Malls cancel trick-or-treating
■ Officials say the e-mails have
nothing to do with their decision
By Erin Cooney
for the Emerald
For the first time in many years,
Eugene area shopping centers
aren’t inviting kids to trick-or-treat
within their walls this Halloween.
Mall officials made this decision
out of concern that celebrating the
holiday would be inappropriate in
light of the Sept. 11 attacks, and
that promoting trick-or-treating in
their establishments this year is not
the best choice.
Some mall employees, however,
believe that a recent rash of threat
ening e-mails may have con
tributed to the decision.
The e-mails in question, copies
of which can be found on the Ur
ban Legends Research Centre Web
site (www.ulrc.com.au), have ap
peared all over the country in sev
eral different variations, but the gist
of all of them is the same. The e
mails contain information suggest
ing that just days before the Sept.
11 attacks, someone’s boyfriend (or
girlfriend, in some cases) told their
partner not to fly commercially on
Sept. 11 and not to go to the mall on
Oct. 31, causing rumors that malls
would be unsafe today.
The Web site states that it was
“inevitable” that someone would
circulate such information in order
to exploit the widespread concern
about further terrorist attacks. The
site also notes that the e-mails don’t
contain any substantial or factual
information and therefore should
not be considered reliable sources.
The FBI has said that the e-mail
predictions are unfounded. FBI
spokeswoman Beth Anne Steele
said the FBI does not consider the
chain e-mails “a credible threat.”
Jan Power, spokeswoman for
the Eugene Police Department,
and has since turned over the letter.
This is not an email that I've received
and decided to pass on. This came from 1
a phone conversation with a long-time
: t end of ndt# last tight I nay he
wrong, and 1 hope 1 am. However, with
one of his warnings being correct and
devastating, I'm not willing to take the
chance on the second.
Source: www.ut1c.CQm.au
Photo by Kim Samitore for the Emerald
shared that sentiment.
‘‘Eugene seems to be very low on
tire threat threshold,” she said.
Power also stated that as far as
the police department knows, the
e-mails are a hoax and should not
be taken seriously. Police will be on
heightened alert tonight, as they are
every Halloween, but they will not
be implementing any special secu
rity measures at Gateway Mall or
Valley River Center, she said.
Several mall employees, both at
Gateway and VRC, think that the e
. mails prompted mall officials to de
cide to cancel trick-or-treating.
Vantah Keo, the store manager at
Express Ltd. at VRC, said she re
ceived a letter from mall officials
stating that the reason for calling off
the Halloween tradition was the
“inappropriate nature” of the fes
tivities in light of the events that
took place on Sept. 11.
But Keo said she believes the let
ter is not entirely honest, and mall
management may have felt pres
sure to stop the event after hearing
the rumors about the chain e-mails.
Ryan Cook, a sales associate at
AT&T Wireless at VRC feels similarly.
“I think that it might be a little
unsafe,” Cook said. “They (mall
representatives) don’t want to put
all those young people at risk.”
Though neither Gateway or VRC
will sponsor Halloween events,
both have made it the individual
stores’ prerogatives to hand out
candy.
Paul Daniel, the store manager at
Gateway’s America The Beautiful
Dreamer furniture store said that
despite the mail’s official stance,
his store will still give out treats. He
said he is unconcerned about safety
issues on Halloween night, and his
employees have not expressed wor
ry either.
Dana Vugteveen, general manager
at Gateway, said the decision to can
cel today’s events had been dis
cussed since the Sept. 11 attacks but
became official a few weeks ago.
He said because Halloween is a
day that could involve “mischie
vous pranks,” mall officials thought
children being with their families
in their own neighborhoods and
getting to know their neighbors was
a safer bet this year.
Mall officials say the safety of
shoppers and employees is their
top concern for the holiday.
Erin Cooney is afreelance reporter
forthe Oregon Daily Emerald.
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University of Oregon
President Dave Frohnmayer
INVITES YOU TO CELEBRATE THE
university's 125TH Anniversary at
CONVOCATION 2001
Friday, November 2, 2001
Erb Memorial Union
2:30 p.m. Ceremony
3:30 p.m. Reception
4:00 p.m. 1876 Lectures
James Mohr, Department of History
Toby Edson, College of Education
Don Feting, Department of Architecture
Marian Smith, School of Music
5:15 P.M. Documentary Premiere
A History of the University of Oregon: The Founding
Convocation serves as the ceremonial beginning to the academic year.
It provides an opportunity for faculty and staff members,
students, alumni, and friends to assemble together. On this occasion
we focus on the university's rich academic heritage and
celebrate our collective accomplishments.
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'anniversary 1876-2 001
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