Submitted by Animal Defense League – Southern California:
On January 9, 2021, a beautiful afternoon in Beverly Hills, Animal Defense League Southern California gathered to enjoy one of our favorite pastimes: holding Saks Fifth Avenue accountable for the torture and murder of fur-bearing animals.
Saks’ response to protests has been to monitor our Facebook events page, and then stage a poor reenactment of a Law and Order sting operation. Private security forces surveil the local park we use as a meetup spot, the thin blue line protecting society from thirty activists discussing vegan food under a tree. These police academy drop-outs stand on parking lot rooftops, circle in SUVs, and otherwise make fools of themselves trying to play detective.
While these elite commandos chattered into walkie-talkies, we calmly walked down Rodeo Drive towards their imaginary army base, the local Saks Fifth Avenue department store. And what did we find upon reaching it? Yet more guards in a line next to the store’s locked entrances.
The protest lasted a full ninety minutes. We educated the public with chants and speak-outs, circling the main building and crossing the street to the men’s store. No Saks employee could miss our message about the suffering of their victims.
Already hundreds of millions in debt, Saks now expends resources on intimidation tactics that repel customers. Thanks for helping make our protests a success, Saks.
