Pretender Chrissie Hynde 'Back On The Chain Gang'

03/10/2000 2:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen

(3/10/00, 2 p.m. ET) - Pretenders singer Chrissie Hynde was arrested in New York City on Thursday (March 9) during an animal-rights protest at a Gap clothing store. A police representative told LAUNCH that approximately 20 PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) supporters were protesting at the Gap store located at 1212 6th Avenue for the clothing chain's alleged purchase of black-market leather.

After the protesters had entered the store and began destroying goods, Hynde and three others were arrested and charged with criminal mischief in the third degree at approximately 2 p.m. ET. Hynde and the other three protestors were led away in handcuffs and taken to the Midtown North police precinct.

Hynde said the clothing chain's leather jackets -- with inside labels that read "Made in India" -- are made of leather from cows slaughtered in India, where cows are considered sacred. "India does not import leather, and it is the largest exporter of leather in the world. So it seems highly unlikely that the Gap buys its leather from America, where the slaughterhouse practices are considered humane and legal, and send the leather to India, stitch up the jacket, and send it back to America."

The Gap, which met with PETA activists, issued a statement to let their customers know they shared PETA's concerns. Gap stated that the jackets were purchased from apparel factories. "Apparel factories often source their leather from other countries. We expect apparel factories to source leather from vendors that follow applicable laws and the industry's best practices, including the humane treatment of animals."A police representative said that Hynde's court hearing would be scheduled for a later date.

-- Sue Falco, New York

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