Lenox Square will install metal detectors to increase security (Atlanta: living in, vs.)

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by PeteATL41

There is little reason for a lot of people to even set foot in the place these days. I live 5-10 minutes away from Lenox and never even think about going there - not due to fear of violence but just overall hassle.

That is a good point. We were at a gathering a while back where there were a bunch of people who lived near Lenox and Phipps and they all said they hadn't been there in years. I'm not sure the locals use it very much.

We used to go to the movies at Phipps every now and then but that's tough in a pandemic.

[HeadedWest2020]

Lennox is similar to The Galleria in Houston, and both cities have similar demographics. Interesting that mall does not have these issues.

[cparker73]

Originally Posted by PeteATL41

There is little reason for a lot of people to even set foot in the place these days. I live 5-10 minutes away from Lenox and never even think about going there - not due to fear of violence but just overall hassle. There is obviously a lot of traffic around the mall, but I wonder how the sales / sf metric is holding up. I believe it used to be among the best performing malls in the country. Is this still true?

Lenox isn't just a local mall, it's considered a super regional mall drawing shoppers from around the Southeast and has held a certain cache among a set of shoppers since the mid-80s as a place to see and be seen. Throw in reality show notoriety, and it's becomes a stage for all sorts of people. I think for some Atlanta residents, it's the equivalent of how New Yorkers treat Times Square, a place for tourists that you rarely go to but will take visitors. Per square foot, Lenox is one the best performing malls, and I think the Apple Store is one of the top locations in the country, which is why they built a flagship experience there. Unfortunately, the new Apple Store is the location of one of the recent shootings.

On a Facebook group I'm in that's full of native Black Atlantans, you'll find that all of the crime happening around the city is being blamed on outsiders (people who "flew here and not grew here"). There's lots of finger pointing at Katrina refugees and New Yorkers bringing their cultures to the city, but of course, there's enough homegrown nonsense contributing, too. I don't know what the mayor can do in the short-term on private property for crimes that are interpersonal in nature.

[BobbyJayATL]

Originally Posted by PeteATL41

There is little reason for a lot of people to even set foot in the place these days. I live 5-10 minutes away from Lenox and never even think about going there - not due to fear of violence but just overall hassle. There is obviously a lot of traffic around the mall, but I wonder how the sales / sf metric is holding up. I believe it used to be among the best performing malls in the country. Is this still true?

I'll simply say this reminds me of the Yogi Berra-ism - "Nobody goes there any more. It's too crowded."

On a more serious note, it's never garnered much in the way of local traffic; it's always been a regional destination.

Even 20+ years ago, locals (i.e. Buckhead residents) were usually more likely to go to either Phipps or Perimeter for mall shopping, or one of the many local strip malls in my experience.

[SEAandATL]

Originally Posted by cparker73

Lenox isn't just a local mall, it's considered a super regional mall drawing shoppers from around the Southeast and has held a certain cache among a set of shoppers since the mid-80s as a place to see and be seen. Throw in reality show notoriety, and it's becomes a stage for all sorts of people. I think for some Atlanta residents, it's the equivalent of how New Yorkers treat Times Square, a place for tourists that you rarely go to but will take visitors. Per square foot, Lenox is one the best performing malls, and I think the Apple Store is one of the top locations in the country, which is why they built a flagship experience there. Unfortunately, the new Apple Store is the location of one of the recent shootings.

On a Facebook group I'm in that's full of native Black Atlantans, you'll find that all of the crime happening around the city is being blamed on outsiders (people who "flew here and not grew here"). There's lots of finger pointing at Katrina refugees and New Yorkers bringing their cultures to the city, but of course, there's enough homegrown nonsense contributing, too. I don't know what the mayor can do in the short-term on private property for crimes that are interpersonal in nature.

Of course there's lots of bad apples that are homegrown, but there is truth that a lot of the criminals are from out of state, since Atlanta is a transplant city. In 2020, they did find a lot of the incidents involved people from other states that had stricter lockdown restrictions. The high profile case involving the shooting of the Chicago based rapper outside of a nightclub was an example. Personally I've always felt that we should have border control and immigration screening for people visiting or moving from other states the same way as ones from other countries. People are so worried about the border wall and immigration, but people can freely move about within the country since all Americans are seen as the same. In my mind, I've always viewed other states as if they are foreign nations.

Switching back to KLB, she's all talk and stated that she's concerned about the rise in violence, but offers no solutions. She's also like "well every other city is having the same problem" as an excuse to just accept and let things be the way and not do anything about it. I was also thinking about the lame speech she made on the night of the George Floyd protests that turned violent, about how her city was like her 17 year old son when he doesn't come home. She's too emotional and reactive, not proactive. I feel like we're back in the pre-1996 Olympics days when there was the negative press about Atlanta having more killings than Sarajevo.

[ATL Golfer]

Originally Posted by SEAandATL

Of course there's lots of bad apples that are homegrown, but there is truth that a lot of the criminals are from out of state, since Atlanta is a transplant city. In 2020, they did find a lot of the incidents involved people from other states that had stricter lockdown restrictions.

I keep hearing this. Which states had stricter shut down measures/laws than Georgia? Because I haven't found that to be the case. Are these criminals driving in from California to hit up Lenox?

[SEAandATL]

Originally Posted by ATL Golfer

I keep hearing this. Which states had stricter shut down measures/laws than Georgia? Because I haven't found that to be the case. Are these criminals driving in from California to hit up Lenox?

Maybe not all the way from California which is the strictest but states like New York, Illinois, Michigan, etc.

[TouchTheStars]

Originally Posted by SEAandATL

Maybe not all the way from California which is the strictest but states like New York, Illinois, Michigan, etc.

no. no, that's not what's happening. No one is driving from NY or IL to commit crimes at Lenox Mall.
It's just the typical mumble rap culture that's growing

[SEAandATL]

Originally Posted by TouchTheStars

no. no, that's not what's happening. No one is driving from NY or IL to commit crimes at Lenox Mall.
It's just the typical mumble rap culture that's growing

Well maybe just a few incidents, but others might have just moved down here in the last few years or so. The mumble rap/trap music of Gen Z is garbage. At least back in the day Atlanta was on the map for talented Gen X rap groups and artists like Outkast, Goodie Mob, Ludacris, Lil' Jon, T.I., etc.

[arjay57]

It's a durn shame to see nice places like Lenox and Phipps going downhill because of a bunch of foolish and unnecessary shooting. Can't folks simply go shopping without opening fire?