New America Media, Commentary, Charles Jones, Posted: Dec
11, 2007
Editor's Note: Atlanta Falcon's quarterback Michael Vick was
sentenced to two years in prison for running a dogfighting ring out
of his home and some dog-lovers are up in arms over – what they say –
is not enough time. But New America Media commentator Charles Jones
says that the reaction of some Americans to the Vick case gives away
their contradictory views regarding black men.
Michael Vick doesn't deserve the almost two years the Feds slapped
on him this week for fighting and killing pit bulls. But he was
lucky to get 23 months – it's not the five or six years I thought he
would get. I'm sure that Michael Vick is as close to elated as
possible, under the circumstances.
With Vick's sentencing out of the way, maybe his critics can back
off and stop couch quarterbacking his legal proceedings. If there is
any good luck Vick has had over this past year, it's that the dog-
loving world isn't his judge and jury. If they were, he would have
been lucky to get off with the legal maximum.
When I checked out comments responding to an article about his
sentencing, I wasn't surprised to see the PETA (People for Ethical
Treatment of Animals) crowd disgruntled about how "short" his prison
term is. I wasn't even surprised to see the number of people who
actually equate the value of a dog's life to that of a human. People
who seriously feel that Vick should be executed or banned from pro-
football for life just rub me the wrong way – especially because a
lot of what I've heard in the media concerning this case has racist
undertones.
Black people have a history in this country of having our lives
valued at less than those of dogs. We were only 3/5th human after
all.
I know, some of you are thinking: "Race-card! Race-card! Out of
context!"
But, consider this contradiction: Vick and co. were fighting pit
bulls – a breed that has been deemed so vicious that mainstream
America is increasingly working toward eradicating them. Cities like
San Francisco have adopted strict neutering and euthanization laws
for these dogs. Mainstream America hates, fears and mistrusts pit
bulls damn near as much as they do young African Americans like
Michael Vick.
Maybe that's why the hood loves pit bulls so much. Maybe it's that
they are as feared and mistrusted by mainstream society as we are –
and they make people think twice about robbing your house.
My neighbor is a 10-year PETA member. This neighbor not only stays
away from pit bulls, but even complained (and exaggerated) to my
landlord that a "vicious dog" was roaming the complex when I allowed
my two-year-old daughter to play outside our apartment with a
friend's two-and-a-half- month-old pit bull puppy. My landlord
freaked, the puppy was banned from the property and I was threatened
with eviction if he was ever seen within our gates again. I have
personal experience with how people deal with pit bulls.
So to feign this care for all dogs and fake like the fact that
Vick is black has nothing to do with the public vitriol that
surrounds him is just dog doo-doo. Michael Vick is in prison where
men and women all over this country are beaten, raped and stabbed
daily. And he'll be there for at least two years. To say that he
deserves a murder sentence because he abused or even killed a few
dogs belonging to a breed that the powers that be would like to kill
off, is ludicrous and shows how very little a young black male's
life means to America at the subconscious core of her being.
Jodi Preis
Bless the Bullys - Defending Dog - Bull Breed Alliance of
Tennessee
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