Mall Curfew Takes Effect Friday Night

Teens Under 17 Not Allowed To Be Without Parent On Friday, Saturday Nights

Posted: 09/09/2005
Last Updated: 2811 days ago

New rules for teenagers visiting the Aurora Mall go into effect Friday night.

Effective Sept. 9, anyone under 17 years old must have a parent or guardian with them, if they're in the mall after 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

A mall spokeswoman said the new rules are designed to create a friendly, family-oriented environment by preventing groups of teenagers inside the mall from intimidating other shoppers. The spokesperson said the new rules are not related to a June 21 shooting that killed 19-year-old Krystal Martinez and injured her boyfriend.

At least 30 malls across the country, including the Mall of America in Minneapolis, have similar curfews.

Simon Properties, which owns the Aurora Mall, has been renovating the complex, bringing in more upscale shops, and even employed "'Mall Parents" -- a program where mothers and fathers patrol the shopping center to keep an eye on kids who hang out at the shopping center.

The mall received some heat last year when 7NEWS Investigators caught a leasing agent making racially explosive statements in a recorded telephone conversation.

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

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