The family of a black man shot multiple times by police during a confrontation at a Louisiana convenience store called for an independent investigation and officials to resign in the wake of video showing the chilling incident.
Graphic footage circulating online filmed by a witness early Tuesday appears to show Alton Sterling, 37, being shot as two cops pin him to the ground.His death has sparked protests against police brutality in Baton Rouge, and family members and the local NAACP branch called for Louisiana State Police to take over the review from the Baton Rouge Police Department.
Quinyetta Mcmillon, the mother of Sterling’s 15-year-old son, said officers handled the incident “unjustly,” and told reporters Wednesday that they killed a man who was “simply trying to earn a living and take care of his children.”
“I, for one, will not rest or not allow him to be swept in the dirt,” Mcmillon said as Sterling’s son sobbed behind her.
Things have been really hard around here. Especially in the past few weeks.
Some of you know that I have a dog. Her name is Naya, and she’s a pitbull kind of mix… thing. No one really knows what she is. But she has a big, goofy square face and it scares people.
It didn’t use to scare anyone. She used to go pretty unnoticed. People would even be surprised when I’d say she was a kind of pitbull. No one really knows what a pitbull is. Guys, it isn’t even an existing breed. It’s just a sort of umbrella term.
Recently, though, a woman died in her back yard. She was bitten by her neighbor’s pitbull-ish kind of dog. Now, a few important things: there was a hole in the fence; the dog had a history of biting; the owner was a fucking douche, and had a pretty well decorated (and still recent) criminal record; the dog was underfed.
And despite that, all the media had to say was “PITBULL MAULS A WOMAN TO DEATH” and “SHOULD DANGEROUS DOGS LIKE PITBULLS BE BANNED”. Public fear began to grow. That was, like, two weeks ago.
In two weeks, the capital city of Quebec (which is like 3 hours away from where the attack happened?) decided to ban pitbulls altogether. Owners of pitbulls over there have until January the 1st to, literal translation: “ get rid of their dogs”. S'en débarasser.
I’ve watched this inflate and swell with growing apprehension. Three days ago, there was an announcement that pitbulls were banned in Montréal, my home, as well. I was walking Naya in the park when I learnt it. Some guy from the news network, suit, tie and mic, ran after me and asked if I had heard the bad news. I thought he was talking about Quebec city, so I said yeah. And… I said “at least it isn’t as bad in Montréal quite yet” and he froze, and went “well, then, I’m sorry to be the one to tell you. But the mayor has prohibited pitbulls from September on.”
I’m going to have the right to keep my dog, provided she wears a muzzle at all times, keeps out of parks and fits a plethora of different complex criteria (sterilization, microchip…). The muzzle is very…Disturbing. Any canine expert will tell you that a muzzle is potentially dangerous to the dog, and should be worn as scarcely as possible, and only in a situation of training and rehabilitation. But… I can do this. To keep my dog safe.
I can license her. I’ve been wanting to do it for months. She’s already sterilized and microchipped. She is always on a lead in public. She has no agressivity problems whatsoever. She doesn’t even bark when someone is at the door.
Today, though, I heard through the grapevines that my civil responsibility insurance might not stand the same if I have a “dangerous dog”. So, like any responsible tenant would, this afternoon, I called them.
I had to answer a few typical questions. Is your dog a pure pitbull? (Cue explaining what a pitbull actually is.) Has she ever bitten someone? Has she been trained for combat? I mentioned I was ready to have my animal be evaluated by a professional of their choice. I also said that I wasn’t looking for insurance to cover any damages my dog could make. Just the standard fire, water, earthquake and shit liability insurance that I used to have. I was just looking to know whether or not having a pitbull-ish kind of dog would change anything.
The lady was pretty lighthearted about it. She said of course she’d look into it. She said she might have to call tomorrow, but when she would, she’d have the info. I hung up reassured.
She called back thirty minutes later, slightly mortified. She asked if I was sitting down.
I sat down.
Unless I write a letter to my insurance compay, stating that a pitbull no longer lives in my house or ever enters my property, they will revoke my insurance plan. I won’t be insured for fire damages, earthquakes, leaks from the roof, name it. They call it… “an augmentation of risks”.
I’ve been looking around. Articles everywhere state how difficult it is for someone with a pitbull to get insurance. Not… Not even for damages the dog might cause. I didn’t want to add to my policy “Guarantee: if the dog mauls a person to death”. I just wanted a goddamn fire coverage. I’ve made that clear, and the lady had to tell me that “as of yesterday, Intact Insurances does not insure pitbull owners anymore.”
I guess Naya increases my risk of having an earthquake destroy my property.
This dog does not in any way affect the things they guarantee protection against. This is a reactionnary, discriminatory measure, and it is commonplace in the insurance industry. In about three weeks, I will have no more insurance. If anything were to happen to my home, like I’ve seen happen before – I would go bankrupt. It would be horrible.
But I am not getting rid of my dog. Naya and I live alone in the city. Sheis my pride, my joy and my support. If only they’d let me pay more, or… Prove that she’s no risk at all (especially not when we’re talking about leaks in the roof). But they just won’t hear it.
So I guess this has been a rough week for me. I’m asking you guys to spread this as far as you can. Pitbull bans have been trending in the past few years, destroying so many lives and not improving the situation in the least. People need to see what the actual consequences of breed-specific legislation are.
