New York Post – by Carl Campanile
Hold on to your mink coats, fox caps and scarves.
New York City could soon be a fur-less metropolis if Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Manhattan) has his way.
Johnson, who represents the garment district and also is eyeing a run for mayor, has introduced legislation that would ban the sale of fur apparel in New York City.
The fur ban — co-sponsored by Councilman Mark Levine (D-Manhattan) and Fernando Cabrera (D-Bronx) — is slated to be introduced at the council’s general meeting on Thursday.
The proposed local law would prohibit “the sale of fur apparel.”
“As an animal lover, I believe it is cruel to kill an animal just for the purpose of people buying and wearing a fur coat. There is really no need for this,” said Johnson, who has a cat named Mousse.
“In a progressive and modern city like New York, banning the sale of fur clothing and accessories is long overdue. Saying no to fur is fashionable and a symbol of progress. This proposal is about protecting animals and their unnecessary killing.”
The Johnson anti-fur measure comes a week after The Post reported on a bill introduced in the state assembly by animal rights activist Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan) to ban the manufacture and sale of animal fur.
There are over 130 fur businesses that operate in the city, employing 1,100 people, according to an economic study conducted for The Fur council.
According to the trade group FurNYC, 101 of the fur businesses are located in Johnson’s district on the West Side, mostly from 27th to 30th streets and along Seventh Avenue.
Furriers were stunned that Johnson is leading the charge to wipe out businesses in his own district and vowed to fight tooth and nail to save their livelihoods.
“There are hundreds of fur businesses in New York City including more than 100 family-owned fur businesses in Speaker Johnson’s district. His bill will shutter a thriving industry with good-paying middle-class jobs for more than a 1,000 New York City residents. Since when is the City Council in the business of killing jobs?” said Nancy Daigneault, spokesperson for Fur NYC.
“We hope Speaker Johnson and the City Council refocus on real issues like addressing New York City’s growing affordability crisis and decaying infrastructure.”
Steve Cowit, co-owner of the third-generation Cowit Furs & Madison Avenue Furs, fumed, “Corey Johnson is introducing the fur ban?! I guess he wants to represents a district with empty storefronts.
“What happened to freedom of choice? Next it will be the meat industry and chicken industry. When will it end?”
The campaign to ban fur comes on the heels of Amazon cancelling its project to open a campus along the Long Island City, Queens, waterfront because of ferocious opposition that included Johnson. Amazon had promised to create 25,000 jobs in exchange for $3 billion in government subsidies.
“This is Amazon on steroids,” said fur industry lobbyist James “Cadillac” McMahon of TLM Associates.
The Humane Society estimates that more than 100 million animals are killed each year for their fur.
San Francisco and Los Angeles have banned fur apparel, and major luxury fashion brands such as Coach, Gucci, Armani, Stella McCartney, Ralph Lauren, Versace, Burberry, Coach Diane Furstenberg and DKNY have gone fur-free.
Furriers argue that animal furs are sustainable, environmentally friendly products.
https://nypost.com/2019/03/26/city-council-proposes-legislation-to-ban-sale-of-fur-apparel/