From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
HOOVER — The leader of the group that has been protesting the shooting death of Emantic “EJ” Bradford by the Hoover Police in the Galleria on Thanksgiving has been banned from the mall for one year.
Carlos Chaverst Jr., the leader of the protesters, was informed of the ban on Sunday when he arrived at the Riverchase Galleria to participate in a protest that included hanging signs on a railing, Hoover officials said. He was not arrested, but was told that he was banned for one year and to leave the property.
Two other protesters were arrested for hanging signs on the railing of the upper level of the mall. Sunday’s arrests bring the total of arrested protesters to eight. Most have been charged with disorderly conduct or loitering.
If Chaverst returns to the mall property before Dec. 15, 2019, he will be arrested and charged with trespassing.
The incident comes just days after protesters announced that they were suspending the protests after making progress in talks with Hoover city officials.
According to mall security, the paperwork to stop Chaverst from trespassing on the mall property was filed in relation to the Dec. 15, 2018 protest in which Chaverst and his followers paraded through the Galleria chanting with bullhorns and carrying protest signs. Chaverst was told that the protest “disrupted business.”
Chaverst argued that someone would have been arrested that day if the claim was true.
“You are no longer welcome at the Galleria for one year,” the security officer said.
“Y’all can’t do this,” Chaverst said.
“Yes, we can,” the security officer responded. “We have the right to refuse service to anyone at any time for any reason. And because of multiple code of conduct violations, disruption of business, you are not going to be allowed to come back to the Riverchase Galleria for a period of one year.”
The officer then gave Chaverst a map of the entire Galleria property and informed him that the map showed the area that he was not permitted in during the ban.
“We’re going to take this to court,” Chaverst said before leaving the mall escorted by police officers.
Chaverst later posted an audio recording of the encounter on social media.
“These type of actions aren’t constitutional and we will vigorously fight the unfair discriminatory practices by both the Galleria and Hoover Police,” Chaverst stated.