Just another pathetic commentary on the state of affairs of this city. This whole sad episode has been posted on business blogs around the country as a warning to any fool who would come here to open a business.

Isn't Judge Mosman the bigoted conservative who just granted an injunction to prevent the civil unions law from taking effect?

He must have forgotten who appointed him.

If gramps had a pair of huevos, he would have had the police prevent this type of consumer harassment from ever occuring. I think the selling of furs is still legal in the people's republic of pottertown.

I think these words from the judge's ruling might be a slight bit relevant:

"Although the (Schumachers) may have had meritorious claims against people whose names they did not know, or even against the City of Portland, they sued people against whom they had no evidence for $6.6 million, sought to restrict their First Amendment rights, and disparaged their reputations with accusations of criminal conduct, terrorist affiliations and responsibility for 'shutting down' a business whose financial solvency was questionable before the protesting activities began."

If gramps had a pair of huevos, he would have had the police prevent this type of consumer harassment from ever occuring. I think the selling of furs is still legal in the people's republic of pottertown.

Not a lawyer here, but is "consumer harassment" a crime?

I recall watching, for about 5 minutes, one of those Fur Friday protests. Yes, it was loud and obnoxious, but illegal? The event I was witnessed was being watched by about a dozen cops, roughly equal in number to the protesters.

a warning to any fool who would come here to open a business.

If they're going to behave like the Schumachers did in this case, I hope they stay away.

"I think the selling of furs is still legal in the people's republic of pottertown."

So is peaceful protest, which is covered under the First Amendment. If you don't like free speech, maybe you should move to a country that doesn't have it.

I hope you all support protests at abortion clinics too. At abortion clinics they have to count the arms and legs of babies they have torn apart in the womb. I don't believe any animals were killed at Shumachers.

By the way, more animals are killed for meat and sold through Fred Meyer than are killed for fur coats - why not the protests at grocery stores?

I hope you all support protests at abortion clinics too.

loud, angry, threatening protests go on at abortion clinics daily across the country, protected by law. i support their right to protest, but dislike their methods.

I don't believe any animals were killed at Shumachers.

no, they were killed *for* Shumachers.

By the way, more animals are killed for meat and sold through Fred Meyer than are killed for fur coats - why not the protests at grocery stores?

protesting fur isn't hypocritical because somebody isn't protesting meat outside Freddy's today, man.

"By the way, more animals are killed for meat and sold through Fred Meyer than are killed for fur coats - why not the protests at grocery stores?"

The places that have been picketed by the PITA crowd (pun intended) have primarily been chosen because the front foor opened right on the street. Picketing a Freddies is a bigger problem for these guys because they can't get right by the front door and windows so as to harrass the customers. Not to mention that the little guys don't have the financial wherewithal to identify the illegally acting picketers and haul their butts into court. Freddies does.

Or to put it more bluntly the PITA folks can bully the little guys so that's who they pick on.

Greg C

They sued the people they were angry at, not the people who did anything wrong.

Anyway, they dug their own hole by pissing off their landlord, Tom Moyer's TMT Development.

Schumacher was clearly his own worst enemy. If there is to be a class on how NOT to deal with protesters at your store, his actions should be prominently featured. The most telling part of the whole thing was when he had trouble finding some one to rent to him.

Greg C

Mossman seems quite lucid here imho. Does anyone know who represented "the protesters"?

The tactic Schumachers employed: painting people against whom they have no evidence as rude and lawless smacks of the National Animal Interest Alliance on whose board one of the Schmacher brothers (Mark) sits. I am keenly aware of this because I have been a target. Just this month, someone I just met contacted me and reported that Patti Strand, current NAIA president is saying I a "threatening a lawsuit" I know nothing about. It is unfortunate when members of the news media believe these characterizations instead of searching for the real story. But Strand and company are pretty shrewd. Their association with ocunty animal services is something I have been trying to get investigated for years, and the above-referenced mischaracterization may have something to do with why the investigation hasn't happened yet, even though Ted Wheeler ran for office with a platform plank of cleaning up the place.

Oops. I wanted to include my last name with this post.

Schumacher was clearly his own worst enemy. If there is to be a class on how NOT to deal with protesters at your store, his actions should be prominently featured. The most telling part of the whole thing was when he had trouble finding some one to rent to him.

His actions may have been a bit over the mark, but he couldnt find anyone to rent to him because of the protesters. Nobody wanted the problems that protesters that would bring, and that would eventually drive away customers for other businesses nearby.

And seriously, what was he supposed to do? The protesters were protected by the First Amendment. But there wasnt anything to protect his business. People quit coming because of harassment by the protesters, not because they got a conscience about fur.

Its obvious that nothing can stop protesters like these. Eventually they will come for the grocery stores, restaurants, etc that dont see things "their" way. And there is basically nothing anyone can do about it.

Keep Portland Weird.

So, throwing red paint and feces on their windows falls under the definition of "peaceful?"

Schumacher easily could have had some time place and manner restrictions put on the protesters-a buffer zone around the store. He could have gotten that by negotiating with the COP most likely. But that isn't what he wanted. He wanted to control the cops and have them arrest people where an investigation would yield no evidence. Personally, I doubt there ever was any of the more disgusting activity; my guess is that Schumacher and cohorts lied and recognized no limits when it came to discrediting protesters. The method to the madness of his ilk is to repress all advocacy on behalf of animals. If you doubt it, dig deeply into the National Animal Interest Alliance's website. It's a concerted effort to repress any criticism of the current animal use status quo, which, I might add, includes sending pets from shelters to research labs. Those of us who have been involved in animal advocacy for years have seen it firsthand. I am thankful that Mosman saw through it.

Can anyone post a working link to the opinion? The O's seems to be broken.

Right, I know that Schumacher wanted to control the cops. He definitely lied, and has no limits. Hell with the police reports, there were no feces, paint, glued locks; that was all contrived. What I saw wasn't real, I misinterpreted what my eyes saw. Schumacher's demeanor warranted the continuing outcome, that should always be how justice is determined. If you don't like someone, nail him.

No feces or glued locks?

I agree that Schumacher handled things poorly, but at least some of these things did happen.

Why would the Animal Liberation Front take credit if they had not?

see here
http://www.animalliberationpressoffice.org/communiques/2006-08-25_schumacherfurs.htm

If credible people have first-hand knowledge that these things did happen and someone is taking credit for them, I will accept that. But, as I have stated before, I guestion whether this type of tactic -and groups like the ALF-aren't agent provocateur inspired.

Betty, my comments were a spoof.

http://www.shumacherfurs.com/docs/lawsuit/20070920%20Opinion%20and%20Order.pdf

This is the link to the opinion dismissing the suit.

lw: My guess is that we all recognized your comments as a spoof. My opinion, stated above, is based only on my dealings with the National Animal Interest Alliance of which Shcumachers are members. It is not based on first hand knowledge of abuses here, which the opinion states are undisputed.