virginity. It then then goes on to talk about the book YES! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive. According to the book, one of the best ways to convince people to do something is to give them the impression that that is what everyone else is doing. ie.  If you want hotel guests to reuse their towels, include a message about how "most" other guests reuse their towels.

This shouldn't really be news to anyone...but it got me thinking.

It seems like when many cities begin talking about BSL, they begin justifying the conversation with conversations talking about how other cities are doing it: Denver and the UK are often cited. People who fight BSL (including me), are quick to point out that these policies haven't worked in either place, but maybe we still haven't overcome the part where it feels like everyone else is doing it.

And they aren't. Even though it feels that way, everyone is NOT passing BSL. In fact, quite the opposite.

While it's true that many places have BSL -- including the UK and Denver - the reality is that most of these ordinances are really very old.  Denver began their ordinance in the late 80s. The UK began theirs in 1991. The fact of the matter is, when most cities now look into passing breed specific legislation -- and look at the actual results of the places that have passed it, and the recommendations of the experts nationally and the experts in their community, the vast majority of communities pass on BSL and focus on more current ordinances, with proven track records of effectiveness, that are breed-neutral.

I'm just not sure we talk about our successes enough.

Since the beginning of 2009, there have been 30 cities in North America that have had discussions about possible breed-restrictive legislation. Of those, 24 (80%) opted to go the breed neutral route. Of the 6 that chose to do something breed-specific, all but 2 were tiny little communities of less than 5,o00 people -- and 3 of those four are small communities with a badly declining population. These small, dying communities are hardly the trend-setters out there. In fact, since the beginning of the year, there have been almost as many places (4) that have REPEALED BSL than there are ones that have insitituted it. 

So if cities want to look at what everyone else is doing -- they would realize that the vast majority of cities -- especially progressive ones -- are largely moving AWAY from BSL and toward behavior-based ordinances.

So with that in mind, I am making a promise to myself, and the readers -- we're going to start talking about successes more. We're going to start focusing on the majority of cities out there that are looking at the information and passing laws that are behavior-based, breed-neutral, enforcable, fair and effective. Because THAT is what "everyone" is doing.

So with that, here is my list -- and I know this isn't complete -- of cities that have either passed breed neutral ordinances, rejected breed specific ordinances, or repealed breed-based ordinances.  Hats of to those who are doing what everyone else is doing:

Cote St. Luc, Quebec; Norwak, OH; West Liberty, IA; Oregon; New Mexico; Hawaii; Greenwood, AR; Anglaiz County, OH; Castalia, IA; Wolverine Lake, MI; Henderson, NC; Wilmington, DE; Washington DC; American Falls, ID; Molalla, OR; Oshkosh, WI; West Allis, WI; Lancaster, MA; Manchester, MI; Sumner, WA; Puyallup, WA; Lowell, MA; Avon Lake, OH; Perryville, MO; Monroe, WA; Lisbon, IA; Grain Valley, MO; Florence, AL; Joplin, MO: Jackson Township; OH; Ferndale, WA; Sandy, UT; Greenwood, MO (Repeal); Vauxhall, Canada (Repeal); Westland, MI (Repeal); Italy (Repeal); Banff, Alberta (Repeal). 

I'm sure there are more....or places where it was so quickly dismissed, it never even made the newspaper.

It's time for cities to get on board with what everyone else is doing, which is enacting legislation based on behaviors, not on looks.

Comments

[YesBiscuit!]

Point taken but I'm wondering if we aren't still coming at this from a negative stance. That is, "everybody's NOT doing it". Could we reframe it to say what "everybody" IS doing? Are there examples of well crafted, breed neutral laws we can compile in list form to hold up as an example to communities considering BSL?

[Dan]

This is an excellent post, and yesbiscuit! is on the right track. We need a whitepaper that lists the details on each of these, along with details of communities that have chosen to go with BSL, and contrast what the effect has been on safety, cost, etc,

I am going to work more on this. It's probably going to be 100 pages, which will have to be boiled down to a summary similar to Brent's post.

Thank you for this.

[Brent]

Let us know how it goes Dan -- I've been trying to keep a list too -- but have to confess, I'm not the greatest some days at keeping them organized...