Anti-Fur Demonstrators Plead Innocent to Charges
Six anti-fur demonstrators arrested outside a Rodeo Drive store Friday pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges Tuesday in Beverly Hills Municipal Court and were released pending a Jan. 8 trial.
The activists, Pam and Jerry Vlasak, Rich McLellan, Alison Lance, Michael Welton and Patrick Thames, chained themselves together in front of Fendi, a tony women’s boutique that sells furs.
About 70 other demonstrators, part of a nationwide demonstration protesting the sale of fur, carried signs and chanted slogans, according to Crescenzo Vellucci, a spokesman for the Sacramento-based Activist Civil Liberties Committee.
The commotion forced police to shut down the prestigious shopping area for three hours at the height of the post-Thanksgiving shopping rush while they removed the six activists.
The demonstrators were charged with trespassing as well as felony child endangerment because two members of the group were juveniles from San Diego; they were released to an adult at the scene. The defendants were also charged with one count each of interfering or obstructing a business and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
