Dear City Council,
Due to my work schedule, I will not be able to attend this evenings city council meeting that will discuss the dog named in my email subject line, so I am writing a letter instead. It is with a sincere hope that I beseech you to not allow this highly inaccurate characterization of Bär to proceed any further.
I got to know Bärs family and Bär himself during the pandemic. As I would sit on my porch during the evenings and mornings, Bär would insist on saying hello when he was being walked past my home. He would come up on the porch and nuzzle with me, enjoying my touch. He is one of the gentlest large dogs that I have ever met. When we greet one another now it is like two old friends coming together to enjoy an embrace.
Not only has Bär been incorrectly labeled, but so too has the family with which he lives. To characterize the Kunze-Bresenio family as "entitled" is perhaps even more inaccurate than labeling Bär as "dangerous." Why the city attorney seemingly chose to attempt to litigate this case in the Court of Public Opinion by mischaracterizing this wonderful family is beyond me, but perhaps that is a matter for another council meeting.
In any event, what has become clear in this case is that the laws and mechanisms by which such matters are adjudicated are simply not up to the task of rendering anything that resembles justice, much less fairness and accuracy. The fact that the Kunze-Bresenio family is willing to try to help work on correcting the aforementioned process in the aftermath of what they have been put through speaks loudly about their character and sense of justice, civility, and public duty.
We live in a day and age when people are searching for evidence that their elected officials and institutions are not simply monolithic entities designed to minimize responsibility and responsiveness. Not to wax poetic, but you have a wonderful chance to offer a glimmer of hope that the cynicism that many people feel about government is misguided.
Respectfully and sincerely,
Michael Perez - 200 Elm Street
650.289.0959
