Several SWAT teams, helicopters and dozens of state troopers participated in the raid Saturday on the sprawling Del Rio Cockfight Pit in Cocke County, Tennessee. They seized about $40,000 in cash and killed more than 300 roosters.
"Reputedly, this was the largest cockfight in the United States," said District Attorney Al Schmutzer Jr. "It was becoming open and notorious, and you just can't stand back and let something operate like that in the community."
"By and large, these people who are fighting chickens are law-abiding citizens, but they're violating the law when they fight roosters in Tennessee," he told The Knoxville News Sentinel.
The 144 were each charged with being a spectator to cockfighting, a misdemeanor in Tennessee. If convicted, they face up to 11 months and 29 days in jail and a $2,500 fine.
[Edited 2005-06-13 09:14:51]
Someday the sun will shine down on me in some faraway place - Mahalia Jackson
N1120A From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 25869 posts, RR: 79 Reply 1, posted (8 years 1 week 1 day 2 hours ago) and read 1058 times:
Man, if Fred was here, he would make all kinds of jokes right now.
Since it is me, I will just say that I actually used to have as a pet an escaped cockfighting rooster and what cockfighting does to those birds is so damn inhumane, it should be felony animal cruelty
Mangeons les French fries, mais surtout pratiquons avec fierte le French kiss
NUair From Malaysia, joined Jun 2000, 1181 posts, RR: 0 Reply 2, posted (8 years 1 week 21 hours ago) and read 1004 times:
Man I thought this thread was going to be about pissed off fans after the Mike Tyson fight. The troopers should have been up in DC at the MCI center and broken up that joke of a fight not in some backwoods TN town.
Well at least these people got to see some real action and didn't have to pay $700+ to see a 6 round fight.
Quoting TUNisia (Thread starter): "By and large, these people who are fighting chickens are law-abiding citizens, but they're violating the law when they fight roosters in Tennessee," he told The Knoxville News Sentinel.
Do chickens fight? That seems to me to be about the same as watching turtle or slug races instead of going to the dog track.
"How Many Assholes we got on this ship?" - Lord Helmet
MD11Engineer From Germany, joined Oct 2003, 13369 posts, RR: 64 Reply 4, posted (8 years 1 week 18 hours ago) and read 960 times:
Another point is that the defeated rooster normally retreats, which he can´t do in the enclosed cock pit. Also, in many cases, razorsharp knives get attached to the feet of the roosters to make the fight more bloody.
Srbmod From United States of America, joined Mar 2001, 16896 posts, RR: 51 Reply 5, posted (8 years 1 week 12 hours ago) and read 913 times:
Quoting NUair (Reply 2):
Do chickens fight? That seems to me to be about the same as watching turtle or slug races instead of going to the dog track.
Yes, and it gets very bloody, as they have either razor blades or spikes put on their legs (one of the purposes of the spur on the leg of a rooster is as a weapon). These weapons, especially the razors can do some very serious damage to an opposing gamecock. It's still a big thing within fringes of Appalachia, and the busts are getting more and more common. Here in Georgia, they recently busted one up in Blue Ridge, GA and one of the guys they arrested was the Mayor of Blue Ridge, who had a "private box" at this cockfighting club/arena. He had been charged in Kentucky in a raid back in April and was fined $194.
MD11Engineer From Germany, joined Oct 2003, 13369 posts, RR: 64 Reply 7, posted (8 years 1 week 11 hours ago) and read 881 times:
Cock fighting is also very popular (and legal) in the Philippines, though many Filipinos don´t like it. Several of my ex-brother in laws (from my first marriage) have been breeding fighting cocks. These cocks are very expensive ( a good, well trained one from a reputable breeder brings about $200.-, which is a lot of money on the Philippines).
MD-90 From United States of America, joined Jan 2000, 8422 posts, RR: 13 Reply 9, posted (8 years 1 week 9 hours ago) and read 850 times:
Is this not hilarious? The State determines that cock fighting, a victimless "crime," is illegal, then the popos kill roosters.
Kind of like how it's legal in Texas for a licensed abortionist and the mother to kill an unborn baby, but if you're a boyfriend, and you help your girlfriend get a free abortion by punching her stomach, she gets off scot-free and you're in jail for the rest of your life. I guess some doctors really do have a license to kill in Texas.
But would I go to a cock fight? Naw, ain't my kind of thing.
BaylorAirBear From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 2913 posts, RR: 52 Reply 10, posted (8 years 1 week 9 hours ago) and read 847 times:
I understand that this is legal in Louisiana. So here in Texas, people raise them, then take them over there to fight. I see a guy a couple of blocks away, when I'm driving by, in his yard taunting his cock.
TUNisia From United States of America, joined Aug 2004, 1834 posts, RR: 5 Reply 12, posted (8 years 1 week 9 hours ago) and read 836 times:
Quoting MD-90 (Reply 9): Is this not hilarious? The State determines that cock fighting, a victimless "crime," is illegal, then the popos kill roosters.
My reasoning for posting this article, LOL. I want to know why they had to be killed.
Someday the sun will shine down on me in some faraway place - Mahalia Jackson
BaylorAirBear From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 2913 posts, RR: 52 Reply 13, posted (8 years 1 week 8 hours ago) and read 828 times:
Quoting TUNisia (Reply 12): I want to know why they had to be killed.
It would be too expensive and timely. Each cock has to be seperated, so finding a place for 300 individual cocks is hard work. And I doubt there are many people that want to adopt rowdy cocks. I'm sure, though, that somebody had a good meal.
DesertJets From United States of America, joined Feb 2000, 7677 posts, RR: 18 Reply 16, posted (8 years 1 week 7 hours ago) and read 808 times:
Quoting BaylorAirBear (Reply 13): It would be too expensive and timely. Each cock has to be seperated, so finding a place for 300 individual cocks is hard work. And I doubt there are many people that want to adopt rowdy cocks. I'm sure, though, that somebody had a good meal.
You really just wanted to say the word cock a lot?
With any fighting animal, whether it be a gamecock or a dog, most animal control agencies choose to put them down because they are so aggressive and cannot be safely adopted out. The animals have been breed to be aggressive and to fight. Not suitable, unfortunately, for life on the outside.
Cockfighting, like dogfighting, is often associated with organized crime (usually gangs). With that element involvement there is often drugs and other lovely crimes involved. Which is why police and animal control agencies tend to work well together when it comes to these bloodsports.
Stop drop and roll will not save you in hell. --- seen on a church marque in rural Virginia
MD11Engineer From Germany, joined Oct 2003, 13369 posts, RR: 64 Reply 18, posted (8 years 6 days 22 hours ago) and read 772 times:
Quoting DesertJets (Reply 16): Cockfighting, like dogfighting, is often associated with organized crime (usually gangs). With that element involvement there is often drugs and other lovely crimes involved. Which is why police and animal control agencies tend to work well together when it comes to these bloodsports.
Don´t forget the huge sums that change hands through the betting involved. In the Philippines cockfighting mostly attracts lower class people with little education, who hope to get rich by putting bets on the right rooster. This obviously attracts organised crime as well, probably even more in countries, where it is illegal, like the US.
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