THE BALLOON MAN

As circus roles around, so do animal rights protesters
By SCOTT WHIPPLE, STAFF WRITER
from:  newbritainherald.com
June 30, 2012
BRISTOL — Two people met face to face, poster to poster Saturday afternoon, but anyone expecting fireworks will have to wait for the real thing on July 4.

Bristol resident Kelly Fisk led a group protesting the treatment of elephants by Cole Bros. Circus. Another state resident, Gary Payne, of Waterbury, eastern vice president of the Circus Fans Association of America, patrolled the sidewalk in front of the circus tents, defending Cole’s treatment of animals. Occasionally, the two groups passed one another on the sidewalk. But after a lecture from local police, the dispute remained on a courteous level. Fisk was joined by Deborah Robinson, another long-time advocate for the humane treatment of circus animals.

“We don’t often have the chance to take a stand on many issues at this grassroots level like we do with this,” Fisk said. “Many of us don’t feel that this form of entertainment is appropriate for a city seeking revitalization and positive energy for growth and expansion.”

Fisk added that as someone committed to the idea of a progressive and innovative downtown revitalization for Bristol, it took her about an hour after hearing that the Cole Bros. would be coming to Bristol to mobilize a protest. “I simply couldn’t bear the thought that there would be elephants chained to trucks sleeping in a hot and dusty vacant lot not a quarter of a mile from my home,” she said.

Fisk said she realizes her protest did not stop the Cole Bros. Circus from setting up in Bristol, but her hope is that hers and other voices will be heard loud and clear “not only by our neighbors and fellow citizens, but by our city’s elected officials as well.”

Payne, 57, said this group of protest organizations “in the guise of wanting to help animals runs a number of multi-million-dollar, tax-free organizations that most people think would try to help animals. But, most of their money goes to public relations and advertising.”

“Ask people at the circus holding tickets to the show how they feel about animals and not many will say they don’t like animals,” he said.

Daniel Knowlton, 28, and his wife Kelly, parents of two young boys, said the protesters didn’t change their mind about attending the show.

Payne said it was his idea to return the circus to Bristol and he feels responsible to see that the circus “gets a fair shake. I have no problem with somebody exercising their first amendment rights. A number of these people have peaceful intentions; others have a reputation of shouting obscenities at children.”

That behavior did not occur on Saturday.
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