SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A pregnant mother from Fort Good Hope says she was roughed up by a security guard at Centre Square Mall last week.

Ranelda McNeely, right, stops in front of the Centre Square Mall yesterday with her nine-month-old daughter and her common-law partner David Maniyogina. McNeely says she was roughed up by a security guard and his mother after she tried to use the lower level washroom on Friday. - John McFadden/NNSL photo

Ranelda McNeely, 23, said she was denied use of the mall's washroom April 21 after she, her partner and her nine-month-old daughter had finished eating at A&W restaurant.

"The security guard told me I could not use the bathroom because I was not a customer of any of the stores on the lower level," said McNeely. "He said it in a really rude tone. Then a woman came up and got right in my face."

This confrontation led to a physical fight in the middle of the mall between the two women that led to McNeely being pinned down on the floor of the upper level mall by the 19-year-old security guard. She had managed to hand her child to her husband before the altercation took place. The ruckus came to an end when shop owner Dan Hayward of Dan's Place stepped in.

The woman referred to by McNeely turned out to be the mother of the security guard, who coincidentally was present at the time. The security guard's mother, who identified herself by her first name, Cynthia, later confirmed her son had restrained McNeely on the floor.

McNeely said she immediately called RCMP but officers did not seem to take her complaint seriously.

"They didn't even take my statement. They were going to charge me with creating a disturbance in public," she said.

"Then security pushed me right out of the mall and said I was banned."

McNeely suggested the security officer would not let her use the washroom because she is of aboriginal descent.

"He just assumed I was a street person," she said.

"Not all aboriginal people in the mall are troublemakers. I took a stand for all aboriginal mothers who go into the mall with their babies like I did."

Yellowknifer went to the mall yesterday to get the security guard's version of events but he declined to comment.

Another security guard directed all questions to his supervisor, Stephen Watton at North Star Security.

Watton was contacted at Canadian Armed Forces in Yellowknife where he is a public affairs officer with the rank of Captain.

Watton requested all correspondence be sent to a North Star Security e-mail address.

In answer to Yellowknifer's questions, Watton insisted the security guard was not acting as a North Star employee but was only defending is mother. He stated charges were pending and would not comment further.

Holloway Lodging Corporation, owner of the upper level of the mall and the Quality Inn, replaced its own internal security with North Star Security on Monday.

The company already provides security to the lower level.

The guard's mother, Cynthia, phoned Yellowknifer to confirm she did get involved in a fight with McNeely, saying the woman threatened her son. She added she would do it again under similar circumstances. She also told Yellowknifer both she and her son are of indigenous descent.

The manager of A&W, who did not want to be named, said they do not have a specific policy when it comes to its customers using the mall's washrooms. He said they simply tell customers there are no washrooms in the restaurant and they are to use the washrooms in the corridor. He added they do not stipulate if they are to use the upper or lower level washrooms and do not tell customers to show any proof they have eaten at the restaurant.

Centre Square Mall is owned by two companies - Slate Properties is responsible for the lower level and Holloway Lodging Corporation is responsible for the upper level.

Felix Seiler, Holloway's chief operating officer, said in a phone interview with Yellowknifer he was not aware of the specific incident involving McNeely and could not speak to it but insisted people are not being targeted by security staff because of their race.

"I don't really care if they are black, yellow, red or whatever," he said.

"All I am asking is that everybody hanging out in the mall, or outside the mall or on our property, behave."

He said he contracted North Star to do security because the city left himself and his colleagues no choice.

"We were at the end of our rope," he said. "We have a business to run. We need to protect our people, our staff and our hotel guests."

Seiler said loitering and violence at the mall have been going on for years, adding his staff have been assaulted, swarmed and spit on. Now, according to Seiler, if somebody is misbehaving at the mall, he or she will be asked to leave.

"It shouldn't be up to us," he said. "We pay property taxes in Yellowknife. Because the City of Yellowknife and the territory are doing squat, it was up to us to act at a huge expense."

In February, Seiler wrote an open letter to local politicians calling on them to take action on homelessness in the city.

Donna McLeod, owner of Nana's Kitchen and Knits, said some people have been abusive to her and her customers and applauds the new security.

"We don't care who comes in the mall but they have to be respectful and they can't be intoxicated and they can't be high on drugs," McLeod said. "Come in the mall if you want but behave yourself."

Hayward said he has a front row seat to all the goings-on in the mall from Dan's Place and added that he has seen a positive difference since the security change.

"It's much better. It's quieter. There's fewer people in the mall just hanging out," Hayward said.

"These people when they are drinking scare people away. They should be controlled."

Yellowknifer asked RCMP for comment on the incident but they did not respond by press time.

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