news-record.com

RALEIGH - Jimmy Stopper wants his point to be known, and the picture to be moved.

So he and about 40 others battled the heat Saturday to stand at intersections surrounding Triangle Town Center and hand out fliers in protest of a picture at the entrance of the mall's Abercrombie & Fitch store - a 10-foot-by-10-foot photograph of a male model's chest and barely covered groin.

Stopper, 32, has had an issue with it since he and his family walked by the store two weeks ago. He said the store and mall managers he talked with said the picture is a legal display and refused to move it.

''We're tired of going to the mall, because it's not family friendly," the Holly Springs man said. "All we're asking is for the picture to move inside so that our families can come back to the mall and we won't have to worry about our children being accosted by these huge sexually explicit photos."

Each demonstrator wore a white shirt displaying the name of a Web site, www.MovethePicture.com.

The site displays the picture in question, with the most provocative part blurred out so as not to offend sensitive viewers. Those curious can click on a button and remove the blurring and form their own opinion on the source of Stopper's irritation. The Web site has had 5,000 hits in two days, and about 700 people have signed a petition to boycott the mall until the picture is moved, Stopper said.

Saturday's demonstration was a family affair for Brandon Hall and his parents. Brandon, 10, was holding a handwritten sign directing drivers to the Web site. Nearby, his father, Bob, held a similar sign; his mother, Lisa, was handing out fliers. Brandon said he hasn't seen the picture and, from what he's heard, he doesn't want to.

''It's just not meant for children to see," he said.

Bob Hall called the picture "revolting," saying it "crossed the line." He and his family joined the protest to show his opposition, while teaching his son a lesson.

''I wanted to teach him a little bit about social activism and getting involved and standing up for what you believe in and understand what America is all about," he said. "To have your voice heard in a peaceful way."