SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Over the past few weeks store owners have seen an increase in crime at Destiny USA Mall in Syracuse.
One store owner at the mall who wanted to remain anonymous said she heard about those incidents but didn’t experience them personally. She hasn’t changed anything at her store in response to the uptick in crime at the mall. She said she has experienced crime in her neighborhood and she protects herself daily, whether she is at the mall or not.
“There is nothing going on at Destiny that has increased my concern,” she said.
She still intends to promote her store so people shop even though there has been an increase in crime at the mall. She encourages people to go to the mall because it’s fun but she also said they should make sure that they are taking the proper precautions.
She said that people shouldn’t be scared to come to the mall because crime happens in populated areas everywhere.
Off-duty police officers have begun to patrol the mall and the adjacent parking lot. After shootings in late February and early March, the Mayor of Syracuse Ben Walsh had a meeting between police and Destiny executives to increase mall security.
Nicole Pike works at Fuzzy Rides, which is a kiosk on the first floor of the mall where people can ride around on stuffed animal scooters. She’s been going to the mall since it opened in 1990 and said that while she and her business did not experience the gun violence that people hear about on the news, but she said they do get teenagers throwing rocks at them from the second or third floors.
Pike hopes that with new businesses opening up in the mall, it can be revitalized and return to a place that families can enjoy, feel safe, and have fun.
“The city of Syracuse is scary itself, but we live here, this is our home. We can’t be scared of where we live,” she said.
