Chicago Fur Ban – Dangerous, sudden, harmful

[ChicagoFurFan]

https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2025/03/04/fur-sales-ban-proposed-ordinance-animal-rights-lopez

As my name suggests, I am a native son of Chicago. A city famous for its winter and *almost* as equally famous for its furs, Chicago is a city with a rich tradition in the American fur passion. However, recent action in our city council poses a significant threat to that. I know there are some fellow Chicagoans in this forum. I urge all of you to find out who your alderperson is and call/mail/email their office before next week. I am proud to see my Alderman is seeing sense. As much as we might pretend it isn't on here (myself included on occasion), animal cruelty can be and often is a serious issue in the fur industry. American fur farms, and by extension, many American mom-and-pop furriers, though, are not part of this problem. Instead, a centuries old American economic sector is being punished crimes of Chinese, Russian, and Central Asian fur farming – where little regulation exists – and it seems Chicago is ground-zero. At a time where markets look to be taking a nosedive and economic strategies at the federal level may risk the stability of the U.S. labor force, putting thousands of highly-skilled employees from Chicagoland furriers out of work is incredibly callous, short-sighted, and, unlike U.S. fur farming, actually cruel. 

I can wholly empathize with people who don't wear fur, wear leather, or eat meat. I have many vegetarian friends. I even have a vegan friend. My family, including my own parents, have mixed feelings about fur, and have little to no inkling of my enthusiasm for fur. I have no problem with their views, in fact, on most issues, I tend to caucus with them. I am a progressive liberal. I am pro-regulation, including in the fur and fashion industry. I am supportive of a big government that operates towards the public interest. What I am not supportive of is bad policy with misinformed intentions. This ban bill, put forward by Ald. Raymond Lopez, the city council's most infamous snake (a man who is willing to deport members of his own community), is exactly that: a bad solution to a fake problem. If Lopez had the same enthusiasm for the lives of Chicagoans at risk from ICE, gun violence, or, of course, unemployment due to his ridiculous proposal, perhaps I'd be more willing to engage this potential ban with more good-faith. Since he has rarely given the great people of this city a fair shake, I see no reason to why I should extend him courtesy.

It is also worth noting the Chairwoman of the Council's Black Caucus is vehemently against this bill. Alderwoman Stephanie Coleman, who represents the city's 16th ward, voiced concerns:

"Coleman said her opposition isn’t about the 'love of fur coats' that runs through 'my entire family. With 'so many businesses leaving our city, I don’t think that we, as a City Council, should punish those businesses that have committed to our city. They are in the business to sell a product that people do purchase,' Coleman said. 'When there is below-zero weather, historically among, not just the African American community, but those who have lived in Chicago — they wear mink coats. ... There may be vegetarians, but people still eat meat. So should we close every steakhouse? Is that next?' ”

I think she hit the nail on the head. Chicago, particularly Black Chicago, has a strong relationship with fur. Perhaps that relationship should be reformed, but it should absolutely not be ended. 

Let's fight for fur, let's fight for reason.

(P.S. I am considering adapting this into an op-ed or letter to the Council, if anyone is interested in jumping on that, message me on here)

[minkme]

It's already happened in San Francisco, then California. 

[Fox]

Article is behind a pay wall :/

[shyfurwriter]

 The perception animals are tortured and killed for the vanity of the wealthy self indulgent makes the fur industry an easy target as the rest of society continues to deplete natural resources. What about our new lust for rare earth minerals. How are they harvested? Will the environment suffer from land and ocean mining? Will countries with large amounts of this commodity become pawns and collateral damage as larger countries seek to acquire them?  As stated in the above post  how many people will be caught in a broad green net? Lets throw out the baby with the bath water. But no problem, drill baby drill cause we saved some minks! Crap, I went off again.
I admit I find furs soft and sexy but for me there is an unspoken tenderness when one offers the furs of animals to warm, comfort or sooth someone they love. In a perfect world I think of fur as a partnership. The animals live well in abundance, in return some become beautiful furs that give us a soulful connection to our senses and nature.

Edited March 5 by shyfurwriter

[ChicagoFurFan]

2 hours ago, shyfurwriter said:

 The perception animals are tortured and killed for the vanity of the wealthy self indulgent makes the fur industry an easy target as the rest of society continues to deplete natural resources. What about our new lust for rare earth minerals. How are they harvested? Will the environment suffer from land and ocean mining? Will countries with large amounts of this commodity become pawns and collateral damage as larger countries seek to acquire them?  As stated in the above post  how many people will be caught in a broad green net? Lets throw out the baby with the bath water. But no problem, drill baby drill cause we saved some minks! Crap, I went off again.
I admit I find furs soft and sexy but for me there is an unspoken tenderness when one offers the furs of animals to warm, comfort or sooth someone they love. In a perfect world I think of fur as a partnership. The animals live well in abundance, in return some become beautiful furs that give us a soulful connection to our senses and nature.

Spot on. I think a lot of us are into the crueler side of fur, and sometimes that may blind us to the necessity of ethics in the fur industry, just like any other. While I love the power I feel wearing real fur, and especially in seeing someone else wear it, that doesn’t mean I actually support cruel and dangerous operations that put the entire industry at risk and create unnecessary suffering. The North American fur industry, though, is not party to such violations. Fur is a tightly regulated, family-driven sector in North America and Western Europe, and it shouldn’t be penalized for the crimes of others. 
 

I also agree that fur is a far more nuanced topic than say, mining, oil drilling, or even lumber. Fur is intimate, fashionable, and has a deep significance. It’s a symbol of love and sex, hell, I’d argue it’s a symbol for being human. 

[ChicagoFurFan]

9 hours ago, Fox said:

Article is behind a pay wall 😕

Apologies, this is a more limited article that explains the gist of it:

https://www.thedailyline.com/chicago-city-council-license-committee-consumer-protection-approved-bacp-commissioner-appointment-fur-product-ban

[Panther10]

This ban is abhorrent and unconstitutional. No city council has the right to tell an entire city of 2 million people what they can wear or where they can work or how they choose to make a living in this city. The only thing that is vile here is the reckless disregard for the freedom of choice in a city that for too long has tried to make great strides to defend it. Was that all just a big fat joke to these people in charge ?????

[ChicagoFurFan]

6 hours ago, Panther10 said:

This ban is abhorrent and unconstitutional. No city council has the right to tell an entire city of 2 million people what they can wear or where they can work or how they choose to make a living in this city. The only thing that is vile here is the reckless disregard for the freedom of choice in a city that for too long has tried to make great strides to defend it. Was that all just a big fat joke to these people in charge ?????

It’s insulting to the people who’ve dedicated their lives to this industry and to the millions of Chicagoans who deserve leadership on issues that matter. We’re a top 50 GDP-producing city in the world — we should be worrying about material issues, not telling each other what we can and can’t wear. It’s bad policy even if you’re anti-fur, even my anti-fur friends agree with me! 

[paul2809]

Thats not right in my book that fur is banned just bc some one doesnt like fur doesnt givem a right to tell other people that thier not alowed to wear fur.......last i checked, america. Is a free country...this is my opinion<<<

[Panther10]

The worst part is that this measure wasn’t even put forth as part of an election or ballot measure. Our committee of District Aldermans voted on this themselves by Quorum. The citizens in our state had no input at all. That goes for our small business owners. Any banks and commercial development who depended on the income from these local businesses, the communities they draw in and support, and not to mention the rich history of this city that would be completely abandoned if this trade were stopped wholesale.

Also you can tell that these Alderman’s really don’t have their fingers on the pulse of what makes the fur trade in Chicago so unique; because one of the stipulations in their clauses is that fur businesses can still remain if they are crafted by indigenous workers. But Chicago is not protected land and has no thriving Native American community to speak of. None that would at least help support any local businesses here in the city. Most of our populations rely heavily on immigrant communities from Mexico, Italy, Poland, Russia, Greece, Middle Eastern countries and Southeast Asia.  along with natural born African American and Caucasian Americans . And most of the furriers in this town are owned by either Eastern European immigrants or African Americans. So all of their businesses would be effected and immediately shut down and there would be no furriers left in this town. And you can bet that as soon as they move out, it wouldn’t take much for a North Face or a Nike or another billion dollar enterprise to scoop up that property that doesn’t need any more support or business anyway if the fur industry collapses in this state. Those are the last places I’d support if that happened. Hell I’d probably move out of Illinois if this ban succeeds but I pray that it won’t 

[shyfurwriter]

So sad in this free country that a select group of radicals can ruin someone's business and craft. I sure hope it does not pass. GOOD LUCK and keep us updated.

 

[ChicagoFurFan]

10 hours ago, Panther10 said:

The worst part is that this measure wasn’t even put forth as part of an election or ballot measure. Our committee of District Aldermans voted on this themselves by Quorum. The citizens in our state had no input at all. That goes for our small business owners. Any banks and commercial development who depended on the income from these local businesses, the communities they draw in and support, and not to mention the rich history of this city that would be completely abandoned if this trade were stopped wholesale.

Also you can tell that these Alderman’s really don’t have their fingers on the pulse of what makes the fur trade in Chicago so unique; because one of the stipulations in their clauses is that fur businesses can still remain if they are crafted by indigenous workers. But Chicago is not protected land and has no thriving Native American community to speak of. None that would at least help support any local businesses here in the city. Most of our populations rely heavily on immigrant communities from Mexico, Italy, Poland, Russia, Greece, Middle Eastern countries and Southeast Asia.  along with natural born African American and Caucasian Americans . And most of the furriers in this town are owned by either Eastern European immigrants or African Americans. So all of their businesses would be effected and immediately shut down and there would be no furriers left in this town. And you can bet that as soon as they move out, it wouldn’t take much for a North Face or a Nike or another billion dollar enterprise to scoop up that property that doesn’t need any more support or business anyway if the fur industry collapses in this state. Those are the last places I’d support if that happened. Hell I’d probably move out of Illinois if this ban succeeds but I pray that it won’t 

I have a feeling it might not succeed, perhaps more to do with personal animosity within the council towards Lopez. Hoping so. As a southsider, I can’t bear the thought of losing our furriers and our fur culture — one of the few things that transcends the unfortunate de facto racial divisions here

[Panther10]

I’m in the northern suburbs where there is a lot less animosity towards our immigrant communities. But there are far less furriers up here as well. The only one within reach is Elan Furs at their Morton Grove branch. Most of the other furriers tend to be further south in the heart of Chicago. Still even up here, Elan services’s most if not all of the greater Chicagoland area and they have clientele that come in from all over. They have also been sending out emails ahead of the vote asking their clients to protest the vote so hopefully that pulls some extra weight. Because as I said they get clients from all over. Even across state lines who would hate to see their primary furrier that they have built an established relationship with shut their doors. 
 

I hope this vote fails. I’ve been on pins and needles this whole weekend. The vote is tomorrow (Tuesday 3/11) correct?

[paul2809]

If im wrong about this, thats ok, but from what I understand... a written petition can be made to collect signatures by the masses....I feel this would show the peope are dont want our constitutional rights violated....this is my suggestion for every one of you living in chicago...

(Ive been trucking through chicago in the past , and I have to say scenery is  Beautiful).....this is coming from a native Texan living in NorthEast, Louisiana...

[Panther10]

3 hours ago, paul2809 said:

If im wrong about this, thats ok, but from what I understand... a written petition can be made to collect signatures by the masses....I feel this would show the peope are dont want our constitutional rights violated....this is my suggestion for every one of you living in chicago...

(Ive been trucking through chicago in the past , and I have to say scenery is  Beautiful).....this is coming from a native Texan living in NorthEast, Louisiana...

No petition was started because the vote was only brought to the floor last Thursday and will be voted by that same committee early this week. Public petitions take weeks to organize and get enough valid signatures for. The city council didn’t even want to put this up for a public vote as part of a referendum. Only the aldermen who represent the various districts of Chicago get an actual say, not the citizens they represent or who elected them in the first place. It was a miracle in itself that the North American Fur Council responded and and came to Chicago to offer their full support to oppose the ban and offered suggestions to furriers and their clients on how to protest it and offered email templates and call centers where Illinoians could write or call their alderman’s and ask them to reject this ban. There is also an effort in place by the NAFC to sue the city of Chicago on the grounds that the ban is unconstitutional and it effects the long term economic growth and stability of our city’s economy if these furriers are banned from operating in our state.

[Panther10]

I am on pins and needles ahead of this vote this afternoon. I hope the ban fails and the fur community found the support it needed to rally against it. 

[ChicagoFurFan]

 

The city council saw sense! The measure lost 26-19! Hopefully this type of thing is dead for a time, and, I also hope it galvanizes furriers in the city. Glad to see that some people still recognized the importance of local business and fashion freedom.

 

On 3/4/2025 at 6:33 PM, ChicagoFurFan said:

https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2025/03/04/fur-sales-ban-proposed-ordinance-animal-rights-lopez

As my name suggests, I am a native son of Chicago. A city famous for its winter and *almost* as equally famous for its furs, Chicago is a city with a rich tradition in the American fur passion. However, recent action in our city council poses a significant threat to that. I know there are some fellow Chicagoans in this forum. I urge all of you to find out who your alderperson is and call/mail/email their office before next week. I am proud to see my Alderman is seeing sense. As much as we might pretend it isn't on here (myself included on occasion), animal cruelty can be and often is a serious issue in the fur industry. American fur farms, and by extension, many American mom-and-pop furriers, though, are not part of this problem. Instead, a centuries old American economic sector is being punished crimes of Chinese, Russian, and Central Asian fur farming – where little regulation exists – and it seems Chicago is ground-zero. At a time where markets look to be taking a nosedive and economic strategies at the federal level may risk the stability of the U.S. labor force, putting thousands of highly-skilled employees from Chicagoland furriers out of work is incredibly callous, short-sighted, and, unlike U.S. fur farming, actually cruel. 

I can wholly empathize with people who don't wear fur, wear leather, or eat meat. I have many vegetarian friends. I even have a vegan friend. My family, including my own parents, have mixed feelings about fur, and have little to no inkling of my enthusiasm for fur. I have no problem with their views, in fact, on most issues, I tend to caucus with them. I am a progressive liberal. I am pro-regulation, including in the fur and fashion industry. I am supportive of a big government that operates towards the public interest. What I am not supportive of is bad policy with misinformed intentions. This ban bill, put forward by Ald. Raymond Lopez, the city council's most infamous snake (a man who is willing to deport members of his own community), is exactly that: a bad solution to a fake problem. If Lopez had the same enthusiasm for the lives of Chicagoans at risk from ICE, gun violence, or, of course, unemployment due to his ridiculous proposal, perhaps I'd be more willing to engage this potential ban with more good-faith. Since he has rarely given the great people of this city a fair shake, I see no reason to why I should extend him courtesy.

It is also worth noting the Chairwoman of the Council's Black Caucus is vehemently against this bill. Alderwoman Stephanie Coleman, who represents the city's 16th ward, voiced concerns:

"Coleman said her opposition isn’t about the 'love of fur coats' that runs through 'my entire family. With 'so many businesses leaving our city, I don’t think that we, as a City Council, should punish those businesses that have committed to our city. They are in the business to sell a product that people do purchase,' Coleman said. 'When there is below-zero weather, historically among, not just the African American community, but those who have lived in Chicago — they wear mink coats. ... There may be vegetarians, but people still eat meat. So should we close every steakhouse? Is that next?' ”

I think she hit the nail on the head. Chicago, particularly Black Chicago, has a strong relationship with fur. Perhaps that relationship should be reformed, but it should absolutely not be ended. 

Let's fight for fur, let's fight for reason.

(P.S. I am considering adapting this into an op-ed or letter to the Council, if anyone is interested in jumping on that, message me on here)

19 hours ago, Panther10 said:

I am on pins and needles ahead of this vote this afternoon. I hope the ban fails and the fur community found the support it needed to rally against it. 

On 3/7/2025 at 11:31 AM, Panther10 said:

The worst part is that this measure wasn’t even put forth as part of an election or ballot measure. Our committee of District Aldermans voted on this themselves by Quorum. The citizens in our state had no input at all. That goes for our small business owners. Any banks and commercial development who depended on the income from these local businesses, the communities they draw in and support, and not to mention the rich history of this city that would be completely abandoned if this trade were stopped wholesale.

Also you can tell that these Alderman’s really don’t have their fingers on the pulse of what makes the fur trade in Chicago so unique; because one of the stipulations in their clauses is that fur businesses can still remain if they are crafted by indigenous workers. But Chicago is not protected land and has no thriving Native American community to speak of. None that would at least help support any local businesses here in the city. Most of our populations rely heavily on immigrant communities from Mexico, Italy, Poland, Russia, Greece, Middle Eastern countries and Southeast Asia.  along with natural born African American and Caucasian Americans . And most of the furriers in this town are owned by either Eastern European immigrants or African Americans. So all of their businesses would be effected and immediately shut down and there would be no furriers left in this town. And you can bet that as soon as they move out, it wouldn’t take much for a North Face or a Nike or another billion dollar enterprise to scoop up that property that doesn’t need any more support or business anyway if the fur industry collapses in this state. Those are the last places I’d support if that happened. Hell I’d probably move out of Illinois if this ban succeeds but I pray that it won’t 

I have a feeling it might not succeed, perhaps more to do with personal animosity within the council towards Lopez. Hoping so. As a southsider, I can’t bear the thought of losing our furriers and our fur culture — one of the few things that transcends the unfortunate de facto racial divisions here

[natashainfurs]

Do you know if there's a page to collect signatures so we can help from a distance? 

[Panther10]

2 hours ago, natashainfurs said:

Do you know if there's a page to collect signatures so we can help from a distance? 

No there were no petitions in place because usually ordinances like this affect local counties and districts within city limits and are not subject to outside influence. You wouldn’t directly be able to have a say in this matter unless you had a residence in Chicago or owned a business here and this measure affected you personally. Had the ordinance been given a longer deadline we might have been able to organize a petition for Chicago residents to sign but again, outside influence would not be permissible.