Six Flags Discovery Kingdom "Free Speech Policy" Ruled Unconstitutional

A federal judge recently granted IDA animal activist Alfredo Kuba a preliminary injunction against Six Flag Marine World's "free speech policy," allowing him to proceed with plans to hold a protest on the upcoming Memorial Day Weekend. Kuba, the founder of Silicon Valley In Defense of Animals (SVIDA), has filed a civil law suit in Federal Court because he was assaulted, battered, falsely arrested and imprisoned by City of Vallejo police for exercising his constitutional right of free speech on public property.

In response to U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb's declaration of Marine World's "free speech policy" as unconstitutional, members of SVIDA will put the ruling to test during Memorial Day Weekend by holding a protest at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. Citizens and members of SVIDA will gather at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom ticket booths and the park's entrance to hold signs and banners and hand out literature to patrons that describes the ongoing suffering and untimely deaths of numerous animals at the park.

Kuba added the city of Vallejo and Vallejo police as defendants in the lawsuit because the city of Vallejo owns the park and, according to the plaintiff, used its police force to violate activists' rights with threats, intimidation, coercion, false arrests, false imprisonment and violence against them. Kuba alleges that City of Vallejo police officers and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom employees have conspired to keep peaceful, law abiding citizens from exercising their constitutional rights of free speech for years at the publicly owned theme park for no other reason than that they disagree with the activists' views and opinions.

"We are pleased that judge Shubb agrees that Marine World's 'free speech policy' actually inhibits individuals' right to free speech," said Kuba. "Six Flags is trying to silence protestors because, if patrons realized that animals were suffering in order to provide them with a moment's worth of entertainment, they'd stop going to the park."

"This ruling recognizes that individuals' constitutionally protected rights to express ideas are more important than Marine World's desire to stifle demonstrators because of 'customer convenience' and profit," says Corey Evans, an attorney at Evans & Page, the law office representing Kuba in court.

Activists are protesting Six Flags Discovery Kingdom because of the park's "appalling and inhumane" record of mistreating the animals they hold captive for profit. Over the years, Marine World has been cited and fined for numerous violations of the Animal Welfare Act, the federal statute governing the treatment of animals exhibited for commercial purposes. Between 1997 (when Six Flags took over management of Marine World) and 2001, at least 27 of the park's animals died prematurely, including both orcas (i.e., killer whales), five elephants, two dolphins, a sea lion, a camel, numerous sheep, two kangaroos and at least ten wallabies.

What You Can Do:
If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, protest Six Flags Discovery Kingdom with other local animal activists during Memorial Day Weekend.

What: Demonstrations at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom to educate the public about how animals at the park suffer to provide entertainment for profit

When: Saturday, May 27th and Monday, May 29th from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Where: Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, 2001 Marine World Pkwy., Vallejo, Calif. (here is a map) - meet by the ticket booths

Leaflets and signs will be provided: just show up and bring some friends!

For more information, email Alfredo Kuba or call him at (650) 965-8705.

For more information about the case against Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, including the court documents, check out this PDF (71k) . Also visit the Six Flags campaign page of helpelephants.com to learn more about how Marine World mistreats animals.