Law enforcement officials and mall executives are assuring Indianapolis residents that they can still shop safely following two incidents involving violence at area malls. Those incidents have also raised concerns about youth who frequently visit the malls.
Last Friday, police were called to Lafayette Square Mall on the city’s Westside after panicked customers reported hearing random gunshots inside the mall. After quickly gathering information from witnesses, police took a 15-year-old juvenile into custody for illegal possession of a firearm after finding a 22. caliber revolver on him.
At the same mall, police confiscated a rifle that was seen in plain view inside a car carrying three young men ranging in age from 17 to 20.
Some people who saw news reports of the incident probably did not give it much thought until another outbreak of mall violence occurred the very next day.
At Circle Centre Mall downtown, a 19-year-old man and three 17-year-olds were arrested after fighting with off-duty police officers providing security. Officers said the group had become disruptive and were being escorted out of the mall when the fight occurred.
Rick Hite, chief of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, issued a stern warning that violence in malls, or anywhere else, “will not be tolerated.” IMPD has also announced that it will increase its presence at area malls.
Officer Kendale Adams, a spokesman for IMPD, said the department’s downtown district has developed procedures to ensure safety at downtown gathering places such as Circle Centre Mall and the canal.
“An operational plan is in place where a number of key objectives are met every weekend, especially as it relates to how many officers are working at the mall and access to our gang detectives,” Adams said.
He added, however, that IMPD believes that the incidents at Circle Centre and Lafayette Square were isolated, and are not signs of increased crime in the areas where the malls are located.
Phil Thornton, general manager of Lafayette Square Mall, was out of the office this week and was not available for comment.
Simon Property Group, which owns Circle Centre Mall, does not believe the incidents are the beginning of a trend, and has encouraged customers to continue shopping there as normal.
“Circle Centre is a safe place, and this was an atypical incident,” said Les Morris, spokesman for Simon Property Group, which also owns Castleton Square, Greenword Park and Washington Square Malls, among several others in Indianapolis. “Something like this can happen anywhere. On a street, at the store, in a stadium or wherever.”
Still, Morris noted, Simon Property Group takes security for customers and its employees very seriously.
“Security is at the forefront of our activity,” Morris said. “We take a lot of measures, both visible and unseen, that give us a very thorough approach to security.”
On the night of the brawl, for example, Circle Centre had a full complement (about 25) of security officers and on and off-duty police to keep watch. Store managers are also trained to have a close working relationship with officers. Thanks to this arrangement, Morris said, law enforcement was able to respond immediately when the brawl began.
Root causes and solutions
Adams and Morris agreed that the incidents were not examples of dangerous malls, but of general challenges in society.
“This is an example of what plagues us as a society,” Morris said.
Adams noted that both mall incidents involved juveniles and young adults, and that the incidents demonstrate a longstanding problem related to youth.
Too often, he said, teens and young adults are congregating at malls when they are not buying merchandise or have any other reason for being there, making it difficult for police to keep them secure.
“Ultimately it falls back on our community,” Adams said. “Why are we dropping our kids off at a mall, when they have no legitimate reason to be there, just to hang out and cause a ruckus? That’s what happened in this case.”
Some community leaders have looked at possible reasons why some violence may break out among youth and young adults gathered in public places.
Minister and youth advocate, Rev. Malachi Walker, suggested that some teens do not have strong, positive role models to help them make good decisions, and lack a sufficient amount of positive activities and recreation in certain neighborhoods.
“Young people are always looking for things to do. Churches, businesses and organizations really need to come together to develop and promote programs that offer good enrichment skills to our kids,” said Walker, founder of Young Men Inc., a mentoring organization, and pastor of Greater Commission Church of God.
Another factor that some say has contributed to free time and lack of fulfillment among some teens and young adults is stubbornly high rates of unemployment. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment among 16-24 year olds is over 16 percent, more than double than the general rate, which has fallen to 7 percent.
Unemployed young adults are encouraged to utilize such programs as Youth Employment Services (YES), a Lilly Endowment funded initiative that has helped more than 3,800 people ages in their late teens to age 25 prepare for and find jobs. YES services are offered at community centers throughout the city.
Others have pointed out that many teens and young adults have come from households that lack stability, and may be struggling with untreated emotional and psychological challenges that have not been diagnosed.
Of Black youth in the juvenile and state justice system, nearly 70 percent have a serious emotional or mental illness, according to the Child and Adolescent Center at the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
Dr. Lorraine Blackman, a sociologist at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, has noted that unstable families and homes can lead to the problems that prompt some youth to act out.
“If we want to seriously address these problems, then the institution and stability of the African-American family has to be strengthened,” she said.
