For so long, all we could do was complain to each other about one problem after another at Fort Funston. And we were good at that! But then all of a sudden the Sunset Trail was simply closed with no warning or explanation. When that was followed shortly by the deployment of closures and ugly fences over ancient sand dunes, in the name of nature but without a basis in natural science, we finally said, "Enough!" We haven't stopped since. Where the Park Service expected a brief brouhaha to be smoothed over with an onsite flak, instead we filed a federal lawsuit and discovered the truth -- and it was worse than we'd imagined. We'd been kept in the dark while a major change in the park's use was put into motion -- the park where we make up the overwhelming majority of users.
It's hard to see in the rush of events (we're all operating in accelerated dog years lately!) but this is history in the making. We have the opportunity to establish a clear judicial precedent in the course of this trial, which could affect federal court decisions for years to come. And the outcome may well affect off-leash opportunities for many years.
This is literally "a federal case" -- it's serious, folks! It's not some frivolous lawsuit just because we're mad.
See where it began with the original complaint, review the astounding facts discovered and documented in the brief (or the briefer summary in the booklet), check out the hard-hitting reply brief and think about what it took to prepare all the meticulously studied and referenced source documents. We've got a team of attorneys and others, all putting in superhuman effort to make sure we are heard.
But we need money to do that, and we need it now. In this moment, as we all hold our breaths and await the next step in the case, we need to pull out our checkbooks and contribute to the legal fund. Make as large a contribution as you possibly can -- there have been contributions in the thousands of dollars from individuals, and much smaller ones which add up to thousands. Write the check and put it in today's mail!
There are two organizations involved in this fight and contributions may be made to both organizations. If you are a Fort Funston Dog Walkers member, make a contribution to FFDW. On the other hand, if you are an SFDOG member, make a contribution to SFDOG. If you are a member of both, hey! contribute twice! If you are a member of neither, hey! join both! Send a contribution to one or both of legal funds now. The following are the instructions for making a contribution: . . .
| Check to: | San Francisco Dog Owners Group | Fort Funston Dog Walkers |
| Memo: | Legal fund | Legal fund |
| Address: |
SFDOG PO Box 31071 San Francisco, CA 94131-0071 |
Attn: Linda McKay 241 Tocoloma Ave. San Francisco, CA 94134 |