posted March 05, 2003 04:01 PM            

According to the criminal complaint filed on Monday, Stephen Downs was wearing a T-shirt bearing the words "Give Peace A Chance" that he had just purchased from a vendor inside the Crossgates Mall in Guilderland, New York, near Albany.

"I was in the food court with my son when I was confronted by two security guards and ordered to either take off the T-shirt or leave the mall," said Downs.

When Downs refused the security officers' orders, police from the town of Guilderland were called and he was arrested and taken away in handcuffs, charged with trespassing "in that he knowingly enter(ed) or remain(ed) unlawfully upon premises," the complaint read.

Downs said police tried to convince him he was wrong in his actions by refusing to remove the T-shirt because the mall "was like a private house and that I was acting poorly.

"I told them the analogy was not good and I was then hauled off to night court where I was arraigned after pleading not guilty and released on my own recognizance," Downs told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Downs is the director of the Albany Office of the state Commission on Judicial Conduct, which investigates complaints of misconduct against judges and can admonish, censure or remove judges found to have engaged in misconduct.

Calls to the Guilderland police and district attorney, Anthony Cardona and to officials at the mall were not returned for comment.

Downs is due back in court for a hearing on March 17.

He could face up to a year in prison if convicted.

posted March 05, 2003 04:34 PM            

If they were arrested just for wearing the shirts, then SHAME on those cops and that mall. Everyone has the right to express their opinion (obviously there is a line, such as profanity or certain graphics).

BUT, if they were accosting people in the mall, then it would be no different that people wearing pro-life shirts while pulling people aside and telling them why abortion is wrong. Malls are private property.

For some reason, I think that it will take a while for the facts to come out, but the media will have a field day with it (regardless of it is the conservative or liberal media). Too bad!

------------------
"Lahn dádzaayú nahikai leh ni' nyelíí k'ehge," Goyathlay (Geronimo)

"Once we moved like the Wind"

posted March 05, 2003 07:24 PM              

Did you hear what the guy does for a living???

He's a lawyer that works for some hotshot state-hired firm that investigates judges for misconduct & corruption, so if he was just simply wearing a T-shirt & not doing anything else those cops & that judge is SCREWED!!! LOL

posted March 06, 2003 05:10 AM              

"Why of course people don't want war... But after all, it is the leaders of a country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to do the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country."

People need to think about what is happening. Hitler himself said:

posted March 06, 2003 05:42 AM            

Now, I don't know for sure, maybe these guys were really instigating things but in my experience, if I wear clothing that pushes someone's buttons with a political statement of some kind, I don't have to instigate anything - some types of people go out of their way to make rude comments.

I think we all know the type, or maybe not everyone, I've just never really conformed to the status quo and am quite used to people making one snide comment or another about it and I've noticed a pattern to the sorts of people that do that sort of stuff.

So of course the security guards are going to go after the peaceniks, because they stand out, therefore they must be the trouble makers.
That sucks.
This has been happening in other places too. I wish I remembered where I saw the stories but similar things have actually happened in other malls around the country.

posted March 06, 2003 08:00 AM              

Give Peace A Chance!!!

posted March 06, 2003 11:11 AM              

Harpyr's take on the situation seems exactly right - I'm...saddened.
What may be happening to our country?

posted March 06, 2003 12:45 PM            

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,80292,00.html

Seems this activist and his son went to the mall for a confrontation---and got it.

posted March 06, 2003 02:15 PM              

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Northeast/03/05/offbeat.peace.arrest.reut/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Northeast/03/06/tshirt.arrest.ap/index.html

posted March 06, 2003 02:35 PM            

In fact, O'Reilly had the guys on last night, let them speak without interrupting them and even supported their point. He chastized the police and the mall owners.

We all have our opinions about various news organizations, but I would stop at calling them outright liars. There are many that think that CNN reports only the leftest views while abstaining from reporting the right. Others point to the fact that CNN may be more anti-Isreal and pro-Palestine.

Maybe we could all refrain from calling news organizations liars and admit that ALL the media is going to have a field day with this as it SELLS news and makes for great copy.