MI: Detroit Rapper Young Calicoe Raided After Dog Fighting Video Goes Viral

Detroit Rapper Young Calicoe Raided After Dog Fighting Video Goes Viral

7/11/2012 @ 7:19PM


After a video boasting of dog fighting went viral, police and Humane Society agents raided the home of Detroit rapper Young Calicoe.

It’s unclear whether Detroit rapper Young Calicoe is actually using the dogs and roosters in this video for fighting, or whether this is simply the dumbest possible PR move in the history of the internet.

Whatever the truth of the matter may be, the possibility of cruelty to animals was obvious enough from this video that Detroit police and Humane Society agents raided the rapper’s home today, confiscating the dogs.

Young Calicoe disputed that any cruelty to animals took place, tweeting, “Now that they have Healthy lovable dogs in custody, I just hope that they find nice homes for each and every one of them.”

“We’re just happy right now that the animals are going to be receiving high-quality care,” Michigan Humane Society spokesman Kevin Hatman said, though he didn’t comment on the police investigation. “I’m personally glad that the animals are here, and we’re going to be taking a look at them.”

Viral Stupidity or Viral Criminality?

The video went viral earlier this week, and apparently enough people were concerned with the well-being of these animals that authorities decided to step in.

It’s not obvious from the video that any fighting actually took place. This could be little more than boasting. The dogs don’t look like the images of fighting dogs I’ve seen in the past (think back to the Michael Vick horrors.)

Indeed, some of the things said in the video sound almost like parody – the mention of Michael Vick, for instance – though whatever humor they’re aiming for (if this is the case) falls flat due to the grim subject matter. (Right Daniel Tosh?)

Showing off images of a bunch of animals on your property kept in cages and bragging that they’re “champions in the making” is either an admission of guilt or just really, really stupid.

What We Say And Do Online Matters

It’s almost as though people still don’t quite understand the internet. The things we say and the images we show and the videos we post are all reflections of us as people – whether we’re just saying something silly or posting confessions.

You encounter this in one form or another all the time on the internet. People say something inflammatory on Twitter and then complain when it makes news. Or someone posts something scandalous to their own public Facebook account and then wonder why they didn’t get a job they were applying for.

The fact is, we’re in a time when our online lives are just as important as our “real lives.” The distinction between the two is pretty much a moot point. This is great for a lot of people, opening up new social and economic avenues. For other people, it’s a curse.

For really stupid people, it can mean getting raided by the police and having your animals taken away.

I hope this whole fiasco turns out to be one really bad joke. Dogfighting is a cruel sport. Dogs may not be people, but there’s no way any living being should be treated that way. Dogs should be taken on walks and photographed for blog posts, not bred to kill one another so people can gamble on the outcome.

But I suppose I’m preaching to the choir here.

The internet and our ability to quickly and cheaply take video and upload it for all the world to see can be a hugely valuable tool for spreading information about corrupt police, violent oppression, and all sorts of other useful things. But it can also be the quickest way to land yourself in trouble.

More as it unfolds.

Detroit Rapper Young Calicoe Raided After Dog Fighting Video Goes Viral - Forbes