San Francisco – Today, Senator Scott Wiener, Assemblymember Phil Ting, and Assemblymember David Chiu sent a letter requesting thatthe National Park Service reconsider the issuance of a permit for the so-called Patriot Prayer Rally scheduled on August 26, 2017. The letter reads:

“As San Francisco’s elected representatives in the California Legislature, we write to express our deep concerns about the issuance of a permit for the so-called Patriot Prayer Rally on Crissy Field on August 26. Our concern is for the safety of the people of San Francisco, and, given recent events in Charlottesville, we are not confident that peace can be maintained at this rally.

Witnessing the events in Charlottesville last weekend was a horrifying experience that brought feelings of shame and sadness to us all. Shame that the President and his Administration have enabled and emboldened a disgusting and despicable White Supremacist ideology, and sadness that as a country we are seemingly moving backward in our fight against racism and hate. As public officials we are used to differences in ideology, but the events in Charlottesville, complete with violence and protestors armed with automatic weapons, have moved us past any sense of civil discourse or peaceful assembly. If this rally goes forward, we are extremely concerned for the public safety of the people of our city.

Crissy Field is a place where families gather, where residents go for recreation, and where visitors to our great city come to see the best of San Francisco. Allowing a likely violent rally of White Supremacists so close to all of this is of deep concern to us. While we believe in the right to free speech and free assembly, we believe the National Park Service does not have the capacity to safely control this situation and therefore should not be issuing a permit for this rally at Crissy Field. We urge the National Park Service to re-consider the permit.”

Jeff Cretan

Communications Director

Senator Scott Wiener