Topic: Political Correctness
Boycott Simon Property Group Simon Property Group doesn't want libertarians or conservatives on their property. Let's oblige them.by Phil Manger
(libertarian)
Friday, July 24, 2009
Simon Property Group which, according to its website, is the "largest public U. S. real estate company", has made it clear that it doesn't want pro-freedom people on its property. At least, that's the message the company has sent in two of its actions in the past month.
This week, the Charlotte, NC, station News Channel 36 (WCNC) reported that The Free Market Warrior, a kiosk that sells bumper stickers, posters and tee-shirts with such incendiary slogans as "Work harder, Obama needs the money", "Impeach Obama" and "My parents chose life", is being evicted from Simon Property Group's Concord Mills outlet mall at the end of the month. I was alerted to this story by paleolibertarian blogger Karen De Coster.
Loren Spivack, owner of the kiosk chain, told WCNC that mall management contacted him after the Charlotte Observer published a letter from Jennifer Ibanez, a recent UNC-Charlotte graduate, who wrote to complain that items sold by the kiosk "support ideas such as racisms (sic), sexism, and even slavery".
Spivack told WCNC the news came as shock to him:
"Nobody in that mall is selling anything from a conservative perspective. Plenty of people are selling things with a liberal perspective, with a pro-Obama perspective," he said. "Given that we are in America and not North Korea, we probably should have some stuff on the other side."
Spivack says he is careful not to sell things that personally attack a politician and wants a fair exchange of ideas. "The material that I sell is about politics and ideas," he told Newschannel 36. "It's all legitimate criticism."
Late last month another mall controlled by Simon Property Group forced the organizers of the Atlanta Tea Party to find another location for their planned July 4 event just 11 business days before it was scheduled to take place. The Tea Party, for which planning had been underway since March, was to be held on the Macy's parking lot with the permission of the property owner, who had even offered to pay for the fireworks. The property is not owned by Simon, but is adjacent to Gwinnett Place Mall, which is.
According to Julianne Thompson, co-organizer of the event, the mall manager asked her and the owner of the Macy's parking lot to come to his office. There, the manager invoked an easement agreement the mall had with the adjacent property owner and forced the cancellation of the event.
Simon Property Group was founded by Melvin Simon, who still sits on its board and controls the largest block of stock. Simon, 82, is a Forbes 400 billionaire and has been a heavy contributor to liberal causes and Democratic politicians, including Barack Obama. His son, David, succeeded him as CEO in 1995.
Other stories and commentary on the recent Simon Property Group actions can be found here, here, and here. The controversies were also discussed this week by Glen Beck.
Of course, Simon Property Group is free to select its tenants, and is even free to ban a rally on an adjacent parking lot if the company's easement agreement with the parking lot's owner permits it to do so. But those of us who don't like Simon's decisions have some freedoms, too. As Loren Spivack told WCNC, "If they have decided to make their malls conservative/libertarian-free zones, where those opinions can't be expressed, I do think it's their right to do that, but it's our right to publicize the fact that they are doing that,".
Actually, we have the right to do more than that. For example, we can choose not to spend any money in Simon malls and shopping centers. We can also choose to contact retailers who lease space in Simon malls and tell them we will not spend any money in Simon malls and shopping centers. And we can even choose to contact Simon Property Group itself and tell them we will not spend any money in their malls and shopping centers.
Some bloggers are calling for a boycott, not just of Simon Property Group, but of every retailer that leases space from the company. I think that goes too far. It would be better to let retailers know that we are happy to favor them with our patronage; we just aren't going to do it in a Simon mall or shopping center. Besides, there are so many Simon malls and shopping centers that every large retail chain in the country probably has at least one store located on a Simon property.
Fortunately, I live in a large urban area where there are plenty of alternatives to Simon malls and shopping centers. About the only thing I'll have to give up is dinner at Medieval Times — and I don't go there for the show so much as because I like going to a restaurant where I can eat with my fingers.
Here's a list of Simon Property Group's malls, mills and town centers, taken from the company's 2008 annual report. Spread the word.
U. S. properties
Alabama
Factory Stores of America, Boaz
Alaska
Anchorage 5th Avenue Mall (M), Anchorage
Arizona
Arizona Mills, Tempe
Arkansas
McCain Mall, N. Little Rock
California
Brea Mall, Brea Camarillo Premium Outlets, Camarillo Carlsbad Premium Outlets, Carlsbad Coddingtown Mall, Santa Rosa Del Amo Fashion Center, Torrance Desert Hills Premium Outlets, Cabazon Fashion Valley, San Diego Folsom Premium Outlets, Folsom Gilroy Premium Outlets, Gilroy Great Mall, Milpitas Hilltop Mall, Richmond Laguna Hills Mall, Laguna Hills Las Americas Premium Outlets, San Diego Napa Premium Outlets, Napa Ontario Mills, Ontario Petaluma Village Premium Outlets, Petaluma Santa Rosa Plaza, Santa Rosa Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto Stoneridge Shopping Center, Pleasanton The Block at Orange, Orange The Shops at Mission Viejo, Mission Viejo Vacaville Premium Outlets, Vacaville Westminster Mall, Westminster
Colorado
Colorado Mills, Lakewood Denver West Village, Lakewood Mesa Mall, Grand Junction Town Center at Aurora, Aurora
Connecticut
Clinton Crossing Premium Outlets, Clinton Crystal Mall, Waterford The Plaza at Buckland Hills, Manchester
Delaware
Dover Mall, Dover
Florida
Aventura Mall, Miami Beach Boynton Beach Mall, Boynton Beach Coconut Point, Estero Coral Square, Coral Springs Cordova Mall, Pensacola Crystal River Mall, Crystal River Dadeland Mall, Miami DeSoto Square, Bradenton Downtown at the Gardens (M), Palm Beach Gardens Edison Mall, Fort Myers Factory Stores of America, Graceville Gaitway Plaza, Ocala Gulf View Square, Port Richey Highland Lakes Center, Orlando Indian River Commons, Vero Beach Indian River Mall, Vero Beach Lake Square Mall, Leesburg Melbourne Square, Melbourne Miami International Mall, Miami Orange Park Mall, Orange Park Orlando Premium Outlets, Orlando Paddock Mall, Ocala Palm Beach Mall, West Palm Beach Pier Park, Panama City Beach Port Charlotte Town Center, Port Charlotte Royal Eagle Plaza, Coral Springs Sawgrass Mills, Sunrise Seminole Towne Center, Sanford St. Augustine Premium Outlets, St. Augustine St. Johns Town Center, Jacksonville Terrace at The Florida Mall, Orlando The Avenues, Jacksonville The Falls, Miami The Florida Mall, Orlando The Galleria at Fort Lauderdale (KS), Fort Lauderdale The Shops at Sunset Place, S. Miami Town Center at Boca Raton, Boca Raton Treasure Coast Square, Jensen Beach Tyrone Square, St. Petersburg University Mall, Pensacola Waterford Lakes Town Center, Orlando West Town Corners, Altamonte Springs Westland Park Plaza, Orange Park
Georgia
Discover Mills, Lawrenceville Gwinnett Place, Duluth Lenox Square, Atlanta Mall of Georgia, Buford Mall of Georgia Crossing, Buford North Georgia Premium Outlets, Dawsonville Northlake Mall, Atlanta Phipps Plaza, Atlanta Town Center at Cobb, Kennesaw
Hawaii
Waikele Premium Outlets, Waipahu
Illinois
Bloomingdale Court, Bloomingdale Chicago Premium Outlets, Aurora Countryside Plaza, Countryside Crystal Court, Crystal Lake Forest Plaza, Rockford Gurnee Mills, Gurnee Lake Plaza, Waukegan Lake View Plaza, Orland Park Lincoln Crossing, O?Fallon Lincolnwood Town Center, Lincolnwood Matteson Plaza, Matteson North Ridge Plaza, Joliet Northfield Square, Bourbonnais Northwoods Mall, Peoria Orland Square, Orland Park River Oaks Center, Calumet City SouthPark Mall, Moline White Oaks Mall, Springfield White Oaks Plaza, Springfield Willow Knolls Court, Peoria
Indiana
Brightwood Plaza, Indianapolis Castleton Square, Indianapolis Circle Centre, Indianapolis Clay Terrace, Carmel Claypool Court (M), Indianapolis College Mall, Bloomington Eastland Convenience Center, Evansville Eastland Mall, Evansville Edinburgh Premium Outlets, Edinburgh Greenwood Park Mall, Greenwood Greenwood Plus, Greenwood Hamilton Town Center, Noblesville Keystone Shoppes, Indianapolis Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets, Michigan City Markland Mall, Kokomo Markland Plaza, Kokomo Muncie Mall, Muncie Muncie Plaza, Muncie New Castle Plaza, New Castle Northwood Plaza, Fort Wayne Teal Plaza, Lafayette The Fashion Mall at Keystone, Indianapolis Tippecanoe Mall, Lafayette Tippecanoe Plaza, Lafayette University Center, Mishawaka University Park Mall, Mishawaka Village Park Plaza, Carmel Washington Plaza, Indianapolis Washington Square, Indianapolis
Iowa
Factory Stores of America, Story City Lindale Mall, Cedar Rapids NorthPark Mall, Davenport Southern Hills Mall, Sioux City SouthRidge Mall, Des Moines
Kansas
Towne East Square, Wichita Towne West Square, Wichita West Ridge Mall, Topeka West Ridge Plaza, Topeka
Kentucky
Factory Stores of America, Georgetown Park Plaza, Hopkinsville
Louisiana
Prien Lake Mall, Lake Charles The Esplanade, Kenner
Arundel Mills, Hanover Arundel Mills Marketplace, Hanover Bowie Town Center, Bowie Lakeforest Mall, Gaithersburg Marley Station, Glen Burnie St. Charles Towne Center, Waldorf St. Charles Towne Plaza, Waldorf
Massachusetts
Arsenal Mall, Watertown Atrium Mall, Chestnut Hill Auburn Mall, Auburn Burlington Mall, Burlington Cape Cod Mall, Hyannis Copley Place, Boston Emerald Square, North Attleboro Greendale Mall, Worcester Liberty Tree Mall, Danvers Northshore Mall, Peabody Solomon Pond Mall, Marlborough South Shore Plaza, Braintree Square One Mall, Saugus The Mall at Chestnut Hill, Chestnut Hill Wrentham Village Premium Outlets, Wrentham
Michigan
Briarwood Mall, Ann Arbor
Minnesota
Albertville Premium Outlets, Albertville Maplewood Mall, St. Paul Miller Hill Mall, Duluth Southdale Center, Edina
Mississippi
Northpark Mall, Ridgeland Ridgewood Court, Jackson
Missouri
Battlefield Mall, Springfield Factory Merchants Branson, Branson Factory Stores of America, Lebanon Independence Center, Independence Osage Beach Premium Outlets, Osage Beach Regency Plaza, St. Charles St. Louis Mills, Hazelwood The Shoppes at Branson Meadows, Branson
Nebraska
Crossroads Mall, Omaha Factory Stores of America, Nebraska City
Nevada
Las Vegas Outlet Center, Las Vegas Las Vegas Premium Outlets, Las Vegas Meadowood Mall, Reno The Forum Shops at Caesars, Las Vegas
New Hampshire
Pheasant Lane Mall, Nashua The Mall at Rockingham Park, Salem The Mall of New Hampshire, Manchester
New Jersey
Brunswick Square, East Brunswick Hamilton Mall (KS), Mays Landing Jackson Premium Outlets, Jackson Jersey Shore Premium Outlets, Tinton Falls Liberty Village Premium Outlets, Flemington Livingston Mall, Livingston Menlo Park Mall, Edison Newport Centre (M), Jersey City Newport Crossing (M), Jersey City Newport Plaza (M), Jersey City Ocean County Mall, Toms River Quaker Bridge Mall, Lawrenceville Rockaway Convenience Center, Rockaway Rockaway Town Plaza, Rockaway Rockaway Townsquare, Rockaway The Shops at Riverside, Hackensack
New Mexico
Cottonwood Mall, Albuquerque
New York
Chautauqua Mall, Lakewood Cobblestone Court, Victor Jefferson Valley Mall, Yorktown Heights Nanuet Mall, Nanuet Roosevelt Field, Garden City Smith Haven Mall, Lake Grove The Galleria at White Plains, White Plains The Mall at the Source, Westbury The Westchester, White Plains Walt Whitman Mall, Huntington Station Waterloo Premium Outlets, Waterloo Woodbury Common Premium Outlets, Central Valley
North Carolina
Carolina Premium Outlets, Smithfield Concord Mills, Concord Concord Mills Marketplace, Concord Dare Centre, Kill Devil Hills MacGregor Village, Cary North Ridge Shopping Center, Raleigh SouthPark, Charlotte
Ohio
Aurora Farms Premium Outlets, Aurora Great Lakes Mall, Mentor Great Lakes Plaza, Mentor Lima Center, Lima Lima Mall, Lima Richmond Town Square, Richmond Heights Southern Park Mall, Youngstown Summit Mall, Akron The Mall at Tuttle Crossing, Dublin Upper Valley Mall, Springfield
Oklahoma
Eastland Plaza, Tulsa Penn Square Mall, Oklahoma City Woodland Hills Mall, Tulsa
Oregon
Columbia Gorge Premium Outlets, Troutdale
Pennsylvania
Bond Shopping Center (KS), Upper Darby Century III Mall, West Mifflin DeKalb Plaza, King of Prussia Franklin Mills, Philadelphia Henderson Square, King of Prussia Huntingdon Pike (KS), Abington Huntingdon Valley Shopping Center (KS), Abington Granite Run Mall, Media King of Prussia Mall, King of Prussia Lehigh Valley Mall, Whitehall Liberty Plaza, Philadelphia Lincoln Plaza, King of Prussia Montgomery Mall, North Wales Oxford Valley Mall, Langhorne Philadelphia Premium Outlets, Limerick Ross Park Mall, Pittsburgh South Hills Village, Pittsburgh Springfield Mall, Springfield The Atrium Office Building, (KS) (M), King of Prussia The Crossings Premium Outlets, Tannersville The Pavilion (KS), King of Prussia Whitehall Mall, Whitehall
Puerto Rico
Plaza Carolina, Carolina
South Carolina
Anderson Mall, Anderson Charles Towne Square, Charleston Haywood Mall, Greenville
Crossville Outlet Center, Crossville Knoxville Center, Knoxville Knoxville Commons, Knoxville Oak Court Mall, Memphis Opry Mills, Nashville Raleigh Springs Mall, Memphis West Town Mall, Knoxville Wolfchase Galleria, Memphis
Texas
Allen Premium Outlets, Allen Arboretum at Great Hills, Austin Barton Creek Square, Austin Broadway Square, Tyler Cielo Vista Mall, El Paso Firewheel Town Center, Garland Gateway Shopping Center, Austin Grapevine Mills, Grapevine Highland Mall, Austin Houston Premium Outlets, Cypress Ingram Park Mall, San Antonio Ingram Plaza, San Antonio Irving Mall, Irving Katy Mills, Katy La Plaza Mall, McAllen Lakeline Mall, Cedar Park Lakeline Plaza, Cedar Park Longview Mall, Longview Midland Park Mall, Midland Midway Mall (M), Sherman North East Mall, Hurst Palms Crossing, McAllen Richardson Square, Richardson Rio Grande Valley Premium Outlets, Mercedes Rolling Oaks Mall, San Antonio Round Rock Premium Outlets, Round Rock Sunland Park Mall, El Paso The Domain, Austin The Galleria, Houston The Shops at Arbor Walk, Austin The Shops at North East Mall, Hurst Valle Vista Mall, Harlingen Wolf Ranch Town Center, Georgetown
Virginia
Apple Blossom Mall, Winchester Charlottesville Fashion Square, Charlottesville Chesapeake Center, Chesapeake Chesapeake Square, Chesapeake Fairfax Court, Fairfax Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets, Leesburg Martinsville Plaza, Martinsville Potomac Mills, Prince William The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, Arlington Valley Mall, Harrisonburg Virginia Center Commons, Glen Allen
Washington
Columbia Center, Kennewick Factory Stores at North Bend, North Bend Northgate Mall, Seattle Seattle Premium Outlets, Tulalip Tacoma Mall, Tacoma
Wisconsin
Bay Park Square, Green Bay Forest Mall, Fond Du Lac Johnson Creek Premium Outlets, Johnson Creek Southridge Mall, Greendale
INTERNATIONAL PROPERTIES
France
Bay 2, Torcy (Paris) Bay 1, Torcy (Paris) Bel?Est, Bagnolet (Paris) Villabé, Villabé (Paris) Wasquehal, Wasquehal (Lille)
Italy
Ancona Bergamo Bussolengo (Verona) Casalbertone (Roma) Casamassima (Bari) Centro Azuni (Sassari) Cepagatti (Pescara) Cesano Boscone (Milano) Cinisello (Milano) Collatina (Roma) Concesio (Brescia) Cuneo (Torino) Fano (Pesaro) Giugliano (Napoli) Grottammare (Ascoli Piceno) La Rena (Catania) Marconi (Cagliari) Mazzano (Brescia) Merate (Lecco) Mesagne (Brindisi) Mestre (Venezia) Misterbianco (Catania) Modugno (Bari) Monza Mugnano (Napoli) Nerviano (Milano) Olbia Padova Palermo Pescara Pompei (Napoli) Porta di Roma (Roma) Porto Sant?Elpidio (Ascoli Piceno) Predda Niedda (Sassari) Rescaldina (Milano) Rivoli (Torino) San Rocco al Porto (Piacenza) Santa Gilla (Cagliari) Senigallia (Ancona) Taranto Torino Venaria (Torino) Vicenza Vimodrone (Milano) Vulcano Buono, Nola (Napoli)
Poland
Arkadia Shopping Center, Warsaw Wilenska Station Shopping Center, Warsaw
Japan
Gotemba Premium Outlets, Gotemba City (Tokyo) Kobe-Sanda Premium Outlets, Kobe (Osaka) Rinku Premium Outlets, Izumisano (Osaka) Sano Premium Outlets, Sano (Tokyo) Sendai — Izumi Premium Outlets, Izumi Park Town (Sendai) Toki Premium Outlets, Toki (Nagoya) Tosu Premium Outlets, Fukuoka (Kyushu)
Mexico
Premium Outlets Punta Norte, Mexico City
Korea
Yeoju Premium Outlets, Seoul
China
Changshu In City Plaza, Changshu
KS — Managed by Kravco Simon (not owned) M — Managed by Simon (not owned)
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The views expressed in this
article are those of Phil Manger only and do not represent
the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. Phil Manger is
solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an
employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
Posted By: Bill Stephens
Date: 2009-07-28 18:09:26
I think it's about time some positive steps are taken against organizations such as Simon Property Group. Why are we Americans cowing to anyone who doesn't happen to like the American way, weather it's politics, religion, race, or anything else. Someone was offended by a Christmas tree in the Seatac airport, so bye bye Christmas tree. How ridiculous. Someone complains about political items being sold in a mall, so the lease is not renewed. It's truly sad. Boycotting Simon Group Properties is the proper response.
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