Local Mall Pulls Plug On Band With Anti-Bush T-Shirts (Cleveland)

[OhioChick]

CLEVELAND -- Managers at a downtown mall stopped a performance by a band whose members wore T-shirts critical of President Bush.

Mifun, an Afro-beat band, had been playing for about 20 minutes Friday as part of a jazz festival when the sound system was cut off at Tower City Center.

"They didn't like that all the band members wore a T-shirt with a picture of George Bush with a line through it," said band leader Jacob Fader, 28, of Cleveland Heights. "They said we either remove the shirts, turn them inside out, or get off the stage. I said that doing so would be against our core principles and free speech. We told the audience what happened from the stage after the microphones were cut. The crowd booed."

Tower City general manager Lisa Kreiger said the band's attire was distracting and inappropriate.

http://www.newsnet5.com/entertainment/9098107/detail.html

[Suich]

1. Distracting to whom??? n/t

[WindRavenX]

2. the sheep

NT

[OhioChick]

3. The "sheep" don't

live in the Cleveland area. Cleveland is predominantly blue.

[WindRavenX]

5. still, the exposure creates a hightened awareness

And that's a big no-no

[brentspeak]

32. s/d

[wordpix]

36. heightened awareness is right so thanks to band & power-cutters, too

The mall people who cut the power actually added to public awareness that our freedom of speech is being curtailed.

[iconoclastNYC]

83. Lots of people from the suburbs work in the city

And shop at tower city.

Lets give up this silly "blue/red" crap.

[Hand]

6. Oh, probably just the old bastard who runs the place.

I rather doubt that the cashiers, janitors, waitpersons, burger flippers, and other such proletarians harbor great affection for the Chimpster.

[immoderate]

78. Those shirts are distracting me from hearing the music!!

:crazy: :silly: :banghead: :dunce:

--IMM

[Nite Owl]

4. This should be reason

enough to boycott the mall. If they start losing money they may see the light.

[KyndCulture]

7. Another lemming, how quaint.

[Voltaire99]

8. Related anti-Bush anecdote...

So, I'm in Blockbuster. Around the corner, I hear loud young voices. "Worst president in history," says an astonished male. Another reads the line, giggling. I realize they're in line looking at the recent Rolling Stone.

Suddenly there rasps a third voice, that of a teenaged girl: "Don't talk about President Bush that way!"

I look around the corner and see three high school kids, the boys peering at the magazine and the girl, a cheerleader type, with her arms crossed and perky features turned to steel. A little robot, well-programmed.

But at least the idea was getting through to them: in the big world beyond pom-poms and X-Box, Bush is toast. Credit to Rolling Stone: this may be the first time the message has ever entered their consciousness (and in the very precincts of the loathsome right wing Blockbuster, too).

[Cha]

47. I wish there had been a cosmic

cue, when that cheerleader type uttered those words, for someone to respond.."WHY NOT"? "he's a Coward who sent our Soldiers to war on Iraq based on manipulation and LIes!" "2400 Soldiers have been killed so far based on his LIES"..And all the innocent Iraqis who have died because of our bombs that emit Depleted Uranium that will be around for a long long time!"

"Why shouldn't I tell the truth about bush?" "Huh?"

[otohara]

9. Tired and Old - It's Time To Stop This BS

Will this nonsense continue for all presidents to come or just the messiah known as Bush?

[jimshoes]

10. Inapproprate for what?

Lisa, you might just qualify for an Olberman "Worst Person In The World" award for that stunt.

[KyndCulture]

11. Oh good idea.... sending a e to KO right now with this story!

Anybody wanna join me?

[OhioChick]

12. I'll fire him off an email..........

Anyone have his email addy handy?

on edit: [e-mail]

[wordpix]

37. thanks for sending OHChick

[partylessinOhio]

13. Tower City is overrun by gangs. I haven't bothered going there for some

time. The gangs are very noisy and rude. They will walk into you and don't care if they knock you down. Most of the upscale stores closed soon after Tower City opened. The sales could not support upscale stores like Barneys of New York. The fine restaurants also closed. The center has a definite snobbish attitude when they have nothing to be snobbish about.

Tower City has more to be concerned over than t-shirts.

From your link:

Fader said the band was stopped during a performance of "Supercrush," which he described as a "song about how the Bush administration separates the wealth, causing the elimination of the middle class."

"When my father started to say that it was wrong to silence us, a security cop told him to shut up," Fader said. "My dad said he had the right to free speech and the security guy said, 'Not in here you don't.'"

(And they wonder why downtown is dead!)

[jimshoes]

17. Welcome to DU partyless

It's attitudes like that cop that turns people off. I shall never spend another dime in Tower City from this day forward if that's the way they are going to be. BTW, your dad was right.

[Berry Cool]

64. To be fair, the above description is not true.

I'd be afraid to go there and walk around it if it was full of gangs. It's not. I'm not saying it's gang-free, but it is not overrun by gangs and crime. I have never had a gang member walk into me when I've been there.

There are also plenty of upscale stores and decent restaurants. Or at least they are not any less upscale than at any other shopping center.

That having been said, I think what they did was stupid.

[flordehinojos]

14. police state. police state. police state.no freedom of speech.police state

[brentspeak]

29. It's a private establishment

You may not agree with the management's view on the matter, but they are allowed to dictate the terms of content and appearance for their paid entertainment.

[flordehinojos]

38. but do you think that they are somehow not being intimidated by the

bushco's consequences for those who speak out, or harbor any who speak out against the bushit boy?

[LiberalFighter]

52. That doesn't mean that LTE can't be written by the locals

so that the public know the negatives about the mall. And therefore make a decision as to whether they want to patronize their establishment.


Another avenue would be to find other events that want them to express their views to the public.

[Occulus]

61. I would VERY much like to see that attitude go.

Personally, I'd like to see laws passed that require establishments which are frequented by x number of people per month/year be considered public spaces or thoroughfares.

Owners of such places, as far as I'm concerned, have NO right to tell me what I can and cannot say. It is accepting that they DO have that right that is among the first steps to where we are today.

Owners should have no controls over the rights of the American frequenting their establishments. As I see it, free speech is a default cost of doing business; their 'right' to 'have their business the way they want it to be' is most often used by rabbitfelching cockknockers who don't like a 'certain type' of person in their establishment.

FUCK that attitude- that's a cost of doing business. If you don't like what YOUR CUSTOMERS have to say when they're frequenting 'your' establishment, you just plainly and simply don't have any business being in business in the first place.

Unfortunately, the only way to combat such Naziesque attitudes is to force the owners to have you and your friends physically removed. And no, I don't much care how owners feel about this.

OUR country. OUR rights. They don't get suspended- PERIOD.

[JusticeForAll]

71. I understand what you are saying...

but I am really glad the right to bear arms is limited, especially malls.

[brentspeak]

76. This isn't about the customers

Customers can wear whatever they want; the paid help does not have that luxury.

[6000eliot]

15. This is why it's important to have and maintain true public spaces

Malls are private property, and therefore can't be considered places where free speech is guaranteed.

[Occulus]

62. Read my post above

Malls and so on should be considered public spaces for the purposes of the exercise of the rights enumerated in our Constitution. No one owner of any space should be able to tell vast masses of people that they can't say or wear certain things. That does directly against our Constitution and its principles, two of which are free speech and freedom, period.

This is the sort of issue that makes me look down on owners in general. THEY HAVE NO RIGHT, as far as I'm concerned.

[Ignacio Upton]

66. Agreed

I actually recently wrote a paper on this same subject for a class of mine. While many cities are seeing their public spaces wither on the proverbial grapevine, malls have been left to fill the void. When you have malls that offer to host post offices and even churches, then they more or less act as public spaces in practice.

[babsbunny]

16. I guess Cleveland doesn't "Rock" after all!

Boycott!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[OhioChick]

21. Cleveland has already been hit hard

by unemployment. I believe it's one of the poorest cities........and a primarily blue one. If you boycott Cleveland......the poor will be hit harder. It's already nearly a ghost town as it is.

[brentspeak]

30. Boycott? Why?

Freepers do things like start petty boycotts. I guess anti-Freepers are more than capable of the same childish behavior.

[kestrel91316]

60. Yeah! Don't boycott fascists. That would be petty and childish.

[young_at_heart]

18. "Freedom is on the march"

All the other countries need freedom, according to Bush, but I guess we can't have it here.

[HuffleClaw]

19. WHAT is it with freeper mall managers anyways?

this has got to be like the sixth time some asshole has messed with peoples freedom of speech in malls

[Lady Effingbroke]

28. A mall is corporate space, and people are allowed to enter that space at

the convenience of the corporations conglomerated within. It is a fascist environment.

[Pastiche423]

20. Googling came up w/no contact # for Mifun

Anyone know how to contact them to show support?

[OhioChick]

23. Found their "myspace" site.........

Looks like the original article couldn't even spell their name right. It's: Mifune.

http://www.myspace.com/mifunesound

on edit:

http://www.mifunemusic.com/

[Pastiche423]

25. Thank you!

Google did ask me: Did you mean: mifune?

[rodeodance]

22. A furthere dumbing down of America (out of sight-out of mind mentality)

[ChairmanAgnostic]

24. Here is her e-mail. Please send her a love note.

[e-mail]

SHe is an bushista idiot. and we should tell her that with love, hugs, kisses and flowers, just like the Iraqis greeted us.

[brentspeak]

31. No thanks

Without an ounce of proof, you claim she's a "bushista idiot"

[brentspeak]

26. It's quite possible that the managers are not the pro-Bush sheep

people here are suggesting. For the sake of their business, they might simply want to keep things apolitical. "Take it outside," in other words.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

51. Wait. She complained about t-shirts worn by an afro-pop band?

"for the sake of their business. . ." You have to explain yourself because the logical conclusion leading from your statement is that a mall would worry about long term contract holders complaining because a BAND playing AFRO-POP music wore a T-SHIRT?

businesses in a mall only care about traffic. Purchasing traffic. Buying traffic. credit card carrying traffic. Do they stop customers at their store doors because they wear anti-bushista shirts? I have never seen it. In fact, the only two ocassions I have read or heard of is a Southworst and a Jet Blue flight each telling a passenger to remove the offending T.

I personally have worn such shirts into public places, and more and more I am getting thumbs up by the majority of the people who can read and who bother to do so.
Your premise is mistaken, your logic faulty and your possible conclusion - that "for the sake of their business" they want to keep things apolitical. If they were apolitical, why would an afro-pop band be paid to play in the first place?

[brentspeak]

53. "Faulty logic"

You're comparing customers' T-shirts with the paid entertainment's T-shirts. Ie., comparing apples with oranges.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

55. sorry, but it is your logic that has the crack.

Why would any business complain about one of several bands' dress, costume or t-shirts, especially if they managed to bring in bodies? They would not, because the same standard applies to potential customers. If it brings in bizniz, it is a good thing. It a band brings in happy campers, with wallets, hunger, need for crap, and a willingness to spend their money there, WHY WOULD THEY COMPLAIN?

in fact, there was no time for them to complain. And, there are no reports that they did (they being the biznizes)

So, we are left with the inescapable conclusion that this was a management decision made by - you guessed it. Management. And that was the woman who autocratically decided to cut their power.

Shame on her. Shame on you.

[brentspeak]

75. Welcome to my Ignore list

[Orsino]

27. Less distracting than cutting the sound?

Bullshit.

[paulk]

33. would it have made a difference if the band was wearing anti

Kerry or Clinton t-shirts?

The stores in a mall sell to both Republicans and Democrats...

[Pastiche423]

34. Wrote an email to Mifune

and already have a response.


Subject: Re: Tee shirts and the Tower City Center
Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2006 18:30:24 -0400
From: "jacobnf" <[e-mail]>
To: "Victoria XXX" <[e-mail]>
References: 1


It is emails like yours that vidicate our efforts.
keep freedom and love strong!
onward, upward, respect.
Mifune

[IndyOp]

35. My email to LisaKreiger...

Dear Ms. Kreiger,

I am most disturbed to read that you did not allow Mifune to complete their performance at the jazz festival at the Tower City Mall on Friday.

The band wore T-shirts with a picture of George Bush with a line through it. That is not obscene and it does not advocate inappropriate behavior. It is a statement that they do not approve of the President, perhaps that they want him removed from office. Would you have pulled the plug if the band members had had a similar picture of Congressman Kucinich? Senator Kerry or Senator Clinton or Senator Kennedy?

Free speech is protected specifically so that the people can speak out against the powerful.

Rarely do powerful political regimes have to engage to arm-twisting, intimidation, or to enforcing censorship with goons because 'good' citizens are usually willing to do the dirty work of censoring speech of others who speak out against authority.

If you pulled the plug because you believe that they should 'respect authority' (or, more specifically, because you believe they should respect your point of view) then you have engaged in censorship.

If you pulled the plug because you got complaints from customers who said they would leave the mall, then you have engaged in censorship for the purpose of making a $. We are at a sad moment in this nation's history when the goal of being profitable seems to daily rise above principles, such as free speech, that we say we hold dear in this nation.

Ms. Kreiger, I urge you to invite the band back to play and allow them to wear the T-shirts that they had on Friday.

Best wishes!

IndyOp

P.S. This matter was brought to my attention by friends who live in Cleveland who are concerned about your actions this past week.

[wordpix]

40. nice letter, Indyop, thanks. I will write Ms. Kreiger, too

[POAS]

43. I also wrote Kreiger and

let her know that I would no longer recommend Tower City to my out of town friends or go there myself.

edited to add:

I also called her stand anti-American in the email.

[wordpix]

44. my email to mall execs

Dear Ms. Kreiger and Mr. Cappelli:

It was with dismay that I read about your literally pulling the plug on the band Mifune at the Tower City Mall jazz festival on Friday because the band wore T-shirts with a picture of George Bush with a line through it.

The band leader reported:

"They said we either remove the shirts, turn them inside out, or get off the stage. I said that doing so would be against our core principles and free speech. We told the audience what happened from the stage after the microphones were cut. The crowd booed."

The band leader is correct. What you did is censor the band and deny the members their right of free speech. Wearing t-shirts as the band did is a form of nonviolent protest and freedom of speech protected by our Bill of Rights. If anyone did anything offensive it was YOU who are guilty of violating these individuals' right to freedom of speech, as guaranteed by Amendment I of the Bill of Rights:

"Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. "

I am happy to learn that the young people in this band are aware enough about the political situation to wear t-shirts showing their opposition to George Bush, who led us to war and bankrupted our country by lying to Congress and the people. I think you owe the band a public apology and another opportunity to play in your mall.

Sincerely,
Wordpix

PS: I learned of your censorship via a web blog site. Your denial of freedom of speech is all over the web now and may well lead to people in your area avoiding your mall. I certainly would not shop there unless and until you make amends to the band and publicly issue an apology.

[Occulus]

63. One quibble: never *recite* the 1A.

Conservatives love to say that by the language only Congress is limited by its text. Patently ridiculous, but in my experience that's what they'll fire back with.

[Ian David]

39. Tower City Contact Info

http://www.towercitycenter.com/tcc_contactus.asp

management office
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

customer service
Phone: [phone]


General Manager - Retail
Tower City Center
Lisa A. Kreiger
[e-mail]

Vice President, General Manager - Office
Tower City Center
Brian Cappelli
[e-mail]

[wordpix]

41. thanks!

[Roland99]

57. Thanks x 2!

[Media_Lies_Daily]

42. Time for a lawsuit...has the ACLU been contacted on this?

[wordpix]

45. I think boycotting this mall is in order

[Guaranteed]

74. YES. THAT is how you hurt them back. nt

[Ian David]

50. IMHO, the mall is legally right, but ethically and practically wrong

They have not yet begun to see "distracting!"

[Guaranteed]

73. ???? This is not a legal, free speech issue. nt

[brentspeak]

77. Thanks, some sanity

I've been trying to point that out here. But some people apparently either don't know the difference between a customer and an employee or they haven't bothered to read the article carefully.

[Cha]

46. Fuck you, Fascist!

No one has to look who doesn't want to..right? But, that's not good enough for Fascists. If they don't want to see it they don't want anybody to see it!!

This is just making us more determined so congratulations, itch!

[AndreaCG]

48. I sent her an email asking if she was

the mall manager in Communist China.

[wordpix]

49. lol, not much difference, is there?

[depakid]

54. Ohio at it again

[Bill McBlueState]

79. no, not "Ohio at it again"

The musicians and their fans are also Ohioans. And there are way more of them than there are of the mall's corporate goons.

[PuraVidaDreamin]

56. Mifun should contact the ACLU!!!!!!

Cape Codders for peace an justice have found an attorney
to represent us pro-bono for Congressman Delanhunt
violating our civil rights last week when he had
us arrested in his office during working hours.

[Toucano]

58. Fuck you, Lisa Kreiger.

You fucking fascist.

[Toucano]

59. ATTN CLEVELAND: Boycott TOWER CITY until Lisa is fired! n/t

[sakabatou]

65. A big hand for Mifun

And a big fuck you, to Lisa!

[saigon68]

67. kick

[cmd]

68. Boycott Forest City Enterprises all across the US

Go to this link to find all the places they do business. Cleveland is their HQ, but their major enterprises are not located there. In fact, they see no potential in development in Cleveland at this time. They make their money else where. Boycott them.
http://www.forestcity.net/projects.asp

[Chi]

69. DON'T BOYCOTT THE MALL....go there with nasty anti-Bush T-shirts

Boycotting will hurt the individual businesses as well.
Be a thorn in their sides and walk around displaying your opinions,
since they seem to hate that so much. 8)

[gatlingforme]

70. THIS IS OHIO - what else would we expect.

[Bill McBlueState]

80. yes, good for Ohio

The musicians who wore the shirts and their fans are mostly Ohioans. Sounds like anti-Bush sentiment in Ohio is strong even though they went red in the election.

Too bad the corporate goons had to show up and squelch Ohioans' freedom of speech.

[gatlingforme]

82. I agree, but the people in Ohio knew before elections that this

would be a big cesspool of crap

[Guaranteed]

72. I hope the band told everyone who was enjoying the music to leave the mall

as well.

None of those businesses should be taking in any of the money that the band attracted.

[Blue_Tires]

81. cheap nt

[LeftHander]

84. Advice for musicians: Don't play at malls...

WTF...
What a cheesy gig.

[classysassy]

85. More American justice

I do believe the fat broad is singing,I sure hope todays boycott takes a cash toll on that mall.

[Rex]

86. By the corporations, for corporations...

Why on EARTH does the retail industry have a hardon for Bush? Is it his legendary failure rate? Stop worshiping Bush you stupid moneymakers! Big brother wins this rounds.

[ShortnFiery]

87. Forever Serving Our Multi-National Corporate MASTERS

Get used to Corporations ruling our lives in all venues. :puke: