Chicago City Council votes down ban on new fur sales

CHICAGO - The Chicago City Council voted against a ban on the sale of fur in the city during a meeting on Wednesday.

A slim majority of 26 aldermen voted against the ban, with 19 voting for it.

Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th Ward) and animal rights activists argued the proposed ban was necessary to help prevent cruelty toward animals.

Skeptics argued such a ban would hurt local furrier businesses, especially in Black neighborhoods.

Exemptions and a grace period

What we know:

Lopez said the proposed ban would have included a one-year grace period for furriers to sell off their existing inventory of furs and transition to alternative products. 

It also would have exempted pre-owned fur products and products used for cultural and religious purposes, he added.

The alderman said the proposal had the support of Fur-Free Chicago, a local advocacy group, as well as the Chicago Fashion Coalition, Humane Society of the United States, and dozens of other humane organizations.

What they're saying:

"I believe Chicago must do its part to help end the global fur trade and prevent immense cruelty to millions of animals," Lopez wrote in a social media post earlier this month. "There is simply no need to allow wild animals to suffer in factory farms where they are killed solely for fashion. It’s time for Chicago to stop propping up this industry and end the sale of new fur products."

Several speakers also argued in favor of the ban during Wednesday’s meeting.

Black business community concerns

The other side:

Still, clergy members and Ald. Stephane Coleman (16th Ward), who chairs the Aldermanic Black Caucus, said the ban would hurt Black-owned businesses in the city.

"The Chicago Aldermanic Black Caucus seeks to remedy this matter to avoid the closure of numerous African American furriers particularly that of Island Furs," Coleman said in a statement, referring to a business in the Beverly neighborhood. "We stand with the Black clergy in opposing this measure."

Gerard Brown, the owner of Island Furs, said the ban "would have dismantled my company" and would have put people out of work.

Clergy members claimed Lopez didn't engage Black business owners on the issue and argued furrier businesses are "essential" to their communities.

"Now more than ever, we need to stand up for one another and stand up for small businesses," said Ald. Matt O'Shea (19th Ward). "It's so difficult right now to be a small business owner in the City of Chicago."

Big picture view:

Lopez argued that such bans have been on the rise across the country as over a dozen other cities and the state of California have already banned new fur sales. 

He also cited U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat’s (D-New York) proposal in Congress to end mink fur farming, which the lawmaker argued was important to stop the spread of viruses like the one that causes COVID-19.

The hope was that a ban would encourage furriers in Chicago to turn to alternative fur products.