After months and months and months of battling fur protesters outside their store, Schumacher Furs is pulling up stakes ^[1] and heading to an undisclosed suburban location. Owner Greg Schumacher cites a litany of reasons to leave (protesters are one factor, to be sure) – panhandlers, public urination and street musicians (???).

I’ve been following this issue with a jaded eye for the last few months – I’d like to see downtown businesses survive, but also couldn’t help but agree with Randy Leonard’s conclusion (after he stepped back from trying to resolve the conflict with protesters): “I honestly had never been involved in anything in which I felt like the folks I was trying to help did not want to be helped.”

But while I don’t necessarily begrudge the protesters their right to free speech and assembly, I have to ask this: couldn’t all that effort and energy have been better spent? They didn’t manage to save one animal from being killed, after all. And I really don’t think that the protesters will pick up their stakes and follow Schumacher to the suburbs. So ultimately – what was the point, anyway?

But hey – with all that free time, maybe protesters can help solve a tangible problem close to home. There’s that whole ‘appalling quality of street musicians’ issue that apparently needs serious attention, for starters…

Update: According to The Merc, it’s not a planned retreat – Schumacher EVICTED–not “leaving” ^[2]. Matt Davis has the scoop, as per usual…