Monday, December 31, 2007

New Years Eve Fur & HLS Investor Protests

Demo # 1: Fendi - Fifth Avenue – New York City

Activists gathered at Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street to protest the disgusting death trade pimped by fur monger Fendi. A look at any fashion magazine will show that Fendi is the most outrageous and the most offensive of all of the designers that peddle the skin of dead animals. Gory bloody posters were held for all to see and literature was distributed freely to the large Fifth Avenue crowd. This location is close to Rockefeller Center and not terribly far from where the New Year ball is dropped at Time Square. Consequently, it is a busy thoroughfare on New Year’s Eve.

As always, anyone with the audacity to pass the picket line wearing fur was given hell. Activists believe that the time for polite discourse, on this issue, is over. It is time for action. It appears that Fendi management senses this, as they have beefed up security and have 2 uniformed police officers assigned to “protect” their store. Wonder how Fendi rates what Escada does not?

Demo #2: ESCADA – Fifth Avenue – New York City

Escada employees were clearly not happy to see activists from WAR set up the picket line in front of their Fifth Avenue store. Once again, the store was virtually empty and sales staff had nothing better to do than sit in the expansive storefront windows watching protesters. Activists encouraged shoppers to pass Escada by and to call Escada management in an effort to convince them to adopt a more humane and compassionate inventory, which does not include fur products.

The high-energy loud demonstration went on for a good bit of the afternoon. One gentleman after stopping to talk, looked at the pictures on the posters and read the flyer, and then picked up a sign and joined the picket line. He stayed for the duration of the protest and vowed to return on the next trip to Escada. He was clearly horrified by what he learned that afternoon. Once again, fur wearers were confronted and made to face the shame of their pride and their vanity. “The fur on your back is blood on your hands” activists chanted in unison. “We’ll be back”…they said as they left mid-afternoon.

Demo #3: Peter Laventhol – Spark Management LP

Protesters walked the short walk to Peter Laventhol’s residence, which sits across the street from the popular New York City landmark, the MOMA (Museum Of Modern Art). Activists switched gears and posters as they protested the killing of 500 animals every day by the monsters of Huntingdon Life Sciences. Peter Laventhol has significantly reduced his position in Huntingdon Life Sciences (trading on NYSE Arca as LSR) but is still the number 2 institutional investor with 18,900 shares.

The raised voices of activists on the street prompted one of the residents of Laventhol’s building to come out to talk to protesters. This woman was very sincere and told the protesters that Peter was a very nice man, that he loved cats and that he even did not eat very much meat (*eyes rolling to heaven*). She encouraged activists to take their protests to a fur sale that was being held at a nearby hotel.

A question was asked of her. If Peter is such a nice guy, why is it that he has ignored the correspondence of activists that have done their best to educate him about the horrors of Huntingdon Life Sciences? Why has he disregarded multiple requests for a face to face meeting or even a telephone meeting? Her answer was that she would take the flyer to Peter and she would ask him those questions. Since we have heard nothing from Laventhol and he still holds the shares, clearly he isn’t as nice a guy as she thinks. Time to up the ante, Laventhol.

Demo #4: Fendi - Fifth Avenue – Round Two

On the way back to Escada to make good on the pledge of “We’ll be back”, WAR activists stopped once more at the glitzy storefront of scumbag Fendi. Store management and security were not too happy to see activists back again so soon. This is what it is like when you are the target of a sustained focused campaign. Unlike other groups that do one protest a year at different locations, WAR activists keep coming back….louder….stronger….and more often. “We will never back down, until they stop the killing”. You have been forewarned, Fendi.

Demo #5: Escada - Fifth Avenue – Round Two

Although Escada employees thought they were home free, activists from WAR decided to end their year with a louder than ever and even more spirited protest than the one earlier in the day. Once again, the store was empty except for employees. Security quickly locked the doors when they saw activists approaching. Guess they decided to close early. Not that it matters, as they had no customers anyway. Activists stayed despite the locked doors as they saw the opportunity to continue to educate shoppers and tourists. A fine ending to 2007. See you in 2008 Escada! We’ll be back and we will be angrier and more confrontational than ever! Happy New Year!!!