April
2007
Mayfair’s Proactive Rules for Youth met with Unwarranted Whining
It’s called free enterprise, but apparently a bunch of spoiled, undisciplined 12, 13 and 14 year olds aren’t real clear on the concept. Unfortunately a bunch of adults aren’t either.
Problems at Mayfair Mall in Wauwatosa are being addressed by management who has decided that a parental guide is now required, apparently because all of the incidences of violence which have happened were due to unchaperoned youth. Waaaaa, waaa, waaa.
If this was really just about shopping their parents would take them. No, this is about hanging out. This is about making noise. This is about being disruptive to commerce.
Now these protesters are trying to make it into a racial thing and organizers from the “Justice for Jude” campaign are getting involved. What’s next, a visit from Jesse Jackson touting how Mayfair’s (colorblind) rules are some violation of civil rights?
Give me a break.
The Journal-Sentinel ran a story last week that cited one of the organizers who said, “tensions mount when youths of color think they are being unfairly singled out, or when they perceive security officers’ attitude or tone of voice to be unnecessarily aggressive”.
Unfairly singled out? And now security officers are supposed to be concerned about a “perceived” tone of voice? No, that’s wrong. I’m sorry but wrong is wrong regardless of the color of ones skin. Mayfair is responding to a problem which is not just a problem of a security officer’s perceived tone of voice.
You know what? Let’s call these trouble makers what they are — thugs.
The kids who followed a man off of a bus to assault him a few months ago weren’t misunderstood youth. They were cowardly pricks who singled out someone they thought couldn’t fight back. It’s too bad they didn’t pick a Steven Segall type — someone who would have taught those little monsters the culinary benefits of eating concrete and asphalt. They’re not misunderstood good kids who just happened to be kicking the ass of an innocent transit rider near Mayfair.
These sorts of incidents scare away shoppers and if our region loses the benefit of a commercial behemoth like Mayfair, that would be the real tragedy.
It’s no tragedy for kids to have to find other things to do rather than hang out at the mall. Their rights aren’t being violated because they can’t hang out at the food court. The mall wasn’t built as a hangout place — it was built for commercial purposes, not as a place to dump your kids.
Jim McGuigan
Jim McGuigan
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Jim:
I couldn’t agree with you more. Bravo!
Was Jim Crow free enterprise? Back then people like you thought all black people were thugs, or potential thugs. Now apparently it is just the kids.
But as a big free trader Jim, let me ask you– should I ban gay people? What if I thought it was good for business. What if gay people made straight people in the bar uncomfortable. Could I have straight and gay water fountains?
Or what about old judgmental white people, who kind of make me sick. Why should they be in the malls. They walk slow, get discounts, and complain, complain, complain. Who needs them in the malls (or on the roads, really?– perhaps we could feed them to the kids).
And the women? Or is it the men? I can’t remember, but somebody doesn’t want some of them around the health clubs, or the board rooms, or whatever.
I agree Jim, the world should be run according to your comforts, and if that makes black people uncomfortable, well, they are only black people- and kids. But really, since you are a politician, and all politicians are criminals, where is it you should be allowed to go? Or is it wrong to treat all of you (idiots, thieves, selfserving clowns, corrupt bastards etc.) as the same.
Are you trying out for Imus’ job?
Mayfair has a right to restrict kids from coming into their mall if they want. Admission to a mall is not some sort of guaranteed constitutional right.
To equate not allowing kids into a mall with Jim Crow laws is ridiculous. …and no, I’m not a politician.
Jim Crow laws prevented people from service at certain establishments because they possessed some immutable characteristic. (race). Mayfair prevents people from service at certain establishments because they possess some immutable characteristic. (youth). The comparison is only ridiculous because you say so. In fact, the comparison is right on.
However, since your initial post states that teenage black kids are thugs– and suggests perhaps they be met with violence to teach them a lesson.
This despite the fact that everyone can acknowledge that a) Mayfair is safer than most other malls (b) most kids aren’t thugs, no matter if you say “lets call them what they are (lets call you what you are) and (c) violent governmental response probably backfires in the long run.
You may want a Steven Segall type– why don’t you just go old school and call for the fire hoses. And maybe if the black kids sit in at a lunch counter you can go pour milkshakes over their head. Or maybe you’re not a racist, because you want the white kids to eat gravel too.
Give you a break? Give the poor old white man a break? To quote you, waa, waa, waa. Give us a break.
We do a lot crappy things to teenagers in this community. We close their pools, take away their basketball courts, talk of cancelling their basketball games, and Mayfair has given them the jackboot. I realize teenagers are difficult to understand sometimes (well, more than sometimes - I have one), but we should try to be a more creative about how we treat them.
Hanging out at the mall may not be a constitutional right, but it’s a sacred rite of passage for the American teenager. Security at Regency Mall in Racine probably still has “most wanted” posters for my friends and me. Fast Times at Ridgemount High is still an American classic. And let’s not forget one of the finest moments in cinematic history: The car chase destruction of a suburban mall in The Blues Brothers.
Eugene Kane wrote a great column about the Mayfair crackdown a couple of months ago. It’s a nice counterpoint to Jim’s post here. Check it out: http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=572806
Yeah Matt!
Your right, and you know what else is racist? adult swim at the local public pool! Im pretty sure thats targeted at black kids too, oh and not allowing anyone under 17 in to see a rated R movie, racist. One musn’t forget the horrible biggotry of many gas stations only allowing one student in at a time either.
I think Chris is being facetious.
Jim:
I too sense a bit of racism here. The color of the kids skin in immaterial. You just wrote about W-2 and hunger, how is that not linked here?
Kids need something to do (other than smoke pot and have sex in the homes of vacationing parents). As JD mentions, what more can be taken away (and it’s not just Milwaukee - it’s EVERYWHERE)? If you take it all away they get angry, do stupid things and then they are called “thugs” or worse? What if they are just hungry?
And, as an original (and hardcore) Mall Rat as well-Mayfair being one of the favs-I can say: if they had left well enough alone and kept the arcades; pet store; skating rink; t-shirt press and etc; there would not be an issue. Mayfair Mall was built to babysit the teens - it was paradise! Perhaps Mayfair should not have gotten so greedy with every square inch of space by removing features that once catered that age group. Too bad for Mayfair rent-a-cops — waa waa waa! Makes me want to go back and put on the mannequins wigs and run down the isles again! Nothing more exhilaratingly than a 23 year old mall cop chasing you for a harmless prank.
The bottomline is all they are really concerned with and they’ll change their tune when revenues fall and kids still show up by the carload costing even more to send home - it’s just a matter of time …
Enforcing the right to charge admission to loitering, unaccompanied teens could have been the answer to dissuade enough of them. Right??
We call it a “bit of racism” because we …?
I am not sure Jim singled-out black youth as the problem, because there are definitley multi-racial problems being disruptive.