WELLINGTON. FLA. — A social media post promoting a teen takeover at the Wellington Green Mall gained nearly 100,000 views — gaining the attention of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, stepping in with an increased law enforcement presence — prompting parents and a county commissioner to speak out about how to prevent the next one.
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Teen takeovers are large gatherings of teens at malls, beaches or parks that typically devolve into violence. The trend has been spreading across Florida, including an event in Clearwater at the end of May that resulted in widespread property damage, fights and the shooting of a 17-year-old.
Shoppers at the Wellington Green Mall on Friday noticed the heightened law enforcement presence. Savanna Restrepo, who was there picking up her son Isaac from summer camp, said she had seen the posts circulating online ahead of the event.
"Saw a lot of posts on different social media accounts about it."
She said the visible police presence was reassuring.
"It just makes it feel safer, you know. It lets us know that they're aware of what's going on in the community and they want to take, you know, that proactive approach and make sure that nothing happens."
Fellow parent Eric Delgado said the response was the right call.
"We need a strong police presence."
The trend has grown large enough to draw a response from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who took to social media to call the events "unacceptable" and announced a plan to "investigate and prosecute those who are responsible for these events."
Palm Beach County Commissioner Greg Weiss said community safety is a priority, but also pointed to a root cause.
"We want to make sure, though, that the community stays safe here. It's important that kids need something to do."
With school out and teens having more time on their hands, Weiss said parents should be taking steps to fill that time.
"We have lots of community rec centers that offer programming throughout the day, whether it's in our cities, whether it's the county facilities, but there are places for kids to go play sports, have different kinds of activities."
Restrepo said keeping kids on a schedule is essential.
"I just think it's so important to keep them active again, to go back to the schedule, to the routine."
She added that structured activities benefit children in more ways than one.
"Extracurricular is good for them, for their growth, for their morale, to teach values, keep them busy."
Weiss acknowledged that summer camp costs can be a barrier for some families and noted that Palm Beach County does offer scholarship opportunities for summer camps. He said the bottom line, though, is parental involvement.
"To the parents, is make sure you know what your kids are doing, stay in and stay in contact with them."
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