Last week, the Metro Parks Department banned pit bulls and “dogs having the characteristic of the pit bull breed” from Metro’s three dog parks. But in response to an outcry from pit bull owners who want a place where their dogs can run without leashes, Metro Parks will establish a new “pit bull park” at Hamilton Creek Park on the shores of Percy Priest Lake. In recent years Hamilton Creek has been notorious as a sexual liaison and pickup spot for men. Last year hundreds of citations were issued at Hamilton Creek, most for indecent exposure after men flashed undercover police officers. Metro Council member Michael Craddock and others concerned about the issue even have suggested tree-mounted security cameras throughout the park to deter sexual activity, a proposal that garnered the opposition of privacy advocates and the ACLU. But parks director Roy Wilson says that the pit bull dog park neatly uses one problem to solve another. “We don’t want pit bulls in with the regular dogs at the dog parks. The pit bull owners want and need a place for their dogs to run—and we need a way to discourage illegal activity in the parks. It’s a win-win-win.” Wilson notes that it is a brave man who will expose himself in a pit bull park. “I think with a bunch of pit bulls running around, all those guys are going to want to keep everything zipped up tight. This should be interesting.” “If this is a success, I could see the establishment of pit bull parks spreading to other Metro parks with indecent exposure problems, such as Cedar Hill and Two Rivers,” Craddock says. “And if pit bulls can help put a stop to the problems in these parks, they might become the most popular breed in Nashville.” (The Fabricator is satire. Don’t believe everything you read.)
