Support Crossgates Mall vs Peace T-Shirt Lawyer

[jonalvy44]

I can only guess there was a problem with the albany website due to the media coverage, but I'm confused why this whole thread was pulled by the mod. This is a serious matter...

Support Crossgates Mall in this controversy over the T-Shirt Arrest! Turns out the man arrested is a LAWYER and is trying to milk this for what it's worth! His shirt said "Give Peace a Chance" BUT his son's shirt said "NO WAR IN IRAQ" and "Let Inspections Work". These men were at the mall to make a point! They went to the mall to shop, BUT, they chose to WEAR the new shirts they had printed, thus trying to make a political statement! In light of the heated debate on the crisis in Iraq, mall security was well within their rights to ask the men to either leave or remove the inflammatory shirts in order to preserve the peace at the mall.

The man refused both options, so he was arrested for trespassing. Now it looks like he plans to SUE. Talk about frivolous lawsuits. The job of security at a mall is to keep the peace and prevent possible disruptive behavior.

From the mall webiste, since removed by them:

ALBANY WEB SITES.COM IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH CROSSGATES MALL. WE HAVE TAKEN DOWN THIS WEB PAGE DUE TO THE LARGE # OF EMAILS THAT WE ARE RECEIVING IN REGARD TO THE ARREST OF THE FATHER & SON THAT TOOK PLACE AT CROSSGATES MALL. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN FORWARDING YOUR COMMENTS TO THE MALL, WE HAVE BEEN INSTRUCTED BY CROSSGATES MALL TO PROVIDE YOU WITH THE FOLLOWING PUBLIC RELATIONS #. (716) 854-8182

I called an offered my support!! This is not a Freedom of Speech issue, it's about a scumbag lawyer baiting mall security so he can sue them or receive a settlement!! Visit www.smokinggun.com to see the police report, these guys were witnessed HARRASSING customers. The mall has dropped the charges, most likely because of the media's portrayal of this affair, and that's wrong. I will bet this lawyer will definitely sue now since they dropped the charges...Read the police report!! Bill O'Reilly was way off in his reporting of this affair...The no-spin zone was spun!

[Lurking Libertarian]

This is not a Freedom of Speech issue, it's about a scumbag lawyer baiting mall security so he can sue them or receive a settlement!! Visit www.smokinggun.com to see the police report, these guys were witnessed HARRASSING customers. The mall has dropped the charges, most likely because of the media's portrayal of this affair, and that's wrong. I will bet this lawyer will definitely sue now since they dropped the charges...Read the police report!!

The police report says nothing about "harassing" anyone. It says that they were in a "verbal dispute" with customers (no word as to who started it).

In New York, a mall owner can ban political speech in a mall, but has to ask you to leave before you can be arrested for trespass. It appears from the police reports that these guys weren't even given the opportunity to leave but were arrested for disorderly conduct merely for wearing anti-war t-shirts.

I don't agree with the message, but the arrest appears to have been invalid and the inevitable lawsuit will probably succeed.

[buckalfa]

Though I disagree with the political philosophy of
the father/son who are caught up in this controversy,
I have to support their right of freedom of speech and
expression. After all,is not the slogan on the Free
Republic logo --"defending our constitution".

[KineticKitty]

If they were minding their own business I don't have a problem. {I mean geez, could you imagine wearing a FREEP T-shirt in at the Berkley Mall???} lol

If they were harassing other shoppers in conjunction to the message on their T-shirt, then yes they should have been removed for protesting/demonstrating & trespassing if they refused to leave when asked/told to.

[freeper12]

>>Talk about frivolous lawsuits

Doesn't sound frivolous to me...I hope he ends up owning the mall based on the facts I have heard so far.

[1Old Pro]

The Mayor of Albany said on his morning radio show that they received hundreds of e-mails thru the Albany website and he wanted to say that His Albany police had nothing to do with the arrest of the peacenicks, who he defended. Yes, he's a big D.

[Ann Archy]

The mall is PRIVATE PROPERTY and the owners can kick out whomever they want to, These two were stirring up a little trouble on the all's PRIVATE PROPERTY. Just like II can kick you out of my house if I don't like what you do. Now do you understand?

[The Shootist]

Nonsense.

We cannot have malls, which are now the de facto "Main Street" in many towns, banning shirts that say, "Give peace a chance".

[freeper12]

>>kick out whomever they want to,

You mean they can keep out blacks and gays too if they want? simple as that eh?

[Sloth]

Sorry, I haven't yet heard enough information to make me understand why I should support the mall. If they really did eject these guys just for wearing non-obscene political T-shirts, then I would not spend a nickel there.

[freeper12]

>>The rights of property owners is also a factor here.

I suppose you'd be real concerned about the property rights of a mall owner that kicked out people that had US flags on their clothes too?

[Zansman]

Would you feel the same way if the LAWYER in question were wearing a pro-war t-shirt?

I mean, if these clowns were harassing customers and creating a disturbance (I'd like to know more than the limited info available via "smoking gun") sure, mall security was right to escort them out. Also, the mall has every right to set whatever dress and conduct codes it wants. But I've gotta tell you, ANY time I go to the mall I see at least 1000 shirts that I find more "offensive" than the ones these guys were wearing.

If they weren't or if they weren't the ones that started any verbal altercation, they've got just as much right to be anti-war (and express it) as you or I do to be pro-war.

There are 250,000+ of our best and brightest lined up and ready to fight to the death for our right to express ourselves regardless of how we feel about war. I think if those heroes are willing to make that kind of sacrifice, the mall can deal with an "offensive" t-shirt wearing protestor or two.

[NYer]

From the Smoking Gun web site, here is one of the reports filed with the police.

[trebb]

Don't people know that you don't kick people like that out of the mall; you lay in wait for when they leave on their own and beat the tar out of them.

[KineticKitty]

But was the argument started by the people arrested, and about the message on their T-shirts? If so, I would agree. (Well, even if they just started an argument, period.)

But was it an mutual argument between to parties unrelated to the message on their T-shirts, or started by the other party? If so, then the mall does have a problem. They should have kicked everyone out that was arguing, not just the people with a T-shirt that had an idiotic message on it. lol

[FreeTally]

Support the mall? The mall has already asked that charges be dropped. They knew they made a mistake.

[Sender]

While I completely disagree with the peaceniks and their message, I also think that this all depends on what they were doing besides wearing a T-shirt. If they were hassling customers or preaching their views, then the whole arrest thing should have been about their behavior and not about their attire. If they simply wore a peace T-shirt then we have to grant them that right, otherwise we are all in jeopardy.