Environmental and Social Justice Activism Center
161 Hudson Street
New York, New York 10013
Meetings every Tuesday at 7pm
phone(212) 966-4831 fax(212) 966-9821 CALL BEFORE FAXING

Timeline of New York City Actions Against Macy*s

1989
Responding to Intense Pressure from Anti-Fur Activists Including a Mass-Sit at Macy's Herald Square, Macy's ends its sale of fur coats

1994
Federated Department Stores Purchases Macy's, Reintroduces Macy's into Stores. In response, the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade calls for a national boycott on Federated Department Stores.

1995
11/23/95 4 protesters from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) streak Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade arrested for public lewdness

1996
Summer 1996- Wetlands Animal Rights Action Team (WARAT), a project of the Wetlands Preserve nightclub's in-house Environmental and Social Justice Activism Center, begins campaign against Macy's with large demonstrations and street theater at Herald Square Store (not all demonstrations are listed).
9/28/96 5-hour Demonstration at Macy's Herald Square. Activists dressed as fur-bearing animals are "slaughtered" by a "fur farmer" using a mock oversized anal electrocution device. 11/28/96 Protesters from PETA streak the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Charges are dropped.
12/21/96 With 30 protesters in attendance, members of PETA and Student Abolitionist League burn a pile of furs at Herald square and hold a procession with a coffin filled with fur and an activist dressed as the Grim Reaper . At the end of the procession, the activists burn the fur coats
12/24/96 First annual demonstration at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloon inflation. At the end of 1996, Macy's East's vice-President in charge of fur, Stanley Schwartz retired, and Macy' contracted their fur departments to Berger Christenson. In response to activist pressure, Macy's West Coast division stpped selling fur.

1997
1/25/97 Trapped By Greed demo: protesters in "bloodied" furs writhing in traps at Herald square. Over 100 protesters in attendance (PETA)
2/97- Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade-NYC holds first demonstrations.
2/16/97 Demonstration at Macy's President Harold Kahn's Manhattan Apartment (WARAT) as part of a national day of demonstrations at the homes of executive of Federated Department Stores
8/21/97 "Summer is No Vacation for Animals on Fur Farms" cage demo. Activists occupied human sized fur farm cages in front of Macy's Herald Square while wearing fur coats in the sweltering heat to protest the cruel confinement of fur bearers in tiny cages under the blazing summer sun. Sponsored by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
8/27/97 - America's most influential anti-fur activist, JP Goodwin, executive director of the Dallas, Texas-based Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade (CAFT)-National speaks at a forum on the campaign against Federated Department Stores, kicking of NYC's chapter of CAFT. 9/20/97Cage demo: Summer is no vacation for animals on fur farms. (PETA)
9/21/97 CAFT protests at the Macy's at Queens Center Mall was be followed by a March to Stern's for a demo there. Saturday, Sept 27 CAFT and WARAT lead a march from 27th and 7th up 7th Ave., through the heart of the fur district, visiting the corporate office of Federated Department Stores and proceeding on to demonstrate at Stern's in the Manhattan Mall and Macy's Herald Square.
11/1/97 2 activists walk thoruhg Fulton Stret ,Macys handing out anti-fur literature, dressed head to toe in bloody fur coats and wrapped in trap used for killing fur-bearing animals.They are forcibly removed from the stoe and proceed to stage a "die-in" outside an activist, still wrapped in traps and fur impersonating a trapped animal drops dead in front of the entrance in the midst of a torrential downpour, and 11/5/99 Demonstration at the American Image Awards at the Sheraton Hotel at 53 Street & 7TH Avenue, where Federated President Terry Lundgren is presented with an award. As he is presented with the award, 2 activists disrupt the ceremony and denounce Federated's sale of fur.. 2 activists are arrested.
11/97 Animal Defense League (ADL) joins Macy's campaign. 11/16/97 Demo at Fulton Street Macy*s
12/26/97 2nd Annual Balloon Inflation Demo
12/21/97 150 protesters attend Herald Square Macy's demonstration with Dr. Seuss theme to satirize Macy's use of "Grinch Who Stole Christmas" as holdiay mascot. Elaborate street theater includes "The Cat in the Trap", The Grinch Who Stole Animals Lives," and "Fox in Socks in a Fur Farm Box"

1998
January 1999- Following months of coordinated work, WARAT and CAFT-NYC merge under the WARAT name. Every Saturday- ADL holds demonstrations at Macy's Herald Square
2/8/98 Two activists hang a banner that read "Boycott Macy's, Fur Is Murder," from an awning above the front doors of Macy's Herald Square, the world's largest department store. The two activists, supported by a large demonstration below, proceed to use two bicycle U-locks to chain themselves to the awning
7/26/99 7 activists chain their arms and necks to three 400 pound concrete barrels in front of the Broadway entrance of Macy's Herald Square. . Four other activists scale the awning above the blockade, lock their necks to a support beam with bicycle U-locks their necks to a support and hang two banners. Two more activists enter the store, climb on top of one of the displays near the escalators ad chain their arms together inside metal pipes around a pillar. Over 150 demonstrators march from Madison Square Garden to Macy's to support the activists engaging in civil disobedience.
9/25/98-9/26/98 1st 24 Hour Vigil at Macy's Herald Square.
11/6/98-11/7/99 2nd 24-Hour Vigil at Macy's Herald Square Columbus Day 1998 With their arms chained together inside metal pipes, activists blockade the fur salon of Macy's Herald Square to protest Macy's advertised "Largest Fur Sale in History" A large demonstration is also held outside the store. Six are arrested
11/25/98 Protest at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Balloon Inflation
11/28/98 Fur Free Friday- Hundreds Demonstrate at Macy's Herald Square
12/18/98-12/24/98 Week of Demonstrations Against Macy's
12/19/98 In response to Macy's "super Saturday" sale, two groups of activists chain themselves together one inside a 34th Street Macy's entrance way on 34th Street, blockading the entrance, and the other on the red carpet at the center of the Broadway side of the store, disrupting the flow of customer traffic.

1999
1/99-3/99 Weekly demonstrations at Macy's Herald Square.
3/17/99- 2nd Barrel Blockade at Macy's Broadway entrance (17 arrests)
3/99- Weekly protests at Herald Square conclude, allowing ADL to demonstrate at Macy's stores in other boroughs.
5/99 WARAT merges with NYC ADL. NYC ADL becomes the official animal rights affiliate of the Wetlands Preserve Activism Center.
5/22/99 Bloody Fur Sale at Macy's Herald Square Activists dress as Macy's Bloody Fur Department retailers, model blood-soaked furs on their backs and on mannequins, and offer free furs to Macy's customers from a pit of blood, challenging them to accept the blood and suffering in every Macy's fur.
5/23/99 Bloody Fur Sale at Macy's Fulton Street Mall, Brooklyn, New York Sponsored Students Against Animal Cruelty .
6/12/99 Bloody Fur Sale: First ever protest at the Macy's in the Bronx.
7/99- Animal Defense League launches Brooklyn chapter to protest Macy's stores at Fulton Mall and Kings Plaza in Brooklyn..
7/26/99 WARAT joins activists in dozens of cities for a national day of demonstrations at Federated Stores. 50 activists demonstrate at Macy's Herald Square for 4 hours. Activists dress as blood-soaked partially skinned fur bearing animals and writhe in agony "caught" in over-sized steeljaw leghold traps.
8/8/99 Bloody fur Sale at Queens Center Mall Macy's.
8/28/99: Protest against Macy's Herald Square .
9/3/99: "Summer Is No Vacation For Animals on Fur Farms" street theater & demo at Macy's Herald Square.
9/7/99 ADL Brooklyn holds "Summer Is No Vacation For Animals on Fur Farms" street theater & demo at Fulton Street Macy's, Brooklyn
9/18/99 "Demo at Kings Plaza Macy's Brooklyn.
9/19/99:Bloody Fur Sale at Macy's Rego Park in Queens. Satirical street theater and demonstration:
10/30/99 Halloween Themed Protest at Macy's King's Plaza: Activist dressed as the ghosts of animals slaughtered for fur and "haunt" Macy's in front of cardboard "tombstones" documenting the methods used to kill animals for fur
11/6/99 Protest at Macy's Herald Square.
11/24/99 Balloon Inflation Demo
11/26/99 Fur Free Friday: Massive demonstration at Macy's followed by civil disobedience action in NYC's fur district

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