Hello Celebritys

Watch out! Foreclosures are attracting a new kind of neighbor to once-gated communities, and long-time residents aren't happy. Gasp. Taxi drivers. Gasp. Kids who race their cars. Gasp. Families who sit in lawn chairs and drink beer in the middle of the day! What's an upper-class homeowner to do? American Public Media drums up all kinds stereotypes in this article about foreclosures in Las Vegas. Seems they attract the I-got-mine types' worst nightmares, including the wrong kinds of people and especially, the wrong kinds of pets. It's a wingdinger of a piece in that the author, Krissy Clark - who seems to recognize that classism & racism are, um, bad - is completely oblivious to the fact that her words have endorsed another way to stereotype and condemn American families. Article

Krissy writes: "To understand how San Niccolo went from a place you'd expect to see golden retrievers to a place where pit bulls are the in-vogue pet, you need to back up a few years."

.....A fews years, like the 1950s?

She goes on: "Three pit bulls now live on Arcata Point, Karen's neighbor says. She shows me her son's Louisville Slugger baseball bat, which she carries whenever she leaves the house to fend off the dogs in case they get off-leash."

The article's subject (who is black) comes around some and confesses: "There are some biases that I had that I didn't realize. You sort of stereotype people."

Ya think? Now let's see if we can put away that baseball bat and go get to know those neighbors who love up on those crazy smiling dawgs with the big fat heads.

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On a better note, while times are tough and we hate seeing anyone lose their home, we're hopeful that the foreclosure trend can offer new opportunities for stability to long-suffering pit bull owners. Many can finally keep their dog safe from landlord bias and buy a decent house in a decent neighborhood. Who ever thought we could find house again for $200,000 in the SF bay area? Rock on pit bull owners -- go make it work for you and yours. Photo Above: Pit Bull Hall dog Elvez, now adopted, is about to take his Canine Good Citizen test. His new owner is renting and hopes very much to buy a home to help keep his boy safe.