Aurora Councilwoman Molly Markert when a young black man got in line behind her at an ATM.
The ugly racist and classist underpinnings of breed specific legislation have come to the surface again, this time in Aurora, CO. We speak often about the connection between the “pit bull issue” and racism, race issues and bigotry. Sometimes racism is not just a connection, it’s a main cause. In Lancaster, CA, breed specific legislation was proposed as a way to control “gang members” (white-speak for young black or hispanic males who wear baggy pants, sports jerseys or even possibly hoodies). Jeff Norgrove, of the Citizen Advisory Committee in the city of Sterling Heights, MI advocated for a pit bull ban at a city council meeting by saying, “We need to immediately ban pit bulls and not include a grandfather clause for people who already own pit bulls. We have inner city people who bought homes here … They don’t need to bring their pit bulls here.”
Klan-osaurus: Pit Bull bans are a dinosaur of an idea. And racist.
The Klan-osaurus was spotted in Aurora, CO as City Councilwoman Molly Markert defended the thirty year old racist idea of breed bans before an impending vote:
“Oh, you bet if I could, I would ban the owners, too,” said Aurora City Councilwomen Molly Markert. “By banning the dogs, we lose the violent behavior that comes with the owners.”
It is important for us to identify the behaviors and tendencies of violent people and go after them post haste so as to address the crime and poverty issues that plague our culture as passive-aggressively as possible. I heard – but haven’t independently verified – that violent, criminal types drive cars, eat food and may even wear pants.
For people like Markert, it’s tough to imagine that anyone other than “those people” would own “those dogs.” She isn’t bothered by the idea that a vast majority of the people caught up in this broad-sweeping public safety red herring are innocent, tax paying, law-abiding citizens. Because the affected people, in her mind, don’t look like her, act like her, or deserve the built in societal advantages that she enjoys. If her contempt for economically disadvantaged and white-challenged members of society wasn’t enough, she adds in this gem that completely summarizes the pro-pit bull ban “movement:”
“This is not about a fact, it’s about a feeling.”
Yes. Yes it is. For you.
We encourage all Aurora, CO, residents to vote YES on Question 2D on their ballot on November 4th.
If you’re racist, I guess vote “no.”