COK's Restaurant
Outreach Campaign

A giant banner hung for nearly six hours across from the Metro's subway station, one block from the Ringling venue.

Whether it's by activists chaining themselves underneath a car, locking together in the middle of the center ring, or dropping gigantic banners from incredible heights, Ringling Bros. has come to expect a strong show of resistance as the traveling slave show makes its way through D.C.

So, it was most likely no shock to Ringling this year that COK was more than prepared to expose its cruelties to the D.C.-area as it does each spring.

Scores of circus-goers and passersby saw what really goes on behind the scenes at the circus, when they watched video footage on COK's FaunaVision van.

On 19 March 2001, when Ringling Bros. first arrived in D.C. and marched the animals from the train station to the performing arena, COK activists videotaped and haunted the entire march route with a banner reading, "Abolish Animal Slavery—Boycott Animal Circuses."

All along the streets of the march, dozens of wheat-pasted posters reading, "Ringling Bros. Tortures Animals—www.circuses.com," were clearly visible to passersby and circus employees. Close-ups of the posters were aired on the evening news and offered a counter-view to Ringling's PR department's.

On 24 March 2001, more than 75 COK activists held a silent vigil outside a Ringling performance. COK's FaunaVision van made its D.C. debut at the protest, showing footage of Ringling trainers beating and abusing the animals they enslave.

More than 75 COK activists held a silent vigil during a Ringling Bros. performance in D.C.

One block away from the vigil, COK activists dropped a huge banner reading, "Ringling Tortures Animals" from the top floor of a building directly across from the Metro's subway exit. For six hours, the banner was visible to all.

The D.C. ABC affiliate covered the vigil that evening, and graphic footage from the FaunaVision van was also aired.

And, most importantly, activists were on-hand at every single Ringling performance in D.C. to distribute literature to circus-goers and spread the message that animals should not be used for human entertainment.

Boycott circuses that enslave animals. To learn what you can do, visit www.circuses.com or contact COK at info@cok.net.

Artwork by Amanda Moeckel

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