Civil Rights Artivism at its Finest

Remembering Oscar Grant, Political Prisoners

Operation Small Axe DVD Release Party w/ Emory Douglas

A night with the iconic artist Emory Douglas and the screening of Operation Small Axe documentary set the tone for National Anti-Police Brutality Day over the weekend.

Documentary Operation Small Axe highlights the anti-sentiment that Oakland residents have towards the Oakland Police Department and goes as far as describing the City of Oakland as a “war torn prison state.”

“The police have been so vicious and so brutal to our black brothers in this society,” stated the documentary’s producer, Adimu Madyum. 

The documentary hosts a series of revelations including the state of neutrality the black Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums and city officials have taken, the mainstream media downplaying the significance of the possible martyr Lovelle Mixon who killed four police officers a few months after the death of Oscar Grant, the slaying of DeAndre Brunston and the fight journalist JR is facing to drop charges that claim he was participating in the Oakland city riots while in actuality he was reporting on the event.

The fact that former Black Panther and Minister of Culture, Emory Douglas and the grandson of the influential Malcolm X, Malcolm Shabazz were in attendance added to the importance of holding the police accountable for brutality against African American men in particular.

“Its unfortunate that we are still fighting for the same thing that my grandfather was fighting for during the civil rights era,” said 26-year-old Shabazz.  “But at the core of the police system there is still bigotry and racism.”

If one ever doubted that the cops have very little disdain for black youth all confusion was cleared up when the documentary clipped to the scene of the tragic murder of Deandre Brunston, 24, that was caught on tape.  Brunston’s standoff with the police, on August 24, 2003, lasted about 20 minutes before they released a dog to attack him, when Brunston threw a shoe at the dog the police began shooting.  He was shot 22 times and a few bullets hit the police dog as well.  The backward and inhumanity of the police force allowed for the police dog to be airlifted in an emergency helicopter while Brunston was left to die.  You can see in the video that Brunston was still moving after the police shot him.  His aunt, Keisha Brunston was never released from the back of the cop car to calm him to down or make him surrender.  She has been present in the Oscar Grant case and has supported the family through the trail.

 

“Stop killing us,” said JR in reference to police brutality.  “We want police to know that we are watching them and we are holding them accountable.”     

 

  

The night ended with revolutionary artist, Emory Douglas, providing commentary and insight into his prolific drawings during his time with the Black Panther newspaper.  He also spoke about artivism, defining a political agenda by the means of art.  He put emphasis on the fact that Black Panthers were all over the world in places such as Israel, Australia and New Zealand.  He explained why he depicted the police as pigs and cleared up the myth that the Black Panthers were not against all white people but the racist police system.

“We shall survive without a doubt,” “Freedom on my mind,” and “all power to the people” were just a few slogans that were emblazoned on Douglas’ colorful pieces depicting the struggle that black people went through in every day life.

Douglas got started in the Black Panthers while attending rallies at San Francisco State University and City College of San Francisco where he studied commercial art, art geared toward advertising.  He remembers learning from one of his professors that “you should be able to draw in a way that a child will understand.”  Instead of going a route that some commercial artists go by advertising cigarettes or alcohol Douglass chose a righteous path of arming people in low-income neighborhoods with knowledge as he provided kids with clothing and free vegetables.  Children are representative quite often in Douglas’s artwork.

“The Black Panther Party was formed to defend our community and put a stop to police atrocities,” said Douglas during his presentation.  “Currently, our black youth are still marginalized and unable to get a job so they are doing what they have to do to survive.”

The evening took place at the Twin Space Continuum at 17^th and Mission on October 22, 2010. 

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Kids tagging a newly cleaned bus

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Fund this story at Spot.Us

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Deconstructing... The Boondocks

"The Color Ruckus"

We always wondered why Uncle Ruckus hated black "or his own" people so much.  This episode before the season finale explains it all.

When Ruckus was a baby he was left on the steps of a black family's house because his original white family (racists) saw that he was beginning to form darker skin.  They showed a birthmark on baby Ruckus and it very well looked like he was turning black.  Ruckus' soon-to-be parents (a woman who wants to be 'white so bad that she made her hair blonde and eventually colored her eyes blue and a father who is happy that money was attached to the offer) decided to take him.

"This ain't no regular baby, this is a WHITE baby," said the adoptee's mother.  "It's the most beautiful thing in the whole wide world."

Ruckus' family saw him as a Godsend and a chance to get a piece of the "white man's glory."  When they were celebrating his arrival the confederate flag hung strong in the background.  The symbol of the Confederate flag is a piece of history that some Americans are tragically still proud of.  The confederate flag is a symbol still used by nazis and KKK members as a reminder that they slowed down the process of black folks right of freedom while the north moved ahead.

At a young age Ruckus began to turn black.  His mother called it a case of re-vitiligo (the reverse of what happened to Michael Jackson's skin post "We Are the World.")  Ruckus began to hate most black people and blamed all of his shortfalls on the color of his skin.

The story proceeds with the death of this grandmother and painful memories of his family's past.

Riley said that he was getting emotional from Uncle Ruckus' story but reiterated that he wasn't going to "cry because he wasn't gay."  He ended up crying in the end.  Riley is a hopeless mimic of black straight man media and culture and it plays out in his every move.  Its entertaining but on the same token he is blind to reality.  He needs to read some Frederick Douglass, Franz Fanon, Malcolm X.  

Ruckus closed the scene by stating even though him and his family made amends he still concluded by saying that black people are "hopelessly inferior to white folks."  Old habits are hard to kick.

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Hip-Hop is coming out!

On August 4, U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn Walker rules that Proposition 8, the California initiative passed in November 2008 that banned same sex marriage, was unconstitutional.  At around the same time, bloggers revealed that our beloved Queen Latifah was spotted off the coast of France and Italy getting lovey with her personal trainer.  Along with Latifah's outting, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed into the Supreme Court. 

Since the beginning of gay rights activism that started with Stonewall in New York and Harvey Milk in San Francisco I am happy to see that love  is slowly but surely becoming more normalized.

There are still 76 countries that criminally prosecute homosexual acts, according to a recent study; seven of the nations impose the death penalty.

The decision was a result of a lawsuit filed by two same-sex couples who claimed that Prop 8 infringed their constitutional rights.  Voters had originally approved the ban in response to a California Supreme Court ruling that temporarily legalized same-sex marriage in the state.  Walker's decision is expected to be appealed and to eventually make its way to Supreme Court.  Currently five states and the District of Columbia allow same sex marriage.

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Diversity and InterRacial Music Making Wave

If the universe were to take a snapshot of music right now the best photograph would be of a scene called hip pop.  It would be called hip hop if it weren't for the poppy rock collaborations and it would be pop if it wasn't for the lyricism and R&B rifts.  But either way you look at it its beautiful.  Black rappers expanding beyond the grimey explicit lyrics and embracing their ethnically different female counterparts.  I am sure they were more than happy to do it.  


 

Little bit - Drake & Lykke Li by usmanity




Airplanes by brunasa




Jason Derulo - Whatcha Say by Wizechter

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Oscar Grant Verdict Leaves Us Waiting

While former BART officer Mehserle has received a ruling of involuntary manslaughter for shooting Oscar Grant, we are still waiting for the official sentencing.

When I first heard the verdict on the news today I was happy.  The words that stood out were "GUILTY" and "INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER."  I immediately felt happy and relieved.  But that emotion lasted for about 5 seconds.  After those five seconds I asked myself, "How long is this man going to be sentenced?"  Involuntary Manslaughter carries a 2-4 year sentence.

Oscar Grant was shot and killed early in the morning on New Years Day in 2009 at Fruitvale BART Station in Oakland, California.  He had a daughter and a family and was shot cold-blooded in front of a group of his friends and other bystanders who were able to catch the whole atrocity on their mobile phones.  Johannes Mehserle, the man who shot Grant, said that he meant to use his taser, although Oscar Grant was unarmed.  This racially charged incident has gotten a lot of attention and rightfully so.

The trail was moved from the Bay Area to Los Angeles in order to ease tensions that were rising in Oakland especially since just a few months after an Oakland man shot and killed four Oakland cops in a matter of hours.

The verdict came today after a speedy three-week trial.  We still don't know what this means when it comes to Mehserle's time behind bars which leaves a lot of people confused and disappointed.  I have not lost hope and thus far, I think that justice has been served.  Until the sentencing, which are set to be announced on August 6, 2010 I have nothing to be mad about.  But if Mehserle is given a measly two years for taking a young man's life.  I, unlike Mayor Ronald Dellums who said was quite ok with the verdict and was not fully behind the Grant family's disappointment, will be in Oakland, in solidarity, rioting and initiating a call to justice.  Until then...I am at peace with the verdict.

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The Evolution of Telecommunications

ABSTRACT

Telecommunications and the Internet

Crystal N. Carter

This paper describes the competition between online corporations, Google and Apple, Inc.  It attempts to define the complicated matters of the Internet Age as well as their similarities and differences within each company’s monopolistic and intrusive characteristics.  In the online world strategy is a key element to success.  This paper will attempt to explore why online, our 1^st Amendment right may be obscured due to us trading in our information for a service.

Telecommunications and the Internet

Google vs. Apple

            Freedom of speech is a right that Americans think they have.  But as different conglomerates and dynamics influence the marketplace the volatile issue of media ownership will begin to be more of an issue and we will soon realize that some of the rights we thought were ours, aren’t actually ours at all.

            The US is a nation that prides itself on freedom of speech and being able to have free access to a broad range of information, but as we witness Internet technology companies compete for the top spot there is an underlying war going on with these software giants.

            “The internet is a connection of multiple networks.  The networks communicate with each other over a suite of standardized protocols, TCP/IP, which send data over the Internet broken up into “envelopes,” of date called packets.  Internet traffic is sent at gigabit speed over lines connected by routers and switches.  The high-speed lines are the backbone of the Internet.  They carry the highest amount of Internet traffic.  The Internet backbone transmits requests for information, entertainment, audio and video broadcasts, e-mail and business-to-business transactions.”

Who owns the Internet?

            No one organization owns the Internet.  Rather the Internet is a worldwide arrangement of interconnected networks.  Network service providers, including AT&T, Cable & Wireless, Sprint and Netcom.  They transfer data between each other at locations called “peering” sites.  At the peering sites, network devices called routers transfer messages between the backbone, high-capacity telephone lines owned by dozens of network service providers.

            The federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government, created, directed and empowered by Congressional statute, and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the president.  The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the media, public safety and homeland security, and modernizing the FCC.

            After the Telecommunications Act of 1996 the concentration of media ownership was spread between a small amount of corporations.

            There was a conflict of interest here because the Internet and the news decide how people’s beliefs are formed and how people’s actions are then based on those beliefs.  If people are getting their news from one source and that one source is bias then there can begin to be a lot of problems.  We are beginning to see that with Google’s competition with Apple, Inc.

            There have been studies that have identified media consolidation to be sociologically detrimental, dangerous and problematic and it is to be avoidable wherever possible.

            According to Dan Withers of the FCC, determinants of media pluralism are: size and wealth of the market, diversity of suppliers, consolidation of resources and diversity of output. 

Google: “Don’t be Evil”

            In the early 2000s an emphasis was put on operating systems.  Google specialized in a core user interface.  Google began to create services that sale services for free.  The services and the applications that used to cost something started to be offered for free by Google.  This caused a lot of service companies to merge, be sold and wiped out of the market all together.  These services were core revenue streams of other smaller revenues companies.  This created cloud computing.  The Google browser then replaces the Microsoft Window’s operating system by creating Chrome.  Some products and actions by Google have been accused of contradicting the company’s “Don’t be evil” ethic; Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch strongly condemned Google’s compliance with China’s Golden Shield Project, calling it a form of self-censorship.  According to Amnesty,

“These forms of censorships seem to contradict the very principles that Google – whose unofficial motto is “don’t be evil – was founded upon.  Until January 2006, Google’s Support Center claimed that it “does not censor results for any search term,” but removed its claim after reaching its deal with China.”

“Don’t be evil” is the informal corporate motto (or slogan) of Google, originally suggested by Google employees Paul Buchheit and Amit Patel at a meeting.  The statement that can be considered nearest to the supposedly “Don’t be evil” motto (so widely circulated by the media) is the 6^th point of the 1 point corporate philosophy of Google which says, “You can make money without doing evil.”  Google’s revenue is based on the journalistic articles that are written.

This graphic displays that at one time Google and Apple, Inc. got along well together.  They shared their services respectfully.  But then their services started to overlap because of their main revenue streams.  Conflicts of interests arose and they came into steep competition with each other.  Judging from this chart, eventually one of these companies will come out on top while the other will be left in the dust. 

Apple, Inc: Violating Freedom of Speech

Apple, Inc made them known with Mac OSX, Macbooks, iPhone, iPod and the iPad.  They were at the top of the world.  They were showing signs of a monopoly when Apple decided to make Google its de facto search engine.  When a company is making as much money as Apple you have to realize that you are starting to show signs of a monopolistic company.  They believed that if you built you own hardware then you should own your own software and vice versa.  The iTunes store, for example, is very enclosed.  There is a lot of restriction and in that a lot of freedom of the press is taken away.  At this point Apple, one of the highest visibility companies out there, a company that is some people’s preferred source of news are hiding certain forms of news from people. 

            When you buy a product you are bound by the license agreements of the product.  You can’t own much of anything anymore.  It used to be with products once you bought them you owned it and could share it with anyone.  It’s almost as is they are becoming the “Big Brother” of media conglomerates. 

            A great example is porn.  Even thought porn is the highest selling video over the Internet it is not sold over iTunes because they are afraid of what porn will tarnish its brand.  It is almost as if Apple is anti-porn.  They refused to allow any applications.  But isn’t a store supply what the customer wants?  It’s almost the equivalent of a little China.  Where media is censored.

Analysis: Virtual Reality vs. Reality

            I am worried about the way the Internet is going because I am constantly grappling with the changing regulations and corporate laws that are starting to blend with our basic speech rights.  I am beginning to realize that money is the main focus and rights come second.

            The free market process is being fast-forwarded through constant competition in a closed environment.  Apple and Google have found a loophole in this competition game.  When a smaller company is showing signs of growth and popularity Google will buy the company and shut it down.  The law of the land in the online world is quite cut throatish.

            The future of the online world offers a more simplistic user experience and telecommunications along with online computing services are probably all going to be one and the same.  I see less competition and more monopoly.  How is anyone going to build a search engine if Apple and Google own the patent? 
            Privacy is going to be a thing of the past.  Our ideas are not just going to be ours.  We are basically saying that it’s okay to profit off of ideas because we are willing to trade that for the service.  They are going to know our location, taste in music and basically they are going to be able to peak into our brain because they are tracking all of the websites that we visit and the products that we buy.

Bibliography

Cole, Barry.  Reluctant Regulators: The FCC and the Broadcast Audience.  Reading: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.1978.

Dodd, Annabel Z. The Essential Guide to Telecommunications, Second                 Edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall PTR, 2000.

Epps, Sarah.  “Curated Computing.” Web.

Kline, Eric.  Fighting for Air: The Battle to Control America’s Media.  New York: Metropolitan Books.  2007.

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Remembering Marx, Founder of the Real Communism

Karl Marx (May 5, 1818 – March 14, 1883)

“The actual process is not predetermined but depends on the class struggle, especially the organization and consciousness of the working class.”

Born on May 5, 1818, Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, political economist, historian, political theorist, sociologist, communist and revolutionary.  He believed that if the working classes unite all around the world then exploitative working conditions would cease to exist.  He is known, along with Emile Durkheim and Max Weber to be an architect of the social sciences. 

Marx had three children who lived passed infancy. He also had an illegitimate child with his housekeeper, Helene Demuth.  He was a correspondent for the New York Daily Tribune. 

He did not do very well in school.  His father wanted him to study law, but he wanted to study philosophy and literature.  His major influences and favorite authors were Kant and Voltaire.  He liked to study and analyze the relationship between state, society and religion.

He died from Bronchitis on March 14, 1883.  “Workers of all lands unite” are the words that are written on his tombstone.  The point, however is to change the current status of this capitalistic state.  He was known to be the break between the modern and premodern societies.

After being exiled from Paris to Brussels, Belgium he wrote, The German Ideology, in May 1845 with his best friend Friedrich Engels, which stated, “the nature of individuals depends on the material conditions determining their production.”

In 1848 Marx and Engels were expelled from Belgium and after starting his newspaper called, New Rhenish Newspaper, which the government felt was inciting the armed rebellion.

He settled back down in London and stayed there until his death.  He sought refuge in London where he focused on revolutionary organizing, political economy and capitalism as well as economic data.

In the 1800s the most popular socialist was Karl Marx a German economist.  Marx believed that all history is a series of struggles between the ruling and working classes.  Marx basic socialist ideas were first expressed in the Communist Manifesto (1848), which he wrote with Engels, as well.  He said that: “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.”  From this quote, it is evident that Marx was an advocate for social change through knowledge of historical implications.  He argued that the structural contradictions within capitalism necessitate its end, giving way to socialism.  Marx taught that capitalism would be replaced by socialism.  After World War I began in 1914 the socialist Movement collapsed.  Following the Russian Revolution in 1917, revolutionary Socialists founded new parties, which they called communist parties. 

The most meaningful thing I learned was his view on land.  He thought that land was the means of production.  Shouldn’t everyone own a part of land?  Who is to say that the land that we work and breath on is not ours?  I think that the problem with the housing market as well as the homeless population need to be looked at deeper and with Marxist thought in mind.  There are so may empty homes and apartments but there are still people living in unsanitary conditions on the street.

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Your Economy On Marijuana

With the opening of iGrow just over the Bay Bridge in Oakland, California and countless legislation bills around the country its about time that we have a serious talk about marijuana.


Our economy is still in shambles and economists predict that things are not going to get better anytime soon.  So what do we do to stimulate this economy?  It's not like money grows on trees...or does it?


Here are some interesting statistics that were featured in the Rolling Stone's April 1, 2010 issue titled "Marijuanamerica" by Mark Binelli:

• Annual revenue of California's weed industry = $14 billion
• # of states in which marijuana is the cash crop = 12
• # of pot plants eradicated in California's Sequoia National Forests in a 2008 operation = 420,000
• Estimated street value of those plants, if harvested = Over $1 billion
• Total weight of all marijuana plants seized by the DEA in 2009 = 3,285 tons
• Total estimated street value of those seizures = 31.5 billion
• Estimated annual cost of marijuana prohibition to taxpayers = $42 billion

With these statistics, making marijuana legal sounds like a feasible solution to a speedy economic recovery which could actually become a reality on the November 2010 ballot in the state of California.

Tom Ammiano, California State Assembly Member, is the main backer of the initiative that has recieved 700,000 signatures which will make it possible to get the measure on the ballot.  If passed, the initiative would make it legal for anyone 21 and older to possess an ounce of marijuana and grow plants in an area no larger than 25 square feet for personal use.  It would also allow cities and counties to permit marijuana to be grown and sold, and to impose taxes on it.

If this is to pass there are still certain measures that need to be taken and things that need to be monitored closely.  Like making sure production is still moving along smoothly and people aren't smoking too much and getting "too relaxed." And also making sure that the growers are not booted out of thier profession because of a few companies trying to monopolize.  Like Nick Tennant, founder of a pot-growing business-like class in Detroit, Michigan says: 

"It's better for society to stimulate micro-economies of scale.  You give 10,000 people the oppurtunity to make $50,000 a year, rather than giving 10 people the oppurtunity to make $10 million a year."

See a story discussing whether Marijuana is good for you.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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Pink Slips Are Not Going Away

Los Angeles Unified School District could be sending out more pink slips to their already sparse roster of teachers. The school board, yet again, unanimously approved layoffs as a way to close an expected $640 million budget gap.

The first positions that will be eliminated are school nurses and librarians as well as an increase in class sizes in an already inundated school system that is the second largest in the country, after New York City.

This news comes in wake of the vote by LAUSD to hand over some its public schools to charter school operators and teachers groups as part of an experiment to see whether outsiders will have better luck improving student achievement. The board awarded four schools to charter groups, and two schools to a group led by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

“We’re extremely disappointed in the vote today,” said Lauren Carter, administer for ICEF, Inner City Education Foundation, a charter school group that runs 15 schools in Los Angeles and hoped to be awarded a new school. Instead the board voted to give the school to a teachers’ group. “We were looking for more bold action from board members to make decisions for what was in the best interests of the kids. It’s a sad, sad day for us.”

Under a resolution passed last year, the Los Angeles Board of Education for the first time allowed charter schools and outsiders to bid for the right to operate schools deemed “public school choice” sites.

Charter schools are said to be doing quite well according to a Times analysis that showed, overall, L.A. charter schools deliver higher test scores than traditional public schools.

These type of cuts are taking place all over the United States so this recession is obviously far from over. With all of these cuts taking place and a complete overhual of the healthcare system its going to be very interesting to see what our nation will look like in a few of years. One thing is certain and that is if we don't raise a competent next generation things will be looking bleaker than they do now.

U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan stated that he wants to “make sure there is flexibility on the local level. We cannot begin, nor do we want to micromanage 100,000 schools from Washington. The best ideas have always come from the local levels and we want to continue to support that.” I am sure the local-level-less-government touting Republicans will be happy about that one.

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White House To Invest $850 Million For Black Colleges And Universities

White House To Invest $850 Million For Black Colleges And Universities

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U.S. - Cuba Foreign Policy Looking Up

Americans are one step closer to being able to travel to Cuba. Obama is making small but progressive moves, along with Fidel and Raul Castro, to settle the bitter feud that has been going on for half a century.

Today in Washington, Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson )D-MN), Congressman Jerry Moran (R-KS), and at least 31 of their House colleagues introduced new legislation HR 4645 that would finally restore diplomacy between the two countries allowing for travel, telecommunications and agricultural sales to the island.

“U.S. producers are the closest suppliers that can help meet the food and agriculture needs of the Cuban people. Opportunities to sell to paying customers in Cuba have been hindered by bureaucratic red tape and by arbitrary prohibitions on the ability of U.S. citizens to travel to Cuba. This bill cuts the red tape and allows that trade and travel to happen,” Chairman Peterson said.

Although Cuba is benefitting from tourism and farming it is still an isolated island that struggles to feed its population. Communist Cuba is known to have reputable health and education systems and the embargo has hindered American students from using its educational institutions.

After the Cuban revolution the US placed an embargo that would last until Cuba moved toward “democratization and greater respect for human rights.” It didn’t help that in 1996 the Cuban military struck down and killed the passengers of an unarmed U.S. civilian aircraft in international airspace north of Cuba.

Since then, there has been a National Emergency Act placed between the two countries denying monetary and material support to the Cuban government.

Many say that the full embargo will be lifted by the end of the 2010.

What is still left for interpretation is the fact that the U.S. leases Gauntanamo Bay land from Cuba. Castro says that he hasn’t cashed any of the checks since the 50s when the Cuban Revolution took place.

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Doggy Hustlin' - Its a Dog-Eat-Dog World

Larry, a pit bull dog breeder has eleven pit bull dogs, three adult and eight pups. He thought he could breed his pit bulls on the side while working full time at a casino in Northern California to make ends meet. Fulz, who got into the breeding business about a year ago, has a strict contract that customers must sign before they purchase any of his pups:

“Buyer certifies that he/she is not acting as an agent for another individual in the purchase of this dog, and will not sell this dog to any mass-producing kennel (puppy mill) or business.”

Fulz is beginning to realize that not as many people are willing to spend their money on pure breds and he is worried that he will not make a profit and worse, he might have to give these pups to an animal shelter. Although Fulz has a strict contract that buyers must sign he is still adding to an epidemic: animal overpopulation.

According to the American SPCA, a puppy mill is a large commercial breeding site where puppies are bred with profit, not so much the well being of the animal, as the main goal. The pets are usually kept in unsanitary conditions, small cages and bred until they die.




Because of societal trends such as the movie Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Legally Blonde and Hollywood heiresses Paris Hilton and Nicole Ricci trendy pups like Yorkies (Yorkshire Terriers) and Shih Tzus have become very popular. Puppy Mill owners have capitalized on this trend and the consequences have been dire. A puppy mill in Virginia is said to house over 1,000 puppies that are treated in very bad conditions. If you are buying your pet from a pet store odds are they are from a puppy mill.



Fulz makes up to $3,000 for selling a female UKC Blue Pit Bull Terrier. A pit bull is known to breed up to 12 pups in a litter, which can earn the owner up to $45,000 in one year. The female pit can be bred once a year.

In these economic times, many are looking for alternative ways to make income. Some have turned to selling and breeding their animals. Many animal activists have noted that there seems to be an inflation problem going on in the animal world: too many animals chasing too few owners.

“If more people decided to adopt a pet, the less would get euthanized,” says Betsy McFarland, senior director for companion animals from the Humane Society of the US.

According to the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), 800,000 cats and dogs are abandoned in California each year. More than half of those are euthanized which is similar on a nationwide scale where 6-8 million cats and dogs enter a shelter each year and almost half are euthanized.

“Especially since the recession started animal shelters have become inundated with a severe overpopulation problem,” Harrington stated. She goes further to say that people and organizations are tightening up on their donations and in some cases they have to close all together.

The SPCA said that police departments have reported animals left behind at foreclosed homes as a significant problem as well. McFarland urges prospective pet owners to understand what kind of pet fits their lifestyle in terms of expense and how active the pet is. She says that bigger dogs will require more care than, say, a Chihuahua, which will require less.

Because of Michael Vick raising the public’s awareness about the brutality of dog fighting the attention has been turned towards Pit Bulls. According to the documentary “Off the Chain,” there are over 200 websites devoted to pit bull breeding that can be linked to over 1,800 kennels all over the country.



Currently, the pit bull euthanasia rate in shelters is at approximately 93%. This can be linked to the stigma associated with pit bulls but contrary to popular belief, pit bulls are very loyal, playful and friendly. They just need to be surrounded by owners that have their best interest at heart.

“Breeding is a consumer driven activity,” says McFarland who prefers adopting pets to buying them from a breeder or puppy mills. “If the demand goes down, then the breeders will stop breeding them.”

Pet owners have also had to give their animals away to pet shelters because they cannot afford to keep them or the new place that they are moving to does not accept pets. All of these factors have caused overpopulated animal shelters, says Harrington.

“Our primary concern is the health and well-being of the animals,” said Harrington. “In this circumstance people are being motivated by profit which raises huge concerns.”

More dogs are being stolen from adoption agencies as well as from homes, says Harrington. Pet theft is a crime and the criminal can face up to 5 years in prison in the state of California.

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