Rogue Valley Independent Media Center

Victoria's Dirty Little Secret in Oregon

Oxygen Collective, 03.12.2004 00:07

Several Medford patrol units responded Thursday night to calls made by Victoria's Secret and the Rogue Valley Mall. An Ashland man was handcuffed and six others detained while an excited Victoria's Secret employee tried to accuse the detained of a variety of crimes. Officers released everyone without charges after about 45 minutes.

About 20 Jackson County residents had gone to Victoria's Secret to highlight endangered forest destroyed to ship more than million panty catalogs a day every day of the year. Forests in northern or boreal reaches of Canada are destroyed to make constantly the soft porn catalogs with zero recycled content, shipped nearly everywhere.

Along with the Medford protest, more than 100 actions took place today at Victoria's Secret stores around the country. Negotiations between the corporation and the San Francisco-based environmental organization ForestEthics broke down earlier this Summer. ForestEthics has promised to organize against the company until Victoria's Secret leads the catalog industry out of endangered forest destruction and into 50% postconsumer fiber within five years.

The protest group entered the Medford store at the beginning of the holiday season to inform customers about the issue and to inform employees about the campaign. Above the storefont sign they hung a banner reading "Catalogs = Clearcuts" while a woman and her daughter ringed the mall with yard signs sporting a catalog style model complete with chainsaw.

Inside and in front of the store, more than a dozen women and men, some donned in lingerie distributed literature while talking with customers and employees. The demonstrators were met harshly. After calling for mall security a female customer grabbed for a videographer's camera. Later a female security guard encouraged a pursuing Victoria's Secret employee to grab for the man's camera bag. The man pulled the bag back from her and after again being pursued ran.

After the actions a key campaigner in Portland suggested that Victoria's Secret may need to straighten out its act by Valentines Day or the panty pusher would face a much bigger round two.

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