On Saturday, February 8, 2020, the Professional Bull Riders' (PBR) Unleash the Beast tour will bring its exhibition of animal cruelty to the Staples Center once again for the Iron Cowboy bull riding competition.
Bulls are generally calm creatures that must be provoked into battle. In order to encourage aggressive bucking, they are routinely fitted with tight, painful flank straps, kicked with spurs, and shocked with 5,000-volt electric prods. As the bulls buck wildly to rid themselves of the rider and these tools of torment, their weight coupled with their unnatural movements often lead to horrific injuries, including broken limbs, sprains, pulled muscles, paralysis, and torn ligaments. Bulls that are injured do not typically receive veterinary care and are killed instead.
Help put a stop to PBR's barbaric display of animal cruelty!
1. Join LCA's bull riding protest!
WHAT: LCA's protest of PBR's Iron Cowboy competition (Click here for LCA's Facebook event page.)
WHEN: Saturday, February 8, 2020 (5 pm - 7 pm)
WHERE: Staples Center - 1111 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015
- Protesters will meet at the corner of S. Figueroa St. and Chick Hearn Ct. (Click here for map.)
- Free "Stop Bull Riding" t-shirts will be given out to the first 150 protesters!
- Posters, banners, and handouts will also be provided.
- We are currently looking for volunteers to assist with this event. If you are interested in volunteering for LCA, please contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
2. Contact PBR's sponsors
Contact PBR's official partners and sponsors and urge them to stop associating with animal cruelty by ending their partnerships with PBR!
- Rogue Fitness - 614-358-6190
- 5.11 Tactical - 866-451-1726
- Ford Motor Company - 800-392-3673
- Cooper Tires - 419-423-1321
- Wrangler - 888-784-8571
- Monster - 800-426-7367
3. Sign the petition
Click here to sign the petition urging the LA City Council to ban rodeos and rodeo-type activities like bull riding in the city of Los Angeles!
4. Contact your elected officials
Los Angeles Residents: Email your elected officials and urge them to ban rodeos and rodeo-type activities in the city of Los Angeles. Find your LA City Councilmember here: http://neighborhoodinfo.lacity.org. You can use the following sample text to draft your email:
Dear Council Member [Last Name],
As your constituent, I am writing to ask that you support a ban on rodeos and rodeo-type activities in the city of Los Angeles.
Rodeos and rodeo-type activities are exhibitions of animal cruelty that are sanctioned in the guise of competition. They employ the use of tools of torment—including spurs, tight flank straps, and 5,000-volt electric prods—in order to encourage bucking and aggressiveness and often result in severe psychological and physical traumas including anxiety attacks, broken limbs, and even death for the animals involved.
A growing number of jurisdictions have already prohibited or restricted rodeos—including San Francisco, CA and Pasadena, CA—and I respectfully urge the city of Los Angeles, a leader in protecting the rights and welfare of animals to do the same.
Sincerely,
[Your name/contact info]
Thank you for taking action!