Bay Area dog owners greet 'Patriot Prayer' plans with promises of poop

With a controversial "Patriot Prayer" free speech rally scheduled to come to Crissy Field later this month, bringing alt-right figures who have been involved in previous rallies that devolved into conflict in Berkeley, hundreds of Bay Area dog owners plan to extend a special welcome to the visitors by transforming the idyllic open space into a minefield of dog poop.

A Facebook event urging people to "Leave your dog poop on Crissy Field" in the days before the Aug. 26 rally had over 500 attendees and 3,000 people interested in attending as of Thursday afternoon.

"Leave a gift for our Alt-Right friends. Take your dog to Crissy Field and let them do their business and be sure not to clean it up!" the description reads. "Watch out for landmines, friends! We can get together Sunday and clean up the mess and hug each other!"

A dog walks by a sign about litter clean-up at Ft. Funston in San Francisco. Browse the gallery for great dog photos from the Chronicle archives. A dog walks by a sign about litter clean-up at Ft. Funston in San Francisco. Browse the gallery for great dog photos from the Chronicle archives. Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images Image 1 of / 113 Caption Close Bay Area dog owners greet 'Patriot Prayer' plans with promises of poop 1 / 113 Back to Gallery

After violence broke out at a rally of white supremacists in Charlottesville, Va. last weekend, officials expressed fear that a far-right demonstration could spark similar chaos in the Bay Area.

Mayor Ed Lee, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Nancy Pelosi have all expressed concern that law enforcement won't be able to protect the public adequately during the rally.

Related: Furor grows over SF right-wing rally plans

The organizer of the poop action, a 45-year-old Richmond District resident who goes by Tuffy Tuffington, was also concerned.

"It was mostly borne out of frustration with our general political climate and feeling hamstrung about what to do — I don't think direct conflict with these groups is really positive," said Tuffington.

The idea's popularity came as a surprise, though.

"It was kind of intended to be a small joke for my friends. I didn't expect this level of interest — I wasn't quite prepared," he added.

Related: Organizer of planned SF rally tells Fox it's not a white supremacist event

Crissy Field is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The area's superintendent issued a statement Wednesday saying the agency was trying to balance the need for public safety with the First Amendment rights of the organizers, and would announce a final decision on whether to issue the event a permit in the next seven business days.

For his part, the Patriot Prayer rally's organizer Joey Gibson insists the event is not a white supremacist gathering, pointing out in an interview with Tucker Carlson that only one of the event's eight speakers is white and that he identifies as Japanese.

Many on social media are amused by the poop plan, evidenced by the high number of attendees, but others have expressed misgivings about the cleanup logistics. A couple different groups are planning to meet up and deal with the poop in the aftermath of the event, Tuffington said.

"I wouldn't want 500 dog owners descending on a park I use on a regular basis and pooping, either," he said. "But dog poop is a lot easier to clean up than hate."