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April 07, 2003
Local Repression
A small group of pro-Saddam protesters were denied access to our local mall Saturday because they were wearing t-shirts with anti-war slogans.
Daniel Vaught, 22, a member of the university’s Progressive Student Association, said he tried to enter the mall’s north entrance after he and his fellow PSA members had been demonstrating around Fayetteville. "Some of us had been demonstrating down on College and Dickson," Vaught said. "We just went to the mall for some lunch, but security wouldn’t let us in."
The group members ’ shirts bore the slogans "Support the troops, not war or Bu $ h." "They met us at the curb and said we weren’t welcome," he said. "They told us our shirts were the reason."
Daniel's being a little disingenuous...lunch wasn't really the reason they decided to go to the mall. After all, Dickson Street has some of the better restaurants in town. And most of the fast food places are located on College.
Vaught said the group was inspired by the recent case of a New York lawyer who was arrested at Crossgates Mall in Albany after refusing to remove a T-shirt bearing the slogan "Peace on earth" on the front and "Give peace a chance" on the back. He had purchased the shirt at the mall. The charges were later dropped.
Monkey see, monkey do? I suppose it seemed like a good idea at the time. I'd like to know the rest of the story...like why they were met at the curb by mall security. I mean, how did mall security know they were even on the premises?? Were they being naughty in the parking lot? Daniel apparently was being naughty at the mall entrance...he was arrested by the city police for criminal trespass, which suggests that he refused to leave.
Be interesting to see how this story unfolds.
Posted by Rita at April 7, 2003 07:36 AM