Emily Semple has notified us the city is deciding whether or not to renew the dog ban for non-residents/employees downtown.

The JWN Executive Board is currently debating a response to a renewal of the Dog Ban. The issue for us is the creation and implementation of policy that has a wide impact on JWN residents absent compelling evidence of a ban’s effectiveness.

Restricting access to downtown for JWN residents and their dogs without more robust data to support its efficacy appears to be an overreach and distracts from other measures that do not punish dog owners arbitrarily. Moreover, it appears to target homeless people who have no place to leave their pets and may not be the source of behavior problems. Restricting freedom of movement or access is a serious step that should be supported by more than anecdote or inference on its’ effectiveness meeting city policy and public safety goals.

If you have feelings or input on this issue we would like to here about it via jwneugene@gmail.com.