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Agent Who Made Racial Statements No Longer With Aurora Mall

Simon Properties Begin 'Moms And Dads' Program

POSTED: 6:56 pm MST November 11, 2004
UPDATED: 7:54 am MST November 12, 2004

The leasing agent at the Aurora Mall responsible for racially explosive statements will not return to work after her comments from a recorded telephone conversation were first exposed in August by 7NEWS Investigator Tony Kovaleski.

Video

During a conversation with a mall tenant, the leasing agent had said, "We want to reduce the negative, um, aspects of the center -- one of them is the young, black customer."

Her comments brought national attention and local outrage to the Aurora Mall and she was immediately placed on administrative leave with pay.

Aurora Mall owners Simon Properties provided few details on why it decided to end the employment of one of its top leasing agents. The mall's general manager would only say Thursday that it was a mutual agreement by all parties to conclude her employment agreement.

7NEWS called the leasing agent for comment at her home in Southern California but the call was not returned.

Shopping Center To Employ 'Mall Parents'

Another result of our 7NEWS investigation is that more mothers and fathers will be on hand at the mall to keep an eye on kids who are drawn to the shopping center. The mall is now recruiting parents to help patrol the mall on weekend nights.

It is part of Simon Properties' promise to fix problems at the Aurora Mall, made when the investigation raised questions about the racial sensitivity and future marketing direction of the shopping center.

The "Mom and Dads" program is one of their solutions. On Thursday, parents began training sessions and starting next month parents from the Aurora community will get paid to walk the Aurora Mall on Friday and Saturday nights.

They're there to add an extra layer of supervision.

"The young people benefit from having the added parental supervision here at the mall. Their moms and dads may not be here at the mall but you now have a team of moms and dads here literally that can continue to provide support for that young person, even though they are not at home," said program coordinator Donna Forbes.

The program launches the first weekend in December.


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