COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Tribune News Service) — The recent ban prohibiting Colorado Springs uniformed military members from going to The Citadel mall was changed Wednesday to allow visits related to education or religion.

Previously, the military only allowed service members to visit for recruiting. An Armed Services Career Center is inside the mall.

The mall has a large array of tenants including some that directly provide religious services and education, such as the newly opened Zeal Church, the Catholic Center, a free K-8 public charter school, a GOAL High School site, a nonprofit called Imagination Celebration, among others.

Before the announcement, Zeal Church expected to be granted an exemption, in part, because it has a standalone address and dedicated door. Other tenants of the mall do not have the same large presence.

The new exemption does not extend to the numerous businesses in the mall, including those that are veteran-owned.

Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade called out veteran-owned businesses in a statement on the ban that celebrated the mall’s qualities.

“It is a place where people come to shop, eat, worship, learn and play,” he said.

However, Mobolade said he respected the recent decision and agreed that safety is critical.

“I am working closely with Maj. Gen. David Doyle at Fort Carson, garrison leadership, local law enforcement, business partners, community organizations and mall owner, Namdar, to collaborate and improve safety to ensure the Citadel is a thriving place,” he said, in an emailed statement.

A board consisting of representatives from Fort Carson, Evans Army Community Hospital, Peterson Space Force Base, Schriever Space Force Base, and the Air Force Academy decided to ban service members from the mall as part of an off-limits list that also features bars and nightclubs. The order applies to all soldiers, airmen, sailors, guardians and other service members based at the five installations in town.

In response to a question about specific safety concerns at The Citadel mall, Brad Sturk, a spokesman for Space Base Delta 1 provided a generalized explanation.

“The purpose for the Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board is to prevent service members from being exposed to locations where crimes regularly occur or environments that could potentially jeopardize their health or welfare,” Sturk said. Space Base Delta 1 oversees Peterson, Schriever and Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station, among other bases outside town.

He explained in an email a service member’s chain of command is responsible for enforcing the rule. Violating the rule would be on par with disobeying a direct order.

A spokesman for the Air Force Academy referred The Gazette to Fort Carson when asked about specific safety concerns at The Citadel mall.

Fort Carson said in an earlier statement the decision was based on Colorado Springs police data.

However, Colorado Springs police spokesman Ira Cronin said even though his department’s data was used by military officials to make a decision, he could not say if a particular trend contributed to the ban.

“What specific CSPD data went into this decision, I can’t say,” he said.

A Fort Carson employee has direct access to the police data and can generate their own reports. The police also supplies data to Fort Carson at their request, he said.

The decision baffled and upset those who operate businesses and other organizations at the mall.

“I think it’s really absurd,” said Deborah Thornton, executive director of Imagination Celebration. “I am a senior citizen female. I have never been afraid to go into that mall.”

The nonprofit provides numerous programs at the mall, including art classes for active-duty service members and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

“They come to the safety of our space, in this mall,” she said.

While shootings have happened at the mall, they have also happened downtown and in Old Colorado City and those violent acts did not trigger a blanket ban across a whole business district, Thornton said.

Since the Christmas Eve shooting that killed Teryus Thomas and injured two including a security guard, the mall has been at the center of a concerted effort to address concerns and reinvigorate the area.

The mall got a big boost from Zeal Church opening next to Hooters. It draws an average of 1,700 congregants a week, including active-duty service members, said Sarah Steffensen director of operations. On Sundays, attendees help fill up the food court and increase foot-traffic. It’s a positive spillover that the church encourages, she said.

“We love our partners at the mall, we love our neighbors,” she said.

The church found out about the off-limits order through members of its life-safety team that also serve in the military. The team provides help with parking and security, she said.

The announcement was “heartbreaking” news, she said. Before the ban, Colorado Springs police encourage the mall and tenants to call with concerns, which boosted calls for nonviolent offenses, she said.

“They asked, and then we did, and now we are in trouble,” she said.

Some of the concerns at the mall are driven by homeless people often present near the bus stops, Steffensen said, but the same type of people are present downtown.

“We know that is a chronic issue, that is a much bigger conversation,” she said.

Steffensen would like to see the board overturn the decision for the whole mall because the church believes the Citadel can be an awesome life-giving space.

“We want this to be a safe, wonderful, welcoming area,” she said.

Fort Carson said in a statement earlier that businesses may request a review of a ban once they can show adequate corrective measures have been implemented.

Businesses and establishments can express their concerns through the Directorate of Emergency Services at 719-526-1453.

Councilwoman Nancy Henjum will host a community conversation about the mall from 4-6 p.m. Sept. 20 at Zeal Church.

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