Good grief! Be careful what look you have on your face if you go to the mall:

[Are_grits_groceries]

Turning The Mall Into A Police State

Bloomington, Minn. – On May 1, 2008, at 4:59 p.m., Brad Kleinerman entered the spooky world of homeland security.

As he shopped for a children’s watch inside the sprawling Mall of America, two security guards approached and began questioning him. Although he was not accused of wrongdoing, the guards filed a confidential report about Kleinerman that was forwarded to local police.

The reason: Guards thought he might pose a threat because they believed he had been looking at them in a suspicious way.
<snip>
http://thepoliticalcarnival.net/2011/09/10/turning-the-mall-into-a-police-state/

If mall security guards turn in everybody who looks at them funny, they will get writer's cramp.

WTF is a suspicious look?

[enough]

1. One more reason not to go to the mall. (nt)

[lonestarnot]

2. aye fucking carumba!

[HowHasItComeToThis]

3. ALL THE UNEMPLOYABLE BECOME RENT-A-COPS

AND YOU MUST SAY YESSIR AND NOSIR.

[Enrique]

20. YOU HAVE VERY LOUDLY MISSED THE POINT

YOUR DISDAIN FOR PEOPLE IN LOW-PRESTIGE JOBS IS IRRELEVANT TO THIS STORY.

THIS IS ABOUT POLICIES WHICH ARE SET BY THEIR BOSSES.

[Skittles]

32. CORRECT

[WingDinger]

4. Sell your cat garb as Mallwear.

[Dennis Donovan]

5. Don't forget the Mall of America is a target...

...of incredibly inept terrorists.

"OMG! The new Ground Zero is Orange Julius!"

:eyes:

[Generic Other]

23. spit take

wipe screen.

[Liberal_in_LA]

6. heard story about this on NPR this week. Seems Mall of America went overboard

with the terrorists stuff. Seem to think of themselves on equivalent to the pentagon with respect to stature in the eyes of terrorists.

[Mimosa]

7. Yikes.

Excerpt from article:

"In many cases, the written reports were filed without the knowledge of those interviewed by security. Several people named in the reports learned from journalists that their birth dates, race, names of employers and other personal information were compiled along with surveillance images."

Great. We'll all get 'records' without ever doing anything wrong.

[rrneck]

8. Suggested responses to requests

for personal information from private security:

Who do you report to?

Could you direct me to the management office?

Or my favorite - Go fuck yourself.

You are under no obligation to divulge personal information to a rent a cop. Especially if you didn't do anything wrong. Those idiots were just trying to justify their phony baloney jobs.

[onethatcares]

10. ewwwwww, you better watch that you don't run into the mall ninja

he'll set ya straight in no time.

[ejpoeta]

17. obviously bitter they didn't pass the test to be real cops.

[Enrique]

21. yikes, another one

does it occur to people that some DUers might be working as security guards?

[flpab]

26. Thank you Enrique

A job is a job today and many jobs people have they are just following orders. I think Mall of America employs behavior detection people. I am more scared of sporting events and crop dusters than malls but there are fruit loops and evil people out there. Wish there had been an armed guard at the Ihop in Nevada this week or in Gabby Gifford's town meeting.

[Enrique]

24. some DUers might hold those phony-baloney jobs

dont you think? Security guards everywhere, its a common job, chances are youve trashed one of your friends here.

[rrneck]

31. How do you think I got through undergraduate school?

I've worked as much security as much as anybody.

Although I doubt it, if there's a DUer working security and demands personal information from me for no reason so he can turn it into the cops he will still get one of the above replies.

[Rex]

9. I never shop at malls. Fuck the rent-a-cops!

I'll give them a LOOK! Shame they cannot see what finger I am holding up!

[Enrique]

22. fuck a person working at a job?

wtf is wrong with people?

[hlthe2b]

11. Ahh, malls.. Does anyone have a pleasant look on their face?

After about the fourth time a jogging mother with her gargantuan over-sized stroller on all terrain wheels runs into you/over you with nary a nod or apology? Or you see the group of "cool teen clique'" overtly and disgustingly mocking the "nerdy group" (or worse, the elderly shoppers)? Oh, don't get me started...

The one time the mall is sort of cool is when most of the people clear out and they let the doggies in-- one day during Christmas season-- to have their photos with Santa. And, sorry parents, but there is one heck of a lot better behavior on display (from both furry "child" and parents) on that occasion.


Yup, I guess I'd be branded a potential mall terrorist--if I regularly frequented the mall. ;)

[hobbit709]

12. So you walk in grinning like an idiot.

"Smile. It makes them wonder what you're up to"

[Tom Ripley]

13. "They hate us for our giant chocolate chip cookie and sunglasses stores!"

[Blue_In_AK]

14. This isn't new. Security cops can be real assholes.

I remember getting harrassed in a Penney's store in Denver in 1968 because store security suspected that I was a runaway (even though I was 21 and had just graduated from college). After inspecting my Texas driver's license (which didn't have a picture at the time), he called in to somewhere to check my status, and after making sure there were no reports or warrants, he let me go.

I resented being detained for no reason but there wasn't much I could do about it.

Undoubtedly things have gotten worse, though, in the intervening 40+ years.

[tblue37]

15. I often look at security people "funny" because I am appalled at our increasingly

fascist security state.

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. Mall of America as a pretend anti terror unit

That is very poorly trained...and I am being charitable here.

[dflprincess]

28. The Minneapolis Star Tribune had an article on security at the Sprawl in the last week or two

One of the guys (or maybe the guy, I don't remember) running the security office there used to be in security at Ben Gurion Airport so he's using some of the profiling methods they use there at the mall.

I tend to avoid the mall so I have to wonder if, while they're busy looking for terrorists, they've ever bothered to harass some the of gang-bangers that hang around (or at least used to) the place.

[nadinbrzezinski]

29. The FBI said themselves

That they are poorly trained...in an NPR profile.

I wonder if the guy is same consultant that did security for mexico city? Because it could b a mixture of things including doing this wrong or...as I said poorly trained. A few of the stories were the wtf? And truly poor training.

[Are_grits_groceries]

18. They could lock up every teenager

when they stepped foot into the malls with this attitude. That will teach 'em. Use The Patriot Act or whatever draconian law is now on the books to charge them as terrorists. No juvie for you.

[sarcasmo]

19. Over priced crap made in China. The mall retailers need to have super high mark ups

just to pay for the space they are renting in the mall rat trap.

[DRoseDARs]

25. I find the sudden appearance of glasses and fake mustache on your cat suspicious.

How much money do I get for turning you in or, failing that, do I at least get to dunk your head in a bucket of water for a minute?

[Are_grits_groceries]

33. You can dunk Teh Meh Kitteh if

you can catch her. Turning her in might get somebody scratched to death.

This is actually her fashion statement. She spent too much time looking at Project Runway on teevee. I will NOT order French 'Vogue' for her, and she has been stalking me a lot.

[Generic Other]

27. One of my DU inspired moments

Leaving messages in the pockets of really expensive mall clothes supposedly from the luckless peons making the clothes for 20 cents an hour thanking the American for enslaving him and other endearing messages. For the recipients of my little fortune cookies, I hope it made the shoes pinch, the collars fray, the sleeves pull funny, and that it made your ass look big in those pants. I hope my messages felt a little like getting a gris gris ball from Marie Laveau voodoo queen of New Orleans.

BTW, I looked like your Meh cat when I carried out this silly caper. Probably suspicious. But unless sharp words are a weapon, I was no terrorist.

That was the last time I went in a mall. And it was years ago. They are probably still looking for me! LOL.

[pacalo]

30. What about those who can't improve the expression on their faces?

[Leftist Agitator]

34. Do these fucking retards realize that if a terrorist wanted to survail the mall...

In preparation for an attack, they wouldn't be obviously filming, photographing, or taking notes?

Christ Almighty, what a bunch of fools on a power trip.