Stop Dog-Killer from Creating Public Art in San Francisco

We, the undersigned, are outraged that Tom Otterness has been contracted for the sum of $750,000 by the Board of Directors at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to create bronze sculptures for the city's Moscone Subway Station. In 1977, Otterness adopted a dog from a shelter, chained it to a fence, shot it to death and filmed his crime in a movie, killing a living creature who trusted him for the sake of 'art.' To our minds, his finished product was essentially a snuff film and he committed a heinous and vicious crime.

That he should now receive a hefty commission for an art project from the Municipal Transportation Agency is unconscionable. Though Otterness has apologized, we recognize this as little more than lip service. His anti-social behavior makes him the worst possible candidate to create sculptures for a building that operates to serve the public.

“You do not let an animal shooter put up 59 sculptures in your subway system,” said Anita Carswell, director of the Guardian Campaign for In Defense of Animals. “This is a slap in the face of The City. It’s going to be offensive to everybody that rides the subway, a reminder: ‘People who shoot dogs for stupid reasons get rewarded.’”

If Otterness is permitted to complete this project, the only decent thing to do would be to dedicate these sculptures to the dog he murdered and his commission should go toward caring for the homeless animals of San Francisco . Since he received no jail sentence, that would be the only way he could do penance for his crime.