Circus Is Done

Ringling Bros. Circus closure gives Dallas animal activists second wind

Protesters outside the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Dallas-Fort Worth.

In the biggest animal news since Blackfish, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus announced it will shut down in May, blaming declining ticket sales and protests by animal rights groups.

Dallas and Fort Worth were both annual stops where Ringling was greeted by sign-wielding protesters for more than 20 years. For them, Ringling's announcement is cause for celebration but not the end of their commitment to call out animal abuse, says Susan Oakey, who was among the first to protest Ringling in Dallas 25 years ago.

"Ringling may have been the biggest, but it isn't the only circus," she says. "We'll divert our gaze to other circuses that continue to tour."

One such circus still touring North Texas is the Shrine Circus, which visits rural areas and suburbs such as Frisco.

Shriners don't have their own circuses; they hire contract producers — names such as George Carden Circus and Royal Hanneford Circus — to hold their events. In 2016, the largest Shrine circus producer in the country discontinued the use of wild animals. Many other Shrine circuses followed suit.

But the Moslah Shrine Circus based in Fort Worth is an exception. It still features elephant and camel rides at its events.

"Beyond the abuse, there's a fallacy about the Shrine Circus that they're involved in philanthropy," Oakey says. "But if you look at the fine print, they don't benefit any charity."

Fort Worth's annual rodeo from January to February is also on their radar, says Savanna Batten, who organized the Ringling protests.

"We're definitely putting more energy into the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo," she says. "We've had a lot more success in the last couple years as people begin to understand how much abuse is involved."

Batten rattles off a list: baby calves roped at 20 miles an hour, bulls getting their tails broken, the use of drugs to induce hysteria, and loin straps to irritate their genitals to make them buck.

"Those creatures are generally gentle, until they've been prodded at to appear terrifying, to rile up the crowds," she says.

"It's a tough challenge, because there's so many cultural aspects involved. But we feel like it's our duty," she says. "We live in here in Dallas-Fort Worth. Even if we can't have a major effect, we'd like to chip away at the cultural bubble surrounding it, that says it's okay and always going to be there."

The Fort Worth Zoo just made the 2016 list of 10 Worst Zoos in the United States by animal nonprofit In Defense of Animals, for trying to cover up an investigation into an elephant attack on a trainer in September 2015. The Dallas Zoo also drew negative attention for its importation of juvenile elephants and one pregnant adult from Swaziland. One elephant died in transit.

"We protested the Dallas Zoo when they bought those elephants, but zoos are harder because they have mainstream public support and keep billing themselves as educational," Oakey says.

Batten says they'll take the momentum from Ringling and build. "Ringling has been a huge focus," she says. "We'd like to use those resources for projects we already have underway and campaigns we can start anew."

sustainability politics rodeo

Election News

Dallas decriminalizes marijuana and other election results

Redheaded Blackbelt

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Dallas voted to decriminalize marijuana among the results of the November 5, 2024, election. Other measures included 18 propositions, a presidential election, plus votes on Senate and U.S. House of Representatives.

Figures are from the Dallas County election results which were last updated on Wednesday, November 6, 2:34:56 AM as follows:

National elections
Dallas County voted solidly blue with results that differed greatly from the actual outcome of the elections, as follows:

President: In Dallas County, Kamala Harris won with 497,992 votes (59.72%) vs. Donald Trump, who earned 316,416 votes (37.94%).

Senate: In Dallas County, Colin Allred won with 517,894 votes (62.88%) vs. Ted Cruz, who earned 285,726 votes (34.69%).

U.S. House of Representatives

District 5: Ruth Torres (D) won with 69,046 votes (51.29%) vs. Lance Gooden (R) who earned 65,579 votes (48.71%).
District 6: John Love III (D) won with 19,846 votes (50.94%) vs. Jake Elizey (R), who earned 19,111 votes (49%).
District 24: Beth Van Duyne (R) won with 74,601 votes (56.51%) vs. Sam Eppler (D) who earned 57,409 votes (43.49%).
District 30: Jasmine Crockett (D) won with 180,465 votes (85,24%) vs. Jamar Jefferson (Lib) who earned 31,244 votes (14.76%)
District 32: Julie Johnson (D) won with 117,053 votes (61%) vs. Darrell Day, who earned 69,928 votes (36.45%).
District 33: Marc Veasey (D) won with 56,713 votes (67.23%) vs. Patrick David Gillespie (R) who earned 27,645 votes (32.77%).

Marijuana
Voters approved the decriminalization of marijuana in Proposition R. Also known as the “Dallas Freedom Act” and spearheaded by Ground Game Texas, it prohibits the Dallas Police Department from making arrests or issuing citations for marijuana possession or considering the odor of marijuana as probable cause for search or seizure, except as part of a violent felony or high priority narcotics felony investigation, for those with four ounces or less of marijuana. The proposition got a high-profile endorsement from Willie Nelson.

Propositions
There were 18 proposed amendments to the Dallas city charter that included 14 from the Dallas City Council and four from resident petitions. Nearly all passed.

Proposition A: City of Dallas would contribute to the city’s employees’ retirement fund:
For 240,470 (68.74%) Against 109,365 (31.26%) - Total: 349,835

Proposition B: Add a preamble to the charter that declares the city to be an equitable democracy, comprised of representatives that act to make the city fair, equitable, just and safe for all residents.
For 261,727 (72.63%) Against 98,646 (27.37%) - Total: 360,373

Proposition C: Increase annual salary for the mayor to $110,000 (up from $80,000) and the annual salary for city council members to $90,000 (up from $60,000)
Against 210,409 (57.78%) For 153,729 (42.22%) - Total: 364,138

Proposition D: Shift city elections from May to new date.
For 231,096 (65.13%) Against 123,736 (34.87%) - Total: 354,832

Proposition E: Eliminate ability for city council members to run again after serving the maximum four two-year terms and eliminate the ability for the mayor to run for mayor again after serving the maximum two four-year terms.
For 250,932 (68.99%) Against 112,746 (31.01%) - Total: 363,578

Proposition F: Require city council to provide employees to the city secretary and city auditor.
For 237,526 (67.62%) Against 113,724 (32.38%) - Total: 351,250

Proposition G: Add eligibility criteria for serving on the city’s redistricting commission.
For 247,680 (70.75%) Against 102,394 (29.25%) - Total: 350,074

Proposition H: Eliminate the requirement that members of the redistricting commission, city plan commission, civil service board, and park and recreation be registered to vote, qualified voters or qualified taxpaying citizens.
For 186,225 (52.22%) Against 170,402 (47.78%) - Total: 356,627

Proposition I: Extend deadline to collect signatures for initiative and referendum ordinances from 60 to 120 days and reduce the number of signatures required on a petition from 10% of the qualified Dallas voters to 5%.
For 191,766 (54.76%) Against 158,410 (45.24%) - Total: 350,176

Proposition J: Allow the city council’s appointments to city boards and commissions to be replaced by city council prior to the completion of a member’s two-year term.
For 212,388 (61.39%) Against 133,550 (38.61%) - Total: 345,938

Proposition L: Make the city’s Inspector General appointed by the city council and outline the duties of the Inspector General.
For 239,521 (69.56%) Against 104,807 (30.44%) - Total: 344,338

Proposition O: Require associate municipal judges be residents of the city of Dallas within four months of the date of appointment and practicing attorneys in good standing; associate municipal judges must be appointed by the city council and receive assignments from the administrative judge or administrative judge’s designee.
For 277,116 (79.64%) Against 70,842 (20.36%) - Total: 347,958

Proposition P: Delete requirement that a city employee who appeals their firing or demotion pay half of the costs associated with the appeal hearing.
For 189,241 (54.69%) Against 156,774 (45.31%) - Total: 346,015

Proposition Q: Align city charter with city code or state law and better match what the city’s practices are now.
For 251,107 (72.9%) Against 93,355 (27.1%) - Total: 344,462

Proposition R: Decriminalize possession of marijuana for those with four ounces or less.
For 242,241 (66.51%) Against 121,999 (33.49%) - Total: 364,240

Proposition S: One of three controversial propositions from Dallas HERO group allows any resident of Dallas to bring a lawsuit against the city to require the city to comply with provisions of the city charter, city ordinances, and state law. It also waives the city’s governmental immunity from suit and liability in claims brought under the amendment.
For 197,523 (55.04%) Against 161,329 (44.96%) - Total: 358,852

Proposition T: One of three controversial propositions from Dallas HERO group requires the city to conduct a city-commissioned community survey each year of a minimum of 1,400 Dallas residents that results in either the city manager earning a performance-based pay raise or the city manager’s firing.
Against 198,769 (55.27%) For 160,858 (44.73%) - Total: 359,627

Proposition U: One of three controversial propositions from Dallas HERO group has two elements: Dedicate at least 50% of new revenue each year to fund the Dallas Police and Fire Pension. Require Dallas to maintain a force of at least 4,000 police officers and increase starting pay for officers.
For 183,450 (50.52%) Against 179,658 (49.48%) - Total: 363,108

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