Teens can no longer fly solo at the Del Amo Fashion Center — at least not after 3 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
The Torrance shopping center, owned by Simon Property Group, began enforcing its new youth supervision policy on Friday, March 1.
The policy, which Simon announced last week, requires minors to be accompanied by an adult who is at least 21 years old after 3 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. One adult will be allowed to walk in with as many as four children, but the guardian will be “responsible for the actions of all of the youth they accompany,” the policy said.
The new policy came in response to large, chaotic brawls at the shopping center in recent months, including one that involved about 1,000 minors. These incidents led to the mall closing early and nearby streets temporarily shuttering.
On Friday, shoppers said the new policy — along with an increased security presence — provided a sense of safety at one of the nation’s largest and busiest malls.
Police cars began arriving at the mall shortly before 3 p.m. Friday. Torrance Police Officers, alongside mall security guards, patrolled the premises. Signs outlining the policy were visible throughout the center.
“This is a good program,” said Palos Verdes Peninsula resident Rainy Li.
Li, who had just finished shopping with friend and fellow Peninsula resident Jackie Zhang on Friday afternoon, is a mother to both a high schooler and an elementary school student.
Li used to rely on her older child to keep an eye on the younger one while she shopped with her friends at the mall. But after hearing about last year’s brawls among teenagers, Li said, she nixed that arrangement.
Li also recalled smelling marajuana in the air and witnessing police making arrests sometime during late-night visits to the mall.
With the new youth supervision program, Li said, she will “feel more at ease” shopping at the mall.
Simon Property Group, for its part, said in a Thursday statement that the…
Read the full article here
