(cc) Mike Langhorst
ARRoc will be holding a protest to express dissent of Professional Bull Riders, coming Saturday, September 9th to Blue Cross Arena.
We will stand from 5 to 7 pm in front of BCA, rain or shine – please check our website in case of dangerous weather. Parking is on-street or in a garage, and there is often a small charge. You can bring a sign or we can make one for you – please let us know if you need a sign.
You can find out more about PBR at their site.
This PBR event is sponsored by Frontier Communications. Even if you can’t come to the protest, you can speak up for exploited animals by expressing your views to Frontier and/or to a newspaper. This is a public event – feel free to publicize – please link to this page so attendees get all the information.
There are a few things I think protesters should be aware of, so we are protesting intelligently: 1. PBR is not a rodeo – there do not seem to be any activities besides bull-riding. 2. Unlike smaller bull-riding outfits, PBR does not allow electric shocks and I have no evidence that it’s happening there. 3. There is also a myth that the flank straps, cotton belts tied around the bull’s waist, involve the genitals – AR groups agree this is anatomically impossible.
So I would ask protestors not to bring signs that refer to rodeos, shocks, or an erroneous claim about flank straps, so that we do not appear clueless about what this event is.
Sign suggestions:
“Athletes” or Prisoners?
Frivolous Abuse of Power
Boycott Animal Entertainment
Animals Don’t Exist For Us
What Would They Rather Be Doing?
“Sport” or Exploitation?
If you want to stand with ARRoc but would like to come up with your own words, please be sure they honor our Core Values. You’ll also want to make sure it’s readable – fewer words, letters neat and large (3-4″ high), high contrast, is best.
We’ve had no problems at recent protests, but here are some reminders:
- Please do not shout or react to anyone shouting at us. Our silence is powerful dissent.
- Please wear no animal products (leather, wool, down, silk, fur) – passers-by do notice and comment.
- For their safety and comfort, please do not bring animals.
- Stand on public sidewalk only, and do not block anyone: keep it legal.
- We welcome those who approach us with questions or for dialogue. Always be polite. If someone wants to talk to you but you’re not comfortable with that, you can refer them to the leader.