D.C. officials halt veterans' horseback ride
D.C. animal control broke up a 21-mile horseback ride for veterans Saturday, saying the event did not have a permit. (Fox 5 / Joe Moise)
WASHINGTON - Only on Fox 5: A D.C. animal control officer kicks out veterans group BraveHearts just moments before the organization was set to start its 21-mile horseback ride across the District.
The group is in D.C. to raise awareness about veterans committing suicide.
“Make sure they don’t come back into the city. Make sure they stay over in Virginia and depart out of Virginia,” the D.C. animal control officer said.
Fox 5’s Tisha Lewis reports the animal control officers showed up, clipboard and citation in hand, to tell the BraveHearts veterans group to leave the District. The group reportedly did not have an approved permit for its Trail to Zero, a 21-mile horseback ride across D.C. to raise awareness about veterans mental health.
“We’re losing up to 20 veterans a day or more that are committing suicide throughout the country,” said Michael Sullivan, a veteran.
Sullivan and several other veterans and their horses met Saturday morning at West Potomac Park. The initial plan was to stop at The White House, Capital Hill and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial – that was before the animal control officer showed up.
“We were not able to secure a permit but we did have the mayor’s approval for this ride and it’s our first amendment right to be here and we are just so excited to be here raising awareness for these veterans,” said Jeanna Sorgani, BraveHearts’ executive assistant.
D.C. Animal Control says they could seize the horses.
“We’re going to proceed with the route, like I said this is our first amendment right," Sorgani said. "There’s too many veterans out there who we’re losing every day."
“They have lost a sense of community when they’re no longer with the community, the military and that can be huge. They need to find a group of people or a group of individuals or a support group,” said Mary Jo Beckman, an equine therapist and veteran.
BraveHearts’ first horseback ride to raise awareness about veterans’ committing suicide took place two years ago in New York – since then, the group has hosted Trail to Zero rides in Chicago, Houston and D.C.
Chris Schindler, a vice president at Humane Rescue Alliance, said in a statement that D.C. Animal Control sympathizes with the group, but had to uphold the law. He said several District agencies denied the group permits for the horseback ride.
“We sympathize with this group and their mission. Unfortunately, their permits for the event were denied by the Metropolitan Police Department, National Parks Service, and the DC Department of Health," Schindler said in a statement. "We were not the decision makers, but simply the enforcement agency in this situation.”