Urban cowboys ride through Philly on Sunday to get out the vote
As part of the âUnstoppable Voters Project,â the Fletcher Street Riding Club will pass by several symbolic works of art.
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Why do cowboys show up on the streets of Philadelphia? In these times, itâs to get out the vote.
Members of the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club are galloping through the city on Sunday, tracing a path from their stables in Strawberry Mansion across the Schuylkill River to West Philly.
This marks the second GOTV event this year for the urban riding club, which is showcased in the Idris Elba movie âConcrete Cowboysâ coming to Netflix this winter.
Led by club president Ellis âEl Dogâ Ferrell Jr., the crew rode through the city in early October to remind people to register to vote. Members also created a stir when they showed up on horseback at the City Hall mail ballot drop box.
The Sunday route was created to purposely pass by several symbolic pieces of public art, including:
- âAll Power to All Peopleâ by Hank Willis Thomas (10:15 a.m., 27th and York)
- âA Tribute to Urban Horsemenâ by Jason Slowik (10:30 a.m., 3222 Montgomery Ave.)
- âUptown Locomotionâ by Joe Boruchow (10:45 a.m., 33rd St. Bridge)
- âRumors of Warâ by Kehinde Wiley (12 p.m., 52nd and Locust)
These ride-outs are part of the Unstoppable Voters Project, a spokesperson said, a nationwide initiative to bring joy to the voting process. Ferrell was specifically inspired by the Compton Cowboysâ âFuck Talking, Go Voteâ effort in Los Angeles.
The projects aim to inspire voting and spread the word about 866-OUR-VOTE, a voter protections hotline.
Fletcher Street is currently raising money to ensure the clubâs future. A GoFundMe has raised $7,000 of the hopeful $100k goal.
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