TAYLOR: A RECENT STABBING AT DESTINY USA HAS SHOPPERS AND STOREOWNERS WORRIED. OUR N-C-C REPORTER MADISON PALUMBO HAS DETAILS ON OW TO STAY SAFE.
MADISON:SHOPPING SHOULD BE A FUN EXPERIENCE FOR ALL. BUT WITH THE RECENT ACTS OF VIOLENCE, IT’S IMPORTANT TO SHOP UNTIL YOU DROP IN A SAFE MANNER.
MADISON: SHOPPING SAFETY IN SYRACUSE IS A CAUSE OF CONCERN IN THE WARMER MONTHS. STORES AND SHOPPERS HAVE BEEN ON HIGH ALERT DUE TO A STABBING OVER THE WEEKEND AT THE FOOD COURT IN THE DESTINY MALL.
FREQUENT SHOPPER, ASHLYN HAYNES SAYS SHE IS AWARE OF THE SAFEST TIME TO SHOP.
HAYNES: “But usually only in the mornings. Like, I don’t tend to come here, like, at night. And I usually don’t come by myself. I usually come with someone or, like, a group of friends or someone else.”
MADISON: WHEN AN ACT OF VIOLENCE OCCURS,DESTINY SEES A DELCINE IN SHOPPERS. STOREOWNER OF MASTERMIND CLOTHING, JAMEL NEWSOME, SAYS THIS HAS AN IMPACT ON HIS STORE.
NEWSOME: “Oh, we lose sales and customers because people because the community feel like destiny is safe. But destiny is actually a safe place.”
MADISON: SYRACUSE POLICE SERGEANT THOMAS BLAKE SAYS WHNEVER YOU GO OUT IN PUBLIC YOU SHOULD HAVE A SAFETY PLAN IN PLACE.
BLAKE: So when you’re going out into a public place, you should always be thinking about where the exits are. And also, when you’re parking in a place like, such as the mall, you want to find a place that’s that’s certainly well-lit and within close walking distance to a near near entrance.”
MADISON: HOWEVER SERGANT BLAKE SAYS OVER 25 MILLION PEOPLE VISIT DESTINY EACH YEAR. IF YOU LOOK AT ONE PERCENT,THATS AROUND 250,000 PEOPLE. SO WHEN YOU HEAR ABOUT AN INCIDENT LIKE THIS, IT DOESN’T MEAN THERE IS A HUGE SPIKE IN CRIME, IT’S A VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE.
BUT YOU WOULD RATHER BE SAFE THAN SORRY.
TAYLOR:THANK YOU MADISON. CONTACT SECURITY AT THE MALL OR VISIT DESTINY’S WEBSITE FOR ADDITIONAL SAFETY MEASURES.
SYRACUSE. N.Y.(NCC NEWS) — Shopping safety in Syracuse is a cause of concern in the warmer months. Stores and shoppers have been on high alert due to a stabbing over the weekend at the food court in Destiny USA Mall.
Frequent shopper Ashlyn Haynes said she will only shop during certain times of the day.
“Usually only in the mornings,” said Haynes. “Like I don’t tend to come here, like, at night. And I usually don’t come by myself. I usually come with someone, or like, a group of friends or someone else.”
When an act of violence occurs, Destiny sees a decline in shoppers. Jamel Newsome, owner of Mastermind Clothing, said this has an impact on his store.
“Oh we lose sales and customers because people in the community feel like Destiny isn’t safe, but Destiny is actually a safe place,” said Newsome.
Syracuse Police Sgt. Thomas Blake said whenever you go out in the public you should have a safety plan in place.
“So when you’re going out into a public place, you should always be thinking about where the exits are,” said Blake. “And also, when you’re parking in a place like, such as the mall, you want to find a place that’s certainly well-lit and within close walking distance to a near entrance.”
However, Blake said over 25 million people visit Destiny each year, but only a few are impacted.
So when you hear about an incident about this, it doesn’t mean there is a huge spike in crime, it’s a very small percentage, but you would rather be safe than sorry, according to Blake.
