A major Obama contributor pulled some strings to get the Atlanta Tea Party canceled, just days before it was scheduled to take place. The movement, however, will not be silenced.
by Michael Naragon
Way back in March, even before the successful April 15 protest in Atlanta that featured a live broadcast of the Sean Hannity Show, the organizers of the Atlanta Tea Party movement scheduled an assembly on July 4 near the Gwinnett Place Mall in Duluth, GA. The protest would have been held in the Macy’s parking lot on private property.
Last week, the Simon group, owners of the mall, raised concerns about a political protest being held near their property. After Simon representatives expressed their displeasure to the mall manager, the property owner and the Tea Party organizers were called into a meeting, where they were told that the event would not be allowed in the parking lot, even though Simon did not own that particular property. Try as they might, the organizers could not find an alternate location on short notice.
Why was Simon so upset about the Tea Party? According to a post on American Thinker:
- Gwinnett Place Mall shut down the Atlanta Tea Party.
- Simon Property Group owns Gwinnett Place Mall.
- Melvin Simon (a Forbes 400 billionaire) is Co-chairman of Simon Property Group, Inc.
- Melvin Simon has provided large political contributions to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Al Franken, John Edwards, the DNC and many other Democrats and Democrat organizations.
- Melvin Simon was a major contributor to Barack Obama inaugural committee and has given at least $1 million to the William J. Clinton foundation.
- Melvin’s wife, Bren, personally donated almost $100,000 to various political candidates, was a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid, and contributed to President Obama’s inaugural committee.
See how this works? When you understand the political connections of the Simon group, it’s not difficult at all to see, first, why they balked at the event being held near their property, and, second, why they waited until a week before the event to make their move.
Still, despite their best efforts, the Obama zombies could not stop the movement by simply digging a figurative moat around their mall. Instead, the Atlanta organizers are encouraging those who would have attended the downtown Tea Party to attend a similar event being held from 6:00 pm until 10:00 pm in nearby Marietta at Jim R. Miller Park at 2245 Callaway Road. The Marietta event, which will be known as the Cobb Tea Party, will feature syndicated radio host Herman Cain, who will undoubtedly energize the crowd with his exposition on the runaway train that is our federal government.
Simon owns malls all across the nation. A list of those malls appears here. I suggest that we all begin an immediate boycott of the Simon-owned businesses across the country. At a time when the economy is already putting a squeeze on consumers and businesses, Simon should be more concerned with making money than making a political statement.
Postscript: Not that anyone associated with the Cobb Tea Party would be concerned about such things, but the author of this blog will also be attending your event. 
UPDATE: The following list of Simon Malls or Centers was pulled from their website:
- Albertville Premium Outlets (Albertville, MN)
- Allen Premium Outlets (Allen, TX)
- Anchorage 5th Avenue Mall (Anchorage, AK)
- Anderson Mall (Anderson, SC)
- Apple Blossom Mall (Winchester, VA)
- Arboretum at Great Hills (Austin, TX)
- Arizona Mills (Tempe, AZ)
- Arsenal Mall ® (Watertown, MA)
- Arundel Mills (Hanover, MD)
- Arundel Mills Marketplace (Hanover, MD)
- Atrium Mall (Chestnut Hill, MA)
- Auburn Mall (Auburn, MA)
- Aurora Farms Premium Outlets (Aurora, OH)
- Bangor Mall (Bangor, ME)
- Barton Creek Square (Austin, TX)
- Battlefield Mall (Springfield, MO)
- Bay Park Square (Green Bay, WI)
- Bloomingdale Court (Bloomingdale, IL)
- Bond Shopping Center (Upper Darby, PA)
- Bowie Town Center (Bowie, MD)
- Bowie Town Center Strip (Bowie, MD)
- Boynton Beach Mall (Boynton Beach, FL)
- Brea Mall ® (Brea, CA)
- Briarwood Mall (Ann Arbor, MI)
- Brightwood Plaza (Indianapolis, IN)
- Broadway Square ® (Tyler, TX)
- Brunswick Square (East Brunswick, NJ)
- Burlington Mall ® (Burlington, MA)
- Camarillo Premium Outlets® (Camarillo, CA)
- Cape Cod Mall (Hyannis, MA)
- Carlsbad Premium Outlets (Carlsbad, CA)
- Carolina Premium Outlets (Smithfield, NC)
- Castleton Square (Indianapolis, IN)
- Century III Mall (West Mifflin, PA)
- Charles Towne Square (North Charleston, SC)
- Charlottesville Fashion Square (Charlottesville, VA)
- Chautauqua Mall (Lakewood, NY)
- Chesapeake Center (Chesapeake Norfolk, VA)
- Chesapeake Square (Chesapeake, VA)
- Chicago Premium Outlets (Aurora, IL)
- Cielo Vista™ (El Paso, TX)
- Circle Centre (Indianapolis, IN)
- Clay Terrace (Carmel, IN)
- Claypool Court (Indianapolis, IN)
- Clinton Crossing Premium Outlets (Clinton, CT)
- Cobblestone Court (Victor Rochester, NY)
- Coconut Point ® (Estero, FL)
- Coconut Point Strip (Estero, FL)
- Coddingtown Mall (Santa Rosa, CA)
- College Mall (Bloomington, IN)
- Colorado Mills (Lakewood, CO)
- Columbia Center (Kennewick, WA)
- Columbia Gorge Premium Outlets (Troutdale, OR)
- Concord Marketplace (Concord, NC)
- Concord Mills (Concord, NC)
- Copley Place (Boston, MA)
- Coral Square (Coral Springs, FL)
- Cordova Mall (Pensacola, FL)
- Cottonwood Mall (Albuquerque, NM)
- Countryside Plaza (Countryside Chicago, IL)
- Crossroads Mall (Omaha, NE)
- Crossville Outlet Center (Crossville, TN)
- Crystal Court (Crystal Lake (Chicago), IL)
- Crystal Mall (Waterford, CT)
- Crystal River Mall (Crystal River, FL)
- Dadeland Mall (Miami, FL)
- Dare Centre (Kill Devil Hills, NC)
- DeKalb Plaza (King of Prussia, PA)
- Del Amo Fashion Center (Torrance, CA)
- Denver West Village (Lakewood, CO)
- Desert Hills Premium Outlets (Cabazon, CA)
- DeSoto Square (Bradenton, FL)
- Discover Mills (Lawrenceville, GA)
- Dover Commons (Dover, DE)
- Dover Mall (Dover, DE)
- Downtown at the Gardens (Palm Beach Gardens, FL)
- Eastland Convenience Center (Evansville, IN)
- Eastland Mall (Evansville, IN)
- Eastland Plaza (Tulsa, OK)
- Edinburgh Premium Outlets (Edinburgh, IN)
- Edison Mall (Fort Myers, FL)
- Emerald Square (North Attleboro, MA)
- Factory Merchants Branson (Branson, MO)
- Factory Stores America Lebanon (Lebanon, MO)
- Factory Stores at North Bend (North Bend, WA)
- Factory Stores Georgetown (Georgetown, KY)
- Factory Stores of America – Story City (Story City, IA)
- Factory Stores of America Boaz (Boaz, AL)
- Fairfax Court (Fairfax , VA)
- Fashion Valley (San Diego, CA)
- Firewheel Town Center (Garland, TX)
- Folsom Premium Outlets (Folsom, CA)
- Forest Mall (Fond du Lac, WI)
- Forest Plaza (Rockford, IL)
- Franklin Mills (Philadelphia, PA)
- Gaitway Plaza (Ocala, FL)
- Gateway Center (Austin, TX)
- Gilroy Premium Outlets (Gilroy, CA)
- Granite Run Mall (Media, PA)
- Grapevine Mills (Grapevine, TX)
- Great Lakes Mall (Mentor, OH)
- Great Lakes Plaza (Mentor near Cleveland, OH)
- Great Mall (Milpitas, CA)
- Greendale Mall ® (Worcester, MA)
- Greenwood Park Mall (Greenwood, IN)
- Greenwood Plus (Greenwood, IN)
- Gulf View Square (Port Richey, FL)
- Gurnee Mills (Gurnee, IL)
- Gwinnett Place (Duluth, GA)
- Hamilton Mall (Mays Landing, NJ)
- Hamilton Town Center (Noblesville, IN)
- Haywood Mall (Greenville, SC)
- Henderson Square (King of Prussia, PA)
- Highland Lakes Center (Orlando, FL)
- Hilltop Mall (Richmond, CA)
- Houston Premium Outlets (Cypress, TX)
- Huntingdon Pike (Huntingdon Valley, PA)
- Huntingdon Valley Shopping Center (Huntingdon Valley, PA)
- Independence Center ® (Independence, MO)
- Indian River Commons (Vero Beach, FL)
- Indian River Mall (Vero Beach, FL)
- Ingram Park Mall (San Antonio, TX)
- Ingram Plaza (San Antonio, TX)
- Irving Mall (Irving, TX)
- Jackson Premium Outlets (Jackson, NJ)
- Jefferson Valley Mall (Yorktown Heights, NY)
- Jersey Shore Premium Outlets® (Tinton Falls, NJ)
- Johnson Creek Premium Outlets (Johnson Creek, WI)
- Katy Mills (Katy, TX)
- Keystone Shoppes (Indianapolis, IN)
- King of Prussia Mall (King of Prussia, PA)
- Kittery Premium Outlets (Kittery, ME)
- Knoxville Center (Knoxville, TN)
- Knoxville Commons (Knoxville, TN)
- La Plaza Mall (McAllen, TX)
- Laguna Hills Mall (Laguna Hills, CA)
- Lake Plaza (Waukegan, IL)
- Lake Square Mall (Leesburg, FL)
- Lake View Plaza (Orland Park near Chicago, IL)
- Lakeforest Mall (Gaithersburg, MD)
- Lakeline Mall (Cedar Park, TX)
- Lakeline Plaza (Cedar Park, TX)
- Lakeline Village (Cedar Park, TX)
- Las Americas Premium Outlets (San Diego, CA)
- Las Vegas Outlet Center (Las Vegas, NV)
- Las Vegas Premium Outlets (Las Vegas, NV)
- Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets (Leesburg, VA)
- Lehigh Valley Mall (Whitehall, PA)
- Lenox Square ® (Atlanta, GA)
- Liberty Plaza (Philadelphia, PA)
- Liberty Tree Mall (Danvers, MA)
- Liberty Village Premium Outlets (Flemington, NJ)
- Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets (Michigan City, IN)
- Lima Center (Lima, OH)
- Lima Mall (Lima, OH)
- Lincoln Crossing (OFallon near St. Louis, IL)
- Lincoln Plaza (Langhorne, PA)
- Lincolnwood Town Center (Lincolnwood, IL)
- Livingston Mall ® (Livingston, NJ)
- Longview Mall (Longview, TX)
- MacGregor Village (Cary, NC)
- Mall at The Source (Westbury, NY)
- Mall of Georgia ® (Buford, GA)
- Mall of Georgia Crossing, The (Buford , GA)
- Mall of New Hampshire (Manchester, NH)
- Maplewood Mall ® (Saint Paul, MN)
- Markland Mall (Kokomo, IN)
- Markland Plaza (Kokomo, IN)
- Marley Station (Glen Burnie, MD)
- Martinsville Plaza (Martinsville, VA)
- Matteson Plaza (Matteson near Chicago, IL)
- McCain Mall (North Little Rock, AR)
- Meadowood Mall (Reno, NV)
- Melbourne Square (Melbourne, FL)
- Menlo Park Mall (Edison, NJ)
- Miami International Mall (Miami, FL)
- Midland Park Mall (Midland, TX)
- Midway Mall (Sherman, TX)
- Miller Hill Mall (Duluth, MN)
- Montgomery Mall (North Wales, PA)
- Muncie Mall (Muncie, IN)
- Muncie Towne Plaza (Muncie, IN)
- Nanuet Mall ® (Nanuet, NY)
- Napa Premium Outlets (Napa, CA)
- New Castle Plaza (New Castle, IN)
- New Market Shopping Center (Newport News, VA)
- Newport Centre (Jersey City, NJ)
- Newport Crossing (Jersey City , NJ)
- Newport Plaza (Jersey City , NJ)
- North East Mall (Hurst, TX)
- North Georgia Premium Outlets (Dawsonville, GA)
- North Ridge Plaza (Joliet near Chicago, IL)
- North Ridge Shopping Center (Raleigh, NC)
- Northfield Square (Bourbonnais, IL)
- Northgate Mall (Seattle, WA)
- Northlake Mall ® (Atlanta, GA)
- NorthPark Mall (Davenport, IA)
- Northpark Mall (MS) (Ridgeland, MS)
- Northshore Mall (Peabody, MA)
- Northwood Plaza (Ft Wayne, IN)
- Northwoods Mall (Peoria, IL)
- Oak Court Mall (Memphis, TN)
- Ocean County Mall ® (Toms River, NJ)
- Ontario Mills I (Ontario, CA)
- Opry Mills (Nashville, TN)
- Orange Park Mall (Orange Park, FL)
- Orland Square (Orland Park, IL)
- Orlando Premium Outlets (Orlando, FL)
- Osage Beach Premium Outlets (Osage Beach, MO)
- Oxford Valley Mall (Langhorne, PA)
- Paddock Mall (Ocala, FL)
- Palm Beach Mall (West Palm Beach, FL)
- Palms Crossing (McAllen, TX)
- Park Plaza (Hopkinsville, KY)
- Penn Square Mall ® (Oklahoma City, OK)
- Petaluma Village Premium Outlets (Petaluma, CA)
- Pheasant Lane Mall (Nashua, NH)
- Philadelphia Premium Outlets® (Limerick, PA)
- Phipps Plaza (Atlanta, GA)
- Pier Park (Panama City Beach, FL)
- Pier Park West (Panama City Beach, FL)
- Plaza Carolina (Carolina near San Juan, PR)
- Port Charlotte Town Center (Port Charlotte, FL)
- Potomac Mills (Prince William, VA)
- Prien Lake Mall (Lake Charles, LA)
- Quaker Bridge Mall (Lawrenceville, NJ)
- Raleigh Springs Mall (Memphis, TN)
- Regency Plaza (St Charles , MO)
- Richardson Square (Richardson, TX)
- Richmond Town Square (Richmond Heights, OH)
- Ridgewood Court (Jackson, MS)
- Rio Grande Valley Premium Outlets (Mercedes, TX)
- River Oaks Center (Calumet City, IL)
- Rockaway Convenience Center (Rockaway, NJ)
- Rockaway Town Court (Rockaway, NJ)
- Rockaway Town Plaza (Rockaway, NJ)
- Rockaway Townsquare ® (Rockaway, NJ)
- Rolling Oaks Mall (San Antonio, TX)
- Roosevelt Field ® (Garden City, NY)
- Ross Park Mall (Pittsburgh, PA)
- Round Rock Premium Outlets (Round Rock, TX)
- Royal Eagle Plaza (Coral Springs — Ft Lauderdale, FL)
- Santa Rosa Plaza ® (Santa Rosa, CA)
- Sawgrass Mills (Sunrise, FL)
- Seattle Premium Outlets (Tulalip, WA)
- Seminole Towne Center (Sanford, FL)
- Shops at North East Mall, The (Hurst near Fort Worth, TX)
- Smith Haven Mall (Lake Grove, NY)
- Solomon Pond Mall (Marlborough, MA)
- South Hills Village (Bethel Park, PA)
- South Shore Plaza ® (Braintree, MA)
- Southdale Center (Edina, MN)
- Southern Park Mall (Youngstown, OH)
- SouthPark (Charlotte, NC)
- SouthPark Mall – IL (Moline, IL)
- Southridge Mall (WI) (Greendale, WI)
- Square One Mall (Saugus, MA)
- St. Augustine Premium Outlets (St Augustine, FL)
- St. Charles Towne Center (Waldorf, MD)
- St. Charles Towne Plaza (Waldorf, MD)
- St. Johns Town Center (Jacksonville, FL)
- St. Johns Town Center Strip (Jacksonville, FL)
- St. Louis Mills (Hazelwood, MO)
- Stanford Shopping Center (Palo Alto, CA)
- Stoneridge Shopping Center (Pleasanton, CA)
- Summit Mall (Akron, OH)
- Sunland Park Mall (El Paso, TX)
- Tacoma Mall (Tacoma, WA)
- Teal Plaza (Lafayette, IN)
- Terrace at The Florida Mall (Orlando, FL)
- The Atrium Office Building (King of Prussia, PA)
- The Avenues (Jacksonville, FL)
- The Block at Orange (Orange, CA)
- The Crossings Premium Outlets (Tannersville, PA)
- The Domain (Austin, TX)
- The Esplanade (Kenner, LA)
- The Falls (Miami, FL)
- The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City (Arlington, VA)
- The Fashion Mall at Keystone (Indianapolis, IN)
- The Florida Mall® (Orlando, FL)
- The Forum Shops at Caesars (Las Vegas, NV)
- The Galleria (Houston, TX)
- The Galleria at Ft. Lauderdale (Ft Lauderdale, FL)
- The Galleria at White Plains (White Plains, NY)
- The Mall at Chestnut Hill (Chestnut Hill, MA)
- The Mall at Rockingham Park (Salem, NH)
- The Mall at Tuttle Crossing (Dublin, OH)
- The Plaza at Buckland Hills (Manchester, CT)
- The Shoppes at Branson Meadows (Branson, MO)
- The Shops at Arbor Walk (Austin, TX)
- The Shops at Bowie (Bowie, MD)
- The Shops at Mission Viejo (Mission Viejo, CA)
- The Shops at Riverside (Hackensack, NJ)
- The Shops at Sunset Place (South Miami, FL)
- The Westchester (White Plains, NY)
- Tippecanoe Mall (Lafayette, IN)
- Tippecanoe Plaza (Lafayette, IN)
- Town Center at Aurora (Aurora, CO)
- Town Center at Boca Raton ® (Boca Raton, FL)
- Town Center at Cobb (Kennesaw, GA)
- Towne East Square (Wichita, KS)
- Towne West Square (Wichita, KS)
- Treasure Coast Square (Jensen Beach, FL)
- Tyrone Square Mall ® (St Petersburg, FL)
- University Center (Mishawaka, IN)
- University Mall (FL) (Pensacola, FL)
- University Park Mall (Mishawaka, IN)
- Upper Valley Mall (Springfield, OH)
- Vacaville Premium Outlets (Vacaville, CA)
- Valle Vista Mall (Harlingen, TX)
- Valley Mall (Harrisonburg, VA)
- Village Park Plaza (Carmel, IN)
- Virginia Center Commons (Glen Allen, VA)
- Waikele Premium Outlets (Waipahu, HI)
- Walt Whitman Mall ® (Huntington Station, NY)
- Washington Plaza (Indianapolis, IN)
- Washington Square (Indianapolis, IN)
- Waterford Lakes Town Center (Orlando, FL)
- Waterloo Premium Outlets (Waterloo, NY)
- West Ridge Mall (Topeka, KS)
- West Ridge Plaza (Topeka, KS)
- West Town Corners (Altamonte Springs, FL)
- West Town Mall (Knoxville, TN)
- Westland Park Plaza (Orange Park near Jacksonville, FL)
- Westminster Mall ® (Westminster, CA)
- White Oaks Mall (Springfield, IL)
- White Oaks Plaza (Springfield, IL)
- Whitehall Mall (Whitehall, PA)
- Willow Knolls Court (Peoria, IL)
- Wolf Ranch Town Center (Georgetown, TX)
- Wolfchase Galleria ® (Memphis, TN)
- Woodbury Common Premium Outlets (Central Valley, NY)
- Woodland Hills Mall ® (Tulsa, OK)
- Wrentham Village Premium Outlets (Wrentham, MA)
Just wanted to let you know, I sent SPG an e-mail with the following message:
Boycotting SPG
Just so you know, you have recently gained notoriety on twitter. Due to the recent stunt that your company was behind, attempting to cancel a tea party one week before the scheduled event, I and other tea party supporters or would be consumers (mostly Republican/Libertarian middle class that aren’t living off the Govt dole) will now be boycotting your malls.
Have fun with the sucky economy!
Excellent! Pass the word! We cannot allow ourselves to be bullied by people like Simon. The line must be drawn!
Thanks for spreading the word!
http://tr.im/ATLteaPARTY
I went through the list of malls you posted and did a search of each one in my state. I then went to that mall’s site and posted a comment to let them know I would not be shopping there any longer. This way, it goes directly to each mall and will not be filtered through Simon Property Groups. Each mall needs to know what Melvin Simon has done. I made sure that they knew it was private property and that Melvin Simon used reciprocal property easement agreements to have the protest canceled at the last minute. Hit them where it hurts…in the pocket book!
As one of the people on the inside of this event. I assure you that it was NOT SQUASHHED by an Obama supporter.
This event lost it’s original site beside Gwinnett Place Mall because of miss communication.
I am definitely not an Obama supporter, just the opposite in fact. And I am not a Simon employee.
It’s real easy to start the hate mongerring.LETS KEEP OUR EYE ON THE BALL.
The Tea Party was a good event, and should have gone on. But it was in no way the fault of Simon Properties. I know this as an insider. It was because of miss communication. And for people to talk about boycotting Simon properties because of it, just creates more bad will. We all might need help from Simon properties. Lets not burn that bridge over miss communication.
Lets keep our eye on the ball and move on.
Who exactly is Miss Communication? Why was it her fault? So you’re taking this whole ugly episode and blaming it on this poor woman who may or may not have anything to do with it?! I apologize, Miss Communication, for any offense you may have taken from Mwill’s comments…
As to keeping an eye on the ball, I believe we are. If businesses want to participate in partisan politics, they should be dealt with accordingly. Insiders beware.
Love it!! Regardless of whether there was a ‘Miss Communication’ or not, Simon is a well known liberal supporter. I find the cancellation situation awfully suspicious. I will write my letters and attend the Cobb event.
I think Miss Communication is Old Man Communication’s daughter! I have seen her around. She seems to often find her way into places where good intentions are left behind.
I am well beyond the point where I am even remotely concerned about offending anyone with the way I feel about the current way our country is being man handled. Thanks for another great article Michael. I appreciate your knowledge of history, your love for your country and your willingness to make a difference! Keep up the good work! I too will be contacting all of these malls individually!
Now is the time to support the small specialty shops in the small towns that have been destroyed by the big liberal supporters such as the Simon group. Let the small independent shop owner know where your stand. Also, find out where they stand. If they are for the Constitution, recommend to others if not then avoid them. It is time to use our money in the right places.
I hate Woodland Hills Mall in Tulsa Ok. anyway. Now, I have a legitimate reason to not let my money be spent there! Wooohooooo!!!
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