Friday, Oct 26, 2007    Text size: 

Christopher Buttner, publicist for the Exotic Erotic Ball, received an email from Tinisch Hollins, the community outreach liaison in the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice on Tuesday, stating that “[The mayor] would like to present both Snoop and Perry Mann with a proclamation on behalf of the City and County of San Francisco for their generosity and support for San Francisco families.”

The proclamation was supposed to be announced by Hollins at a press conference on Wednesday for one of the Ball’s charities, the Healing Circle, a nonprofit foundation formed of mothers who have lost children to gun violence.

“We are so grateful to Perry Mann, the Exotic Erotic Ball and Snoop Dogg for the funds and exposure they have given to the our cause,” Healing Circle cofounder Mattie Scott said. “We are so often neglected by so many. The mayor’s decision disappoints us, but it is typical of what we face in our quest to be heard on a day-to-day basis.”

When word of the proclamations reached higher-ups in the mayor’s office, the honor was dead. Hollins still showed up at the press conference but didn’t speak and wouldn’t answer questions from the press.

“We’d like to say that we understand the city’s decision to withdraw the proclamation, but we don’t. We’d like to say that we respect the city’s decision to withdraw the proclamation, but we can’t,” Mann said.

“The mothers and families of the Healing Circle, some of whom work in this mayoral administration, have suffered a loss worse than any human being can experience, the loss of a child or loved one to gun violence. The indifference that the mayor's office has shown to the Healing Circle simply adds insult to injury.

“The Snoop Dogg performance will continue stronger than ever for the benefit of the Healing Circle. We urge everyone to come down to the Cow Palace Friday night and support it. Now we have two causes.”

Newsom made national headlines earlier this year when his administration declared Feb. 23 COLT Studio Day, honoring the 40th anniversary of the gay porn studio. The mayor hands out approximately 2,000 proclamations per year and he, himself, had been unaware of the honor bestowed upon COLT. This led him to change department policy in issuing proclamations to avoid controversy.

The entertainment lineup for The Exotic Erotic Ball includes Peaches, Bubba Sparxxx, The Charlie Brechtel Band, the Vau De Vire Society, Donald Glaude, The Spyderz, Mini Kiss, Black Betty, Doxy and special appearances by Tera Patrick, Evan Seinfeld, Danny Bonaduce and a performance by Snoop Dogg. Ball hours are Saturday night 8 p.m.-2 a.m.. For more information on The Exotic Erotic Expo and Ball, visit ExoticEroticBall.com or call (415) 567-BALL.