Call In to Protest Use of a Taser Against a Dog Walker in GGNRA

Take Action: Protest the Use of a Taser Against a Dog Walker
Join the call-in day on Friday, Feb. 3! 
This week, a Montara resident who was peacefully walking his dogs at Rancho Corral de Tierra open space was shot in the back with a taser gun by a GGNRA ranger. Eyewitnesses have reported that the Ranger was not being physically threatened in any manner by the unarmed person who was being detained and issued a ticket (see eyewitness account below). He was walking two 11-lb. terriers, one off leash.
Please call GGNRA Superintendent Frank Dean as well as U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein and Congresswoman Jackie Speier to protest this use of excessive, unwarranted force!
 
CONTACT
* GGNRA Superintendent Frank Dean
Tel. (415) 561-4720. Email: Frank_dean@nps.gov
 
*U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein

Tel. (415) 393-0707. Web email form: https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me
 
*Congresswoman Jackie Speier
Tel. (650) 342-0300. Web email form: https://forms.house.gov/speier/webforms/email_jackie.shtml
 
Want to call more public officials about this incident? Click here (http://www.eco-dog.org/get-involved/be-heard) for contacts for local, state and federal elected officials
 
 
TALKING POINTS
I insist GGNRA management initiate a full investigation by an independent group with complete transparency about the events and circumstances of this incident, and to:  
▪    Conduct formal interviews with all witnesses and others who were at Rancho Corral de Tierra at the time.
▪    Immediately cease all ticketing of people walking dogs at Rancho Corral de Tierra.
▪    Allocate reasonable space for off leash dog walking at Rancho Corral de Tierra, where it has been allowed for decades.
▪    Disclose guidelines for use of force and how Rangers are trained to handle dog walking violations.
▪    Disavow any harassing, hostile or abusive behavior by GGNRA personnel toward people walking their dogs at any GGNRA park unit.
 
ENDORSERS
DogPAC of San Francisco, Ft. Funston Dog Walkers, ProDOG, Save Off Leash Dog Walking in the SF Bay Area, SFDOG and others
 
MORE INFORMATION
Below is an eyewitness account of the incident that was circulated by the Montara Dog Group:
Yesterday my husband and I walked our two border collies on the cement trail of Ranch Corral de Tierra. On our way home a woman walking her dog told us to leash our dogs because a park ranger was handing our citations. So we leashed our dogs and we encountered a man in his late forties with his two little dogs (no bigger than the size of a beagle) being cited by a park ranger for not having them on a leash. Since we had never seen a park ranger during our 7 years of walking our dogs there, we asked her why she was patrolling the area. She quickly responded that the area was now under GGNRA control. The man she was citing had already leashed his dogs and provided her all his personal information. He asked her if he could go home and she said No. He than asked her to provide him a ticket or tell him why he couldn't leave. The park ranger was very rude and told him he could not leave until she heard by from her base but didn't tell him what she needed to hear from them or why he was being detained. After ten minutes the man asked her again to let him know why he could not leave or just cite him but she gave him no answer. My husband even asked her why she was not letting the man go on his way and she told him to stay out of it. Eventually, the man just started walking in our direction so he could go home. This really upset the park ranger and she told him to stop and that he could not leave. Once again the man asked why and just told her to give him a ticket or let him know if he was being arrested. Note that he had already leashed his two small dogs and was puzzled at the fact that he could not leave. Since she did not respond as to why he was being detained nor tell him the type of jurisdiction she had over him, he started to walk away and she told him that she would tase him if he walked another step. The man replied that he had a heart condition and to not taser him as it could be life threatening. He gave her his back to look at me and my husband in disbelief to what was going on and the park ranger fired her taser at him. The poor man fell to floor and you could see that he was in a lot a pain. An elderly man was walking right by the man when he got tasered and luckily the passerby was not hurt. It was completely incredulous to see what was going on over two small dogs that were not leashed. About ten minutes later the sheriff came and hand cuffed the man. He asked us to take his dogs home and tell his wife what just happened.  We heard ambulances on their way and believe that instead of going to jail (for doing nothing) was taken to a local hospital.