Peace activists ask Crossgates to explain their ouster

Several members of Upper Hudson Peace Action said they were not creating a disturbance or demonstrating, but simply wearing shirts that expressed messages of peace, such as "Don't invade Iraq" and "Peace on Earth."

On the afternoon of Dec. 21, between 20 and 24 members of Upper Hudson Peace Action wandered around the mall in groups of two or three, said. Some had antiwar messages written on their shirts, while others had pieces of paper containing antiwar statements taped to their shirts, she said.

Members of the group had arranged to meet at the Crossgates food court around 5 p.m. When they did, security escorted them out of the mall, and drove them to their cars in security vehicles, said Pat Beetle, a coordinator for the group.

On Tuesday members of Upper Hudson Peace Action sent a letter to Crossgates asking mall officials to explain what happened. The letter described the response of mall security and Guilderland police officers as "inappropriate and unfair."

Crossgates officials will not be able to comment on the incident until next week, when the mall's manager returns, according to Sara Nieves, a spokeswoman for the mall.

But members of Upper Hudson Peace Action denied that they were demonstrating or creating a disturbance.

"It wasn't really a protest," said Beetle. "We just wanted to be a presence at the mall. We wanted people to have a second thought about what Christmas is all about."

Maureen Aumand, a Colonie resident who was also asked to leave the mall, agreed. "It seemed like a good opportunity to encounter a lot of people without interfering with what they were doing," she said.

Aumand, who said she was shopping alone, had antiwar signs taped to the front and back of her shirt. She said she was surrounded by six to eight security officers, who escorted her out the door.

Reports indicated that some of the people who were asked to leave Crossgates were being difficult and not listening to security, said Guilderland Police Chief James Murley.

Police received a call around 4:35 p.m. about a group of people who were creating a disturbance at Crossgates, Murley said. "A couple people were allegedly being very belligerent," he said.

Mall security did not want the people arrested, but wanted them off the property, Murley said. Guilderland police went to the mall to make sure the people left without any trouble, he said.

But members of Upper Hudson Peace Action denied they were belligerent, and said they would like an apology from the mall for what they regard as an overreaction. "Nobody was interfering with the shoppers," Beetle said. "We thought we were being pretty peaceful."

Schenectady resident Julie Belles, another member of Upper Hudson Peace Action who was asked to leave the mall, agreed. "Our contention is that we were not protesting," she said. "We had no signs or leaflets. Their security team overreacted tremendously."

The letter written by Upper Hudson Peace Action asks Crossgates manager Mark Wagner for a response to several questions. Members want more information about the mall's criteria for acceptable and unacceptable messages that appear on clothing worn at the mall, whether other shoppers have been asked to leave because of messages on their clothing, and the mall's policy regarding political protest.