Ending Dogfighting in Chicago: A View from the Streets |
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August 6, 2007
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| ©The HSUS |
| Tio Hardiman |
By Tio Hardiman
In the neighborhoods of Chicago where I work, it's said that as many as four out of five children have witnessed a dogfight. I don't mean the kind where two dogs on leashes tussle over territory, or where strays mix it up for food scraps. I mean the all-out, fight-to-the-death staged dogfight between animals bred for just this purpose—the kind of horrifying bloodletting that now infests poor and troubled parts of our cities.
This is no sight for anyone to witness, let alone children. Dogs are our friends. So what are we teaching them when they see friends transformed into fiends—sacrificed in the shadowy criminal underground of drugs, gambling, gang life and impossible savagery?
We must stop it. Right now. For the sake of our children, for the sake of our cities, and to end the cruelty we're inflicting on these most trusting of animals, we must stop dogfighting.
With The Humane Society of the United States, that's what I'm trying to do. Dogfighting is a crime. More than that, it's a curse.
It occurs in back alleys, in abandoned houses, or downstairs in dirty basements. The medieval howls of suffering dogs echo sadly through neighborhoods that already know too much about pain. Every time two young men clash in mortal combat by using dogs as proxies, a pall is cast over our communities.
The causes of the dogfighting phenomenon are complex: the same violent brew of machismo, idleness and alienation that gives rise to gangs leads young men to the doorsteps of dog breeders.
In fact, for many small-time drug dealers, owning a pit bull is now requisite for guarding their stash. As a result, law enforcement officials are increasingly targeting dogfighting in order to bust narcotics rings, knowing that where one exists, the other often follows. A three-year study by the Chicago Police Department revealed that of those who are arrested for animal crimes—including dogfighting—70 percent have prior narcotics arrests.
What can the rest of us do? Well, we can start with the belief that the urban violence of dogfighting is more than a criminal activity. It is an epidemic, not unlike a disease that spreads and takes hold in vulnerable neighborhoods. Thus, it cannot be stopped by enforcement alone. The HSUS believes that we must change cultural attitudes too.
In Chicago, we're deploying "violence interrupters"—established community members who understand the forces that draw young men into the dogfighting subculture and can act as mentors.
The effort is closely modeled after successful programs used in cities nationwide to challenge gang violence. One block at a time, "interrupters" take to the streets to break up dogfighting encounters. One person at a time, they challenge ingrained social perceptions.
We engaged the University of Chicago Survey Lab to interview former dogfighters and conduct focus groups of young children to help the rest of us understand the appeal of fighting dogs. We are seeking those cultural messages that might stigmatize—rather than glamorize—dogfighting.
At the same time, we appeal to cultural and community leaders to join us. We need athletes, musicians, actors, neighbors, peer-group leaders, mothers, fathers, preachers, teachers—in fact we need all of you. We need you to spread the message. Dogfighting is horrifying, disrespectful and debasing. It doesn't just harm animals—dogfighting degrades people, too. Please help us end this cruelty.
Tio Hardiman is working with The Humane Society of the United States in developing a violence interrupter program to penetrate neighborhoods most prone to dogfighting and change the behavior of those who engage in the crime. He is director of mediation services and intergovernmental affairs for The Chicago Project for Violence Prevention (CeaseFire), a nationally recognized group that has successfully reduced gang violence in the city.
See the Video
HSUS Undercover: Inside Animal Fighting
Related Links
Dogfighting
Dogfighting Fact Sheet
Taking Action to End Dogfighting: How to Spot the Signs and What You Can Do
