Star was a mixed-breed female pit bull who was shot by the New York City Police Department in 2012 while she was protecting her homeless owner who was in the midst of a seizure. Star's shooting was captured on video, and went viral, leading to controversies over police handling of companion dogs. Star was born in the Bronx, New York on March 1, 2011.
On the afternoon of August 13, 2012, Lech Stankiewicz, a 29-year-old homeless man, had a seizure on a sidewalk in the East Village of Manhattan, New York City. According to several accounts, Lech and his dog, Star, were frequent visitors to the area. Fearing that Lech was in danger of being hit by traffic, several of the witnesses to the seizure alerted nearby police officers, who were soon on the scene. Meanwhile, Star stayed near her master, in a protective stance.
One witness, a celebrity chef at a nearby restaurant, took still photos of the incident. [1]
The two NYPD officers, who initially responded, called for backup. As the officers ordered onlookers to back away, one woman decided to approach Star to help, but Star chased her off. One officer then came close to Lech, but Star charged the officer; the officer drew his gun and shot Star in the head. As Star lay critically wounded and bleeding, a second officer maced her. During the entirety of the nearly ten minutes caught on video, none of the more than twenty-five NYPD officers and personnel present on the scene offered aid to either Lech or Star. [2] [3]
An NYPD spokesperson initially reported that Star had died. However, the next day, a spokesperson for the New York City Animal Care and Control facility reported that Star had survived the shooting, but that according to the NYPD, her chances of survival were poor. [4] [5]
The video went viral on the Internet. The shooting of Star was the first video that captured the New York City police shooting a dog in public. Many people worldwide reacted with outrage and shared stories of similar shootings of dogs by police in their areas. [6]
Star survived but lost her left eye and some hearing in her left ear. With about $10,000 in private donations, the New York City Animal Care and Control facility was able to provide surgery and care for Star. [4]
Star's recuperation was lengthy. Some ten days after the shooting, Lech, Star's owner, failed to appear to reclaim her ownership. On the day of his seizure, Lech had been admitted to a hospital. He was subsequently arrested by the NYPD on a warrant for an open wine bottle, and later moved back to Poland. [7]
The ownership of Star was first transferred to the New York City Animal Care and Control facility. Subsequently, Star's ownership was transferred to the Lexus Project, a legal defense firm for dogs. Star then went into rehabilitation at an undisclosed location and her ownership was transferred to the Mayor's Alliance for New York City's Animals. Then, Charlie Cifarelli, a native New Yorker residing in Nebraska, tracked Star to the National Greyhound Adoption Center in Philadelphia. [8] [9] Star spent nine months recuperating at the Greyhound Adoption Center. Following a lengthy adoption process, Star was accepted at the Nebraska home of Charlie Cifarelli. [8] In 2015, Star had no lingering health issues; she was a regular attendee at animal adoption events and Alzheimer's disease awareness functions, and visited Whole Foods Market on behalf of shelter dogs. [10]
On March 13, 2017, the Humane Society of the United States invited Star to Nebraska's Humane Lobby Day at the Marriott Hotel in Lincoln to have her story told by her owner, Charlie Cifarelli.
Star's struggle garnered international attention and acclaim, raising dialogues regarding attitudes towards pit bulls, shootings of dogs by law enforcement, as well as the role of police departments in creating and revising their policies on how to assess the situations and behaviors of officers confronted by aggressive or non-aggressive dogs before employing lethal force. One police force, in Rochester, New York, uses the Star video in its training curriculum. [11]
On December 29, 2014, New York City television station PIX11 selected the story of Star as one of its top ten stories of 2014 and noted that there were talks now to produce a documentary of Star's story. [12]
In August 2020, long-time documentary filmmaker David Hoffman conducted an interview with Charlie Cifarelli that covered the miraculous story of Star. David Hoffman notes "people will watch and see Star 2,3,4,5,6 generations from now." [13]
Star died of cancer on February 19, 2021. [14]
The first children's book in the series, 'I'm A Star!' [15] was published in October 2021. The series will chronicle Star and her friends on their journeys, promoting kindness along the way.
On November 26, 2021, The Blue Magazine [16] featured a story on Star highlighting the journey of Charlie Cifarelli and his quest to rescue Star, and the creation of Star's non-profit organization The STAR Project.
Liz Berger, a native New Yorker has been following the story of Star since August 13, 2012. Liz created and produced the song 'Star's Journey' [17] as a tribute to Star. The song was released on April 22, 2022. It is dedicated to Star's life with Cifarelli.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing animal cruelty. Based in New York City since its inception in 1866, the organization's mission is "to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States."
The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, municipal police departments in the United States.
Pet adoption is the process of transferring responsibility for a pet that was previously owned by another party. Common sources for adoptable pets are animal shelters, rescue groups, or other pet owners. Some organizations give adopters ownership of the pet, while others use a guardianship model wherein the organization retains some control over the animal's future use or care.
Francesco Vincent Serpico is an American retired New York Police Department detective, best known for whistleblowing on police corruption. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was a plainclothes police officer working in Brooklyn, the Bronx and Manhattan to expose vice racketeering. In 1967, he reported credible evidence of widespread police corruption, to no effect. In 1970, he contributed to a front-page story in The New York Times on widespread corruption in the NYPD, which drew national attention to the problem. Mayor John V. Lindsay appointed a five-member panel to investigate accusations of police corruption, which became the Knapp Commission.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department (MTAPD) is the police agency of New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Steven D. McDonald was a New York City Police Department patrolman who was shot and paralyzed on July 12, 1986. The shooting left him quadriplegic.
Dog fighting in the United States is an activity in which fights between two game dogs are staged as a form of entertainment and gambling. Such activity has existed since the early 19th century in the United States and was gradually prohibited in all states. It continues as an underground activity in both rural and urban locations.
Wendy E. Diamond is an American philanthropist, entrepreneur, and television personality. She is the founder and CEO of LDP Ventures, an investment company focused on socially responsible ventures. Diamond is also the founder of the Women's Entrepreneurship Day Organization. Diamond is the creator of Animal Fair Media Inc., a media platform related to pets and pop culture.
Broadway Barks is an annual animal charity event held in New York City to promote the adoption of shelter animals. Founded by Bernadette Peters and Mary Tyler Moore, the event has been held every July in Shubert Alley, starting in 1999. Performers, many from Broadway shows, present adoptable cats and dogs, with the participation of many animal groups from the New York City area.
The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals-Angell Animal Medical Center (MSPCA-Angell) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with its main headquarters on South Huntington Avenue in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1868, and is the second-oldest humane society in the United States. "MSPCA-Angell" was adopted as the society's identity in 2003, and indicates the names of its two closely related predecessor organizations: Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Angell Animal Medical Center. The organization provides direct care to thousands of homeless, injured, and abused animals each year, and provides animal adoption, a veterinary hospital, advocacy, and humane law enforcement.
The ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement Division was the law enforcement arm of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) from 1866 until 2013, when the law enforcement division was disbanded. The agency enforced humane laws, and investigated cases of animal cruelty.
Cynthia Bathurst is an animal welfare advocate, winner of a national veterinary award, and founder and director of Safe Humane Chicago, a nonprofit which includes the first of its kind Court Case Dog Program.
Safe Humane Chicago is a nonprofit animal advocacy organization founded in 2008 by animal rights advocate Cynthia Bathurst. The nonprofit works to educate youth on animal safety and seeks justice for dogs that have been confiscated by law enforcement by placing them in foster care to later be adopted into new homes.
White God is a 2014 Hungarian drama film co-written and directed by Kornél Mundruczó and starring Zsófia Psotta. The film premiered on 17 May 2014, as part of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.
On October 23, 2014, a hatchet-wielding man, Zale H. Thompson, attacked four New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers on a crowded sidewalk in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens in New York City. Officer Kenneth Healey was struck in the head, while Officer Joseph Meeker was injured in the arm. Also injured was a female civilian, who was struck by a stray bullet when two other officers shot and killed the perpetrator. Investigators discovered that Thompson was a recent Muslim convert. His attack was classified as an act of terrorism.
The Soi Dog Foundation is a nonprofit organisation for the welfare of stray dogs and cats. Its headquarters is in Phuket, Thailand, and it is a legally registered nonprofit organisation in Thailand, the US, Canada, Australia, France, UK, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. Its primary goal is to care for homeless and abused dogs in Thailand. It was established by British couple John and Gill Dalley with the help of Margot Homburg Park in Phuket in 2003.
The New York Police Department's Strategic Response Group (SRG) is a unit of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) formed in 2015 for counter-terrorism and the policing of political protests. They maintain a bike squadron and are outfitted with anti-riot gear, rifles, and body armor. The unit has been criticized for its use of excessive force and mass arrests against political demonstrators protected under the First Amendment, disproportionately high numbers of complaints to the Civilian Complaint Review Board, and the killing of unarmed men, among other things. Activists, the New York City Council, the New York City Department of Investigation, and organizations such as Human Rights Watch and the New York Civil Liberties Union, among others, have called for its regulation or disbandment.
New York City has been the site of many Black Lives Matter protests in response to incidents of police brutality and racially motivated violence against black people. The Black Lives Matter movement began as a hashtag after the shooting death of African-American teen Trayvon Martin, and became nationally recognized for street demonstrations following the 2014 deaths of two African Americans, Michael Brown and Eric Garner. Garner was killed in the Staten Island borough of New York City, leading to protests, demonstrations, and work towards changes in policing and the law. Following the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota in 2020, the global response included extensive protests in New York City, and several subsequent changes to policy.
Keechant L. Sewell is an American former police officer and administrator who served as the 45th New York City Police Commissioner, the first woman and third black person to serve in the position. On June 12, 2023, Sewell announced that she was stepping down as commissioner. No reason was given for her departure. On November 2, 2023, the New York Mets announced that Sewell would become their senior Vice President of security and guest experience.
In March of 2022 Gerald Brevard allegedly shot five homeless men in Washington, D.C., and New York City, wounding three and killing two. Shortly before midnight on March 13, 2022, the New York and District of Columbia police departments announced that they believed a single person was responsible for the attacks. The fatal shooting in New York City, caught on tape, shows a man inspecting a homeless man sleeping on a sleeping bag on a sidewalk cornering a building or outpost, then pointing a gun towards the man's upper body and opening fire.