Mar. 6, 2008 at 10:27am

Tacoma Mall prepares for protest

Fort Lewis officials are alerting soldiers and their families to avoid the Tacoma Mall between noon and 5:30 p.m. March 15 because of a planned anti-war protest at the commercial center of Pierce County.

Mall officials are preparing accordingly.

Local protest groups have announced their intention to "shutdown" the Tacoma Mall, specifically the military recruiting station in the commerical tower located on the north  side of the property. The building does not fall under mall management.

Calls for protest claim the groups want to "make it impossible for business as usual to continue as the Iraq War approaches its fifth year."

"We are aware of their intentions to protest," the mall's Marketing Director Sarah Bonds said. "We do not allow potests on our property."

The mall plans to notify protesters of that policy when they arrive and take other measures as needed, she said, noting that the mall will be meeting with police and security officers to develop detailed plans to handle the protest in the coming days.

Military officials warn that protesters plan on distributing anti-war and anti-military literature as well as confront local recruiters or interact with soldiers, family members and civilians who appear to be military affiliated.

Recent protests against the war at the Port of Olympia have been marked by increased levels of violence, the military alert reports.

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