The Prince George’s County Council chambers were packed Tuesday, the final day of the year’s legislative session, with most of those in attendance wearing matching purple shirts in support of a bill that would overturn the county’s nearly 30-year ban on pit bulls.
The bill, sponsored by Council Chair Ed Burroughs, was the first one to be heard and it kicked off what is traditionally a marathon final session of the year with more than an hour of public testimony for and against the ban — though most people were hoping to see it overturned.
“Our current law does not increase safety. It actually does the opposite,” said Caitrin Conroy, a Fort Washington resident and co-founder of the Pet Unity Project, which worked to overturn the law. “The bill in front of us today will make our community safer and fairer.”
Other supporters wearing the Pet Unity Project’s purple shirts also focused on the unreliability of the current standard used to identify a pit bull — simply by look — and noted that someone with the county once decided a dog wasn’t a pit bull before deciding years later it actually was.
Supporters of the ban also brought up the cost of enforcement. Council member Sydney Harrison said the county spends about $3 million a year trying to enforce the ban, and yet somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000 pit bulls live in the county anyway.
“If you look at the dogs that are eligible to be adopted, 50% of them are pit bulls that are in the animal shelter,” Harrison said. “So what does that say?”
The bill does increase penalties for any dog determined to be dangerous, regardless of the breed, and also expands the county’s leash law. And while most of those who testified were calling for the law to be overturned, there was some opposition among the public and on the council.
Valencia Campbell of Fort Washington was among them, calling herself “a voice for the families who live in fear, for children who deserve to feel safe in their own neighborhoods, and for the victims whose lives have been forever changed by brutal attacks.”
“I am pleading with you. Take your time. Do not lift the ban on pit bulls in Prince George’s County,” she added.
The council ultimately voted 7-0 to repeal the law, with four members of the council leaving the room when it came time to vote. Afterward, Campbell said she was disappointed.
“These dogs have been deemed vicious and they do not let go,” she said. “I am just outraged. That’s all I can say.”
The pit bull bill now goes to County Executive Aisha Braveboy, and she can either sign it, veto it or let it become law without her signature. It’s not clear where she stands on the issue.
Council getting ‘laws off the books that don’t work’
After the vote, the council recessed, and Burroughs and other members of the council were joined by those who pushed to overturn the law for a quick signing ceremony and celebration, transmitting the legislation to the county executive’s office.
“We spent over $100 million enforcing a ban, and we currently have between 20,000 and 30,000 pit bulls currently in the county,” Burroughs said. “It’s important that we get these laws off the books that don’t work, and senselessly killing thousands of animals that are perfectly adoptable every year doesn’t make any sense.”
Burroughs signed his name with a different pen for every letter and gave out the pens he used to those who advocated for the change, some of whom were overcome with emotion. It was the first of dozens of votes as the council wrapped up a year that began with 10 members and one chair, and ended with 11 members and a different chair.
“Over the last several months, the council’s pulled together in such a special way,” Burroughs said. “We pulled together around the madness that is the federal government. Prince George’s County has been hit so significantly.”
He said the federal upheaval is going to be an ongoing problem the county and the council will have to deal with in the years ahead.
“It’s going to be the challenge for the county, the challenge for the region and the challenge for the nation,” Burroughs said. “Elections have consequences.”
Council Vice Chair Krystal Oriadha, who is in line to serve as council chair next year, called it a great legislative year.
“We got budget wins for our community,” Oriadha said. “I’m really proud of the legislation we’ve done around minority businesses and growing our industry. Economic development is crucial — and being really targeted around incentives, working with small businesses, how can we grow small businesses — is part of growing our economy.”
Her bill to study the feasibility of opening a county-owned grocery store in a part of the county that doesn’t have easy access to one was also passed on Tuesday.
“There’s been some challenges, some victories,” At-Large member Calvin Hawkins said, referring to the acrimonious first few months of the year, when the council was deadlocked in a 5-5 split among factions. “I think we’ve worked well together to get to where we are.”
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