Blood, Shit, and a Proposed Task Force Highlighted at Grace Cathedral Canine Confab

By Peter Jamison Thu., Jan. 28 2010 at 8:30 PM

Categories: Animals, Breaking News, Government, Politics

Chance visitors to the conference room at Nob Hill's Grace Cathedral might have taken the proceedings therein as an odd semblance of civic engagement: Gargantuan photographs of dog turds greeted those who walked in the door, and several close-ups of a gaping leg wound were displayed on the stage at the front of the room. Meanwhile, a lot of the folks milling about wore stickers reading, "Dog Lover." Sure, it seems a little weird. But San Francisco's veteran dog gangstas know it's all in the game.

Marion Cope speaks in front of photos of her injury

Tonight was the much-anticipated summit meeting arranged by Board of Supervisors President David Chiu in the wake of the brutal November dog attack on 74-year-old Nob Hill resident Marion Cope. More than 100 attended -- the majority of them Nob Hill residents -- in a preliminary bid to hash out the dispute over leash laws that heated up after Cope was injured.

A cop and a gaggle of robed clergypersons were on hand to keep the peace, and for a time it seemed like they might be called into action. Cope, the widow of Newton Cope, former proprietor of the swanky Huntington Hotel, gave a graphic description of her injury -- a 10-inch gash to the leg, which she said became infected and carried a risk of amputation -- and a round denunciation of what she called "gross negligence on the part of city officials" who didn't adequately enforce leash laws at Huntington Park.

Then, as this cry for justice was in crescendo, a loud beeper went off in the audience. One of the pro-dog folks was timing Cope's speech with his own stopwatch, and loudly insisted that she had exceeded her time limit.

"You try three weeks, and part of the time in a bedpan," Cope retorted, referring to her period of convalescence after surgery.

With the meeting off to such an auspicious start, Constant Reader, your correspondent thought the evening might end in a seaman's bar brawl -- or at least some steeple-striking lightning, The Omen-style, to indicate God's displeasure with the dog-centric preoccupations of His children in San Francisco. But things proceeded civilly enough thereafter, as members of the public made sundry pro- and anti-dog comments amidst the embittered mutterings of their fellows.

Chiu capped the night with a proposal that Nob Hill residents form a task force of 10 to 12 people to work on a new leash-law policy governing Huntington Park. It is currently illegal to run dogs off-leash at the park.

Huntington Park

"I have to admit, I was surprised by the civility and respect and, frankly, humor which you have brought to this conversation," Chiu told the dogged masses.

Supervisor, you said it.

Tags:

David Chiu, Dogs, Huntington Park, leash laws, Marion Cope, Recreation and Park Department

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Mr. Eskenazi: I feel the need to make the following point regarding our commenting policy: It is ludicrous that you pretend to concern yourself with scurrilous, defamatory, unfounded, and potentially libelous comments while printing the misleading and poorly thought out hit pieces of Peter Jamison that fit all four of your supposed concerns. You dissembling douchebag. Sincerely, Amos Holmes
Joe Eskenazi says: "Dear sirs and madams -- I feel the need to make the following points regarding our commenting policy: SF Weekly is under no obligation to print scurrilous, defamatory, unfounded, and potentially libelous comments, and; " ... But it's employees are free to publish erroneous, biased, and potentially defamatory articles?
The SF WEAKly should change its slogan to "Fair and Balanced." I am sure Fox news won't mind at all....after all, you have so much in common!
So Mr. Eskenazi the 1st Amendment doesn't apply here? So far all I've seen is opinions from folks far closer to the situation in both experience and accuracy then your reporter. Perhaps your publication should do a better job of fact Mr. Jamison's colorful descriptions of the dog situation instead of threatening indiviuals rights to free speech.
Dear sirs and madams -- I feel the need to make the following points regarding our commenting policy: <i>SF Weekly</i> is under no obligation to print scurrilous, defamatory, unfounded, and potentially libelous comments, and; This site is monitored by real people in real time, and sometimes we like to take parts of the weekend off. You can review our commenting policy here: http://www.sfweekly.com/about/terms Best, Joe Eskenazi Online News Editor
You really should'nt try so hard to suck up to the Nob Hill Assn, Mr. Jameson, by writing such biased articles. I am sure you are already fast-tracked for Pacific Union Club membership by now and can start reporting the events with a little less bias than in the past. Plus, you might even get picked up by a real newspaper if you get the story straight, rather that just hating on dogs and their owners in the press all the time.
Is'nt it somewhat questionable that the President of the Nob Hill Association, a grown man, is too scared to even venture into the Park? I go nearly every day and so does my young daughter. We meet wonderful visitors from all over the world who come to visit and so many decent people, all of whom enjoy the dogs. It seems to hint at some dark, festering phobia in Mr. Lefkowitz that his is too afraid of dogs to even venture into the park that he is supposedly trying to save. And, his only solution is to put a tall metal fence around a wonderful community asset and chain the door with a big lock and never let anyone enter ever again. Someone described him as a wet blanket, but I think they were being generous.
I agree with Wendy B. Mr. Jamison writes slanted sensationalized articles. I contend that his whole description of last nights meeting is inaccurate. And his last article had too many inaccuracies enumerate here despite the fact that he interviewed many of us who use Huntington Park and provided him with ample information and resources. It's as if he didn't talk us at all. Nor are we likely to trust him again. To Mr. Jamison I say, if you are interested in this type of reporting perhaps you should try one of the tabloids. Seriously, what is your personal agenda here? Clearly it is not balanced objective intelligent reporting. In fact, you appear to be trying to fan the flames in this situation, which I find completely inappropriate. You are a disgrace and should be ashamed of yourself. Regarding last nights meetings, the overwhelming message was to please let us all work together to find a livable solution for all members of the community. This was despite the NHA's bid to make Huntington Park private though it was gift to [all not some] the people of San Francisco, Mrs. Cope's attempt to further line her pockets by suing the city for her injuries because she "cannot play golf (her passion) like she used to", and the role of her aggressive dog in the incident which befell her. Now we'll see if both City officials and Park and Rec will step up to the plate to facilitate a workable compromise because, as was noted at the meeting, dog owners and lovers are not going away. We are here to stay and are more then willing work with the community to fund-raise, contribute and volunteer.
Neighbors were greeted by the Nob Hill Association with a collection of giant portraits of shit. While he got that right, Jamison leaves a few salient details out: Accountant David Lefkowitz, acting simultaneously as angry host of Nob Hill Poop Night as well as President of the Nob Hill Association, declared: �In my personal opinion, all dogs should be banned from Huntington Park and it should be gated at all entrances.� Perhaps Lefkowitz� appearing to be constipated to the point of rage was planned to go along with the other visual aids he provided. Lefkowitz also commanded at the outset that the meeting would not be about whether dogs should be on or off leash at Huntington Park, but would be about holding public officials accountable for their failures. He stated, as the meeting got underway at 6:00pm, that the church required that everyone leave by 7:00. He then instructed that while he and Marion Cope and others on the stage above would each have five minutes to talk, speaking time for the common folk would be limited to two minutes after which, he glared at the crowd, �a bell will ring and your mic will be cut.� And the bell did ring repeatedly. For the little people. Strangely, Lefkowitz neglected to provide a bell that could ring when he or Cope went past the time they allotted for themselves. Lefkowitz then introduced the wounded Cope who spent roughly a minute shuffling off mysteriously behind a curtain, emerging only with the help of Lefkowitz, bearing a small billboard featuring photos of her gaping wounds. She then proceeded to admonish unnamed individuals for doubting her version of events or her motivations, and pointed out her attorney seated in the front row, presumably prepared to sue anyone who disagreed with Mrs. Cope. Then, for well past five minutes, she bitterly read to those present from her medical records. She took special care to emphasize accusingly what did not happen to her, but could have: �Possible leg loss!� Not satisfied with granting himself the authority to plan the meeting, open it with his personal opinions, and close with another summary of his thoughts, Lefkowitz was kind enough to lavish the public further with his insight by occasionally interrupting people during the two minutes allotted to them, to rebut opinions that he found unacceptable. Also, a number of polite well spoken people advocated for a compromise or agreement that would lead to enjoyment of Huntington Park for everyone, offering actual suggestions and plans. Which for someone like Peter Jamison, was understandably dull and not worth relating. It was a fabulous opportunity to glimpse the venomous face of the Nob Hill Association and, in the words of one attendee, great theater.
Dear Wendy B, Thank you for your feedback on the above blog post. What are the "factual inaccuracies" to which you refer? Regards, Peter Jamison
As the Foursquare Mayor of Huntington Park, I feel it is my duty to keep the park open to ALL RESIDENTS of Nob Hill. This includes dog owners. Hopefully, this task force will actually be created and will find a solution that both parties can live with.
Shame on you Mr. Jamison for this type of reporting. This is the second time I have read your articles on this topic, and both have contained several factual inaccuracies. Your sensational accounts and gross inaccuracies skew the realities of what actually happened at the meeting last night. This is not the first time you have reported in this manner on this issue, and I would assume that this style of reporting extends to other articles that you write. In the interest of fair reporting, I would ask you to be far more accurate, objective, and unbiased in your reporting or be replaced with someone who can.
The dog owners that use Huntington Park have always been respectful and have tried with to reach a compromise with members of the Nob Hill Association. We have had the door shut on us and have not been given an opportunity to discuss this. As Mr. Lefkowitz stated in his opening comments, it is his desire to ban dogs from the park completely and fence and lock the park from the public. Who does he envision would have access to the park if his vision was made a reality? The residents of his building which overlooks the park? It is this attitude that the dog owners have been confronted with despite our best intentions to come to some civil agreement with our neighbors on the Nob Hill Association.