Emi Wang

Those Darn Kids…

The Atlantic Terminal mall in Brooklyn, developed by Forest City Ratner, has begun enforcing a long unheeded restriction that groups of four or more teenagers under 21 years of age are not allowed to hang around the premises unless accompanied by a parent. The restrictions are promoted as a bid to improve safety and prevent the formation of disruptive crowds, but in practice, it appears that security guards have been turning away groups even smaller than four, and the policy certainly advances the specter of discrimination.

As private establishments, the Atlantic Terminal and other shopping centers that have enacted similar measures are well within their rights to enact these sorts of restrictions. However, malls are private enterprises that also function as key public spaces utilized by the masses. Even in New York City, and particularly for kids from the area or the neighboring high schools, malls operate, and are designed to operate, as more than just shopping destinations. They are formulated as places of leisure and entertainment, open to the public. And yet operated by a private owner, the courts have declined to recognize these functions and enforce government oversight. Malls are appealing for precisely this reason, providing a flavor of the public with the controlled order of the private, and it is this uneasy blend that the Atlantic Terminal’s recent policy has thrown into stark relief.

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Posted at 12:27 PM, Sep 21, 2010 in
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