Two sisters were kicked out of a Philadelphia mall for sporting controversial hats that read "Fu*k Cancer." The letter "C" was replaced by a pink ribbon, an international symbol of breast cancer awareness.
ABC News reports that Zakia and Makia Clark were wearing the hats at the King of Prussia mall when security approached them and asked them to take the hats off or leave.
"I said, 'I'm not leaving. I spend money here and I'm not going to leave,'" said Zakia. "He said, 'You know what? Shut your mouth. That was your cue to stop shopping.' So I removed my hat."
The Clark sisters were reportedly shopping for dresses for their mother's funeral. Jackie Underwood, 51, died last Tuesday after a long battle with breast cancer.
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According to Zakia, management told her and her sister that the mall was a family destination and that certain words or images could offend many of the visitors. However, the sisters claim that many stores in the building, Urban Outfitters being one of them, often sell apparel and accessories with expletives on display.
"To say they don't want that in their mall, but they sell it... it just wasn't right," said Makia. "It wasn't right to kick us out, and you sell things with curse words on them."
Mall officials approached the sisters after the incident and reportedly offered to donate to a cancer charity of their choosing.
In addition, the mall released an official statement regarding the incident.
King of Prussia Mall would first like to express its condolences to the young women regarding the loss of their mother. King of Prussia Mall is a proud supporter of breast cancer awareness and other important causes however, the mall is first and foremost a family destination. Certain words and images, whether obvious or suggested, spoken or written on clothing, are considered profane and can offend many people. In keeping with the mall's Code of Conduct, security approached the women who were first asked respectfully to remove their caps and when they refused, were asked to leave. King of Prussia Mall is dedicated to providing a family-friendly atmosphere for all our shoppers and such profanity is not tolerated.
-Robert Hart, Mall Manager
