Demo Reports - Saturday, October 8, 2005

WAR started our day in support of the national group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and the local organizer New York Whale and Dolphin Action League as they protested the slaughter of Japanese dolphins. The protest was held at the Japanese Consulate on Park Avenue and WAR voices and bullhorns added to the effectiveness of the protest.

Our next stop was Carnegie Hall. The rain which had started during the dolphin protest was heavier now and we took advantage of the overhang marquees at Carnegie to stay out of the rain. This allowed us to be much closer to the front doors than we usually are. Flyers were distributed naming and shaming Carnegie and their Director Deryck Maughan who also sits on the board of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). A group of kids attempted to drown out our chants by standing directly in front of the protest and singing as loud as they could. They quieted down when we pointed at them and chanted…."Scumbags….Leave Town" repeatedly. We vowed to keep coming back until Carnegie Hall removes GSK from their Board of Directors or until Maughan quits GSK.

Although we were drenched to the bone and the rain was getting heavier as the afternoon went on, we decided to pay a visit to Dennis Basso, the most notorious and unctuous fur pimp in New York City. When we arrived, police barricades were already in place, a testament to the fact that another demo was planned for that same afternoon. That demo was canceled because of the weather. Rumor has it that the organizer didn't want to get his signs wet…..*rolling my eyes*.

Members of Win Animal Rights believe that fur bearers, raised or trapped for their skins, never have a "nice" day. They live in abject misery as they await their cruel and inevitable fate at the hands of callous murdering scum. We stood in front of Basso's….dripping wet, soaked through and through, cold as ice. We held signs that disintegrated in our hands as the downpour continued unabated. Many who passed us likely thought we were crazy. But the look on the faces of Basso's employees told us what we wanted to know. They now know they face an opponent that is not afraid of the cold or the rain, the wind or the storm and that we will keep on coming and keep on chanting……

"WE WILL NEVER BACK DOWN…..UNTIL THEY STOP THE KILLING".

Two noteworthy observations, Basso had seven employees working his store while we were there. During that time, we saw only one customer enter the store. How will he continue to handle the high overhead in light of what must be dwindling sales volume? A second interesting note is that it appears that the Jean Paul Gaultier store, which sits right next door to Basso, appears to be closed. Last week we noted that many other designers were taking fur items out of their display windows. Could it be that others are feeling the pressure on Madison Avenue?

Stay tuned for our soon to be released Fur Free Friday announcement.