IDA - Bay Area Events

IDA EVENTS
1. Fur Free Friday Takes a Bite out of Animal Cruelty

OTHER BAY AREA EVENTS TO HELP ANIMALS
1. Compassionate Cooks' December Cooking Class: "A Healthful Holiday Feast"
2. Animal Switchboard's annual Animal People Party
3. Urge D.A. to Drop Charges against Woman Arrested for Helping Neglected Dog


IDA EVENTS

1. Fur Free Friday Takes a Bite out of Animal Cruelty

This year's Fur Free Friday was another great day of demonstrations that brought people from all walks of life together to speak out against the cruelty of killing animals for fashion. As it has been since 1986, this national day of action was held on November 24th, the day after Thanksgiving, which is also called "Black Friday" because it is the busiest shopping day of the year. IDA supporters and local organizers coordinated a total of 43 Fur Free Friday activities in 20 states (as well as one in France) to help animals exploited for their fur. Most were held in front of stores that sell fur to reach consumers directly and dissuade them from buying fur.

IDA held our traditional San Francisco Fur Free Friday protest again this year in Union Square, the city's fashionable shopping hub, where dozens of activists showed up to hold signs and banners and hand out leaflets to passerby. Our display included a literature table near a massive banner, donated fur coats and stuffed fur-bearing animals in wire cages illustrating the conditions in which they live on fur farms. The protest was covered by KTVU Channel 2, and Pacifica radio station KPFA aired a brief interview segment with IDA's Anita Carswell.

Thanks to everyone who helped out on Fur Free Friday. We hope you'll join us at our other events to help animals throughout the year.

What You Can Do:

- Read about and see photos of Fur Free Friday events that were held in other cities around the nation ( http://www.furkills.org/feature_061129.shtml ).

- Take action against fur by ordering IDA's posters, leaflets, fur cards, stickers and other materials to use as outreach tools ( http://www.furkills.org/lit.shtml ).


OTHER BAY AREA EVENTS TO HELP ANIMALS

1. Compassionate Cooks' December Cooking Class: "A Healthful Holiday Feast"

Join IDA-sponsored Compassionate Cooks ( http://www.compassionatecooks.com ) this Saturday at their cooking class, "A Healthful Holiday Feast." At this class, you will learn to make five delicious, nutritious dishes, including Elegant Crepes with Moroccan-flavored Seasonal Veggies, Toasted Quinoa Salad with Slivered Almonds, Shitake Mushroom & Walnut Pate, Roasted Beets with Orange Vinaigrette, Pecan Balls (aka Snowdrops, aka Russian Tea Cakes). As a holiday bonus, participants will learn how to make holiday nog with fresh nutmeg. Bring a friend, and come hungry!

Using local, in-season, mostly organic ingredients, Compassionate Cooks features easy-to-prepare recipes and debunks myths about plant-based diets. Join the class in December for yummy food samples and a lot of fun!

What: Compassionate Cooks' December Cooking Class: "A Healthful Holiday Feast"
When: Saturday, December 9th, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Where: The First Unitarian Church of Oakland ( http://uuoakland.org/directions.htm ), 685 14th Street (at Castro), Oakland

The cost of the class is $50, plus $5 food/materials fee due on the day of class. Be sure to register in advance by December 7th either online ( http://www.compassionatecooks.com/reg.htm ) or by calling (510) 531-COOK. You can also sign up for a cooking series. Check out class packages ( http://www.compassionatecooks.com/deals.htm ).


2. Animal Switchboard's Animal People Party in SF

Come to the Animal Switchboard's annual Animal People Party at Fort Mason Center this weekend. For this special event, everyone is invited to bring animal-related items to sell. Set up a booth for FREE and put your own books, buttons, t-shirts, jewelry and other animal-related objects up for sale. You'll also enjoy seeing what interesting animal-themed bric-a-brac others bring to this fun and friendly flea market.

What: Animal Switchboard's Annual Animal People Party
When: Sunday, December 10th, 2:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Where: Fort Mason Center ( http://www.fortmason.org/directions/index.shtml ), Building C, Room 260, San Francisco

This is a free event, but please bring a vegan dish to share. Call the Animal Switchboard, at (415) 474-4021 for more information and reserve a table.


3. Urge D.A. to Drop Charges against Woman Arrested for Helping Neglected Dog

Mountain View police have charged a 64-year-old British woman name Caroline Donald with petty theft and prowling for feeding a neglected dog on someone else's property. More concerned about the welfare of the dog than her own, Caroline put herself in harm's way to relieve an animal's suffering. For this she is being unfairly punished.

A friend of Caroline's had been feeding the dog and removed a chain collar that had started to embed itself under his skin. She also bought him a doghouse because he was tied up outside without adequate shelter. Caroline's friend alerted the "owners" that there was a tumor in the dog's ear, but they dismissed the suggestion of medical treatment, saying, "It's only a dog," and warned her to stay off their land.

Caroline reported the tumor to the police, who sent animal control investigators out to ensure that the dog finally got treatment. After the tumor was removed, the dog was returned to the squalid conditions under which he was being kept, with junk piled high against the fence and his small area littered with debris. After the dog stopped eating for two days, it was discovered that he had a swollen, infected foot, and he was forced to stand on only three legs. His "owners" again chose to do nothing. When this was reported to the police department, their response was "CASE CLOSED."

Caroline started going in her friend's place to feed the dog and gave him a blanket to keep warm, but the property owners erected a barricade in the driveway leading to the back yard where he was kept. She found that she could see the dog over the fence from the commercial property next door. Being unable to reach his bowl, she used a plastic tube she found on the guardians' property to aim food into his bowl. She took the object with her to her car and used it each time she visited (hence the charge of petty theft).

When the police came, they could have given her a citation. Instead, they handed her a citation, then handcuffed and arrested her, and ordered animal services to take the dogs waiting in her car to the shelter. No charges were brought against the guardians, as police claim they are providing proper care for the dog according to law. Now the dog has disappeared from the site, and his whereabouts are unknown.

What You Can Do:

An arraignment for Caroline Donald is scheduled for Monday, December 11th. Please contact the Santa Clara County District Attorney today and urge him to dismiss the charges against her. Encourage him to focus on prosecuting people who hurt animals, not those who help animals.

District Attorney George Kennedy
Office of the District Attorney
70 West Hedding Street, West Wing
San Jose, CA 95110
Tel: (408) 299-7500
Fax: (408) 286-5437

Please also cc all letters to:

Mayor Nick Galiotto
City of Mountain View
500 Castro Street
Mountain View, CA 94041
Tel: (650) 903-6304

Jay Boyarsky, Supervising District Attorney
270 Grant Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94306
Tel: (650) 324-6400
Fax: (650) 323-9428