Denver Police are deploying patrols around the home of a city councilman after he received a threatening note over his stance on the city's long-standing pitbull ban.
KUSA reports that Councilman Charlie Brown received a note after he declined to be interviewed for the Animal Planet series Pit Boss, a show about rescuing and rehabilitating fighting pit bulls. The show was producing a special about Denver's 21-year-ban on pit bulls, which Brown supports.
Brown explained to the show's producers--who then spoke with Westword --earlier this month that he no longer felt safe speaking publicly about the issue after Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot at a constituent meeting in Tucson on January 8.
"Following the Tucson tragedy, I frankly don't feel comfortable being a guest on your show," Brown wrote in an e-mail to Scott. "Every time the issue comes up before City Council we get a slew of e-mails, phone calls and letters, many of which are alarming in their tone. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and trust you understand the potential safety issue appearing on your show could generate."
KUSA reports that the email read "Your (sic) afraid because of what happened in Arizona and you should be."
The City of Denver implemented a ban on pit bulls in 1989 after a well-publicized attack resulted in the death of a minister.
Since then, the ban has survived numerous legal challenges and protest. On Friday, opponents of the ban organized a demonstration in front of the State Capitol.
In December, the city council voted not to implement an exception for service dogs after the announcement of a federal class action lawsuit claiming Denver's ban violated the Americans With Disabilities Act.
Leading the charge against the exception for service dogs was Brown, who urged his colleagues not to "roll over and play dead" for the federal government.
Police are currently investigating the email. The leader of a pro-pit bull group in Denver assured KUSA that whoever sent the threat does not represent the movement.