The mall where white people used to shop
This is a post from ByronCrawford.com
RIP The Saint Louis Galleria, 1984-2007
I don't live too far from the Galleria, which was once considered the top mall in St. Louis. It's got a lot of the best merchandise, but that shit will run you. Hence, growing up I mostly stuck with Chesterfield Mall, and West County Mall (the old one), which is not too far from where I grew up.

I don't visit the Galleria too often because a) traffic over there is always so fucked up, and b) it's not like I'm about to buy shit anyway. I do pass by it sometimes on the way to Borders, and in the past six months or so, I couldn't help but notice packs of young black kids with backpacks crossing Brentwood, the street out in front of the Galleria.

Ruh roh.

Here's the thing: they recently built an extension to Metro Link - the train system that connects some of the shittier parts of St. Louis to downtown - that stops right out in front of the Galleria. So obviously all of these kids are taking the train from the ghetto to the Galleria after school. I don't know if they're out there boosting, or looking for young girls to impregnate, but suffice it to say it's not like they're looking for shoes for a job interview.

In November and then again this month, there were huge gang fights that had to be broken up by the police. They were covered extensively by the local media, and I think more or less signaled to people that the Galleria had become yet another mall where white people used to shop. Obviously something would have to be done, but Galleria management would have to tread lightly, because, like I said, the Galleria is chock full of the kind of expensive, name brand shit favored by ignorant-ass black people.

The solution? It was announced yesterday that the Galleria will bar youth under the age of 17 after 3 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, unless accompanied by an adult 21 or over. And adults 21 or over will be limited to supervising four under-17 youths. An announcement will be made at 2:30 that all under-17 youths have got a half and hour to leave the mall or else, and beginning at 3:00, mall security will be posted up at entrances checking IDs, as if it was Studio 54 or some shit. Damn.

It'll be interesting to see whether or not black people try to turn this into a race issue. I mean, on the one hand, kids have been going to the mall at least since the days of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, if not since the beginning of time, and yet it only became an issue when black kids started going there. But on the other hand, you never hear about all of these gang fights and shit until the black kids start showing up. Personally, I'd be lying if I said that barring a buncha ghetto high school kids would hinder my enjoyment of the Galleria. But you guys know I'm a hater like that...