A series of so-called teen takeovers is causing growing concern across South Florida, where large groups of young people arrange to converge on malls and other public spots. The phenomenon is not just a nuisance, as one recent takeover in Clearwater ended with a teenager suffering a gunshot wound, a sharp reminder of how quickly these gatherings can turn dangerous.
The events are driven largely by social media, which allows them to grow fast and unpredictably. Teens post messages telling others to meet at a particular place, and because those posts reach a very large audience almost instantly, a crowd can assemble in a short time. That speed and scale are exactly what make the gatherings hard to manage once they begin.
The takeovers are not confined to one location, but appear to be popping up all over, and there are already plans to hold one in Dania Beach. The fact that organizers keep lining up new spots suggests the trend is gaining momentum rather than fading, which is part of what worries authorities and businesses alike.
Ignacio Alvarez, an attorney and a retired major from the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, explained why the events so often go wrong. A lot of the time, he said, they lead to fighting, vandalism and rowdy socializing. Frequently it is just one, two or three individuals who cause problems, but their behavior gets the rest of the crowd going, and that is when a gathering tips over into a real problem.
In response, malls and the agencies around them have started taking visible precautions. Plaza managers and businesses are aware of the issue, and lighted signs have gone up at the entrances warning that juveniles under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent between the hours of 5 p.m. and 2 a.m., an attempt to keep unsupervised crowds from forming in the evenings.
The disruption, observers note, ripples outward in several directions at once. It is a problem for the specific locations where the takeovers happen, a problem for the businesses that operate there and rely on a calm environment, and a problem for ordinary people who are simply trying to visit the mall and find themselves caught in the middle of a chaotic scene.
Law enforcement, for its part, is signaling a firmer posture. The Broward Sheriff's Office put out a statement saying it will be conducting a high-visibility saturation, or enforcement, operation, a move designed to put more officers in plain sight at the targeted areas in the hope of deterring the gatherings before they spiral into violence or property damage.