Elin Nazarian, who works at Shop1915.com, holds up a t-shirt for a prospective buyer at the Americana at Brand in Glendale on Friday, March 13, 2015
About 50 people, most of them Armenian-Americans, gathered at the Americana at Brand Friday evening wearing T-shirts that referenced the Armenian Genocide — shirts the outdoor mall’s management allegedly told the vendor to stop displaying before reversing their decision and issuing an apology on social media.
They were there in protest of the management’s decision, which recently came to light.
At around 6:30 p.m., protesters began assembling around the Brand Boulevard entrance. They walked inside the Americana and went, first, to the booth where the T-shirts were being sold.
PHOTOS: Quiet protest takes place at Americana over Armenian Genocide apparel
The T-shirts and hoodies were not on display because one of the owners of the business, Tina Chuldzhyan, said she still has not received a personal apology from Caruso Affiliated.
Later, the protesters walked in a circle around the outdoor mall.
Ara Manoogian, founder of the blog “The Truth Must be Told,” organized the event, which was meant to be a peaceful gathering. He said participants were handing out fliers with an article written about the controversy by an Armenian publication.
“The overall goal, at this stage, is to get an explanation from Americana management because there’s been a lot of inconsistencies,” Manoogian said, adding that if Americana officials want to show they’re sorry, they could host an event commemorating the centennial of the Armenian genocide because they’ve organized other events celebrating heritage, such as the Chinese Lunar New Year.
Glendale police officers were walking around the mall during the protest, but there was no confrontation with the protesters.
Source: Glendale news press