A man wearing a plain yellow t-shirt that read “Jesus Saves” at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN was recently approached by mall security and told that he would have to remove his t-shirt if he wants to continue shopping as it was deemed “offensive” to some shoppers. Not only is there no dress code in the mall that would prohibit the wearing of such a garment, but it is clear that the actions of mall security were a blatant violation of the state’s discrimination laws.
The Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA) is a state law that strictly prohibits discrimination in areas such as housing, employment, and public accommodations, including places like malls and shopping centers. Specifically, the MHRA prohibits discrimination in places of public accommodation on the basis of “creed”, which is defined as any religion, religious practices or observance, religious creed, or religious belief. This means that the mall had no legal grounds to ask the man to remove his t-shirt, and their actions were in violation of the MHRA.
The Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA) is a state law that prohibits discrimination in areas such as housing, employment, and public accommodations, including places like malls and shopping centers. Specifically, the MHRA prohibits discrimination in places of public accommodation on the basis of “creed”, which is defined as any religion, religious practices or observance, religious creed, or religious belief. The MHRA is enforced by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) which investigates and resolves complaints of discrimination filed under the MHRA.
In the video, you can hear the mall security guard yelling at the man to remove his shirt or leave, telling him that other mall visitors were complaining not about him preaching or approaching them, but simply because of what his shirt said. The security officer told him that because it was private property, they had the right to do so. However, this appears to be a clear violation of the state’s anti-discrimination laws.
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