Glendale News Press, CA
March 13 2015
Protesters assemble at Americana after mall’s handling of apparel
referencing Armenian Genocide
By Arin Mikailian, [email protected] and Sameea Kamal,
[email protected]
March 13, 2015 | 8:39 p.m.
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.
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.
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