Posted on 09/21/2010 7:37:59 PM PDT by Altura Ct.
The owner of Antietam Gallery is fighting back after the management of Francis Scott Key Mall asked him to stop selling "Maryland stands with Arizona" T-shirts, he said.
The shirts have been on sale at James Kehoe's custom framing gallery for about three weeks in support of a new law in Arizona aimed at enforcing federal immigration law. Below the slogan, an illustration shows the Maryland and Arizona state flags crossing.
In a letter dated Sept. 2, mall management asked Kehoe to immediately remove the T-shirts from the shopping center, saying they constitute a nuisance or project an unwholesome image on the shopping center.
"The fact they had considered this patriotic T-shirt to be inflammatory and racist, it hit me the wrong way," Kehoe said.
He is not removing the T-shirts. Instead, he sent a letter of reply to the mall's management, copying The Frederick News-Post, several local officials and two national conservative commentators.
The letter from the management states that the tenant's actions violate specific terms of the lease, including sections limited his store to the retail sale of prints, framing and directly related items, and another saying he was operating in a manner inconsistent with the general standards of merchandising in the shopping center.
"Sale and display of said goods with derogatory or offensive political messages also violates Section 5.01(c) in which Tenant agrees to operate in a respectable manner," the letter states.
But Kehoe countered that several years ago he complained in writing about the sale of offensive materials at the store located right next door to his. Management did not reply, he said.
He listed 12 examples of products sold at Spencer Gifts as of Sept. 13 that contained profane language and sexually oriented messages. He also gave an example of a T-shirt sold at Spencer Gifts with a derogatory message aimed specifically at illegal immigrants.
Kehoe asks how those products better represent the mall.
"It's not about the T-shirt, it's about people being victimized by political correctness and people feeling they are not able to speak the truth about things," Kehoe said.
The mall's management responded with the following statement:
"Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT), owner and manager of Francis Scott Key Mall, considers tenant-landlord relationships private," the company said. "As an industry standard, leases and any business or legal matters related to leases, are only discussed with the parties involved. PREIT adheres to this standard."
Kehoe said he has not heard back from the mall after sending his letter, and does not believe the T-shirts violate his lease. He is allowed to sell art and art-related products, and he designed the T-shirt himself, he said. He also sells the same artwork in a framed print at his store.
His customers tend to be conservative, so he thought they would like the T-shirt. Kehoe himself is concerned about illegal immigration and supports the program by Sheriff Chuck Jenkins under which local law enforcement check the immigration status of those arrested.
Kehoe copied Jenkins on his letter to mall management, although he doesn't know the sheriff personally.
Jenkins said he believes Kehoe should have the right to express his viewpoint. He said Kehoe made a valid point about the offensive content of other vendors at the mall being much worse.
"I think there's nothing wrong with that T-shirt being displayed in the window or sold in the store," Jenkins said. "I think the complaint against him is ludicrous."
Makes me feel old, today.
Maryland “Freak State” PING!
“products sold at Spencer Gifts as of Sept. 13 that contained profane language and sexually oriented messages.”
But, such is not “derogatory” or “POLITICALLY offensive”. *sigh*.
Gawd, I wish that stupid store would disappear; or let’s say, I’d be fine if it did. OK, I’ve “shopped” there, don’t get me wrong. But it is low-class and sexually pruient and really shouldn’t be in a public setting. Yet this place has been in our mall for 35+years (and it was low-class then)!
Point taken. Arkansas also has several “sanctuary cities”... But we are about to elect a Republican to replace the Delta Dutchess (Blanche Lincoln - who essentially cast the vote to give us Obama sCare in the senate).
Then again - I don’t hear Arkansas, as a state, screaming and kicking about an issue, then re-electing the chief perpetrator of the offense for which we are screaming.
There’s stuff in there that you’d find in a porn store. And there are children in there!
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