Some Policemen and Mall owners have said, The 26th of December the day after Christmas seems to be the one of the most violent days in America’s malls. People are pent up from being with their family,”
Closed schools, social media, the mall and juveniles with nothing to do? Can be combustible mix. The victims: the stores mall owners and terrified shoppers.
Shopping malls have long replaced Downtown’s as a social gathering place for teenagers. If its often the place where boys and girls meet for the first time. It is also the place to settle scores.
For two days, shoppers at Arden Fair Mall, one of the largest malls in the Sacramento Area was terrorized by out of control juveniles in and outside the mall resulting in damages inside the mall and patrons cars in the mall parking lots.
There were many violent events involving juveniles last week in shopping malls across the country.
Some malls across the country have instituted a “Parental escort policy” that requires teens under the age of 18 to be with a parent or guardian who is 21 or over to enter. Most of the shopping centers have these restrictions only on weekend evenings, but some keep them in place seven days a week.
The “Parental escort policy” used at Shopping Malls in other states may be at odds with California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act that specifically outlaws discrimination based on sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, age, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, or sexual orientation.
Gen Z
Generation Z (individuals born between 1995 and 2009) spend nearly 50 billion dollars a year and unlike Millennial’s,Gen Z prefer traditional shopping in stores. Should Arden Fair place a ban on this group they may simply take their dollars to other area Malls.
Social Media and Pandemonium
Before cell phones and social media. some one would make a couple of calls and tell others there is gonna a fight at 14th and Broadway. Within minutes, nearly a hundred juvenilles show up at 14th and Broadway to witness the fight. A prankster might push one juvenile into another juvenile and another fight take place. A mistaken punch, another fight with spectators becoming participants.
Today, with social media, a single post can reach hundreds with in minutes.
By all accounts, the security at Arden Fair was overwhelmed.
Anticipation
One example of a prepared Mall
Cherry Hills, New Jersey is a suburb of Philadelphia.
On Dec 27 2017, Cherry Hill Mall in New Jersey, noticed more teenagers in the mall than usual. A week before, Police Chief William “Bud” Monaghan appealed to parents not to leave their teenage children unattended at the mall. The Police Department and mall management had jointly prepared for trouble, often sparked by social media organization. that they had seen in previous years at the mall.
The Police and mall owners had several meetings to discuss how to handle such situations. The police department assigned additional officers to the mall and the mall added additional Security Guards.
Police said between 700 and 1,000 juveniles were milling in the evening near the food court hen disturbances broke out. One fight became several. In the past, there had been many disruptions and damage to the mall. But police and mall security officers, anticipating trouble this time of year, were present in large numbers, and the teens were quickly corralled. There was no widespread vandalism and only minimal disruption for shoppers, authorities said Wednesday as merchants lifted their gates for the start of another day of business.
Security and local police departments in many malls, monitor activity on social media. Adding extra security and police during holidays.
CityFella
