Arrest for Trespass in Mall for store bought Peace T-Shirt
Date: 2003
Region: North America
Subject: Political/Economic/Social Opinion
Medium: Design Public Art
Artist: Stephen Downs
Confronting Bodies: Mall Security, and County Police, Guilderland, N.Y.
Date of Action: June 2, 2003
Location: Guilderland N.Y. Shopping Mall
Description of Artwork: T-Shirt reading "Peace on Earth, Give Peace a Chance"
The Incident: Stephen Downs, 61, and his son were asked by mall security guards to remove their peace-slogan shirts or leave. Downs' 31-year-old son, Roger, took off his shirt. But Downs refused. The guards called police, and he was charged with trespassing and pleaded innocent. The men had had the T-shirts made at a mall store and wore them while they shopped
Results of Incident: Hundreds of protesters marched through the mall on June 4th wearing peace t-shirts. In the court hearing Stephen Downs had plead not guilty to the charge of trespassing. The Mall later dropped all charges.
Source: NCAC: Associated Press
