I Want Justice for Bear Bear!

My mom's Justice for Bear Bear tank top arrived today, along with a bumper sticker. Mom can't wait to wear the shirt to the dog park!

I hope everyone saw the news yesterday that the shooter has been charged. It's not enough, but it's something. We truly hope that tougher animal abuse and cruelty laws come out of this tragedy.

Justice for Bear Bear Web Site

There is now a web site dedicated to following Bear Bear's case and keeping everyone up to date. There is also a Cafe Press shop selling Justice for Bear Bear merchandise. The profits from the sales will go toward paying for Bear Bear's emergency treatment and his owners' legal fees.

In addition, here is an article from a local Anne Arundel County news station about the Rettaliatas' attorney questioning why it's taking so long to file charges, and how the Rettaliatas have asked for a supplemental case report but have not yet received it from the Anne Arundel County police.

Latest on Bear Bear Case

Prosecutors are considering charges in Bear Bear's shooting case, and Bear Bear's owners have retained an attorney.

If you haven't already, please sign the petition and pass it on to every animal lover you know. Thank you.

One Week Anniversry of Bear Bear's Shooting

It has now been one week since Bear Bear was shot on Monday, August 2nd. It should not have taken this long to get answers to some very straightforward questions:

• Was the shooter legally authorized to be carrying a personal weapon in a public park?
• Why was Bear Bear's owner threatened with a taser and not allowed to go to Bear Bear for approximately 20 minutes?
• Why did the police on the scene prohibit Bear Bear's owner from moving his dog?
• Why did the Anne Arundel county police close the case in less than 24 hours and refuse to provide Bear's family with the shooter's name?
• Why is it taking so long for the authorities to answer the question of whether the shooter was legally authorized to carry a personal weapon in a public park?

Many people think that the authorities are stalling, hoping that the topic of Bear Bear's shooting will be forgotten as new news stories arise, and that the public will lose interest and the authorities will then be able to quietly sweep the whole thing under the rug.

That is not going to happen. We must not allow it to happen. We must keep demanding answers and justice for Bear Bear.

Below is contact information for various authorities in Anne Arundel County and the state of Maryland:
,

• To email complaints to the governor
• Mailing address
  Office of the Attorney General 200 St. Paul Place Baltimore, MD 21202
• Main telephone number - (410) 576-6300
• email: oag@oag.state.md.
• Fund established to help defray the cost of Bear Bear's emergency vet treatment (exploratory surgery)
• Link to report police misconduct
• Original police report (PDF)

Let the authorities know that we demand answers and Justice for Bear Bear!

Meeshka's Humans' Interview with Bear Bear's Family

Meeshka's humans interviewed Bear Bear's family during the meeting at Quail Run Dog Park on Thursday evening. It's a very moving, compassionate and well-written piece, and many interesting facts come to light.

Twitter Hashtag for Bear Bear!

If you use Twitter and if you tweet about Bear Bear, PLEASE use the hashtag "#bearbear". This way it can trend on Twitter and people can search for tweets about Bear Bear. Tell your friends!

Eye on Annapolis is Stonewalled by Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Director of Public Affairs

Eye on Annapolis asked four questions:

1. the officer a DOD employee
2. If not, is he employed by a contracted firm?
3. Is he required to carry a weapon while off duty?
4. Is he authorized to carry a weapon off duty?

Here is the reply they received:

Sir, Per your request: The police officer involved in the Severn, Maryland dog park shooting has been placed on administrative leave pending completion of the Anne Arundel County investigation. This is standard operating procedure for any of our officers under investigation. For information on the investigation, please contact the Anne Arundel County Public Information Officer at 410-222-8700.

We responded to see if she would address the questions as they relate to the Ft. Meyer installation. The email came back immediately with an “out of office” auto responder.

We have to keep the pressure on, keep this in the news, and make it clear that people will NOT forget about this, and we will NOT let it rest until we get answers and Justice for Bear Bear!

News coverage of meeting at Park Where Bear Bear Was Shot

http://www.wbaltv.com/video/24536239/index.html

An interview with Bear Bear's owners this morning on MyFoxDC:

Update on Bear Bear Shooting

The Baltimore Sun's blog "Unleashed" has done an amazing job of staying on top of the Bear Bear story. Check their blog often, they have posted several updates today. The last two state that security is tight for tonight's meeting at the dog park, and the Humane Society is now investigating the incident as well.

There are also now two Facebook groups called "Justice for Bear Bear". Here is the first one, and here is the second.

There is also an online petition demanding justice for Bear Bear.

WBAL Interviews Owner of Siberian Husky Shot at Anne Arundel County dog park on Monday

WBAL's Ron Smith interviews the owner of Bear Bear, a Siberian Husky shot at an Anne Arundel County, Maryland dog park on the evening of Monday, August 2nd, 2010.


If you haven't heard about this story yet, it's very distressing. Originally Bear Bear's family was being stonewalled by Anne Arundel county police, who said that there was no evidence of criminal activity, and that no charges were being filed, and they would not release the name of the federal police officer that shot Bear Bear. Bear Bear later died of his injuries.

Due to public outcry, an Anne Arundel County Executive today announced that he is demanding an investigation into Bear Bear's shooting. Bear Bear's dad sent a note to a local blog about how he and his wife had been getting stonewalled all day by the Anne Arundel County police.

The Baltimore Sun reported about 30 minutes ago that due to public outcry, the Anne Arundel County Police have reversed their position and no longer consider the investigation complete. Please contact the following people to let them know how you feel about this incident. We NEED to keep the pressure on to ensure that they follow through with a thorough and FAIR investigation.

There is a photo gallery of photos of Bear Bear on the Baltimore Sun's site.

If you were at the dog park and witnessed the incident, PLEASE reach out to John Leopold, County Executive, at jleopold@aacounty.org. You can also contact the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Public Affairs Office (where the shooter works) and ask that the officer is suspended and his weapon is taken away until a fair and thorough investigation has been concluded. Do it for Bear Bear and his family.

My good friend Meeshka lives near this dog park and posted about what her humans found out when they went to the dog park tonight to put up a memorial for Bear.

Petition Against New Dog Park Permit & Fee Policy in Montgomery County, MD

If you are a resident of Montgomery County, MD, please sign this petition and share it with others that live in Montgomery County!


Thank you!