BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — On June 15, 2025 an online petition was created to keep the Valley Plaza Mall safe. This petition is asking for community members to give their take on banning minors without supervision.
- The petition received more than 4000 comments on Tuesday, hoping to make a change for the community members and employees at the mall.
- According to the petition other malls across the country have adopted this policy to keep crime down.
- Some members are against the petition as they remember as a kid, going to the mall without supervision was a right of passage.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Community members are standing up for what they believe and attempting to ban unsupervised teenagers from the Valley Plaza. I'm Eric J. Dockery your Bakersfield neighborhood reporter. Some employees and members of the community are tired of teens coming to the mall and disrespecting their businesses.
The owner of the petition is trying to bring awareness to the issues that some plaza employees, and some community members experience while at the mall. Priscilla Marquez says she used to work at Valley Plaza, and thinks the ban would be helpful.
Priscilla Marquez Former Employee of the Valley Plaza said "There was kids going into the store I worked at, and they would try on a bunch of clothes. They would leave the fitting rooms messy, clothes stained, or pocket little items from us. We would find papers everywhere with things they stole. There were kids always causing fights or arguments in the middle of the store, and bothering customers as well."
This petition was created on June 15, and has more than 4500 signatures. It says in quote "When groups of unsupervised minors loiter around, it creates an environment where inappropriate behavior becomes increasingly common. This not only deters potential customers but also impacts the livelihoods of the hardworking retail employees who serve at these stores daily." While some members are for the ban, some are against it.
Tom Dawson Bakersfield Resident said "Yeah that's the funniest thing when you are younger to come to the mall with your friends. When you come to the mall in high school you do a little shopping with your friends and hang over the weekend. Back in the day we used to go to Fox Hills."
A community member said "A lot of the times certain teens will be in their own world, but I don't feel like every child over the age of 15 has that mindset. To be able to naturally walk through the mall get what you need to buy and get out of there."
I reached out to Valley Plaza for comment on the petition, but haven't heard back as of news time. Tom Dawson, who lives in Bakersfield tells me it's a right of passage as a teenager to be able to go somewhere with your friends without supervision of parents.
"I see why they are making the petition up, I can understand that. It's usually just a couple trouble makers that ruin it for everybody else. If we can just kick them off to the side, with a little extra security that could fix the issue, but cost always seems to be the issue." said Dawson
According to the organization other malls across the country has successfully implemented this policy. IF you are interested in signing the petition you can visit, with the link on your screen.Valley Plaza Petition For 23ABC I'm Eric J. Dockery your Bakersfield neighborhood reporter.
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