Trinidad is a neighborhood in Washington DC that is like many urban neighborhoods. Trinidad was a thriving area just after the turn of the century filled with manybeautiful homes. However, the neighborhood, like many urban neighborhoods, started to declin in the 50s and 60s due to suburban white flight. In 1968, Trinidad became the area most victimized by race rioting following Martin Luther King Jr's assassination.
For decades, the area remained in decay and had a very high crime rate. Those who could afford to leave Trinidad, whether they were black or white, usually did. The poverty and decay that was left behind left the neighborhood very vulnerable, and it was hit very hard by the crack epidemic of the late 80s.
Like many urban core areas, it has seen somewhat of a rebirth as gentrification has reached into the area. However, it still contains a very high crime rate with a lot of red dots on the murder map. 22% of the people in the 20002 zip code live below the poverty line.
The neighborhood continues to search for answers following last weekend's murder of 13-year-old Alonzo Robinson. The neighborhood has seen a rash of shootings and stabbings -- recording 2 dead and 13 injured in a two day period last weekend. The Washington Post has a great story that paints a very vivid picture of the neighborhood.
The last two sentences tell a little tail that is pertinent to this blog:
For Pamela Mathis, 46, who was out walking one of the dogs she keeps for protection, the dangers and hassles of life in Trinidad are fast overwhelming its charms. "It's happening way too much" she said of the violence.
I bring up this neighborhood, and this story, because I think it paints a picture. Trinidad is not unlike similar neighborhoods dealing with these same problems. And it's not uncommon for people in these neighborhoods to get a dog for the same reason that Pamela Mathis has a dog -- for protection. Dogs can make for inexpensive security systems -- and create noise and a threat to intrudors. Often the dog's mere existance is enough to make the neighbor's house next door an easier target.
The problem is that the idea of having a watchdog encourages the owner to encourage the dog to be suspicious and aggressive around strangers. It encourages poor socialization -- and aggression. Not unlike humans, dogs don't have the ability to tell a "good stranger" from a "bad stranger" 100% of the time. So all strangers end up being bad.
And the types of dogs people get are pretty predictable as well. The dogs that are used are those that are larger dogs, with a reputation (whether merited or not) for being aggressive to drive up the fear factor. Over times, German Shepherds, Dobermans, Rottweilers, Akitas, Chow Chows, "pit bulls", St. Bernhards, Mastiffs, etc have been used. Often it is the dog that fits the type of "looking mean" that is the easiest for someone to get that is used. This is why, in so many of these instances, people are now using 'pit bull' for this purpose, because they are very inexensive and easy to get in urban environments.
I bring this all up because it feels particularly relevant this week. On Tuesday, three year old Tony Evans Jr. died when he was attacked by a 'pit bull'. The dog was tethered to a carport in his owner's back yard and gotten for the specific purpose of guarding the owner's stuff due to being a victim of previous crimes.
Just last month, 5-year-old Pablo Lopez was attacked and killed by a 'pit bull'. The boy's uncle got two "pit bulls' to protect his home because there were so many robberies in the neighborhood and the police 'had done nothing' to protect the neighborhood. So the man got two dogs...one of which ended up killing his nephew. The county is among the poorest counties in the country, so the higher crime is not a surprise.
Every day it seems there is another similar story. Tough neighborhood. Dog gotten for protection reasons. Young child. Attack. Most don't end with fatal injuries, but most don't go well for the child. Meanwhile, someone goes up to the city council meeting and announces that "something has to be done" about the dog bites. They show some bite statistics and we start the talk of banning some types of dogs. What we never stop to address is that there are hundreds of different types of dogs, that if they are put in this situation - chained, unsocialized, encouraged to be aggressive to strangers in a tough neighborhood that would fail. They are being put in a situation where they are bound to fail. We pretend that if someone we get rid of the 'pit bull' in this equation, that somehow that will make a dfference.
This is why breed laws never work. Because we've never addressed the social and societal problem that has put the dog and the kid in this situation. And honestly, if you look at the frequency that dogs are put in this situation, we're actually lucky (and attribute some to the naturally loving nature of dogs) that more people aren't injured in these situations.
But we don't know how to solve the real problems. Gangs. Drugs. Poverty, etc. We have no idea how to solve these problems in our communities. That's tough stuff. So we go with the "easy" solution. We deal with dogs, and pretend that we've "done something" to make the situation better. But we haven't.
People like Pamela Mathis still feel like they need to get a dog for protection. And we wonder "how could this happen" if something happens in a neighborhood. We've set these dogs up to fail, and then talk about exterminating them when they do.
If we start talking about the real problems in neighborhoods like Trinidad, and others like them around the country, we may begin to make for real societal change. Until then, if we continue to treat incidents like Tony Evans Jr's death as a "dog issue" we'll never keep it from happening again.
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