Mall's clothing policy draws fire from civil rights advocates

ST. LOUIS -- Gwendolyn Cogshell thought she was dressed just right. At a St. Louis Rams rally last fall at St. Louis Union Station, the 45-year-old postal worker wore a team jersey with a matching blue scarf to hold back her hair.

But soon after entering the popular shopping mall, Cogshell found herself handcuffed, forced up against a wall and eventually forcibly removed, she recalled Tuesday. The reason: She refused to take off the scarf in violation of a mall prohibition of certain types of clothing.

"It was humiliating," Cogshell said.

About 200 people rallied outside, and briefly marched through, Union Station on Tuesday, claiming the clothing policy is racist -- aimed squarely at blacks.

The Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network has issued a national travel advisory, warning blacks to stay away from the mall.

Mall officials declined to comment beyond a statement issued Monday, which outlined their code of conduct that was upgraded about two years ago because of increasing crime. Since the new policy went into place, retail sales and store occupancy have risen, the statement read.

Union Station was for years the city's grand passenger train depot. It ceased serving trains in 1978 but reopened seven years later, housing a hotel and an eclectic mix of shops and restaurants.

It draws about 6 million visitors annually -- making it one of the region's biggest tourist attractions.

The mall's code of conduct includes a paragraph that prohibits "use or possession of commonly known gang-related paraphernalia such as (but not limited to): wearing or showing a bandanna or do rag of any color, a hat tilted or turned to the side, a single sleeve or pant leg pulled/rolled up and flashing gang signs."

Policy not unique

The policy is not unique. Other malls have similar codes of conduct, including many in the St. Louis area.

Westfield shopping centers prohibit "apparel or other accessories which may be dangerous, offensive, intimidating and/or dangerous to persons or property." Westfield operates the St. Louis area malls Crestwood, Mid Rivers, Northwest Plaza, South County and West County.

On Tuesday, a sign at Union Station's courtesy desk noted that the clothing provision of the code of conduct was being waived until 5 p.m. that day because of the rally. As a result, protesters -- many donning banned apparel -- were free to walk about the shopping areas.

Police and mall security stood nearby, but did not intervene. No arrests were made.

The Rev. Horace Sheffield III of Detroit, one of the rally organizers, pledged an even bigger rally May 20 unless the mall changes its policy.

In a news release Monday, rally organizers said St. Louis rap star Nelly was among those victimized by the policy -- he was trying to buy Cardinals jerseys at the mall last week for a video shoot when he was escorted out because of his attire.

A spokeswoman said Nelly wanted no part of the planned protest and didn't endorse it. Those words angered organizers, who urged a boycott of Nelly's music.

Inside the mall, Cliff Soanner, 20, of St. Louis, wore a tilted, backward Cardinals cap as he shopped with his girlfriend and baby daughter. He wasn't part of the protest, and said he didn't notice a nearby sign outlining the code of conduct.

"It doesn't bother me," he said. "I won't change."

A handful of counter-protesters from a group called Citizens for Racial Equality held signs reading, "End Black Racism," and "Black Mafia Criminals."

"This is an attempt to shake down Union Station," Frank Weltner of St. Louis said.

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On the Net:

National Action Network: http://www.nationalactionnetwork.org

St. Louis Union Station: http://www.stlouisunionstation.com