It turned out another group of counter-protesters, probably in the form of local government, put a halt to the planned “Dog Poop event” in Crissy Field, intended as a deterrent to the right-wing rally to be held there on Saturday. While Patriot Prayer later decided to cancel their San Francisco “freedom rally,” mainly over fears of “violence” from counter-protesters, the “dog poop protest” ended up getting canceled first.
‘Dog poop protest’ fenced out
Tuffy Tuffington, a San Francisco artist, came up with the crazy idea of getting dog owners to let their dogs do their business all over Crissy Park (without picking it up) in time for the Patriot Prayer group’s rally on Saturday.
When Tuffington started the event on Facebook this week, it started as a joke, but the idea ended up going viral, with around 1,000 dog owners and their four-legged friends more than happy to participate. The plan was to return en masse on Sunday, following the Patriot Prayer rally, to pick up after their dogs and hopefully leave the park once more in a pristine state.
SF counterprotesters shift focus to Alamo Square https://t.co/7m5linWPUo pic.twitter.com/LOe5uaTzUa
— SFGate (@SFGate) August 26, 2017
Plans fell apart on Friday when Tuffington, in the company of his two dogs Bob and Chuck, went to visit the site, just to see if the idea could really work. What he found on arrival at Crissy Field was a portable fence, put in place to keep people, and their dogs, from entering the park.
Tuffington said when he initially came up with the idea he had an image in mind of people and their dogs “participating in civil disobedience.” While some people “pooh-poohed” his idea (excuse the pun) as not fighting clean, he shrugged it off, knowing they would all be doing their best to pick up the mess afterward. However, as reported by SFGate, with the temporary fence in place to keep both two- and four-legged counter-protesters out, the plan would not have worked – hence it couldn't go ahead as planned.
Dog-poop protest for SF right-wing rally site is thwarted https://t.co/kggqtcThHg via @SFGate
— Anne King (@inthemedia1) August 26, 2017
This news was soon followed by the fact that Patriot Prayer decided to cancel their planned rally over fears of “violence” from counter-protesters and to hold a press conference instead.
Other counter-protests to proceed as planned
Likely plans for red-nosed clowns to interfere with right-wing rallies, along with a giant inflatable chicken in the likeness of Donald Trump, will continue as counter-protesters do still plan to be out and about.
Canceled right wing rally does little to stem San Francisco fears https://t.co/2KCcRSToCT pic.twitter.com/4Zt6jN79hS
— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) August 26, 2017
As reported by ABC News, Friday saw hundreds of counter-protesters outside City Hall dancing and cheering while waving signs reading “Unite Against Hate,” as city officials spoke out about love and diversity in San Francisco, a city that prides itself on being a sanctuary for minorities, gays, and illegal immigrants.