http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20090107/OPINION/901070353/1004/NEWS01
January 7, 2009
Make cockfighting a felony in our state
Cockfighting continues to be a booming business in South Carolina, and the Legislature needs to do something about this illegal blood sport. This should be the year our state lawmakers prove they take cockfighting seriously by making it a felony. It already is in all but about a dozen states, and South Carolina is the only one of those states on the East Coast.
"What we want to do in 2009 is pass a law against cockfighting that brings South Carolina law in line with your neighbors in Georgia and North Carolina," John Goodwin, manager of animal fighting issues with the Humane Society of the United States, said last month in a meeting at The Greenville News. "Otherwise, with a misdemeanor penalty, South Carolina becomes an attractive location for cockfighters who go jurisdiction shopping. They set up cockfighting pits in places with the weakest penalties."
With the help of Goodwin's national animal welfare organization, a number of state organizations, various law enforcement agencies and the Palmetto Family Council, South Carolina legislators have been encouraged, nudged and pushed to take needed action in areas such as dog fighting and hog-dog fighting.
These cruel and inhumane activities do more than create a methodical system for abusing animals and forcing them to fight to the death. Such activities also are notorious for attracting other crimes such as gambling and drug abuse. Goodwin said raids in other states have shown the presence of such organized gangs as the Mexican Mafia and MS 13.
Oran Smith of the Palmetto Family Council came out strong last year for tougher cockfighting penalties because his conservative, family-oriented group recognized that cockfighting was about much more than raising roosters to kill each other. This and other blood sports are surrounded by organized crime, drugs and other problems for which society has to pay. And even worse is that some families consider this such wholesome entertainment that they bring along their children, and those children are then desensitized to violence and other damaging activities early in life.
Cockfighting has powerful protectors in South Carolina. A bill to make it a felony has struggled in the Senate, where one or two senators can block potential legislation.
Just days after Goodwin met with newspapers and other groups last month, 19 people were charged with cockfighting in Anderson County. Deputies seized 37 birds, and a number of birds were found dead, according to a Greenville News story. One woman on the scene was charged with possession of cocaine.
This raid followed multiple busts of fights throughout 2008. In February, 88 people were charged in Anderson County with being in the presence of cockfighting. And a huge raid took place earlier in the year in York County, and 33 individuals were charged with misdemeanors.
Even with slightly tougher laws in South Carolina, most offenders get off with a slap on the wrist. South Carolina needs to make cockfighting a felony, and our state needs to make it a felony to observe a cockfight, too. Otherwise, the small fine of up to $1,000 is considered just a rare fee for the cockfighting participants who occasionally are caught by law enforcement.
Cockfighting is a barbaric practice that has been allowed to masquerade as a quaint blood sport for too long in South Carolina. It needs to be made a felony in 2009 in our state.
Showing posts with label John Goodwin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Goodwin. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Sunday, December 21, 2008
HSUS and Loudoun County authorities smash cockfighting ring
Go HSUS and Loudoun County!!! I am so proud of HSUS for passing a tough law against animal fighting, and then making sure the law is enforced!!!!
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http://loudounextra.washingtonpost.com/news/2008/dec/17/birds-seized-investigation-cock-fighting-lovettsvi/
About 500 Chickens Seized From 2 Farms
Sites Suspected of Being Cockfighting Operations
By Jonathan Mummolo
Originally published at 11:35 a.m., December 17, 2008Updated at 9:26 p.m., December 17, 2008
Authorities in Loudoun County have seized about 500 chickens from two farms in the Lovettsville area suspected of being cockfighting operations and where roosters were found tethered, caged and with body parts amputated, according to county officials and court records.
On Sunday, Loudoun County Animal Care and Control officers seized more than 400 roosters and hens from a residence in the 38000 block of Sierra Lane. The next day, about 100 fowl were seized at a nearby property in the 12000 block of Berlin Turnpike after a tip that game birds were being fought on the property, according to officials and court records.
It is unclear whether the two operations are related, and no charges have been filed, officials said. A veterinarian examined the birds yesterday, and a judge will determine tomorrow whether the owners can retain custody of the birds.
If charges are brought, the cases would represent the largest seizure of animals connected to animal fighting in Virginia since harsher laws against the practice took effect Oct. 1 in the wake of the Michael Vick dog fighting scandal, said John Goodwin, manager of animal fighting issues for the Humane Society of the United States. The new laws prohibit the housing of animals with the intent to use them for fighting, regardless of whether gambling is connected, and animal fighting can now be prosecuted as a felony, said Goodwin, who lobbied for the measures.
"We're talking about a felony blood sport where animals are set against each other just so gamblers can see which animal will kill the other first," Goodwin said. "They're wearing knives. They're slashing each other to pieces, and it's just for titillation."
Loudoun Commonwealth's Attorney James E. Plowman said his office is in talks with animal control officials and will decide whether to bring charges in both cases after tomorrow's hearing.
"It appears at first glance that he's breeding them for purposes of fighting," Plowman said of the occupant of the Sierra Lane property, the larger operation. "From what I understand, he's selling them for over $1,000 a piece. . . . These aren't regular roosters you're going to find on Farmer John's farm."
A man who answered the door at the gated Sierra Lane site, where roosters could be heard crowing, declined to comment.
At the Berlin Turnpike residence — where a large statue of a rooster sat prominently in the front yard — a man who identified himself as the brother of the property owner said the chickens were used only for their eggs and for a "hobby," not for fighting.
38000 block of Sierra Lane
Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Jason Faw said that roosters were found tethered to barrels spaced apart to keep the fowl from attacking each other and that the body parts of some had been clipped in apparent preparation for fighting.
Although in county custody, the animals have remained at both properties under supervision of animal control officers because the county's animal shelter is not equipped to handle that many birds, animal control spokeswoman Laura Rizer said. Rizer declined to discuss specifics in the cases. The seizure at the Sierra Lane property resulted from an anonymous tip, too, and the site has been under investigation by animal control since early summer, Rizer said.
According to a search warrant affidavit, the tip about the Berlin Turnpike residence also said a fight was scheduled for Monday night. After the search, court records show, officers recovered several items that Goodwin said are common to the cockfighting world, including four "training mitts" — miniature boxing gloves placed on the animals to test their strength in mock fights — antibiotics, trophies, and gamecock books and magazines. Red wax string was also found, which Goodwin said is often used to tie blades to the animals before fights.
Goodwin said he visited the Sierra Lane property about eight months ago, after getting an anonymous tip about poor conditions for animals there. He said that from the road, he observed several tethered roosters and that there were far more roosters than hens, both of which he called signs of a cockfighting operation.
Roosters used for cockfighting are typically come from an aggressive breed, which necessitates separating them on a farm, Goodwin said.
Copyright 2008 The Washington Post Company
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http://loudounextra.washingtonpost.com/news/2008/dec/17/birds-seized-investigation-cock-fighting-lovettsvi/
About 500 Chickens Seized From 2 Farms
Sites Suspected of Being Cockfighting Operations
By Jonathan Mummolo
Originally published at 11:35 a.m., December 17, 2008Updated at 9:26 p.m., December 17, 2008
Authorities in Loudoun County have seized about 500 chickens from two farms in the Lovettsville area suspected of being cockfighting operations and where roosters were found tethered, caged and with body parts amputated, according to county officials and court records.
On Sunday, Loudoun County Animal Care and Control officers seized more than 400 roosters and hens from a residence in the 38000 block of Sierra Lane. The next day, about 100 fowl were seized at a nearby property in the 12000 block of Berlin Turnpike after a tip that game birds were being fought on the property, according to officials and court records.
It is unclear whether the two operations are related, and no charges have been filed, officials said. A veterinarian examined the birds yesterday, and a judge will determine tomorrow whether the owners can retain custody of the birds.
If charges are brought, the cases would represent the largest seizure of animals connected to animal fighting in Virginia since harsher laws against the practice took effect Oct. 1 in the wake of the Michael Vick dog fighting scandal, said John Goodwin, manager of animal fighting issues for the Humane Society of the United States. The new laws prohibit the housing of animals with the intent to use them for fighting, regardless of whether gambling is connected, and animal fighting can now be prosecuted as a felony, said Goodwin, who lobbied for the measures.
"We're talking about a felony blood sport where animals are set against each other just so gamblers can see which animal will kill the other first," Goodwin said. "They're wearing knives. They're slashing each other to pieces, and it's just for titillation."
Loudoun Commonwealth's Attorney James E. Plowman said his office is in talks with animal control officials and will decide whether to bring charges in both cases after tomorrow's hearing.
"It appears at first glance that he's breeding them for purposes of fighting," Plowman said of the occupant of the Sierra Lane property, the larger operation. "From what I understand, he's selling them for over $1,000 a piece. . . . These aren't regular roosters you're going to find on Farmer John's farm."
A man who answered the door at the gated Sierra Lane site, where roosters could be heard crowing, declined to comment.
At the Berlin Turnpike residence — where a large statue of a rooster sat prominently in the front yard — a man who identified himself as the brother of the property owner said the chickens were used only for their eggs and for a "hobby," not for fighting.
38000 block of Sierra Lane
Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Jason Faw said that roosters were found tethered to barrels spaced apart to keep the fowl from attacking each other and that the body parts of some had been clipped in apparent preparation for fighting.
Although in county custody, the animals have remained at both properties under supervision of animal control officers because the county's animal shelter is not equipped to handle that many birds, animal control spokeswoman Laura Rizer said. Rizer declined to discuss specifics in the cases. The seizure at the Sierra Lane property resulted from an anonymous tip, too, and the site has been under investigation by animal control since early summer, Rizer said.
According to a search warrant affidavit, the tip about the Berlin Turnpike residence also said a fight was scheduled for Monday night. After the search, court records show, officers recovered several items that Goodwin said are common to the cockfighting world, including four "training mitts" — miniature boxing gloves placed on the animals to test their strength in mock fights — antibiotics, trophies, and gamecock books and magazines. Red wax string was also found, which Goodwin said is often used to tie blades to the animals before fights.
Goodwin said he visited the Sierra Lane property about eight months ago, after getting an anonymous tip about poor conditions for animals there. He said that from the road, he observed several tethered roosters and that there were far more roosters than hens, both of which he called signs of a cockfighting operation.
Roosters used for cockfighting are typically come from an aggressive breed, which necessitates separating them on a farm, Goodwin said.
Copyright 2008 The Washington Post Company
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