Cruelty To Animals: Gas Attack At Midwest FurFest Convention In Rosemont, Illinois—19 Injured
You no doubt have your own feelings about the subculture of furries—people who like to dress up in animal suits and meet each other at furry conventions. But whatever your feelings they don't deserve to be gassed in their hotel.
That's what happened at the Hyatt Hotel in Rosemont, Illinois at the Midwest FurFest convention, which resulted in 19 furries ending up in hospital. Six-foot-tall rabbits, foxes and dragons poured into the lobby, chatting and giving each other high paws, others were forced outside the hotel, many of them still in costume, which must've been a strange sight to behold.
“I think we’ll recover from this,” said Kit McCreedy, a 28-year-old from Madison, Wisconsin, his fox tail swinging behind him as he headed back inside for the last day of the Midwest FurFest. “People are tired but they’re still full of energy.”
From The Chicago Tribune:
Nineteen people were transported to nearby hospitals after complaining of nausea, dizziness and other medical problems, according to the statement. All people inside the building were temporarily evacuated and sheltered at nearby facilities, including the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.
Disrupted was an annual weekend long convention called Midwest FurFest, which celebrates art, literature and performance based around anthropomorphic animals, draws thousands of people every year, according to the Midwest FurFest website.
Hazardous materials technicians found the source of the chlorine gas, what appeared to be powdered chlorine, in a stairwell at the ninth floor, according to a statement from police.
So it looks like it was intentional, meaning someone set out to injure these animal anthropomorphes. Police are investigating the incident as a criminal matter. Let's hope they bring the culprits to justice,
However, it will take more than a dangerous chemical attack to deter FurFest, "Organizers said in the statement late Sunday morning that the FurFest would go on." reports The Chicago Tribune.
Some TV news stations had a difficult time of reporting this, Mika Brzezinski over at MSNBC had to learn the hard way what a furry is. Some days, God’s bounty is plentiful.