Marcus Patterson lives in Harnett County, North Carolina in the village of Shawtown. It is “black” area of Lillington. Like so many towns in the south, the main town has an unincorporated black section. That's where Marcus lives and breeds his pit bulls. One day a security systems salesman comes to Marcus’ street and his entire life changes. The security salesman reports that Marcus is fighting pit bulls when he was only breeding them. The dogs are confiscated and Marcus is charged with two felony counts. He spends thousands of dollars, loses 17 of his dogs and is portrayed in the press as a dog fighter. Breeding While Black is not about animal abuse. It’s about how people’s perceptions can lead to unintended consequences.