The town square used to be communal property, The Commons. You could sit around in it, enjoying the summer sunshine. You might even, if you wished, march around it carrying a protest sign.
Then the corporations took over the world.
Now, the town square is likely to be a shopping mall, private property, owned by some corporation. And you check your civil rights at the door.
Take, for example, the story of 10-year-old Lydia Smith who was forced by a security guard to remove her bandanna at the Battlefield Mall in Springfield, MO because it was offensive. It was decorated with smiley faces, flowers, and perhaps most importantly, peace signs.
Apparently, you see, she had violated a new rule at the mall, "failing to be fully clothed or wearing apparel which is likely to provide a disturbance or embroil other groups or the general public in open conflict."
Christine Moses, director of mall marketing, noted that the mall is privately owned and behavior on its premises can be regulated. "The bottom line is we want to have an environment (conducive) to shopping. Offensive apparel does not fit in with that environment," she said, although she could not say how the bandanna was offensive.
With 285 malls in 39 states and Puerto Rico, Simon Property Group is the nation’s largest mall owner. Similar policies are in place at all of them.
Posted by Deck at June 23, 2006 10:05 PM