Residents of West Hollywood are gearing up for a protest scheduled for tomorrow at the debut of the city’s latest art installation, “Rainbow Neon Dog,” in a bid to voice their grievances against municipal decisions.
The unveiling ceremony for “Rainbow Neon Dog,” an eye-catching rotating sculpture recently erected on Sunset Boulevard near the northwest entrance to William S. Hart Park, is slated to take place from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
Simultaneously, a contingent of locals is organizing to leverage the event as an opportunity to express dissatisfaction with the city’s choice to reconfigure the beloved off-leash dog area at Hart Park. This overhaul includes replacing the traditional wood mulch ground covering with astroturf, which dog owners assert is malodorous, slippery, water-intensive, and costly to maintain. Furthermore, objections arise over the decision to segment the space into zones for large and small dogs, deemed by critics as an unnecessary solution to a non-existent problem.
“Rainbow Neon Dog” is poised to symbolize Hart Park and serve as a rallying emblem for community members exasperated by what they perceive as City Hall’s intrusive interventions.
For years, the postmodern pooch adorned Santa Monica Boulevard, standing sentinel between the Ramada hotel and the former Collar & Leash pet store, where artist Wilson Ong conceived the sculpture in 1990. Following the closure of the store in 2020, the proprietors bestowed the dog to the city.
Recently, denizens on the city’s eastern front mobilized against proposals to sacrifice much-needed street parking to accommodate protected bike lanes, utilized by a minority of residents.
