Sisters Ejected From Mall for Wearing Cancer T-Shirts and Hats (PHOTO)
Three sisters have been ejected from a mall in suburban Philadelphia after wearing cancer t-shirts that contained a profanity on them.
Sisters Makia Underwood, 32, Zakia Clark, 29, and Tasha Clark, 27 were ejected from a mall in King of Prussia by security staff after wearing t-shirts that said, "F*** Cancer" on them.
The sisters were mourning the death of their mother, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2004, but passed away recently aged 51 on May 14, 2013 with her daughters by her side.
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The sisters have taken to wearing hats and t-shirts with the logo on since the death as a way to cope with their mother's untimely passing. Zakia has said, "That's how we feel. It took our mom away. It's a demon. It's the devil … There are no other words you can use to explain how you feel. You want cancer to get cancer and die."
The sisters had gone to the mall on Sunday to shop for a dress for Zakia's nine year old daughter, to wear to her grandmother's funeral.
The sisters had already been shopping for more than two hours when they stopped in the food court to eat, however, it is at that point that a security guard noticed their tops and hats and approached them.
Zakia has said, "He said, 'Since you don't want to take your hat off, you can leave my mall.' … He stood there while we ate and threatened to call the cops."
The guard called six more of his colleagues to the women, according to reports, with Zakia later saying, "I was very embarrassed … My daughter was so scared she was crying."
Eventually police attended the location and removed the sisters from the shopping mall.
"The officer said, 'I find it offensive that you even have that hat that says 'F— CANCER.' … He said, 'It's their mall, they want you out, you have to get out.' "
Makia added: "I just wanted to tell them the whole story. I wanted to tell them a monster came into our house, got into my mother and we had to watch that until the day it took her, so don't tell me it's offensive to say, 'F— CANCER.' "
On watching her mother slowly succumb to cancer Makia has said: "It was gruesome to watch … When I watch monster movies, that's the image I have of cancer – the zombie movie or the movie when Will Smith was the only person left alive. That's what the clinics look like."
The story has since gone public, and a spokesman for Simon Property Group has apologized to the women, saying, "Certainly this could have been handled in a much more empathic and sensitive manner. We're very sorry about her loss and wanted to apologize for the way her party was treated."
