Sunday afternoon was hot as hell, but that didn’t stop a handful of people from standing in the blazing sun expressing their anger.
The target: Concord Mills Mall.
Why? Because the mall didn’t extend the lease of the Free Market Warrior, who has said in the media that he’s being kicked out for political reasons.
But have people forgotten that he was leasing a space in the mall and if the owners decided they didn’t want his items there, they have every right to kick him out? I was going to say good for Concord Mills, and then I read in the Charlotte Observer that mall management plans to meet with the vendor. Could they be offering another lease because this has gotten so much attention?
If so, then the people who were offended by the Free Market Warrior should protest Concord Mills.
This isn’t about free speech, as the protesters would like people to believe. It’s not as if this vendor was set up in a building that was paid for by the tax payers, last I heard, Concord Mills is a privately owned mall. It seems really funny that President Barack Obama was called a socialist, but when a business makes a free market move, people protest.
Strange days in North Carolina, that’s for sure.
The winner in this situation, believe it or not, is the Free Market Warrior. By his own admission to the Charlotte Observer, his business has been up since this story broke. Maybe Concord Mills ought to kick some more businesses out of the mall; it’s proven to be a real stimulus.
This article appears in Jul 21-28, 2009.
Charles Hodges – Dumbest Man in Charlotte (tied with John Grooms)
Do you understand the definition of the term “scoialist” or do you still think its a covert racist way of saying “black”? The protesters were exercising their constitutional right to try and convince the mall owners to continue to allow Free Market Warrior to express their constitutional right. The best part about free markets, however, is that if the mall expresses their constitutional right, and kick the guy out, then we, the public, get to decide, FREELY, to not shop at the mall anymore.
Charles, while you’re reading up on socialism, I suggest you look up journalism too.
Uh, her name is Cheris … not Charles.
How sad that the hate mongers who are whipping up the right wing members of our society seem to be winning. The propaganda machine marches on.
Good article Cheris…
My sentiments exactly.
Concord Mills is a private company, they looked at their demographic and determined that “free market warrior’s” neocon store was unworkable and didnt renew the lease. Bravo. No government interference. He should have called himself “selectively” free market warrior like most neo-cons are. Haha!
There are other malls that would love to him him. He should go there.
And his business is up! Some other mall will take that. Maybe Eastland? They need a stimulus real bad.
you’re right frank. All I care about the preservation of some sort of free market.
I understand the protestors frustration, but I’d be moving on to where I’m wanted.
this reminds me of the time when the Iraq war was just starting, anyone who was against Bush was labeled treasonous or unpatriotic.
Kinda like anyone who is against Obama is labeled racist.
There was a guy trying to sell T-shirts out at Carolina Place with a picture of Bush and “weapon of mass destruction” written below and he was told to leave, he had one of those stand alones in the mall. Not much coverage on it either. I dont think there was article in the Observer about it either. But, the mall had a right to get the guy to leave.
It seems we can never get past the rhetoric to the meat and potatoes of an issue.
are you kidding,its freedom of speech,you should be able to sell what you want in your store & you shouldnt have somone else tell you what to sell!!
If a mall were to evict a vendor for selling pro-gay bumper stickers there would be a vociferous outcry of protest by liberals. If a vendor was evicted for selling Malcolm X or MLK Jr. or Obama paraphernalia there would likewise be an uproar of indignation. This is an analogous occurrence. If only certain agendas are protected, then we do have cause to be alarmed, for now a new demographic is being marginalized and disparity is expanding between laws designed to protect so-called “minorities” and those imposed to protect the rights of all other citizens. Rainbow sticker salesmen don’t deserve any greater immunity from persecution than rebel flag sticker salesmen. That is equality, and yet we do not maintain that in this country; instead we have preferential treatment and special allowances. That is what the Concord Mills protest is about. This guy has every right to sell his merchandise without discrimination as anyone else from whom the mall management might fear lawsuit. This incident signals an awareness of the inequities presently being embraced in our socio-legislative complex.
do all of you protesters not THINK before you go fighting for an owner of a kiosk?!?!?!?
You are affecting innocent ppl who work at that mall trying to make a living.
College students trying to pay for college, highschool students trying to save for college, people who were laid off that found something to support their families.
Not only that you are putting protest signs in areas THAT DON’T BELONG TO SIMON MALLS WHATSOEVER!!!
If this owner wants to sell anti whatever material, then he needs to go open his own STORE on his own LAND.
Wake up America, nothing is free, so stop punishing those of us who are ACTUALLY WORKING AND NOT WASTING OUR TIME
Iam sitting here reading all of this & for the life of me cannot consume the thought of what my kids are gonna have to endure in the future.There should not even be a fight about this! The Mall-(Concord Mills) is in the wrong first of all…it is anyones right to sell what ever they choose & all the other stores are proof of that! NEXT….if we listen & go along with this & not stand up for (anyone) who is being mistreated, then (WHO ARE WE)? This is all about Race & color & hate…& if we havent gotten far enough –over this then …This country is in bad shape!
Regardless of race, this is about right & wrong & for Concord Mills to do this to the store owner is crazy and unjust.
I think that everyone who has anything Obama…or offensive material should be kicked out as well…Sorry Fares fare.
It’s a shame that we as Americans still act this way…turn on the TV …this is all you hear, if the world cannot get along …cannot we as Americans get along ?
You’d think by now Black or White …we are better than that
My family and friends have watched this issue unfold. It is true, we are a free country and this vendor should be allowed to sell whatever merchandise he chooses as long as it is legal. It is also true the Mall owner can pick and choose to whom he leases. Because he was already leased a space, he should have NOT been asked to leave. If they did not want his merchandise in THEIR mall, this should have been covered up front, not later. Because of the way this has been handled, there are now 36 people (just in my group), family and friends who will NO LONGER SHOP at Concord Mills. I drove out there and watched the situation and saw many black men lining the walls and watching people who purchased from this vendor and THAT is attempted intimidation. The Mall owners surely were aware of this, therefore we now go to Gaffney, South Carolina to the outlets from long days of shopping. We cannot support a mall who acts or I should say RE-ACTS openly in a political way. Huge problem here for FREE AMERICA and YES, regardless of what any small minded person says on this post, it is about FREEDOM OF SPEECH. We, as good and patriotic Americans should not abide any mis-treatment. The Mall owners/Mgt. were pressured by a group of folks and responded incorrectly, in our belief. Had th chose NOT TO RENEW the vendor’s lease, that would have been a different story.
yaa the lady there here name is christie spark she is a big time Bitch raciest she hates Black people and even Jews .. they kicked me from the mall .. now I court date in 10/10 against these mother fuckers