Photo by Mike Maple/The Commercial Appeal
Busted
by PETA "fashion police" wearing naughty pleather cop costumes at Adams
and Main Wednesday, Dennis Abernathy proclaimed "I'm guilty, arrest me"
and miniskirted Monika Meilleur of Durham, N.C., obliged.
Fashion police for PETA pull in easy prey with fishnet stockings
From Commercial Appeal, by Alex Doniach
December 28, 2006
Deputy
U.S. Marshal James Bradbury wore leather shoes to work Wednesday -- and
he paid the price with a citation from the "fashion police."
"Didn't
you know it's against the law to impersonate a police officer?"
Bradbury joked to Monika Meilleur, a tall blond woman in fishnet
stockings and a faux uniform who wobbled up to Bradbury atop her 4-inch
(fake) leather heels.
"Well, it's against fashion law to wear leather," she said with a smile and slapped him with a ticket.
No
one donning a smidgeon of leather, fur or wool was left uncited by
volunteers for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals who tracked
them in Downtown Memphis.
PETA
volunteers Meilleur and Janna Harris braved the cold to hand out
hundreds of tickets from "The Department of Public Decency" to spread
awareness about the pain animals endure for leather shoes and fur
coats.
"This
is a lighthearted way to bring attention to a serious subject," said
Meilleur, 20, a college student who flew from her home in Chapel Hill,
N.C. "There is nothing sexy about wearing a dead animal."
Matt Rice, a PETA campaign coordinator, said wool-producing sheep in
Australia are treated cruelly. When the sheep's wrinkled skin becomes
infected, it is often clipped off with gardening shears, he said.
"The fur, leather and wool industries use animals to maximize profit at the expense of animal welfare," Rice said.
PETA fashion police will make their way to hundreds of U.S. cities
within the next year, Rice said. Memphis is the second stop on a
three-city tour that also includes Raleigh and Chattanooga. While the citations were received in good spirit, the message didn't always sink in with passersby outside City Hall.
Janice Prewitt, 28, was ticketed for her leather boots and the fur lining of her winter coat. "This coat is cute, thank you very much," Prewitt said. "And I wouldn't be caught dead wearing cheap, fake boots!" -- Alex Doniach: 529-5231-
Below is FART volunteers raising awareness about choices at 2008 Holistic and Metaphysical Fair
Sponsored by the Sanctuary, in Bartlett TN. ( http://MidSouthSanctuary.com )
