Mall takeover

A mall takeover or teen takeover is an event in which people unlawfully gather in a public area, such as a mall, market, or park for the purpose of posting about it on social media.[1][2] The term "mall takeover" emerged in February 2026 at malls in major United States metropolitan areas, like the Cumberland Mall in Atlanta, Georgia;[3] the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, New York;[4], the Short Pump Town Center in Henrico County, Virginia.[5] and the Northshore Mall in Peabody, Massachusetts.[6] Some of these events, such as the one at the Northshore Mall, were stopped before they could take place, while others were stopped after incidents occurred.[7] The term "teen takeover" precedes it, coming from the summer of 2019 as a reaction to more violent events in Chicago, attributed to events organized by social media flyers.[8][9] Curfews were met with calls for more youth advocacy, from groups such as from BUILD on the West Side of Chicago.[10]

Actions taken

In March 2026, law enforcement in Atlanta established curfew from 11 P.M. to 6 A.M. between Sunday and Thursday with a weekend curfew from 12 A.M. to 6 A.M. between Friday and Saturday for people under the age of 18 years.[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ Becker, Kaitlin McKinley; Kwangwari, Munashe (February 20, 2026). "Braintree police warn of planned 'takeover' event at South Shore Plaza". NBC Boston.
  2. ^ Toole, Mike; Hanson, Julie (February 20, 2026). "Planned "mall takeovers" at South Shore Plaza and Northshore Mall prompt warnings from police: we have a "proactive plan"". CBS Boston.
  3. ^ Quinn, Patrick (2026-02-26). "Cumberland Mall to have teen curfew Saturday after 'takeover' at The Battery". Atlanta News First. Retrieved 2026-03-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ Crawford, Logan (2026-02-20). "11 NYC teens arrested in illegal 'mall takeover,' with more planned in Nassau this weekend". News 12.
  5. ^ Roever, Alex (2026-03-14). "Large fight forces Short Pump Mall to close early". wric.com. Retrieved 2026-03-15.
  6. ^ Genzer, Samantha (2026-02-20). "Peabody police warn about 'Northshore Mall takeover'". Boston.com. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
  7. ^ Morse, Hannah. "Braintree Police say planned 'mall takeover' didn't happen. What we know". The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
  8. ^ Cardona-Maguigad, Adriana (2023-07-13). "Who's behind the so-called 'teen takeovers' downtown?". WBEZ Chicago. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
  9. ^ Cardona-Maguigad, Adriana (2019-08-19). "Chicago Kids Use Social Media To Meetup Downtown, But Police Are Watching". WBEZ Chicago. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
  10. ^ Hawkins, Shelby (April 4, 2025). "As Summer Approaches and 'Teen Takeovers' Return, Debate Over Chicago's Curfew Reignited". WTTW News. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
  11. ^ Wright, Irene. "What are teen takeovers? Massive gatherings in Atlanta prompt warnings". USA TODAY.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.