San Francisco's iconic Grace Cathedral was a setting for the last film of the great Alfred Hitchcock, 1976's
Family Plot, which featured wealthy eccentrics, a villainous jeweler, and a phony spiritualist in a topsy-turvy suspense plot. Following in this tradition, the cathedral atop Nob Hill tomorrow night will be hosting another scene in a puzzling saga involving a determined and often inscrutable cast of players: A summit meeting among
pro- and anti-dog partisans to discuss leash laws at adjacent Huntington Park.
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Get ready for a wild night
The meeting is
scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. Expect plenty of wrangling among the usual suspects in San Francisco's long-running "dog wars," including impassioned pleas for the inalienable right of dogs to roam off-leash in the city of St. Francis, or the inalienable right of human children to roam without the attentions of a curious terrier. The meeting should also showcase plenty of debate specific to Huntington Park, where the 74-year-old Nob Hill resident
Marion Cope was severely injured during a dog attack in November.
One issue likely to arise is the proposal to close down the street between Huntington Park and the Pacific-Union Club, turning it into an off-leash dog run. We're not sure whether the august members of the P-U Club will deign to honor us plebes with their presence at tomorrow night's meeting, but you can bet they'll be paying attention to its outcome.
It should also be interesting to see the sort of reception given to Board of Supervisors President David Chiu, who proposed the meeting, and Recreation and Park Department General Manager Phil Ginsburg. Both were involved in a scaling back of ranger patrols at Huntington Park prior to the attack on Cope, acting at the behest of off-leash dog advocates.
For background on the current state of the dog wars and how they have spread to Huntington Park, check out our cover story from last week.
Photo | gromgull
