# Give peace a chance? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 6, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-peace-a-chance/159550 "2003-03-06T18:48:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-peace-a-chance/159550/1 "2003-03-06T18:48:44Z")
I read a story blurb, reported by CNN Online, that a New England man was eating at the food court of a shopping mall, when two security guards told him to remove his T-shirt sporting the logo “Give Peace a Chance”, which, incidentally, he had bought at the same mall, or else leave the premises. The man refused, and local police were brought in to arrest him. Now, wait a minute, are we truly living under marshal law already, and I was just too wrapped up in myself to notice? Or is this story just a factoid? (Here I’m using the original meaning of factoid as something that didn’t exist until reported by the media.) At the very least, I suspect some details must be missing. I hope someone out there can deliver the straight dope. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-peace-a-chance/159550/2 "2003-03-06T19:25:06Z")
[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=167411](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=167411) ---
**Author:** ![Cillasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@Cillasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cillasi)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-peace-a-chance/159550/3 "2003-03-06T19:50:07Z")
We look upon this as unfair because the sentiment expressed is seen as benign. Whether to declare war on Iraq is a hot topic and not everyone has the same views on the subject. Interestingly enough, the mall had a previous problem with anti-war protestors - “An incident last December, then, when two dozen protesters carrying anti-war signs were asked to leave the Guilderland mall was bad enough, we suppose. It’s what happened Monday that strains even the pro-mall laws, and defies all common sense.” [http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=112621&category=OPINION&BCCode=HOME&newsdate=3/6/2003](http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=112621&category=OPINION&BCCode=HOME&newsdate=3/6/2003) This is obviously the basis upon which the mall has been asking people wearing anti-war clothing to vacate the premises. Once bitten, twice shy, as they say. Two protestors can easily grow into more and I guess the mall did not want to chance dealing with another incident like the one in December. When visiting private property - even private property which is open to the public - it is incumbent upon you to leave if and when asked. If you refuse, you are trespassing, which is what the guy was charged with. Charges were later dropped, I understand. ---
**Author:** ![Blueapple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Blueapple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blueapple)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-peace-a-chance/159550/4 "2003-03-06T23:07:26Z")
[Here](http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/crossgates1.html) is the actual complaint filed against Downs, followed by reports from the Guilderland police. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-peace-a-chance/159550/5 "2003-03-06T23:43:55Z")
Downs has asserted the complaint was a work of fiction in that they never tried stopping other shoppers about this.