Rapper Hush has reached over 50,000 views in just 4 days on a 4-minute video he posted to YouTube. His video documents the problem Detroit faces with stray dogs. With over 70,000 abandoned buildings, the city's stray dog problem has reached numbers exceeding an estimated 50,000 and continues to climb.
Teaming up with California producer Monica Martino (of Whale Wars and Deadliest Catch fame), the Detroit rapper intended to produce a 10 part series for the Discovery Channel that would shed light on this problem; raising awareness and funds to do something about this in a compassionate way. All of these intentions came to a halt when the city shut down the project.
Claiming the documentary series would shed a negative light on the city, the city also implied that dogs which should be considered dangerous and captured would be used as actors for the show. According to the Detroit Free Press, the proposed show would have spent $1.4 million in the city for production.
Hush and Martino now plan to continue to raise awareness through town hall meetings, and have set up an online site for donations and information at detroitdogresuce.com.
Take a look at the video and let me know what you think. Is the city correct in their statement that the potentially dangerous dogs would be used to "get a good shot" rather than actually being rescued in the series? Do you think that the controversy surrounding the issue is actually working to raise awareness more than the series itself would? How does this infringe on the idea of the media's "freedom"? Does the city actually have the right to say no? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Remember to include your name when posting.
