LION Holds Merrick Furs Protest

Members of Long Island Orchestrating for Nature (LION) gathered outside of Merrick Furs Tuesday to protest the store’s opening for the fall season.

“We started out protests at Merrick Furs last year on Black Friday,” LION President John Di Leonardo said. “The public was so supportive, and a lot of people expressed interest in coming out the very next week, so we started doing Fur Free Fridays.”

Diane Madden, who’s running for Town Council, was on hand to lend support, and she said that animal rights is something that’s often overlooked by government.

“I feel very strongly about animal issues,” she said. “Obviously, they have no voice, and there’s no voice in local politics for these animals.”

Also on hand for Tuesday’s protest along Sunrise Highway was 11-year-old Avery Scott of Williston Park, who voiced concerns for the way animals are treated in the creation of fur material.

“They come from animals that are electrocuted on farms, and they’re skinned for their furs,” Scott said. “It’s very inhumane, it’s not nice to the animals and that’s why we’re here today.”

Representatives from Merrick Furs declined to comment.

Di Leonardo also told Patch that people have inquired about Worldwide Puppies and Kittens on Sunrise Highway, and another protest may be on the horizon.

What do you think of the protest? Is the way fur is created inhumane? Tell us in the comments section below.