“Fighting Alongside The Free Market Warrior”

By: Corey Thompson, “The Thirsty Quill”

Yesterday I attended the protest outside of Concord Mills in support of Free Market Warrior (FMW), a business that operates a kiosk inside the mall. By now, you’ve probably heard about the issue surrounding the “dispute” between mall management and FMW that has gained the attention of several national media outlets. I’d like to submit a brief summary of the conflict today, in hopes that it may shed some light on the situation as a whole, and more specifically, provide some insight as to why I chose to participate in the protest.

Let’s weigh the facts…

I want to admit the following upfront:

Concord Mills operates a shopping mall that is maintained on private property. Therefore, they are certainly able to choose for themselves what businesses they allow to operate inside/on THEIR property. Don’t miss that…they conduct business in a “FREE MARKET,” therefore they get to decide who stays, who goes, and what types of businesses are allowed to operate within the boundaries of their property. They have EVERY RIGHT to do so.

However, my “issue” with the entire debacle stems from the following points…

First, you need to know and understand that Concord Mills is owned by Simon Properties. This group owns, maintains, and operates shopping malls throughout the country. However, you may not realize, but the Simons have been longtime contributors to the Democratic Party, pledging countless millions to candidates and party events. This is, of course, well within their right to do so. I have no conflict with their party ties, but I do believe that they are significant when analyzing the points below.

Second, after an initial “complaint” was filed against Loren Spivack (owner of FMW) and his kiosk for selling material that was “promoting racism, sexism, and slavery” (exact words from the complaint filed), mall officials inspected the FMW kiosk and deemed his material to be somewhat controversial, but NOT anywhere close to the allegations leveled against him. Of course, this is true considering that FMW does not sell such items.

FMW sells items that promote Conservative/Republican mantras, and some that even denounce Liberal/Democrat candidates, issues, etc. These include a baby bib that sports the Pro-Life message “Thanks Mommy and Daddy for Choosing Life,” a bumper sticker that reads “Impeach Obama,” along with many other items that convey anti-Liberal slogans, pro-Conservative messages, etc.

Third, after the initial complaint was denounced as “baseless” by mall leadership, the person who filed the complaint threatened to pursue the issue publicly if action was not taken against FMW. It should be noted that the initial complaint had already been sent to the Charlotte Observer newspaper. This is where things began to change.

Mall management went back to Spivack and FMW, notifying them that their lease would expire without renewal at the end of July. Spivack agreed to comply with the request, but asked to be notified of the reasons behind the non-renewal of the lease.

Concord Mills leadership (Simon) cited violation of a mall policy that mandated that “no items that promoted a specific opinion or inappropriate messages were allowed to be sold on Simon property.” This is where it gets interesting…

Spivack and a team of “secret shoppers” went through every store inside Concord Mills, taking note of (and even photographing) items being sold that “promoted opinion” or could be deemed as “inappropriate.”

The following were noted as just a few among many, many items being sold in other stores:

T-shirts, hats, belt buckles, bumper stickers, and posters that promoted the use of illegal drugs, and even some that promoted the legalization of marijuana.

A child’s t-shirt that read “I Love My Daddy, Even Though He’s An Asshole.”

T-shirts that sported phrases about the size of male genitalia, oral sex, and masturbation (most located in Spencer’s).

Sex toys, along with other items that graphically displayed female breasts (located in Spencer’s). Several of these items could visually be seen from outside the store, and within eyesight of passing children.

Numerous items being sold with images of Barack Obama, touting him as “Hope,” “Change,” and even one that read “Greatest President Ever.” These included t-shirts, bumper stickers, magnets, books, and magazines.

A reference to a bumper sticker that had once been sold inside the mall that read “Bush Lied, People Died.” There was no confirmation as to whether this item is still sold currently.

Last, none of the above references even touch on the “opinions” and “inappropriate material” being sold in the form of music and movies inside the mall.

So, while I agree that Concord Mills and Simon Properties have EVERY RIGHT to choose who they allow to conduct business on their property, their reasoning and justification for removing Spivack and FMW from the premises just doesn’t add up.

This is an example of a clear double-standard, in which a pro-Democrat organization is selectively choosing what it deems to be “opinionated material” and “inappropriate.” Based on my personal views on the matter, I chose to join the nearly 100 folks who protested this past Sunday. The protest was peaceful and without incident. Upon arrival, we were told that we would need to take our protest out to the roadside and off of mall property. We obliged, and for an hour, we made our statement. Many of us then returned our signs and banners to our cars, and proceeded to head inside to shop…at FMW.

It is unclear whether Simon and FMW will reach any suitable conclusion to this unfortunate matter. However, late Sunday Simon Management agreed to revisit the issue with Mr. Spivack early in the week.

Stay tuned to your local/national media outlets for the latest…

-Corey