Providence Place Mall Security Orders Patron to Delete Video Following Incident

Providence Place Mall Security Orders Patron to Delete Video Following Incident

A patron of Providence Place Mall says he was told he couldn’t videotape an incident involving mall security on Saturday.

The mall, which opened in the late 1990s, has been the site of repeated arrests and reports of crime. 

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As GoLocal reported in January, “Another Mini Crime Wave Hits Providence Place” —  which included video footage of mall security tackling two individuals on the premises. 

 

Weekend Incident 

Anthony Sionni said he was at the mall on Saturday afternoon shortly before 4 PM when he noticed mall security escorting a handcuffed individual down an elevator.

Sionni said he began to film the incident on his phone — before he said he heard heavy footsteps approaching him and a male voice saying, “Hello — sir. Sir.”

According to Sionni, it was a member of mall security, who told him he “couldn’t videotape” in the mall — and to delete the video. 

GoLocal reached out to the mall’s media relations, who did not respond to request for comment. 

“I don’t see it posted anywhere in the mall that you can’t videotape,” said Sionni. 

Sionni said it was two members of security who approached him, and said he felt like they were trying to “intimidate” him. 

“As far as I know, I thought you could record anything in public,” said Sionni. 

ACLU of Rhode Island Executive Director Steve Brown spoke with GoLocal about the incident. 

"As a private facility using private security, the mall is not subject to the First Amendment restrictions that would apply in a government building or out in public, where an attempt by police to ban videotaping would clearly be improper," said Brown. 

"As a matter of policy, however, the attempt to prevent a bystander from recording an incident like this taking place at the mall is troubling," said Brown. "Transparency on how their security personnel handle disruptions in the mall should be welcomed, not quashed."

 

Latest at Mall

Two weeks ago, a man leaving Providence Place Mall told police he was jumped by a half dozen teenage boys — and his cell phone was taken. 

The same week in another incident, police responded to the mall, where two male victims said they had been outside of the Cheesecake Factory when a dark sedan pulled up and shot dozens of pellets toward them. 

According to the victims, they were shot in the stomach, chest, and arm areas but they did not sustain any significant injuries.