Activists make eye-catching show

Passers-by mostly kept their eyes glued to the sidewalk as a nearly naked woman stretched out on a downtown Spokane sidewalk Tuesday, silver chains wrapped around her wrists and ankles and movie-style fake scars applied to her back.

Art? Civil disobedience? No, said Matt Rice with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. It was to raise awareness about the treatment of circus elephants in the Ringling Bros. show, which is coming to Spokane in mid-October.

“We rely on these provocative demonstrations to get the attention of the people,” Rice said, a flat-screen television strapped to his chest displaying videotape of elephants kept in captivity.

About 10 people, most of them young, stood around Main and Howard, holding signs that read “Circuses are deadly” and “Caged for life.” A banner reading “Shackled, Lonely, Beaten” was draped behind Julie Kelton of Columbus, Ohio, who wore skimpy black underwear and pasties to remain just within the legal limits of public nudity.

The scene was mostly quiet, save for the hum of traffic and the occasional giggle as somebody passed by. Onlookers watched from the skywalks, and some picked up leaflets from organizers.

One elderly woman gasped when she turned the corner and said, “Good grief, how far do people need to go?”

Others were simply confused.

“I don’t understand the naked woman,” said Greg Parker, 22, on a break from his job across the street at Rocky Rococo. “I’ve supported PETA before, but this disproves everything they’re trying to do. It’s distracting from their real message.”

Confusion aside, the protest is an effective way to inform people about the mistreatment of elephants in the circus, Rice said.

“A lot of people I’ve talked to, once they approach me and get the information, they’ve very sympathetic,” he said. In addition to the street protests, PETA also tries to direct people to its Web site, www.circuses.com, which features cartoon tears falling down an elephant’s face.

The Ringling Bros. circus says its animals are treated in accordance with USDA animal care standards and that no animals are taken from the wild to perform.

“Ringling Bros. is committed to the highest standards of care of all our animal performers, and we deliver exemplary, hands-on care, 365 days a year,” said a statement from its Web site.

But protesters said training methods and captivity have injured or killed many elephants.

“Children don’t want to go to the circus when they know what’s going on behind the scenes,” Rice said.

About that time, two women walked past the chained woman. They held preschool children’s hands and shielded the children’s eyes.

“We live in a tabloid society,” Rice said. “We didn’t make the rules but we’d be fools if we didn’t play by them.”