On Friday, November 25th, Chicago animal rights activists came out in force for the annual Fur Free Friday march. Despite the bitter cold, nearly 120 people came to speak out against the horrors of the fur industry. The activists were greeted in Daley Plaza by dozens of police officers on bikes, 4 wheelers and Segway scooters, as well as a police surveillance van with a camera mounted on top in an apparent attempt to either keep tabs on or intimidate the activists.

During a short rally, the marchers, as well as many other passersby out for holiday activities were educated as to the horrors of the fur industry. "Each year over 40,000,000 animals are killed by the fur industry" could be heard echoing through Daley Plaza, "these animals die by gassing, trapping, anal or vaginal electrocution and other equally barbaric, grisly methods." Before getting underway, this year's Fur Free Friday march was dedicated to animal liberation prisoner Peter Young. Peter Young was responsible for the release of 8,000 mink from fur farms around the midwest in 1997, and after 7 years on the run was recently arrested and convicted for these actions. Originally facing 82 years in prison, Peter had many of his charges thrown out and was sentenced to 2 years in federal prison. The marchers this year made sure that as long as he sat in prison, they would double their efforts in fighting for the animals' freedom.

The first stop on the march was Marshall Fields. With holiday shoppers lined up outside waiting to get in, the noise of the protest was almost deafening and impossible for the shoppers to ignore. One fur wearer attempted to hide behind the other shoppers so as to not be seen, but she was unable to avoid the taunts and jeers of the protesters and didn't seem very happy to be outed as a "murderer" in front of her family and others. Protesters made clear that her discomfort was nothing compared to the discomfort of the animals who died for her coat.

After a short walk down Michigan Avenue the march arrived at Nordstrom. For years, Nordstrom has had only 2 remaining fur salons, both in the suburbs of Chicago. In past years, activists had taken their message into the Chicago store with loud disruptions during Fur Free Friday as well as multiple visits to the suburban stores which actually housed the fur salons. This year, however, the activists were pleased to learn that the last two Nordstrom fur salons in the country had closed! Though this is a huge victory for the animals, the fight isn't over yet. Fur trimmed items are still prevalent in Nordstrom stores, and as long as any fur items are sold, the protests will continue. This message was made clear to Nordstrom, as well as the people entering their stores.

Next on the hit list was Andriana Furs. Unlike the other stores that had been visited, Andriana Furs is never going to listen to reason. A department store can stop selling fur and still have a business, but for places like Andriana Furs, animal abuse is their business. The protesters let them know that the only way Andriana Furs was going to stop killing animals was if the protesters shut them down. One activist screamed through a bullhorn about groups like the Animal Liberation Front, an underground group that takes illegal direct action on behalf of animals, who have broken store windows and taken other such actions on other fur stores in Chicago and to "never forget that Andriana Furs could be next." "For the Mink and for the Fox! Smash their windows, glue their locks!" was screamed at the building. An employee from Andriana Furs didn't seem to like the activists' statements much as he made a point to come to the window and give the demonstrators outside his store the finger. When activists challenged him to come outside to try and "defend the murder of 40,000,000 animals a year for nothing more then vanity and fashion," he was quick to scuttle away to his hiding place in the back of the store.

Then it was on to Elan's Furs. Anyone who has ever talked to the woman who hands out fliers in front of Elan's Furs knows that there is no better argument against the people who profit off the torture of animals than that woman. She has been known to call the police and make up lies to try and scare away protesters; she has threatened to murder activists in the past, and according to many activists at the march is totally unrepentant for the pain and suffering she causes with the garments in her store. But when 120+ protesters were outside her store, the usually outspoken fur supporter was nowhere to be found. Activists cheered while reminding her of past underground actions that left Elan's Furs with broken windows and red paint splashed all over the building. As one activist put it:

"It wasn't the first time compassionate people have taken to the night for the animals and it won't be the last. There is only one outcome for businesses like Andriana Furs & Elan's Furs: closing. The fur industry is dying; 6 of the 15 EU member states have taken steps to restrict, phase out or simply ban fur farming, and fur has been on the decline for years. People all over the world can see that what these businesses are doing is wrong and we will not rest until this industry is as dead as the animals that it kills."

After stops at Neiman Marcus, a company which has a long history of protests by animal rights activists and another Marshall Fields, the march made its way to Bloomingdales. On the way, a passerby who disagreed with the protest took it upon himself to assault one of the marchers. A brief scuffle ensued and the man was pulled away by Chicago police officers. However, proving yet again that they are their to protect the animal abusing stores and not the protesters, the police sent the man on his way. Even the officer who broke up the fight claimed not to have seen anything and no honest attempt was made to take any action against the man who assaulted the protester. This is no surprise as the exact same thing has happened on the past 3 Fur Free Friday marches. When activists, angered by the hypocrisy of the police pointed out the double standard, the police suddenly developed a problem with where the protesters were standing. Despite never having been told the march was blocking pedestrian traffic in the two miles it had traveled before this incident, once the activists pointed out the fact that the police were not wanted nor welcome on the march, suddenly the police claimed they were blocking traffic. Despite threats of arrest, the activists stood their ground and made sure their message was heard.

The march ended with a rally at the Water Tower on Chicago & Michigan where the Chicago Soy Dairy (www.welovesoy.com) served delicious vegan hot cocoa to everyone who participated in the march, which was viewed as a great success. Before the activists left for the day, they were reminded that one march was never going to stop the fur industry. Activists were urged not to let this be the only action they took for the animals this year. The activists were left with the following words to inspire them to keep fighting for the animals:

"The fur industry isn't going to stop killing animals unless we stop them. If you ever need inspiration to keep fighting, just watch some footage of what goes on on fur farms. Look into the eyes of the animals right before they die. See them tense and then go limp as their lives are robbed for the sake of vanity, because the look in their eyes will give you more reason to keep fighting than any words I could ever speak to you. The 40,000,000 animals that die every year should be the only inspiration needed to destroy this industry, to drive the final nail into the coffin and put it in the ground where it belongs!"

Please, if you haven't already, get involved. E-mail animalrightschicago (at) riseup.net and adlchicago (at) yahoo.com and ask to be added to the announce list to be kept up to date for future animal rights actions taking place in Chicago. Lastly, if you haven't already, for the animal and for yourself, go vegan.