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Center of Chimp Abandonment Scandal, Howard Milstein, Now Embroiled in Federal Subprime Loan Trial

June 20, 2016 by Leave a Comment


The News

Howard Milstein, a multi-billionaire who has been widely criticized over the past year for his role in the NY Blood Center’s (NYBC) decision to abandon 66 chimpanzees in Liberia, is now embroiled in a federal trial regarding subprime loans made by Emigrant Savings Bank, where he serves as CEO.

Howard Milstein

Howard Milstein

According to the New York Times, Milstein expanded a program “that made hundreds of millions of dollars in loans to people with bad credit ratings and no proof that they could pay the money back” but who did “have houses that were rich in equity for collateral.” When Milstein bought Emigrant in 2004, 25% of the bank’s loans were regarded as subprime; by 2009, the number increased to 50%. Such loans are now illegal, but eight families are suing Emigrant, alleging that they were illegal a decade ago as well, largely because they were disproportionately marketed to minorities.

NY Times article reporting on a federal trial regarding subprime loans given by Emigrant Bank when Howard Milstein was its CEO.

NY Times article reporting on a federal trial regarding subprime loans given by Emigrant Bank when Howard Milstein was its CEO.

“Milstein’s exploitation of his customers comes as no surprise to us,” said Roberto Bonelli, one of the organizers of the campaign to compel Milstein and NYBC to reinstate funding for the abandoned chimpanzees. “Someone who is capable of leaving animals to starve to death is certainly capable of exploiting vulnerable humans as well.”  Howard Milstein was the chairman of NYBC’s board when the decision was made to abandon the chimpanzees. He continues to serve in that position.

Animal rights advocates protest and stage a die-in outside Howard Milstein's Park Ave. home on behalf of the chimpanzees abandoned by NYBC when he served as the chairman of its board.

Protesters stage a die-in at Howard Milstein’s Park Ave. home on behalf of the chimpanzees abandoned by NYBC.

In 2015, animal advocates staged approximately 10 protests at Milstein’s Park Avenue and Hamptons homes. According to The Real Deal, a monthly news outlet about the real estate industry, “Animal rights activists…picketed outside the Upper East Side home of the Milstein Properties head…protesting the New York Blood Center chair’s role in the organization’s treatment of research chimpanzees in Africa.”

The Real Deal reports on protests held at Milstein's park ave. home in support of the 66 chimpanzees abandoned by the NY Blood Center.

The Real Deal reports on a protest held at Milstein’s Park Ave. home.

For a 30 year period starting in the mid-1970s, NYBC conducted experiments on over 400 hundred chimpanzees in Liberia, where they could capture, breed and experiment on them with little regulatory oversight. After the research was conducted, NYBC moved the survivors onto six islands with no natural food or water and made a public commitment to provide them with lifelong care.

The NY Blood Center made a promise to provide the chimpanzees with lifelong care.

In 2005, The NY Blood Center promised to provide the chimpanzees with lifelong care.

In May, 2015, the NY Times reported that NYBC had “withdrawn all funding,” leaving the chimps to die of starvation and thirst. In order to keep the chimps alive, Liberians who had been employed by NYBC to deliver food and water, began to care for them on a volunteer basis. With virtually no resources and burdened by the Ebola outbreak in Liberia, these volunteers kept the chimpanzees alive until a coalition of over 30 animal conservation groups, led by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), raised funds from the public to pay for the chimps’ care on an emergency basis.

Young chimpanzee abandoned by the NY Blood Center receives water from a local volunteer.

A volunteer provides water to a chimpanzee abandoned by the NY Blood Center.

The New York Blood Center, which earned an estimated $500 million in royalties off of the research conducted on the chimpanzees, has publicly stated that it has no “contractual obligation” to pay for the chimps’ food and water and has shifted the burden of caring for their captive chimp population to the animal welfare community.

A mother chimpanzee abandoned by the NY Blood Center shares food with her baby.

A chimpanzee abandoned by the NY Blood Center shares food with her baby.

At a press conference on May 19th organized by HSUS, NY State Senator Tony Avella and NY State Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal condemned NYBC’s actions and demanded that the group resume funding for the chimps.

New York State senator Tony Avella addresses a demonstration at city hall demanding that NYBC reinstate funding for the care of the chimpanzees it abandoned.

At a press conference at NY City Hall, NY State senator Tony Avella demands that NYBC reinstate funding for the chimpanzees.

Your Turn

Sign the Care2 petition to MetLife, NYBC’s largest corporate donor.

Join the Facebook page: New York Blood Center: Do the Right Thing to stay apprised of news and to participate in online actions to pressure NYBC board members to fulfill their promise to provide lifelong care to their laboratory chimps.

Use the tweet sheet to contact MetLife, NYBC and their stakeholders.

Follow TheirTurn on Twitter, and follow “Save NYBC Chimps” on Instagram and Twitter.


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Sparks Fly During Chimp Protest at Home of MetLife CEO Steven Kandarian

May 16, 2016 by Leave a Comment


The News

In spite of petitions, protests and letters from concerned citizens around the world, MetLife CEO Steven Kandarian continues to ignore the chimp crisis created by the NY Blood Center (NYBC), so activists took the campaign to his neighbors in Summit, NJ, an exclusive suburb of NYC.

MetLife is the largest corporate donor of the NYBC, which left 66 chimpanzees on islands in Liberia with no food or water after conducting experiments on them for 30 years; earning an estimated $500 million in royalties; and promising to provide them with lifelong care. Since May 2015, advocates worldwide have asked MetLife to hold NYBC accountable, but the company, which prides itself on “corporate social responsibility,” has refused to respond.

Advocates educate MetLife CEO Steven Kandarian's neighbors about his complicity in the abandoned chimp crisis

Advocates educate MetLife CEO Steven Kandarian’s neighbors about his complicity in the abandoned chimp crisis

While most of Mr. Kandarian’s neighbors were eager to hear why advocates were protesting in his neighborhood, one man (wearing pale blue shirt) virtually assaulted them as they marched through the town of Summit, which is one mile away from Mr. Kandarian’s mansion.

An inexplicably angry man in Summit, NJ, aggressively confronts advocates protesting MetLife CEO Steven Kandarian

An inexplicably angry man in Summit, NJ, aggressively confronts advocates protesting MetLife CEO Steven Kandarian

On April 26th, animal rights activists in NYC staged a 30 minute disruption inside of the MetLife building at the height of rush hour. The company’s decision to ignore the protesters instead of engaging them triggered them to take the campaign to the CEO’s hometown.

Kandarian-protest-summit-march

Advocates protesting chimp abandonment march through the town of Summit, NJ

In an article entitled Animal Rights Group Protests Outside of MetLife CEO’s Residence in Summit, Mr. Kandarian’s hometown newspaper published a lengthy story about the protest.

Kandarian-protest-summit-march2

Advocates inform Steven Kandarian’s neighbors about his complicity in the New York Blood Center abandoned chimpanzee crisis

Your Turn

Sign the Care2 petition to MetLife.

Join the Facebook page: New York Blood Center: Do the Right Thing to stay apprised of news and to participate in online actions to pressure NYBC board members to fulfill their promise to provide lifelong care to their laboratory chimps.

Use the tweet sheet to contact MetLife, NYBC and their stakeholders.

Follow “Save NYBC Chimps” on Instagram and Twitter.


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Activists Stage “Die-in” at Home of New York Blood Center’s Michael Hodin

February 8, 2016 by Leave a Comment


The News

Activists are not taking the New York Blood Center’s decision to abandon their surviving lab chimps lying down — unless they’re staging a “die-in” at the homes of the organization’s board members.

On February 4th, approximately 20 activists symbolically perished in front of the Upper West Side home of Michael Hodin, a wealthy businessman who, along with his colleagues at the NY Blood Center, left the group’s 66 surviving lab chimpanzees to die with no food or water on islands in Liberia after promising to provide them with lifelong care.

Activists stage die-in at the home of Michael Hodin, a New York Blood Center board member

Activists stage die-in at the home of Michael Hodin, a New York Blood Center board member (Chimp photo: Jeff Topham)

During three increasingly disruptive protests staged at Michael Hodin’s home, residents from his building and the neighborhood displayed mixed emotions – from gratitude to grief to anger.

Michael-Hodin-protest-tears (1)

A pedestrian broke into tears when she learned that the NY Blood Center abandoned chimpanzees

One woman who exited and re-entered the building masked her identity by wearing a conical hat. Based on a fleeting view of her face, protesters suspected that she was Michael Hodin’s wife, Nancy.

From left to right: Howard Milstein, Nancy Hodin, Nancy Hodin (?)

From left to right: Howard Milstein, Nancy Hodin, woman masking her identity (Nancy Hodin?)

During the second protest at Michael Hodin’s home, held on January 28th, a few of his neighbors castigated the activists as they entered the building. “You guys are crazy,” said one resident. Protesters surmise that Hodin distributed a flyer in the building about the protests in an attempt to exonerate himself and discredit the activists.

Your Turn

Please join the Facebook page: New York Blood Center: Do the Right Thing to stay apprised of news and to participate in online actions to pressure NYBC executives and board members to fulfill their promise to provide lifelong care to their laboratory chimps.


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NYBC Board Member Michael Hodin, an Advocate for the Aging, Abandons Elderly Chimps

January 28, 2016 by Leave a Comment


The News

Based on the dozen or more police officers and private security guards stationed at his Upper West Side home, New York Blood Center (NYBC) board member Michael Hodin must have been expecting an armed invasion. What he got instead was a group of 20 peaceful demonstrators who merely asked that he reinstate funding for the 66 chimpanzees abandoned by NYBC on islands in Liberia with no food or water.

Hodin, who has not responded to any of the letters or phone calls asking that he and his colleagues at NYBC take responsibility for their chimps, is a Managing Parter at the High Lantern Group and the CEO of the Global Coalition on Aging. During the protest, participants noted the irony of an advocate for the aging leaving elderly and dependent chimps to die.

At least a dozen police officers and private security guards were stationed inside and outside of Michael Hodin's exclusive Upper West Side apartment building.

At least a dozen police officers and private security guards were stationed inside and outside of Michael Hodin’s exclusive Upper West Side apartment building.

Mr. Hodin’s neighbors, several of whom acknowledged knowing him, and other area residents were appalled to learn that he played a role in leaving chimpanzees to die.

Michael Hodin's neighbors react to the news that he abandoned chimpanzees with no food or water.

Michael Hodin’s neighbors react to the news that he abandoned chimpanzees with no food or water.

After conducting experiments on several hundred chimpanzees for 30 years at a laboratory in Liberia (West Africa), NYBC promised to provide the survivors with lifelong care. In May, 2015, the NY Times reported that NYBC executives decided to walk away from its $25,000 monthly obligation, arguing that the government of Liberia and animal advocacy groups should pay for the long-term care of the chimps. To date, NYBC has earned an estimated $500 million in royalties off of the research conducted on the chimps.

Activists use memes to educate the public about NY Blood Center board members' moral crimes.

Activists use memes to educate the public about NY Blood Center board members’ moral crimes.

Grassroots activists working on the campaign to pressure NYBC into fulfilling its promise to care for their chimps say they intend to stage protests at the homes and offices of Michael Hodin and former NYBC board member Laurie Glimcher before expanding the campaign to other board members. A third protest at the Oakland office of  NYBC board member Owen Garrick is scheduled in March.

Several protest participants at the entrance to Michael Hodin's exclusive Upper West Side home

Several protest participants at the entrance to Michael Hodin’s exclusive Upper West Side home

Your Turn

Please join the Facebook page: New York Blood Center: Do the Right Thing to stay apprised of news and to participate in online actions to pressure NYBC executives and board members to fulfill their promise to provide lifelong care to their laboratory chimps.


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VIDEO: Activists from Ten States Stage Massive Protest at NY Blood Center Gala

November 11, 2015 by Leave a Comment


The News

On November 5th, over 100 activists from ten states, including California, Texas and Montana, staged a massive protest at the New York Blood Center’s 50th anniversary gala, demanding that the organization’s board of directors reinstate funding for the lab chimpanzees who they abandoned on islands in Liberia with no food or water.

During a rally before the protest, Jane Velez-Mitchell (Jane UnChained) and Bob Ingersoll (primatologist featured in documentary film Project Nim) delivered remarks about the scandal and inspired the crowd to continue to be a voice for the chimps until the blood center fulfills its promise to provide them with lifelong care.

NYBC donors did not anticipate encountering over 100 protesters as they entered the gala

NYBC donors did not anticipate encountering over 100 protesters as they entered the gala

As guests began to arrive, activists quickly exited the barricades and staged a moving picket at the entrance of Cipriani, the venue where NYBC’s gala was held. Hundreds of donors were forced to navigate their way around the protesters in order to enter the building.

NYBC donors were forced to navigate their way through the moving picket line to enter the gala

NYBC donors were forced to navigate their way through the moving picket line to enter the gala

Activists distributing handouts at the periphery of the protest said that many gala attendees were unaware of the scandal and were outrage to learn that NYBC abandoned at least 66 chimps.

Your Turn

Please join the Facebook page: New York Blood Center: Do the Right Thing to participate in the online actions. If you live in New York City, please join the protests targeting New York Blood Center board members at their homes and offices.


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