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Anti-fur, suburban style
A group of scantily clad animal rights protesters gathered outside one of Silicon Valley's largest shopping malls Wednesday afternoon, urging clothing chain J. Crew to stop selling fur. But unlike events held regularly in San Francisco or New York, this was more of a G-rated suburban version.
Thu, Oct. 13, 2005
Anti-fur, suburban style
PROTESTERS STAGE MILD EVENT COMPARED WITH S.F., EAST COAST RALLIES
By Paul Rogers
Mercury News
There were no bullhorns. No people throwing paint on fur-wearing passersby. Not a single anguished celebrity.
The organizers -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) -- sent a note to reporters suggesting performance art mayhem at Westfield Shoppingtown Valley Fair. Protesters would be ``naked, outraged and covered in `blood'!'' it said.
But the blood was dried red paint. The seven protesters actually were quite polite. And as for the naked part, much was left to the imagination. Three women wearing flesh-colored leotards and tights lay in a pile on the sidewalk near the mall entrance for an hour, surrounded by placards depicting skinned animals.
Motorists beeped. Some snapped pictures with camera phones.
``We're asking that people stop shopping at J. Crew until the company stops selling fur,'' said Ian Blessing, 20, from Norfolk, Va., who helped lead the event.
Joined by celebrities like Heather Mills McCartney, PETA has gone after J. Crew because the company's fall line features several furry offerings. There's an $800 women's tweed coat with a mink collar. There's a $125 Elmer Fudd hat with rabbit fur. A puffy women's winter jacket boasts ``removable hood with button-off coyote fur'' for $295.
It's all central to the chain's effort to go upscale as part of a turnaround led by CEO Mickey Drexler, a former CEO of the GAP and friend of Apple chief Steve Jobs. Sales are up, and J. Crew plans an initial public offering by year-end.
But PETA officials note J. Crew's fur-bearing garb is made in China. China has no animal welfare laws, they say. Their Web site, http://www.jcruel.org, features video shot by a German filmmaker in a south China market where cats and dogs are crammed in cages, thrown off trucks and subjected to broken limbs.
Chinese fur sellers bludgeon and strangle dogs, cats and other animals with wire nooses, PETA says, then mislabel their products and sell cat and dog fur to American and European clothing companies as coyote, rabbit or fox.
``Consumers have no way to know if that's what they are buying,'' said Blessing.
J. Crew officials didn't want to talk about it.
``We're not engaging PETA on the issue,'' said Margot Brunelle, a J. Crew spokeswoman in New York City.
Their eyebrows were raised, but San Jose passersby generally were sympathetic.
``If you believe in that cause, it's a good way to get your point across,'' said Tinika Bowers of San Jose. ``It's America. They have the right to protest and other people have the right to decide where they want to shop.''
Anti-fur, suburban style
PROTESTERS STAGE MILD EVENT COMPARED WITH S.F., EAST COAST RALLIES
By Paul Rogers
Mercury News
There were no bullhorns. No people throwing paint on fur-wearing passersby. Not a single anguished celebrity.
The organizers -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) -- sent a note to reporters suggesting performance art mayhem at Westfield Shoppingtown Valley Fair. Protesters would be ``naked, outraged and covered in `blood'!'' it said.
But the blood was dried red paint. The seven protesters actually were quite polite. And as for the naked part, much was left to the imagination. Three women wearing flesh-colored leotards and tights lay in a pile on the sidewalk near the mall entrance for an hour, surrounded by placards depicting skinned animals.
Motorists beeped. Some snapped pictures with camera phones.
``We're asking that people stop shopping at J. Crew until the company stops selling fur,'' said Ian Blessing, 20, from Norfolk, Va., who helped lead the event.
Joined by celebrities like Heather Mills McCartney, PETA has gone after J. Crew because the company's fall line features several furry offerings. There's an $800 women's tweed coat with a mink collar. There's a $125 Elmer Fudd hat with rabbit fur. A puffy women's winter jacket boasts ``removable hood with button-off coyote fur'' for $295.
It's all central to the chain's effort to go upscale as part of a turnaround led by CEO Mickey Drexler, a former CEO of the GAP and friend of Apple chief Steve Jobs. Sales are up, and J. Crew plans an initial public offering by year-end.
But PETA officials note J. Crew's fur-bearing garb is made in China. China has no animal welfare laws, they say. Their Web site, http://www.jcruel.org, features video shot by a German filmmaker in a south China market where cats and dogs are crammed in cages, thrown off trucks and subjected to broken limbs.
Chinese fur sellers bludgeon and strangle dogs, cats and other animals with wire nooses, PETA says, then mislabel their products and sell cat and dog fur to American and European clothing companies as coyote, rabbit or fox.
``Consumers have no way to know if that's what they are buying,'' said Blessing.
J. Crew officials didn't want to talk about it.
``We're not engaging PETA on the issue,'' said Margot Brunelle, a J. Crew spokeswoman in New York City.
Their eyebrows were raised, but San Jose passersby generally were sympathetic.
``If you believe in that cause, it's a good way to get your point across,'' said Tinika Bowers of San Jose. ``It's America. They have the right to protest and other people have the right to decide where they want to shop.''
For more information:
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews...
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