Offensive t-shirt at Mall of America
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https://nypost.com/2023/01/16/man-ordered-to-remove-jesus-is-the-only-way-shirt-at-mall-of-america/
A man inside the Mall of America last week was ordered by security guards to remove his T-shirt that read “Jesus is the only way” in a viral confrontation that has sparked online outrage.
The man’s bright yellow shirt read “Jesus saves” on the front and “Jesus is the only way” on the back with the “Coexist” symbol, which represents peace among different religions, crossed out,
Security guards told the man that other shoppers at the mall in Bloomington, Minnesota, said they were offended by the shirt.
“Jesus is associated with religion and it’s offending people,” one of the guards tells the man in the video from the Jan. 7 incident.
The man tries to reason with the guards, telling them that he didn’t speak or say anything to anyone — in terms of preaching.
Looks like he's a serial offender.
He was removed from the mall for “preaching the gospel” on another occasion, he said in the video.
A spokesperson for the Mall of America told the Daily Mail that one week prior to the T-shirt incident, the man was “issued a 24-hour trespass for soliciting guests.”
Mall policy forbids “picketing, demonstrating, soliciting, protesting or petitioning” on the premises.
The security guard said the man’s religious tee still counted as soliciting even if he was not actively preaching.
“Again, sir, it is religious soliciting,” he told him in the video. “There is no soliciting allowed on mall property, which is private property.”
He added that people also said they were offended by the shirt.
The mall’s policy also disapproves of “apparel that has obscene language, obscene gestures or racial/religious/ethnic slurs that are likely to create a disturbance,” according to its website.
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Jesus Saves
The Rest of the Party Takes Damage -
Jesus Saves
The Rest of the Party Takes Damage@Aqua-Letifer said in Offensive t-shirt at Mall of America:
Jesus Saves
The Rest of the Party Takes DamageJesus saves.
Moses invests. -
Back in the day, we would occasionally get politely moved on for busking in a shopping center. If you'd heard us play, you'd understand why, and moving folk preaching is kind of similar. They can be a bit of a PITA.
Kicking him out for the t-shirt seems a bit over-the-top.
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The “no soliciting” rule is a stretch, but at least it’s arguable, especially considering the guy’s prior antics. The guard also added “people were offended”, against which there is presumably no rule. But the guard said it, because it sounded like something he could say to justify a use of force.
