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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A religious organization is suing the city of San Francisco to remove an open-air urinal it calls unsanitary and indecent from a popular park.
The Chinese Christian Union of San Francisco filed a civil complaint last week demanding the city remove the concrete circular urinal from the iconic Dolores Park.
The group says the urinal, which is out in the open and screened only with plants for privacy, "emanates offensive odors," ''has no hand-washing facilities" and "it's offensive to manners and morals."
The City Attorney's office says it will defend the litigation and points out that the 16-acre park is well-known for its "counter culture, immodest sunbathers, pot brownie vendors, spectacular city views, and famously irreverent 'Hunky Jesus' contest."
It says residents advocated for the facility, called a "pissoir" (piss-Wah), to stop people from urinating on walls, bushes and sidewalks.
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