A Clackamas Town Center official said the mall’s policy to ask people suspected of loitering to leave, such as in a recent case involving the daughter of an Oregon lawmaker and her two friends, is in line with its priorities to keep people safe.

Dennis Curtis, Clackamas Town Center senior general manager, said in a written statement that the mall respects the privacy of its patrons and is “committed to ensuring that our center is inclusive and that it welcomes all members of our community.” He said mall officials have reached out to state Rep. Janelle Bynum to discuss the Friday interaction between a mall security guard and the three teen girls.

“Our highest priority is the safety and well-being of our guests, retailers and everyone who visits our property,” Curtis said. “Our policies, applicable in this case, are designed with that priority in mind.”

The statement comes after Bynum, the state’s only African American legislator in the House of Representatives, shared her 17-year-old daughter’s experience on Facebook and said the girls, who are black and Asian, felt they were racially profiled when they were told to leave the mall while sitting in a car for no more than 20 minutes.

The Democrat has called on constituents via her Facebook page to hang out in the fountain area, food court and parking lot of the Happy Valley mall, and report back if they were asked to leave by mall security.

Bynum said she felt compelled to publicize her daughter’s account to speak up for her and other children of color who may have similar experiences that leave them feeling not welcome in their own communities.

Bynum cited an August incident at Clackamas Town Center that prompted the mother of a 12-year-old boy to file a complaint with the county sheriff’s department. The mother alleged excessive force was used when three deputies pulled the boy to the ground, causing scrapes and bruises, while investigating a fight between two groups of kids. The boy was handcuffed, detained and later released after officers determined he wasn’t involved.

“I hope this sparks a broader conversation on where are safe places for our kids,” Bynum said. “The goal is to create safe spaces for everyone in the community, and I think our kids deserve better.”

Bynum represents House District 51, which includes east Portland, Gresham, Boring, North Clackamas, Damascus and Happy Valley, where she lives.

Chrissy Bynum said she and her friends were parked in her car, on their phones, eating Kit Kat candy bars and drinking chocolate milk when they were approached by a mall security guard Friday evening. She said they were trying to figure out what to do next after they were turned away from a rated R movie because one of the girls forgot her ID at home.

Bynum, 17, said that around 5:15 p.m., a security guard approached them and said they couldn’t stay because the mall has “very strict policies for loitering.” She said she felt the interaction was discriminatory because a white woman in an SUV nearby had been parked longer than they were and wasn’t approached by security.

“We were confused and didn’t feel that sitting in the car laughing and eating candy qualified as ’strictly prohibited’ activity,” she said in a statement.

The teen said she drove her friends to a park about four and a half miles away where they looked up homecoming dresses on Pinterest and the meaning of “loitering.”

The experience, she said, left her unsettled because she’d been to the mall so often, it felt like a second home.

Clackamas Town Center’s online code of conduct lists “excessive loitering” as one of six specific prohibited activities. The code of conduct doesn’t specify how long is considered excessive.

People who refuse to leave when asked could be arrested and charged with criminal trespass. The list also includes a ban on firearms or illegal weapons and “running, horseplay or disorderly conduct of any nature.”

Markley Drake, a Happy Valley city councilor, said he hadn’t heard of the mall’s code of conduct on loitering before this incident and questioned how fairly it could be applied “because the mall is basically for loitering, especially if you’re a teenager.”

Drake said Chrissy Bynum is a member of the United Community Alliance of Happy Valley, a city workgroup that focuses on racial and social equity and inclusion. He said he was saddened she was involved and had texted her mother his support.

Bynum’s Facebook post for the so called “Loiter-in” since Sunday had garnered a collection of people’s experiences with Clackamas Town Center security.

One woman, who described herself as a white, middle aged woman, said she was once in a car with a friend at the mall for about 15 minutes watching videos on an iPad while waiting for their movie to start when a security guard came up to them and said they couldn’t sit in the car “since the parking lot is for the mall.”

Another woman, who said she is white, said she’s never had mall security say anything to her despite sitting in the mall parking lot for as long as 45 minutes at a time.

Jim Ryan of The Oregonian/OregonLive staff contributed to this report.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 | @EvertonBailey

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