Saturday, December 10, 2005

I was just having a beer ...

while walking home through the local Westfield when these two security guards caught my eye and seemed to change direction in response, like, they're coming right for me.

Hmmmm. Ok, so, I lower my beer and walk on all casual like. Maybe they haven't noticed? Not so lucky. Fabio and Ahkmed pull me up, 'Hey, you can't drink alcohol in here'.

OK! I'm not standing for this! I'm a citizen! This is a public space! I can drink beer if I want too! So, 'where are your no alcohol signs', I ask? Fabio and Ahkmed seem to get a little agitated at my question. Fabio says 'this isn't a licensed premises'.

Now, I’m thinking of another argument but Ahkmed is getting a bit of an expression on his face. ‘So’, I say, ‘I can drink on the street?’. I point to the nearest exit.

Ahkmed says I can, he seems a little relieved. ‘OK’, I say, ‘I’ll go drink on the street’. And I leave to Westfield to take the slightly longer way home.

On the way home I’m thinking, ‘right you fuckers, I’ll show you not fuck with the law. When I get home I’m going to get on the net an’ research alcohol laws in NSW and when I find out I’m in the right I’m coming back to your Westfield. I’m going to buy a beer and then I’m going to buy a subway sub and sit in your food court and eat my sub and drink my beer and there’s fuck all you can do about it’.

But I found out that shopping centers are private property and the owner, represented by the security guards, can ban you for life for no good reason if they want to.

So much for my righteous fantasy.

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