is tightening security measures involving teenagers, shopping center management announced Monday. The statement was released 10 days after a that led to the arrest of a 14-year-old girl.
Made effective on Dec. 2, The Avenue now requires anyone under 17 to be accompanied by a parent or guardian 21 years of age or older after 9 p.m., according to the statement.
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The previous "Youth Escort Policy," instituted in 2005, required that "children" be accompanied by a parent or guardian in the common areas of the shopping center, including the outdoor plazas, sidewalks and parking lots.
Youths were able to attend a movie or shop on their own and then meet up afterward with an adult to travel home. The new policy, however, requires "adult supervision in all areas of the shopping center after 9 p.m.," according to the statement.
Adults are now required to purchase a movie ticket and "remain in direct supervision of anyone under 17 while attending movie screenings" after 9 p.m., according to the center website.
“As one of the most successful outdoor retail and entertainment centers in the region, The Avenue at White Marsh wants to lead the way in providing a welcome and safe environment for all of its visitors,” Kathleen McLaren, the center's general manager, stated in the announcement. “This change is another proactive step in that direction.”
The has received several complaints about disturbances caused by groups of teenagers traveling from to The Avenue and crowding around the AMC Loews White Marsh 16 theaters, mainly on Saturday nights, precinct commanders said.
One of the most recent cases involved a group of teenagers who began fighting , Patch .
Officers attempted to break up the fight using pepper spray. K-9 and helicopter units also responded. One 14-year-old female student was arrested and charged as a juvenile with assault, a police report showed.
The full text of the new policy is available here.
How will the new policy impact you? Are you comfortable shopping at The Avenue when groups of teenagers are around? Tell us in the comments.
That being said, where is there for the kids to go to socialize? We are spending millions and millions on senior centers that are not even open in the evening. Wait! Just got a great idea! Open the senior centers on weekend nights for kids to go! (WILL NEVER HAPPEN!) For the record, I am 64 years old. I think most senior citizens today worry too much about themselves instead of being concerned about the youths of today who will one day take care of us and pay our social security and health care.
Better yet, they should make those kids who cause all of the trouble perform community service at the senior centers. You are right, it would be nice for the kids to have a safe place to go and hang out. The probelm is there is always going to be those few kids that cause trouble and ruin it for everyone else.
Everyone is not being punished here. The punishment is directed at kids under 17 and their parents. Most kids have learned (been taught) how to behave like human beings and decent citizens by the time they are 17, but unfortunately, some of them have not learned this and never will. It is all well to punish the troublemakers, but continuing trouble that requires police intervention will drive the Avenue's biggest source of revenue (the adults) away and destroy what is now a pretty nice place. I applaud the management at the Avenue for taking a very strong stand.
The problem youth of today that can't seem to behave and act like decent citizens and always need some new youth center to be built just for them will just become the problem adults of tomorrow. They have absolutely no interest in taking care of you or getting a job to contribute to social security!
I was in Barnes and Noble a few days ago. I am 17 and they told me to leave and said that the paper with these rules on it "actually meant to include kids age 17." This is not the way to keep crime out of The Avenue.
Most kids aren't inherently 'bad' or 'troublemakers'. More likely, victims of sub-par parenting.
This isn't an attempt to argue - I just want you to expand your idea out for us.
Shutting down the bus line would definitely cut down on the 'problems'
I literally walked into Barnes and Noble and they told me to leave and then starting pretending to change the rules and that is by no means okay with me.
Reactive "policing" (and let's be honest, these rent-a-cops barely qualify) has been in place for years and has effectively failed in assauging the animosity of the older shopper base (which, not coincidentally, tend to have more disposbale income). Expecting stores themselves to hire their own security is unrealistically expensive - and guess what? That expense gets passed on to you, the shopper. Why would businesses take this tack when they can simply agree to boot teenagers after X time. It's a double win in their view: Not only do they tend to spend less money, but they cause a disproprotionate amount of the problems as well. Especially at the movie theatre. I and I'd like to hope most adults here appreciate your dilemna being a 'behaved' teenager. It sucks. It's not like we're all jumping for joy at needing this type of draconian measure. Really, if it's me, first thing I'd do is shut down bus service to the mall after 7pm on weeknights( if it's not already), and 4pm on weekends. Let that sit in place for a few months and see what happens.
There's no reason to punish anyone until they do something wrong. If the fight that spurred all this was with adults, then there would be no need to start a policy like this one. Just like there are adults who can conduct themselves acceptably when they are drunk, there are kids, like me, who don't cause problems for the patrons of the Avenue, and it is very concerning that someone thinks this is a proper solution. The problem is clearly not kids younger than 17 or else the Avenue have been shut down already; they provide the majority of the business with the most recurring profit, I promise. The problem is violence and misbehavior on their property and if they want to take a "Zero Tolerance" policy then it just goes to show you that they honestly don't care about the entirety of their patrons.
2) You seem to be forgetting this is a business decision being made, not an intentional persecution of teenagers. As such, see #1 3) Other less intrusive measures have been in place in the past, really going back to about the time you were 10. There's a good reason the restrictions are severe now.
Nancy, One thing you have to remember about the bars is they have their own security. Bartenders and Waitress are also trained to cut people off before they get to the point of being belligerent drunk. I feel safer drinking at the avenue then I do at some of the other local bars that are around the area. The bars in the avenue haven’t been in the papers for fighting, stabbings, or gang violence. At least not to my knowledge anyways and the times I have gone there to drink. I have never seen a fight happen. Unfortunately for you the damage has been done by the kids who don’t care and aren’t responsible.
It is indeed unfortunate that management has to take this drastic action; but it is indeed necessary. I have heard people talk about being intimidated at both the Mall and the Avenue. Unfortunately many young people have not learned how to behave and have no respect for authority.