Fascism... On The March Police Arresting 80 Year Old Ladies In WheelChairs!

[DaLittle Kitty]

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/nassau/ny-liwar305631629mar30,0,1085417.story
Newsday.com
Police arrest anti-war protester, 80, at mall

BY ANASTASIA ECONOMIDES AND MATTHEW CHAYES

An 80-year-old church deacon was removed from the Smith Haven Mall yesterday in a wheelchair and arrested by police for refusing to remove a T-shirt protesting the Iraq War.

Police said that Don Zirkel, of Bethpage, was disturbing shoppers at the Lake Grove mall with his T-shirt, which had what they described as "graphic anti-war images." Zirkel, a deacon at Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Wyandanch, said his shirt had the death tolls of American military personnel and Iraqis - 4,000 and 1 million - and the words "Dead" and "Enough." The shirt also has three blotches resembling blood splatters.

Police said in a release last night that Zirkel was handing out anti-war pamphlets to mallgoers and that mall security told him to stop and turn his shirt inside out. Zirkel refused to turn his shirt inside out and wouldn't leave, police said. Security placed him on "civilian arrest" and called police. When police arrived, Zirkel passively resisted attempts to bring him to a police car, the release said.

But Zirkel said he was sitting in the food court drinking coffee with his wife Marie, 77, and several others when police and mall security officers approached and demanded they remove their anti-war T-shirts. :applause: For The PATRIOTS!!!!!


http://www.newsday.com/news/local/nassau/ny-liwar305631629mar30,0,1085417.story


Copyright © 2008, Newsday Inc.

[fascisthunter]

1. Boy... I Feel Safer Now

:sarcasm:

[Quantess]

2. It was an 80 year old man, not a lady.

You might want to fix the title.

[orangerevolution]

3. Private Property

in a publicly owned place. The gov't should take it over and make it public property.

Then that would not happen.

[2rth2pwr]

5. Now that sounds like fascism.

[orangerevolution]

15. It is no different than the gov't wanting to take profits

from the oil companies to help out the working poor.

[Quantess]

6. yeah, right.

Now that's a well though out idea. :eyes:

[niyad]

8. welcome to DU

[I work for workers]

4. Most malls have posted rules prohibiting anything controversial.

The police weren't arresting him for his beliefs, they were arresting him for refusing to leave private property when asked to do so.

[niyad]

9. and just WHO decides what is "controversial"? do I get to complain about the

sexist crap I see on so many t-shirts? can I complain about any of the t-shirts supporting the war? do people get thrown out for THEM?

by the way, how much of a txpayer subsidy does that "private" mall get?

[I work for workers]

12. Sure you can. Actions don't guarantee results, but it's worth a try.

General rule of thumb though, if it's sold in the mall (90% of "sexy" ass sweat pants or vaguely offensive novelty shirts) they probably don't care about it.

I don't think the t-shirt was what got the guy kicked out and arrested. Handing out pamphlets is what got him in trouble. Malls hate that kind of thing, and they usually make a bipartisan bright line rule banning anything similar.

Ever wonder why mall protests are always on the street in front of the mall? It's because the mall doesn't let people inside who might scare shoppers with politics. Now you know.

[niyad]

13. read the article. the guy said he and his wife were sitting there, just having coffee, NOT handing

out materials. next time some religious whacko approaches me in the mall, I will demand that he be thrown out.

[I work for workers]

14. The cops and mall ninjas say otherwise.

I used to work in a mall. Mall security tapes everything, and probably taped this. If the old guy is telling the truth, he is fine. If not, then he deserved to get arrested. Either way, he was dumb for not doing what he was told and expecting a different result. It's not an uncommon mistake though, I've seen plenty of people kicked out or arrested at the mall. Many people think the mall is some kind of public forum where they have whatever personal freedom they want. It's not. It is a private business that makes its own rules for shoppers to abide by.

Getting kicked out of the mall for breaking a rule is no different then getting kicked from an internet forum for doing so. Someone else is footing the bill, and that someone else makes the rules. More power to you if you can get rid of the people you want.

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. This has already been posted here a couple times and DUers have posted

links to court rulings supporting the man's right to free speech, even at the mall. Our anti-war group protests at two area shopping centers and we get police protection. The owners of the malls have never said we weren't welcome there.

I have also participated in several pickets at stores. As long as we didn't block the doorway, we were allowed to picket.

So yes, malls are indeed public forums. Like I said, courts have upheld our rights as citizens to protest at malls.

[I work for workers]

19. Post them again?

Most malls I have been to have rules posted at the entrances which specifically lay out what you can and can't do. Soliciting, protesting, and handing out pamphlets is usually banned unless you get prior permission.

[niyad]

7. note to chimpy-- you don't have to worry about the bad guys"hating us for our freedoms"

because we don't have them anymore.

[Echo In Light]

18. The "bad guys" they're looking for are antiwar activists, dissidents, etc

Phony war.

[niyad]

10. I would be firing off letters to the company that owns that mall, telling them

that, since they seem to have a problem with people exercising their rights of free speech by wearing t-shirts, I certainly don't need to be spending any of my money there. I would also contact all the shops and stores, and tell them WHY I wouldn't be coming to that mall anymore.

[Echo In Light]

17. Kudos

[niyad]

11. for those of you interested--you can get tthe simon property group info from google