Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Yup. Greatness Runs In The Family.

If you live in Baltimore, or watch any news at all, you'll remember a story about a pitbull being set on fire and a police officer putting the fire out.

The officer is my cousin. That's right, bizzles.

""We just pulled up and saw the dog in the middle of the street, rolling around and on fire," Teel said. "It was screaming. I pulled my sweater off and tried to put the fire out."

The officer noticed people standing around. "I asked if anybody saw anything, but nobody did," Teel said.

It's a refrain heard across the city, frustrating officers who feel under siege and alone in caring, spouted by people by rote whether the person actually saw anything or not.

Asked again on Tuesday if anyone in the neighborhood saw the dog being burned, Teel said with a laugh: "Of course not."

Then she added, "The dog, he just stood there, helpless." Perhaps "Stop Snitching" now extends to animals."

*photo and story excerpt courtesy of The Baltimore Sun.

The Mayor has since given Officer Syreeta Teel official honors for her bravery. I feel like a proud mother.

The dog unfortunately was euthanized after several days and several attempts to save her life. There was an outpouring of people calling offering their own money to aide in the search for who committed the crime. At last update, the reward stands at $24,500. More recently, a set of 17-year-old twin boys have been named as the culprits.

I'm not gonna walk around throwing blood on your fake fur coat, but animals hold a soft spot in my heart. Hearing this story still makes me sad. I hope the punishment isn't too harsh, but punishment enough.


(deuces.)

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