According to the Baltimore Sun. Jada Pinkette Smith reached out to Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake,of Baltimore in defense of the elephants coming to town in the Ringling Bros. circus. She put in a request to Baltimore’s mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, last week “as a mother and proud Baltimore native” to keep the elephants from being prodded with bull hooks in the Ringling Bros. circus that is set to perform in her hometown March 21 to April 1. The bullhooks are sticks with nails on the end of them that they jab the elephants with to get them to comply with directions.
An excerpt from Pinkett Smith’s letter said:
“Unlike me and other actors, elephants do not choose to perform,” Pinkett Smith wrote. “These endangered elephants will soon be in your jurisdiction. My friends at PETA and I join animal advocates across the state in asking for your leadership in holding Ringling accountable and requiring the circus to comply with Baltimore’s absolute prohibition of the use of devices such as bullhooks.”
In short , the mayor told Jada that she had more important things to do with her time and that Jada never helped out when the city summoned her for help.
In response to the Mayor, Jada’s aunt, Karen Evans, said that the mayor’s response was “disturbing, irresponsible, inflammatory and inaccurate.” She also made sure to make point out the $1 million that Pinkett Smith gave Baltimore School of the Arts and many other contributions to Associated Black Charities in the city.
“Aunt Karen “concluded her letter saying:
“Jada is a proud Baltimore-an who has generously given back to her hometown and will continue to do so. I hope that at the end of your administration you will be able to say that you have made as positive an impact as she has.”
