I had my first run-in with the 'the man' rent-a-cop detachment at my local Mall. My friends and I usually use the mall parking lot as a staging area to head down to a pub or bar because it's free parking, it's on the main bus route and one of the guys lives about a kilometer away so we can walk to the cars the morning after.

Anyhow, did the usual last night but when we came back for the cars, two trucks marked with with mall security tags were parked in front of and behind our cars effectively blocking the cars in. Waited around until the mall opened and hunted down the security office to ask what the problem was. As it turns out they were tired of god damned kids leaving cars in the lot overnight. I apparently said the wrong thing when I asked what the problem was with leaving 3-4 cars overnight and the guy sort of exploded ranting about trespassing and bylaw something or other. After he was finished my rather too over confident and *****-y friend told and not really asked for them to move their trucks then the guy exploded again and declared us all banned from the mall. Said our plates were recorded and the police would be involved. Promptly escorted us to our cars then off the lot.


Anyone else even banned from a Mall...?

 

that sux. i bet he drives some old beater and is just pissed that you're car is nicer than his. lol. my sister got banned from the mall once...when she was 16. lol.

 

by blocking your cars in, I wonder if that can be considered kidnapping since they're preventing you from leaving.

 

Private property....

Probably 'parking rules' signs every few lamp standards...

They did you a favour - definitely within their rights to have you towed.


(Not Hatin' - just sayin'). IMHO, you guys did the responsible thing by not drinking & driving.

 

that sucks dude.... stupid rent-a-cops.

 

Im banned from walmart...lol

 

Oh My!


No Polyester for you!!!!

 

I say you burn down that parking lot

 

I think two rent-a-cop mall security trucks will develop four flat tires in the near future. Oh wait, you live in Hamilton, that is too far away.

 

no.
Kidnapping involves an overt action after detaining you. ie; transporting you.
This would fall into being detained against your will.

 

go back and kick their asses

 

Sorry to say, but you guys were in the wrong. When it comes to private property, the owner (or in this case, the individuals appointed by the owner) have all the legal rights to kick you off the property or arrest you (it's their choice) for any reason whatsoever.

If, one day, they decided that they didn't want red cars on their property, they have full rights under the Criminal Code of Canada and the Tresspass to Property act to kick out each and every red car from the property. Anyone who does not leave can be arrested and given a tresspassing ticket by the police. Most malls, if not all of them have a no parking timeframe. It's usually right after all the stores close up until a few hours before they open up again the next day.

You guys were lucky that they let you go without calling the cops.
Why don't you just park at the friend's house next time?

 

I wasn't really arguing over their right to remove me (us to use my example) from the lot it just seems rather extreme to ban us from the Mall. From what I understand I believe they have to ask/tell you to leave once and if you don't they then call the cops and charge you with trespassing.

But yes, it's Private Property and they have the right to refuse anyone and everyone admittance at they're discretion. Just like parking the trucks in front of and behind our cars. They didn't touch or harm our cars and we would have had to hit one of them if we did want to escape before they moved them.

 

That sucks! Least no ticket, no towing charge etc. They can't restrain your cars like that tho, basically claiming them as their property since you can't move them. They can have them towed off their property, they can tell you to move them, but can't block you in like that. If they called the cops, the cops would have just told them to move their vans so you could leave and not come back. They wouldn't charge you with trespassing on a first offense like this since it is a waste of their time, and it's a freakin mall parking lot.

I got banned from a MacDicks once hehehe

 

I would write a letter to the owners of the mall. I seriously doubt they know their rent-a-cops are detaining people against their will. Explain that you shop at the mall all the time and the cars were left there after an evening of shopping that led to people drinking. You left the cars as to not get any DUI's.

I would further explain that if you had simply been told not to park there you would have obeyed. Make sure to use words like "the officer threatened me", "he was very rude", "he refused to let us leave until after he yelled at us for xx minutes".

If you keep your letter civil and to the point I bet you no longer are banned and Capt Rent a Badge is looking for a new job.

 

+1000

 

^^^^^

I completely agree with that. I mean.. its one thing to say you're not allowed to park over night. But to take the extreme measure of banning you seems a bit silly. In the end it's just removing a potential customer from the store owners in the mall for something that didn't cause any damage or harm. Wonder how many other people have been banned from there because of parking over night.

 

You were in the wrong by parking there overnight, but the security people over-reacted by yelling at you guys. If I am the security people I would just get your cars ticketed or towed and that would be the end of it and avoid a confrontation.

When the security people started yelling, you should have said that you would like to leave know and not listen to him direct verbal attacks at you. If they don't let you leave, then you can call the police for illegal confinement.

 

I got a pic of the OP's run in with the mall cop

 

Just call the cops and tell them

"When the security guards were detaining me, they started to molester me!!!" and then start crying LOL

 

"They were touching me in places I didn't know mall cops were authorized to touch me in!"

 

in.. urg.. sounds uncomfortable..