Thursday, July 10, 2008

Cedar Hill City Council discusses pit bull problem

By Brian Allen of Best Southwest Citizen

CEDAR HILL — It was a packed house at Tuesday’s night Cedar Hill city council meeting and not because it was the council’s final night in the old city hall. It was Cedar Hill’s turn to deal with the much debated resolution that would allow cities to pursue legislation specific to certain dog breeds.

Animal lovers came from the far corners of the Metroplex to support pit bulls and other breeds that might be termed aggressive. They lost their bid as Cedar Hill followed Duncanville’s lead in seeking permission from the state to at least be able to ban specific breeds.

Several councilmen said they weren’t necessarily looking to ban pit bulls but wanted the authority to do more about the problem at the local level.

Cedar Hill’s Susan McGee began public forum by asking how a dangerous dog would be defined and where the process would go from there. City officials saying working out the answers to those questions is part of the current process.

McGee, the only Cedar Hill speaker to discuss the issue in forum, gave way to the protesters. Duncanville resident Fred Knight, a name familiar to many in local politics, weighed in with his thoughts. He brought up some of the same points he had expressed at Duncanville’s debate on pit bulls. And as usual, he didn’t mince any words.

The always outspoken Knight said his council member Grady Smithey was one of the supporters of Duncanville’s plan to seek breed specific legislation. Knight referred to Smithey with the less than flattering moniker “Shady Grady,” drawing some titters from the crowd.

Knight said he had invited Duncanville council members to go to some dog shows with him to learn more about pit bulls but no one took him up on his offer. He believes city officials would be less likely to support a ban if they knew more about the dogs.

“Most council members wouldn’t know a pit bull if it bit them on the hind end,” he said.

Local political observers might be surprised to know that Knight’s comments were among the tamest of the evening. One activist suggested that an attempt to take pit bulls from their owners violated 14th amendment property rights. She went on to say that soldiers in Iraq were dying for those kind of rights.

As council members responded, Councilman Clifford Shaw recognized the emotions in play but thought saying soldiers were dying for the right to own pit bulls was “a bit of a stretch.”

Council members also bristled at some speakers suggestions that the problem with pit bull attacks was purely “media hype.”

“This is not hype,” Councilman Makia Epie said. “These are facts, these are things that have happened in Cedar Hill.” Epie then stepped out of sync with the rest of the council saying he would support a pit bull specific ban.

After the council unanimously approved the measure, Mayor Rob Franke correctly surmised most of the crowd was there for the pit bull debate. He allowed them a few minutes to leave council chambers before the meeting continued. The room then mostly emptied. But in the parking lot, activists began preparing for their next battle. Their discussion centered around when DeSoto would bring a similar resolution up for approval.

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• Politics and Government > City Government > Cedar Hill