Iraqi Death Toll T-Shirt Banned at Mall
Don Zirkel of Bethpage was said to be offending shoppers with his t-shirt that was anti-war. The shirt had the death tolls of American military personnel and Iraqis 4,000 and 1 millions with the words “dead” and “enough”. The t-shirt also had three blotches that looked like like blood splatters.
Zirkel is an 80 year old church deacon who was handing out anti-way pamphlets to people at the mall and the mall security guards asked him to turn his shirt inside out. Zirkel refused to remove his shirt or leave the mall and so the the security guards tried to do a civilian arrest which he resisted. Zirkel was put in a wheelchair and rolled out of the mall and was charged with criminal trespassing and resisting arrest. According to a litigation lawyer the mall has the right to control what happens on its property. For more information check out newsday.com
T-Shirt Opposing Kosovo’s Independence Gets Swimmer Star Banned from Competitions
Milorad Cavic is a Serbian swimming star but was suspended from the European swimming championships because of his t-shirt. The T-shirt worn by Cavic during an award ceremony opposed Kosovo’s independence. The shirt had the phrase “Kosovo is Serbia”. Kosovo was a Serbian province prior to February of this year. Because the t-shirt had a political phrase it was in violation of the European swimming organizations rules. While he won the gold medal in the 50-meter butterfly competition in Eindhoven, Netherlands but was suspended from the championships. Despite the suspension Cavic will still be able to keep his medal but his future in swimming is still being debated.
Source: UPI
You Can’t Vote Wearing Political Messages on T-Shirts
A voter wearing a Barack Obama sweatshirt and button was turned away at the polls because of his choice of attire. Bradley Tucker, 25 was headed off vote on march 4th but was immediately approached by a poll worker who asked him not to campaign within the X feet of the polling place. Campaigning is not shouting or talking it can be as simple as just wearing a t-shirt. Mr. Tucker said refused to take off his sweatshirt and surprisingly was allowed to vote by a different poll worker without taking off his sweatshirt and button.
However, he shouldn’t have been able to vote. The Ohio Revised Code chapter 3501.35, states that no person can “solicit or in any manner attempt to influence any elector in casting the elector’s vote.” This story of voters being blocked from voting is not new this year. Another person in Montgomery County was told to hide his Barack Rocks T-shirt before being able to vote.
The biggest issue is that the law is not enforced the same everywhere. Employees of the News Record out of Cincinnati went to multiple polling locations with buttons that had political language and were not confronted to told they could not vote.
Source: The News Record
No Means No, Well Maybe if I am Drunk T-Shirt Protest - David and Goliath
David and Goliath started selling a t-shirt that promotes rape with the phrase: “No Means No, Well, Maybe if I am Drunk”. This shirt has stimulated an uproar among many who do not find the shirt funny for promoting rape. The shirts were pulled recently offline but not sure if it has been pulled from their retail stores yet. Feministing lead the complaint and now where the old shirt was is new shirt “Miss Bitch” with a reference to Feministing and a David and Goliath coupon code NOMEANSNO basically giving Feministing credit or something.
For more info check out Styledash and Feministing,
Man arrested wearing “If you drink, don’t drive because you might spill your beer t-shirt”
A 19 year old man was arrested for drinking and driving and was wearing a t-shirt with the phrase “If you drink, don’t drive because if you hit a bump you might spill your beer”. The mans vehicle was found with significant damage from hitting a guardrail and during a Breathalyzer test the man blew more than twice the legal limit. The man should have been wearing a t-shirt that said “I am an idiot”
The t-shirt quote is similar to a NOFX song “You Drink, You Drive, You Spill” It goes something like this: “I’m not so worried about how many I kill, I’m more concerned how much beer I spill, how much beer I spill, how much beer I spill. I say, don’t drink and drive you might spill your drink.” (or get arrested!)
Source: The Barrie Examiner
ACLU backs Conservative Christian Group in Banning Anti-Gay T-Shirt
The ACLU of Illinois filed a brief that they support a conservative Christian group “appealing a federal judge’s ruling that bars a Naperville Illinois student form wearing an anti-gay T-shirt to school.” The idea is that freedom of speech and freedom from discrimination should be balanced in public schools regardless of the viewpoint of the person wearing the t-shirt.
Source: Windy City Media Group
T-Shirts with Nazi Symbols Confiscated in Prague
T-shirts with Nazi symbols were seized by Czech customs in Prague. The package sent from Canada contained 44 t-shirts with Nazi symbols. The shirts were handed over the the Prague police and an investigation was started to research if there are any movements that are attempting to surpress fundamental rights and freedoms. But first the experts are going to determine if the symbols on the t-shirts do promote Nazism.
Source: Romea.cz
Memorial T-Shirts Banned in a Courtroom
In New Zealand, a family was forced to remove memorial t-shirts before the murder was freed on mail. The teenage who was killed as a tagger who was about to tag a mans fence and then was stabbed and killed on January 26, 2008. The memorial t-shirts are green with the victim’s photo on them but the judge tol them that they can’t wear them in court. Some people were upset that they had to remove the shirts but others understood it was fair. The “Garth McVicar of the Sensible Sentencing Trust commended Judge Harvey on making his order against the T-shirts, saying that over the years there had been a deterioration of respect for the courts.”
Source: NZ Herald
I Need a Man or a Date T-Shirt Banned at Gym
David Cano had his trial membership at an Elk Grove California Family Fitness Gym revoked. David was asked to stop wearing a t-shirt with the phrase “I Need a Man or a Date, Serious Inquiries Only” with his PHONE NUMBER (including area code) but he refused. According to the gym members complained about the t-shirt. As a result his membership was revoked due to “disorderly conduct”. Davis is not working with a lawyer because he believes he was discriminated against because he is gay. “There had to be some straight guys who had a problem with my shirt…If it was a straight woman who wore that shirt – straight guys wouldn’t have a problem with it. I think the gym has a problem – they’re very bigoted and discriminatory. They don’t like openly gay men.” Cano said. The gym responded with that statement that they are a family facility and not a dating service. Cano’s response was that he was going to wear it anyway and we’d have to drag him out”. The dress code states that members must wear “appropriate attire but it is not defined. The ACLU noted that calling California Family Fitness a ‘family center’ doesn’t give them a license to discriminate.
Source: Sac Bee
Anti-Gay T-Shirt Banned in School District - Judge Rejected First Amendment Rights
A Poway Unified School District was pulled out of class for wearing a t-shirt with an anti-gay slogan. The student filed a lawsuit against the school in 2004 because the he believed it was his right to wear a t-shirt with a Bible verse condemning homosexuality. A federal judge recently rejected the claim.
Source: SJ Mercury
