On the bank of a canal at the Las Palmas Housing Project in Harlingen, Texas, on September 12, 1997, 3 adult males and 2 juvenile males gathered around a small helpless stray dog and proceeded to stone it to death. This "behavior" was cheered on by a watching crowd of onlookers. One person though, did not cheer but called the police and identified the "animals" who committed the crime. The adults were put on trial. Below are the words of Judge Migdalia Lopez at the sentencing:

Statement by Judge Migdalia Lopez

at

Sentencing of Brownsville Cruelty Case

Juan Jose Garcia, Adrian Adame, and Gerado Zamora, the people of Harlingen, the people of Cameron County, the people of the Valley, and the people of the United States have loudly and strongly voiced their outrage at the violence and sheer brutality you exhibited against a poor, defenseless animal through their letters, faxes, telephone calls, cards, and petitions.

They feel you had a total disregard for the pain and suffering you caused this animal and the pleasure you took in torturing the dog.

They feel that as a child, you did not learn to have respect or compassion for all living things. They understand from the evidence presented that you retaliated against a witness who testified, that you each have prior criminal records, and that they do not want you to get off with a "slap on the wrist."

They want you to know that animals hurt and feel emotions just like you and I, and do not deserve to be harmed by humans; that all life is sacred, human or non-human, and slowly torturing an animal that has the capacity to suffer is unconscionable and must NOT be pardoned in any way. That dogs are like innocent children: they do not ask to be brought into this world - they deserve our protection.

It is disturbing and shocking to them that the onlookers were so desensitized to the suffering of a helpless animal that they stood by and cheered you on and did nothing to stop this heinous crime.

They appealed to this Court on an emotional level for the dog, the terror and pain the animal felt in its last few minutes of life.

They believe that you pose a serious danger to your fellow human beings.

They point out to this Court reports and studies wherein research has shown that one of the best predictors of future violence and criminal behavior is cruelty to animals. They cite research that animal abusers rarely stop with animals - they are the spouse abusers, the serial killers, the psychopaths.

They give the Court examples of serial killers, rapists, mass murderers who began by torturing and killing animals such as:

i. Son of Sam - David Berkowitz

ii. Ted Bundy

iii. Jeffery Dahmer...and the list went on.

They even reminded this Court of the link between animal cruelty and human cruelty, when recently police officers were shot to death at the capitol building in Washington, D.C. The man who killed the officers had recently killed a dozen cats.

They feel that the torture of animals indicates an inability to control violent impulses. That without intervention, many criminals will take this aggression out on innocent people. What if the dog had been a small child? What if, next time, it is a small child?

Above all, they believe this Court must send a strong and clear message to all those who commit acts of violence in our community that this behavior will not be tolerated.

I have read everything that has been sent to this Court and sincerely thank everyone who took time to write a letter, petition, card, fax, or left a telephone message expressing their feelings and thoughts.

This Court has heard your message loudly and clearly. You want this Court to send a strong and clear message to all those who commit acts of violence in our community that this behavior will not be tolerated. That it is of primary importance that these offenders serve as an example to others that might contemplate such acts of cruelty and that you want this Court to sentence them to the maximum punishment allowed under the law.

The Court must now turn to the individuals found guilty by the jury in this case.

After reading all the presentence investigation reports prepared by the probation department, this Court finds that:

1. Each of you has prior criminal convictions.

2. That all of you have dropped out of school or been expelled from school.

3. That you were high on drugs at the time of this incident, and

4. That this is not the first time this has occurred.

It is very disturbing to this Court that, in fact, it has occurred on five different occasions and on one of those occasions, a BB gun was used.

With the limitations placed on this Court, I hereby sentence each of you to:

1. 1 year in jail, probated for 2 years.

2. A condition of your probation will be to serve 120 days, to served day-per-day, to commence immediately.

3. PAW Program

4. You are ordered to drug counseling in the county jail during the 120 days.

5. After release from the county jail, you are to report to the Recovery Center.

6. You are ordered to intensive supervision.

7. Ordered to submit to random urinalysis by the probation department

8. Ordered to obtain employment or attend the Vocational Intervention Program

9. 100 hours of community service under the supervision of the probation department

10. Work on obtaining a GED.

Student Cooks Parrot In Microwave MADISON, Wis. (Reuters) -

A University of Wisconsin student has been charged with cooking a parrot alive in a microwave oven, apparently to get revenge against a fellow-student. Chad Alvarez, 23, son of the school's football coach Barry Alvarez, was charged Thursday with one count of intentional mistreatment of an animal resulting in death and was ordered to return to Dade County Circuit Court for a hearing on June 1. Police said Alvarez entered the room of another student on May 4 and took ``Iago,'' a blue and green parrot, to a dining room where he cooked it in a microwave. Investigators said Alvarez may have acted because of a dispute with the parrot's owner over an e-mail chain letter. If convicted he could be fined $10,000 and sentenced to two years in jail.

The following poem is about those situations we should think about when we are debating with ourselves about the need to get involved with helping animals in need...

ANYWAY

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.  Do good anyway...

If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.  Succeed anyway...

The good you do today will be forgotton tomorrow.  Do good anyway...

Honesty and frankness make you vunerable.  Be honest and frank anyway...

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.  Build anyway...

People really need help but may attack you if you help them.  Help people anyway...

Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.

Give the world the best you've got ANYWAY.. unkown author

Go help those animals anyway...

   

	This Stop Animal Cruelty Ring site is owned by Ron Boid. Click HERE to learn how to join the Stop Animal Cruelty Ring.
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