March 9, 2010

Albemarle County Police increased security at the Fashion Square Mall in Charlottesville after last Friday's large-scale fight among teenagers.
Police tell the Newsplex that it was not a gang-related incident.

Starting this week, mall patrons will begin noticing more of a police presence both inside and outside of the mall. Police cars patrolled the Fashion Square Mall Tuesday, and kept a watch over the back entrance near the CTS bus stop.

Elieen Martin, a frequent shopper and nearby resident, still has concerns, however, about Friday's brawl.

"It does make me very uncomfortable. I will not go over there at night when it's dark," says Martin.

The mall is always a hangout for teens, but that's not where these fights are starting. Karen Waters works with youth in the community. She says these fights escalate on Facebook.

"We all do it; when we were kids you go someplace and you gather. What we didn't do, though, is we didn't have the capacity to use texting and other social networking to organize ourselves and carry grudges into public places," says Waters, Executive Director of the Quality Community Council.

An Albemarle County High School teacher tells the Newsplex that school officials are working with the students involved in the fight. Inter-personal conflicts tend to fuel them.

"A young man told me once: Ms. Karen, if I'm dating somebody later on, I don't know that after I broke up with her, she's going out with my best friend. There's so few girls to date." It's part of being in a small community," says Waters.

Even though bystanders are rarely made targets in these kinds of fights, Eileen Martin isn't taking any chances.

"I can walk there, but I will drive there instead and park on the other side where there aren't all these kids hanging out," says Martin.

The investigation is ongoing. Albemarle County Police are working closely with Albemarle County Schools in handling the case.

In light of what happened, the Quality Community Council will be holding their monthly anti-gun violence rally Friday, March 12th. They will meet at the Region 10 in Charlottesville.