Lawyer Arrested for Wearing a 'Peace' T-Shirt (AT THE MALL)

reuters ^ | 3/4/2003 | reuters

[Hodar]

So, to boil this down.

Man buys clothing product at mall
Man wears clothing purchased at mall
Man is arrested for wearing purchased clothing

How can this NOT be a violation of his rights? If the mall felt so strongly about the clothing, it should have censured itself from selling the product.

If I sell you something, how can I then protest if you use the very product I sold?

[TLBSHOW]

I just talked with the mall, the tshirt company and Stephen.

[ErnBatavia]

I'm betting the guy was also wearing no pants.

...and had an adult video, a bag of cheetos in hand, and had an orange...err....ummm......

[tahiti]

"public accomodation" and "compelling state interest" the two phrases that have grossly undermined property rights, individual rights, and have destroyed the presumption of liberty promised by our constituion, to be replaced with socialism and communism that renegade, corrupt, and intellectually deficient judges have used in the past in their non-sensical rulings.

Yes, it is a 9th amendment protected right, as an owner of private property, to refuse to sell or allow anyone for any reason onto my property.(skin color, hair color, gender, sexual orientation, religious orientation, lack of money, not dressed properly, not educated enough -- granted such discrimination may be bad for business, but that is up to the property owner to decide - free to choose, the essence of liberty)

Any compromise of this position is anti-liberty and muddles the important demarcation line between public and private property.

Government jurisdiction only exists on public property. Public property is taxpayer funded property: parks, schools, court houses, roads, firehouses, etc.

Not malls, restaurants, gas stations, homes, airplanes, country clubs, etc.

[Jhoffa_]

How can this NOT be a violation of his rights?

I personally think it's a made up, phony "right" as I support the right of a business owner to discriminate against anyone he pleases.. for any reason he pleases.

But it's the law and the lawyer is going to win.

The rent a cops are going to be sorry for this.

[Willie Green]

This story doesn't pass the smell test.

You got that right.
There's a putrid stench of "something missing" here...
and the guy "just happens" to be a lawyer???

Yeah, right.... </sarcasm>

[A. Pole]

The mall acted stupidly, but within their property rights.

Really? And why did they sell him this T-shirt?

[Jhoffa_]

..the guy "just happens" to be a lawyer???

Ohhhh.. I never thought of that.

Maybe playing a little game of "You get me arrested and I'll pay you off when I sue?"

[archy]

A government worker! That's even more suspicious than unemployment.

Particularly considering recent local events and the area's political climate.

-archy-/-

[Hodar]

I personally think it's a made up, phony "right"

Poor choice of words on my part. This man was deprived of his freedom (by being arrested) for wearing a product purchased at the mall. Sort of like selling someone a meal in the food court, then arresting you for eating it.

It should be the other way around, I think some of the food courts should be arrested for selling the 'food' that they sell.

[perfect stranger]

"that since the store was allowed to sell the shirt, it is patently ridiculous to tell the man he cannot then wear it."

Watch out, this same type of guy might decide to go into a Victoria's Secret shop in your local mall.LOL

[TLBSHOW]

I just talked with the mall, the tshirt company and Stephen.

First the tshirt company

THEY SAID THEY MAKE UP TSHIRTS TO SAY WHATEVER PEOPLE WANT THEM TO SAY..........

next the mall

THE LADY SAID SHE DID NOT WANT TO GIVE HER NAME AS SHE WAS ASKED TO NOT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT BUT SHE DID TALK...

She says he was in a shouting match with a customer and that was why the mall guard was called, he refused to take off the shirt and said he would not and they called the police and he was arrested.

Now Stephen:

He said him and his son 31 went to the T shirt company and both had shirts made up. His said on the front Give Peace a chance and on the back it said Peace on Earth. His son had one made up that said Let Inspectors work and on the back said No war In Iraq or it said No war with Iraq he was not sure.

They then went to the food court and ordered food, and then Security came up to them and told them they had to remove the shirts or the Police would be called, the son did but the father would not. The Police came and arrested the father.

I asked about a fight with other customers and he said no absolutly not there was no fight as a matter of fact he said people came up to him and asked where they got the shirts. I told him the mall says you got in a fight with other customers and he says they are lying. I asked if there was pictures on the shirts and he said no just letters that where put on blank tshirts.

THATS IT HE GOES BACK TO COURT ON THE 17TH AND WILL CALL ME WITH THE OUT COME OF IT.

[RightFighter]

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) A man was charged with trespassing after wearing a T-shirt saying ''Peace on Earth'' and ''Give peace a chance'' in a mall, where an activist group donning peace T-shirts was forced out weeks earlier.

Stephen Downs, 61, and his 31-year-old son, Roger Downs, had the peace T-shirts made Monday night at a Crossgates Mall store and wore them in the mall, atop other clothes. Mall security approached the two in the food court and asked them to remove their shirts or leave the mall. The men refused.

First, there was no store in the mall SELLING shirts with this slogan. It sounds like the guy went to a store that airbrushed or embroidered a custom shirt for him. That particular merchant probably doesn't have shirts hanging out that have slogans like this on them, but will make one for someone who asks.

Second, it sounds like the mall had trouble recently with a group of peace activists, and they made a decision not to allow such trouble to even begin brewing again. Hence, their request that the man either remove the controversial message or leave their private property. He refused, so he was arrested.

While I respect his right to express his opinion about the war, I also respect the mall ownership's right to ask him to leave the premises if he refuses to remove a shirt that they believe may lead to trouble within the mall. He has a right to speak his mind, but not on private property, any more than a Jehova's Witness has a RIGHT to stand at my door and attempt to indoctrinate me.

[TLBSHOW]

SEE POST 73

[Sloth]

Actually business owners DO have that right... it's just not recognized by current law.

Incidentally, I would not shop at a mall that threw a guy out just for wearing a T-shirt I disagree with.

[TLBSHOW]

SEE POST 73

[TankerKC]

I'd love to see the same posters on this thread if the guy had been wearing a shirt supportive of Bush or our soldiers and was arrested.

[TLBSHOW]

SEE POST 73