The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
Around 5:15 p.m. Monday, three Virginia Beach teens left the Apple store in MacArthur Center and found themselves in violation of the downtown mall's new policy restricting young shoppers.
Gregory Krupa and Nick Holdcroft, both 17, and Gregory's 14-year-old brother, Jacob, thought they would kill some time shopping before the start of a concert at The NorVa. But as they and an 18-year-old friend headed down the mall corridor, a security officer standing near the Coach store approached them.
She explained MacArthur Center's new rule, which went into effect Monday, requiring teens younger than 18 to have an escort 21 or older when they come to the mall after 5 p.m. She asked the teens their ages, told them all but the 18-year-old would have to leave and walked them to the nearest exit.
"I heard people talking about it," Gregory told the officer, referring to the new policy, "but I thought it was a rumor."
Outside, in a mall parking garage, the boys said MacArthur Center had made a mistake with the restrictions. "I wanted to get my iPod fixed, and that's more important than their policy," Nick said. "It's a dumb rule, because kids around here do have jobs, and we do spend money."
Jim Wofford, MacArthur Center's general manager, said the mall had "normal deployment" of security officers in the mall and no extra staff to handle the start of the new policy. Some officers stood at mall entrances to inform shoppers of the change.
Despite continuing to hear from those opposed to the policy, Wofford said it will remain in place. "They understand we're not deviating from the original program as it was laid out."
Carolyn Shapiro, (757) 446-2270, carolyn.shapiro@pilotonline.com
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Mall Curfew for Teens
It's a shame that the actions of a few affect so many. In recent years, my Wife and I avoid going to the Mall at night because of the "thugs" which are roaming the Mall. I have yet to see any of them carry shopping bags. They are just "hanging around". For the good teens that go to the Mall, I feel sorry that they are grouped with the bad element and the droopy drawer thugs that bump into you on purpose and don't have the manners to say "Excuse Me" I get tired of watching kids walking around showing their underdrawers and pulling their pants up. They are trying to be like their "Hip-Hop" idols, whose "music??" or street talk degrades young women. There should be a dress code for all the Malls and it should be enforced. I wish all of the Malls in our area would follow McArthur Mall's example, and make the shopping experience a pleasure for everyone. I also feel,that with the holidays coming up,an increase in muggings in the Mall parking lots will increase,and I feel off-duty police officers should be hired to supplement the unarmed Mall Security people. I will bet that some of those kids are better armed then the police officers.I hope McArthur Center keeps the policy in force.
Sour Taste?
I, as a youth, had to deal with legal racial segregation. It didn't cause me to have anything other than sympathy toward those who chose to oppress people such as I, because I could "see" their inner sense of "inferiority" as they attempted, through many methods, to prove their "superiority." There is no comparison in a ban based on controlling misbehaving kids, of all ethnic & racial groups, with 100yrs of suppression through "Jim Crow". I wonder why some perceive that they are? I made a simple statement of fact. That's all, nothing more, nothing less.
MacArthur Mall
Whaat I think is more important to ask..........why were a 17 and 14 yr old doing in the mall waiting to go to a CONCERT on a school night or for matter any night without a PARENT???????????????????/
God help us!
hey
I hope you like the fact tht in the next four years your going to go out of business do to TEENS BOycotting your mall
Mall Rules
Ms. Monica too busy to watch your own children: if this is true, then, you are Too BUSY. Maybe you should have thought of that before you took on the responsibility of having children. Where should they go if not in school? How about....o I don't know.....HOME!! If your 15 yr. old is that precious, then, he should be a joy to be with and you should take that challenge. To be honest, I can't believe you even made the comments you did. Our teachers are in school to teach our children, not to babysit them. That's YOUR job.
I Totally Support Their New Policy
I am glad for the new rules. I had stopped going to MacArthur Mall during evenings or on the weekends, especially in the evenings. There are roving groups of teens every time I go, buying nothing, being loud and vulgar, bumping into patrons who are trying to shop, swearing with little kids in earshot, etc. I watched one such group knock the cane right out of a lady's hand, and then laughed about it and high five each other! Shameful!
Security couldn't possibly deal with it in a case-by-case basis -- they would have to hire 20 times as many security and that wouldn't work.
I applaud their new policy and can't wait to go back to shopping at MacArthur Mall.
Understand Policy
Have any of you naysayers of this new policy ever been in McArthur Center on a Friday or Saturday and seen these roving gangs of teenagers wandering/hanging around there? Definetly makes you want to think twice about shopping there during those times. They are definetly not spending the $$$ everyone thinks. Yes, it's a policy for the masses brought on by a few, but what else are you going to do? If you single out the culprits, you then have possible lawsuits and claims of discrimation or profiling coming from that situation. The mall management really doesn't win in this situation.
You don't have TIME to parent???
To the Copacabana lady who said it's the schools' responsibility to parent her children because she doesn't have time--1. It seems you have time to read the paper and comment. 2. If not the malls, then where should your bundles of joy hang out? How about getting them involved in volunteer work, athletics, clubs, reading, or oh my, doing their homework? It's unbelievable that a parent could really think it's everyone else's responsibility to watch her children while she's "busy." Parents like that are the reasons crime occurs.
Wait...
And why punish the whole flock for the percieved misdeeds or suspected mischevious intents of a few teenagers? You always deal with misconduct on a case by case basis. That way, only the unruly teenagers will pay the consequences and the well-behaived and respectful ones will be honored. I thought that was what we were supposed to teach our children. Now it seems like this policy is based on the assumption that some teens might do something bad or are thinking of doing something bad. This rule is so ridiculous. And eventhough some support it, that's fine, that still won't prevent any loss in sales and promotions for the mall. About half of the merchandice there is targeted toward the 13 and up crowd. This new rule seems so knee-jerk. They could atleast lower the age of anyone 14 and younger. I'm not a fan of "Big Brothers", great or small. They claim to be looking out for us, but really want to exploit our fears to put in place some kind of unrealistic "Pleasantville" environment. This is very suspect to me.
let it close let it close let it close
MacArthur mall will pay for it's draconian actions...because these future citizens (miscreants) are going to grow up in a very few years and will still be boycotting you