Mall of America’s ability to so zealously suppress the December 23 [Black Lives Matter] protest there highlights how, in a nation where more and more public life takes place in privatized spaces, the ability to exercise First Amendment rights has become increasingly contingent...
Legal arguments that free political speech should be allowed at malls center around the idea that the shopping center has replaced the town square as a place where opinions can be heard and exchanged.
— the Intercept
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12 Comments
so if everyone showed up with an ar-15, would the mall security have said that they prefer to let the situation diffuse itself in contained instances like this?
This is one of the big differences I notice between North America and Europe. There's a lack of spaces, as well as other institutions that are part of the public realm ( including media, culture etc...).
I don't think many North Americans understand what is and isn't private space. Even outdoor shopping malls or mixed use developments with the old public square feel of outdoor cafes and fountains do not belong to the public and you quickly find that out when you try to light a cigarette or sit for more than a few minutes.
Shopping malls in my mind are often a failure of both city planning and a public that just wants to find a parking spot.
An Architectural Analysis
Accessibllity Obstructions
- no demonstrations in street with out permit as it disrupts traffic
- no sidewalks to demonstrate on, just peoples lawns, that's trespassing
- no demonstrations in parking lots of retail spaces, also private and therefore trespassing
- no demonstrations in retail spaces, also private
- no demonstrations at Churches, Synagogues, Mosques, Temples, etc...private property and interferes with the right to religion
Accessibility Possibilities
that leaves public locations with highly monitored security, if you mess-up you're a terrorist
- Airports (no go) - don't say anything that might be 'explosive'
- Trains stations and public transit (about as bad as airports)
- Parking lot of a school? only when schools out or you're disrupting everyone's right to learn
- Parking lot of the library? they might hear you inside, see below
- The Library, well that's just rude people are trying to read.
- Courthouse, sure, the judge will see you now if you get out of line
- Police station, don't get arrested, but you might be able to do this as long as you bring the media along
- Fire station - don't block the doors, what if there's a fire, you may have assisted
- Hospital - if public, not friendly
- Public Parks! Public Land! (the word Public is in the description) but you might endanger wildlife and kill the vegetation, so you are again offending
Architectural Proposal for Future Demonstrations throughout United States in compliance with International Building Code:
IBC to include Occupancy classification- Demonstration Area
Occupancy load is 3 sqft per person (obese cannot demostrate, they may collapse of various health issues
not habitable space (not enclosed or climatized),
but must have an average footcandle illumination of 75+ (football stadium lighting), so monitoring in case of violent outbreaks easy
space will look like this
Law Enacted Scenario
Each city, now in accordance with Zoning shall provide said space based on a 0.5 sqft per citizen of said township, oddly enough this does not align with Building code, this is based on some strange Census bureau average of possibilities of demonstrators based on various socio--economic-political tendencies of the citizens.
This means Minneapolis, MN population of 400,000 people would require a space of 200,000 sqft.
Commerce dictates Laws Feasiblity
No place in the city available due to value of property and other issues, i.e. parking requirements.
Parking and Public Transportation issues
At 200,000 persons that large, parking would require garages and changes to the Highways requiring additional Dept. of Transportation requirements to be met.
Taxpayers convinced by various politicians that the other side, left-right, will use it all the time and it's a waste of taxpayer money to provide access to such a space.
Rural area designated to accomadate Commerce and Politicians
The public Federal parks are offered up or a farm but the locals don't like all the busing of minorities and city folk to their quint location.
sorry America, you may not collectively voice your opinion in Public, we gave you Facebook and Social Media - isn't that enough?
Chris-Chitect, the whole point of the shopping mall, theme park, Disneyland or gated communities is to shelter folks from unpleasant realities. The police brutality crime and the racial stigma along with the planned neglect plaguing american cities is avoidable for white middle class folks who can shelter in suburbs and shopping malls where they never have to see a pan handler, sign a petition or witness a protest. This civic disengagement is by design and judging by voter turnout and membership in civic organizations as well as churches it is working.
Over and OUT
Peter N
^and when that doesn't work they call in the gestapo like during occupy...
Peter, I totally agree. The shopping malls themselves and to a larger extent, suburban culture, are not so much a failure. They are a success of bad intentions. They've succeeded in sheltering the middle class, but failed in bettering society. Though it may be a bit naive to believe they want to.
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The idea that suburbia and shopping malls are sheltered and pristine is not really correct. There are many many poor suburban areas. Compton, Oakland, Queens, etc...are all suburban. In NY, the urban areas are becoming gentrified disneylands while the suburban areas are becoming poorer and crime is on the rise...
jla-x to your point, the nightly news in nyc, over last month, there have been at least 2 mall shutdowns due to kids getting into fights in the mall.
One of reasons why the security at MOA was able to mobilize so quickly is that they had a serious gang problem. They still have a curfew in place. But the presence of the Bloomington Police force in a private place (they had a holding cell) and how the curfew is enforced only points to this inconsistent treatment of the space as "urban."
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Marc, this is the advantage of capitalism, you have capital you have a vote.
I think we need to teach activists to chase more money down.
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