Quite right, Dave, there is no discrimination involved (and I don’t think I said there was). But neither is any discretion nor common sense displayed. And that’s my (hopefully logical) argument.
Because the authorities are singularly unable to control crime by traditional methods (which would have involved discretion and common sense) they resort to a “sheep dip” approach which results in the sort of occurrences we see here. Nobody in their right mind would consider banning an 84 year old woman from a shopping centre because she “posed a threat to ordinary people”. But she is banned because, apparently, some people wearing hoods do pose such a threat. So her choice of clothing leads to her being judged in the same light as the miscreants.
Although not central to this argument but since you raised it, your consideration that a shopping centre is a “private place” is incorrect. As far as the various public order legislation is concerned (and I think that is what the genuine “hoodies” are most likely to fall foul of) a shopping centre is a public place (as are the individual shops). Similarly so are pubs, bars, restaurants and anywhere to which the public has general unfettered access. (The question of ownership of the land or property is not relevant). Whilst the owners’ rulings in matters such as this are permissible they are nonetheless without doubt prejudicial. Furthermore they lead to results that those framing the rules almost certainly did not wish and probably, in their haste, never considered would arise.
It’s rather like treating tourists who take photographs of public landmarks as potential terrorists. (Oh, I forgot, we do that as well, so treating people wearing hoods as potential thugs must be all right then).
And all because we cannot deal with crime in an orderly, considered and proportionate manner.