Macon Mall (What Happened) (Atlanta, Warner Robins: houses, neighborhoods, theater)

[King_X]

You know what's funny is that I went into that same Ross over the holidays. I didn't feel any more threatened going to the random shopping centers in Macon than I did the ones in Warner Robins or ATL-Suburban Henry County.

I'm starting to believe people are just more "threatened" about being around black people in general rather than thugs.

I dont agree with Grown men or any one over doing the urban/hip hop gear thing...like over sized baggy and sagging tee shirts, jeans, gold teeth, tee shirts with ignorant writing about being a "hustla" or "gangsta"

However, you have people more into...I guees you can say a "conservative" hip hop style....appropriate sized jeans though not super tight, properly sized polo shirt, fitted hat, earrings, maybe a small chain). If that alongside with me being black is still too thug-ish for you and makes you threatened then so beat it, all I do is go to college so I can get a good decent paying job like yourselves lol. I dont want to rob you!!!


I can see if some of you were actually in the projects but some of these places you guys say you go to and they are just so scary because of thugs or whatever....you're completely blowing it out of proportion.

Nothing is scary about going to Ross...MY GOD!!!! I mean come on...what happened? When you went into the store did it happen to be too many black families and you saw too many 14-17 year old black boys with a tee shirt and jordans on walking around with their mama at the particular time!! Come on now, Ross?

[TheJagMan]

Originally Posted by yerocal

Well most of the developers are calling it a open air Mall(lifestyle center), thats why people are referring to it as a mall...

Cool...I've been to the macon one a few times...Never felt like a "mall" to me, more like a large shopping center.

On the other hand, we went to PCB/Panama City Beach in March and went to their open air mall...They had outdoor speakers every 25', and for the most part, the store were on both sides of each street...Sidewalks, lamp poles and store fronts all matched but were different from the norm. I understand their budget was 25 times larger and that PCB's is owned by simon...

When we went to PCB and one of the times we went to Macon, it rained and we were wishing for an indoor mall

[irishvanguard]

Originally Posted by King_X

I'm starting to believe people are just more "threatened" about being around black people in general rather than thugs.

If that alongside with me being black is still too thug-ish for you and makes you threatened then so beat it, all I do is go to college so I can get a good decent paying job like yourselves lol. I dont want to rob you!!!

I think you are correct. I am white and don't quite understand the "lifestyle center" thing as anything but another manifestation of white flight. I know that parking and lower utility bills are a plus for these centers, but I believe the majority of whites just can't handle a crowd of blacks, even if they are dressed reasonably.

Face it--the whites have hangups about loitering blacks, and malls have always been about teens of all colors doing just that-----loitering, hanging out.

But the lifestyle centers would force "loitering" into the parking lots, where it would be prosecutable.

"Convenient??"

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by irishvanguard

Face it--the whites have hangups about loitering blacks, and malls have always been about teens of all colors doing just that-----loitering, hanging out.

I don't like the idea of loitering at all, at least if the folks doing the loitering are bored teenagers looking for something to do. Race has nothing to do with it -- I remember when I was that age, and it wouldn't have taken much for me to go off and do something stupid.

[pickleswanson]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

I don't like the idea of loitering at all, at least if the folks doing the loitering are bored teenagers looking for something to do. Race has nothing to do with it -- I remember when I was that age, and it wouldn't have taken much for me to go off and do something stupid.

Yet you still pass off the bill of guilt to a particular set profile whether based on age or race, it is wrong. I would have to say that the folks that you can visually see are not the ones guilty. They merely receive damnation from those with little understanding that the parties that truly are guilty prefer not to be seen. Basically what you are saying is that it is wrong for these loiters to do exactly the same thing they would do in their homes but in a public place with more eyes to view and with cameras to record their every action.

If you were in the same position as the said teenagers; what would have for them to do. Be bored and restless at home or be able to express themselves spending money no matter how idle the actions may seem. The facts remain that in today's society teenagers of all races are the driving force behind our retail markets. They are the primary source of income for... my guesstimate at least 70% of retailers and lower to mid level priced restaurants.

The family farms of yesteryear that employed children and required their hands to make a home work just are not required anymore and in many cases throughout America there simply is not room for such to occur either. While some were obviously left in the dark as to why this transition occurred; we as an American society have built our lives and dedicated our efforts to making it possible for everyone or at least our children to have such a luxury as idle time. Now we ourselves are persecuting them for it. It just so happens to be our own faults and we (grown adults) as the primary share holders in the funding behind their activities are also the only ones that can make changes to such, starting in the homes in which they are born and raised.

Before anyone can point fingers at anyone else we all must stop and view what we have done that may have caused the actions we see being implemented by others.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by pickleswanson

Yet you still pass off the bill of guilt to a particular set profile whether based on age or race, it is wrong.

Piffle. Not all "profiling" is inaccurate or without logical basis. Ask any cop.

To deny all profiling is to remove much of the factual basis for any sort of investigation.

I would have to say that the folks that you can visually see are not the ones guilty. They merely receive damnation from those with little understanding that the parties that truly are guilty prefer not to be seen. Basically what you are saying is that it is wrong for these loiters to do exactly the same thing they would do in their homes but in a public place with more eyes to view and with cameras to record their every action. .

I used to live by the Mall of America up in Bloomington, MN (the apartment complex I lived in was roughly a mile away).

The MoA had a crime issue with younger folks, usually harassment, but also some petty thefts, shoplifting incidents, etc.

A loitering law was put in place which limited the abilities of unaccompanied teens to enter the mall at all after certain hours.

Crime at the MoA went down.

It certainly seemed effective in that circumstance. I can't speak for other malls because I have no idea if the folks there are a similar source of problems, but I can say that such laws seem to have worked in at least one fairly high-profile instance.

If you were in the same position as the said teenagers; what would have for them to do. Be bored and restless at home or be able to express themselves spending money no matter how idle the actions may seem.

When I was a teenager in a suburb of Minneapolis in the late 1970's and early 80's, I had a job.

An interesting concept, huh?

The first one was in 7th grade where I spent perhaps an hour a day every day after school delivering papers and a few hours every month walking the route and collecting bills from the customers. The second I started in 10th grade, and it had me working three hours every evening after school as a stockboy in a small local drugstore..

I had that job because my parents stopped giving me an allowance and told me that I couldn't buy things like books or music unless I worked for the money to buy such things, and when I was in high school they said I couldn't drive a car unless I could afford to pay for the auto insurance. They had a car for us kids, but the rule was "No insurance, no driving."

That was a HUGE incentive.

At the time, mowing lawns and babysitting didn't pay all that much compared to having a paper route, so I chose that option. The second job actually gave me decent spending money.

Before anyone can point fingers at anyone else we all must stop and view what we have done that may have caused the actions we see being implemented by others.

It isn't my fault that they don't have anything better to do with their time than hang around a mall. Sorry.

[pickleswanson]

"we (grown adults) as the primary share holders in the funding behind their activities are also the only ones that can make changes to such, starting in the homes in which they are born and raised."

While I agree with you to a certain extent did you completely overlook this statement?

Profiling does not and can not provide an accurate picture of ones character even with physical appearance alone. Solely relying on the profile still places me within the guidelines of a teenager and has for 20 years. Even when I take my children, nephews and nieces to the malls or pick them up, for the ones that are old enough, I still often get harassed because I look their age. This even occurs when I am in uniform. No not a cop but uniformed none the less. My parents even began having this problem in the 80's until they both began to show their age well into their 50's.

Sure this might be a rare occurrence for some but I hardly find it to be rare for my family members and many of my friends between 19 & 35. Profiling simply does not always work and more training effort needs to be placed behind it in order to find the aspects of a persons character from within their hearts and minds. This can be done but generally takes a real hardship for these characteristics to be seen.

[clank]

I used to work at a little Caesars across the street from the mall. Next to the toys r us. In the Kroger shopping center. This was around 1994. While I worked there we were robbed 4 times. I had the gun on me twice. I don't think the cops ever caught any of the robbers. Course they only got the money 3 times out of 4.
I hated Macon. I still hate Macon. I did enjoy going to Macon Tech. It got me the skills to move to Atlanta Area

[Silverspank]

Nearly everyone from Warner Robins used to shop in Macon but since retail stores and restaurants have developed in Warner Robins, there is no need to travel 30 minutes up the highway. Robins AFB is the largest employer in the state of GA., so there had to be an effect on Macon. By the way, Macon is very scary at night and we always made sure we left by dark. I also blame the previous crook/mayor of Macon for letting the city fall. Underpaid police and denial of any gang activities!

[yerocal]

Originally Posted by Silverspank

Nearly everyone from Warner Robins used to shop in Macon but since retail stores and restaurants have developed in Warner Robins, there is no need to travel 30 minutes up the highway. Robins AFB is the largest employer in the state of GA., so there had to be an effect on Macon. By the way, Macon is very scary at night and we always made sure we left by dark. I also blame the previous crook/mayor of Macon for letting the city fall. Underpaid police and denial of any gang activities!

Well alot of people in Warner robins still travel to Macon to better shopping choices, because there is no decent stores in Warner Robins, unless you consider Wal-mart, K-mart, and the mall in Centerville which is a joke...... And for you to say Macon look scary at night is even a bigger joke..... i would hate for you to visit atlanta or and larger city WR is nothing but a big Suburb that offers a few conviences to get you by until the next trip up to Macon. PPl kills me with the exaggeration of Macon as this horrific place..... GET REAL!!!