GUILDERLAND – The owners of Crossgates Mall late Wednesday asked town police to drop the charge against a man arrested at the mall after he refused to either remove a pro-peace T-shirt or leave the mall. The arrest of Stephen F. Downs, 61, of Selkirk, on a charge of trespassing led to a protest at the mall Wednesday by more than 100 people. Protesters wore anti-war T-shirts and gathered in the food court for lunch. They said they were outraged…
By CAROL DeMARE ,Staff writer, with wire reports First published: Wednesday, March 5, 2003 GUILDERLAND — About 100 people marched through Crossgates Mall at noon today to protest the arrest Monday of a man who wore a peace T-shirt while he shopped. "We just want to know what the policy is and why it’s being randomly enforced," said Erin O’Brien, an organizer of the rally. No arrests were reported, and protest leaders were scheduled to meet with the mall’s manager…
Crossgates Mall officials have dropped trespassing charges filed Monday against war protester Steve Downs, who wore a pro-peace T-shirt as he walked through the building that afternoon. The decision to negate the arrest came Wednesday evening, after more than 100 anti-war protesters descended upon the mall wearing shirts similar to Downs’. Tim Kelley, who works for the Pyramid Management Group that manages Crossgates and other malls throughout New York, said local managers had called the police. The decision to drop…
The crisp $100 bill that Megan Carpenter got for Christmas was still in her pocket when a man cornered the teenager outside a Crossgates Mall restroom and demanded that she fork over the cash. The man kept one hand jammed in his coat pocket, and Carpenter worried it might be holding a weapon. She was alone and frightened in an isolated hallway, but able to make mental notes of his build, clothing and hairstyle as he snatched the bill from…
About two dozen anti-war protesters wearing pro-peace T-shirts and signs were asked to leave Crossgates Mall late Saturday afternoon. Mall security would not answer questions about the incident, issuing only a terse “no comment.” Guilderland police were called to the scene to make sure the protesters left. Two people who wore slogans said they did not hand out leaflets or talk to other customers. The plan was to peacefully walk the mall corridors, they said. “We made a definite decision…
A local shopping mall should reconsider how it handles slogans of protest First published: Thursday, March 6, 2003 Let’s see if we have this right. Stores in Crossgates Mall will sell custom-made T-shirts with civil, but clear, slogans protesting a war with Iraq to anyone who wants them. Wearing those shirts in the mall, though, is grounds for arrest. Something is very wrong in the not-so-public square, even when, as in this case, Crossgates subsequently withdrew the charges. By now…
Section: BUSINESS Page: E4 Friday, September 20, 2002 SYRACUSE — A federal judge has agreed to add seven defendants, including three removed in a decision last year, to the racketeering lawsuit involving mall builder Pyramid Cos. In a decision signed Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Norman A. Mordue finalized the list of defendants in the $100 million case filed by six minority partners of Syracuse-based Pyramid. The partners claim Pyramid officials, led by founder and chairman Robert Congel, defrauded them…
A judge affirmed Guilderland’s tax assessment on Crossgates Mall Thursday, a victory worth several million dollars in a decade-old fight over tax rates between the town and the shopping center. The battle will continue in mid-March. Town, school board and mall attorneys have scheduled a court-ordered attempt to settle remaining cases. “We get rid of a year or two, and then a couple years get added on because it’s so hard to get rid of,” said Supervisor Ken Runion. The…
The management of Crossgates Mall seems to be contending that the First Amendment does not apply on its private property – and that may be the case. Most people would be prepared to concede that mall management has some right to regulate disruptive behavior. But none of that excuses the mall’s absurd and oppressive decision on Monday to press trespass charges against a 61-year-old man, Stephen Downs, who refused to take off a T-shirt which said "Peace on Earth" on…