Protesters swamp Rockville Centre Village Hall; Board suspends new dog ban and may repeal it

Anger, outrage and a love of dogs brought more than 100 protesters from all over New York to Rockville Centre's Village Hall Tuesday night. Armed with signs that read, "Ban the deed not the breed," they gathered at the monthly board meeting to demonstrate their opposition to Local Law 9, which bans pit bulls and Rottweilers in the village.

The law was passed by the Board of Trustees on June 8 in a 4-to-1 vote. Trustee Ed Oppenheimer was the only board member to vote against it.

The law bans new pit bulls and Rottweilers, but allows people to keep dogs they already have, though it requires them to be registered and muzzled. The ban has drawn a great deal of scrutiny and criticism from people and organizations concerned about so-called "breed-specific legislation," which the protesters argue is illegal.

"The reason why we passed this law was to protect the safety of our residents, many of whom have felt threatened by animals of these breeds and who appealed to us to do something about them," said Mayor Mary Bossart, who, along with her colleagues on the board, sat expressionless during the meeting's public comment period. No one spoke in favor of the ban.

There was an overflow crowd in the small room where meetings are held, forcing half of the protesters to wait in hallways or outside the building. Bossart allowed about 45 minutes of public comment on the law. Members of organizations including City Pitties, the American Rottweiler Club and its Greater New York chapter, the ASPCA and Rescue Ink were among the many to voice their opposition and explain why they believe the ban should be rescinded.

Joe Panz of Rescue Ink, a local organization whose members are known not only for their large muscles, tattoos and motorcycles but for rescuing animals, argued that breed-specific legislation does not work. "No one or no thing should be picked out because of the way they look or because of the way they act or because of what they do — that they should be euthanized or destroyed," Panz said.

The pit bull is an American icon, Panz said, adding that the dogs have been owned by the likes of President Theodore Roosevelt, Helen Keller and the Little Rascals.