Thursday, June 18 2009 @ 10:58 AM GMT+4 Contributed by: David Cadran
Recently there has been a lot of talk in town about the police cracking down on disturbing behavior in the downtown area. This has probably it a breaking point since the murder downtown on Monday.
This crackdown is understandable. Loitering, underage smoking, public drinking, noise disturbance and the like are all major infractions committed by numerously different people in the community.
What is of concern is the apparent steadfastness of police and town officials to (perhaps subconciously) target this crack down toward youth. While it is understandable that youth are committing crimes downtown I want to point out that it is not just youth that are committing infractions.
To be honest I can't really blame young people for loitering downtown. What else is there for them to do in Brattleboro? I'm wondering, if I decide to sit on a bench at Pliny Park or lets say I'm standing in Harmony for 15 minutes waiting for a ride. Will I get a ticket for loitering? If I'm smoking downtown will every other police officer come up to me asking for my ID? (I'm 21 but look younger.)
Then there were comments about vehicle infractions. That the police would stop anyone for any driving infraction. Understandable, we all want to keep our streets safe but I am now inclined to call the police department every time I see a cruiser not using their blinker or doing a rolling stop. (It happens more often than you think.)
I'm generally worried now that because I am young that I will be hassled by the police every time I am downtown. At the Select Board meeting Dora even asked if innocent youth might get caught up in the crackdown and Police Chief Wrinn seemed to write it off as being "just a cost of doing business." I am a hardworking youth (perhaps "young adult" now) I go to work, I have bills and I shop downtown. I'm just worried this crackdown might make downtown unappealing to some younger citizens who go to downtown and are beginning to build loyal relationships with businesses downtown.
I want you all to read the coverage of the Select Board meeting and notice the number of times youth are mentioned.
Police Crackdown A Subconcious Attack On Youth? | 9 comments | Create New Account
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Police Crackdown A Subconcious Attack On Youth?
Authored by: Timmy on Thursday, June 18 2009 @ 11:30 AM GMT+4
I agree with most of what you're saying, and would add that in my opinion it's mostly NOT 'youth' causing issues, it's certain adults behaving like children.
Authored by: Lise on Thursday, June 18 2009 @ 11:33 AM GMT+4
With David's permission, I edited this story to remove a lengthy
quotation from my Selectboard story and reference local coverage of
the story rather than just the one piece since they cover similar
territory. Just wanted to get that out there.
Authored by: JoanneN on Thursday, June 18 2009 @ 12:30 PM GMT+4
Personally I see nothing wrong in hanging out in Harmony. I enjoyed doing it most of last summer after work and in the evening. Sitting by the Burrito cart chatting away while someone plays guitar. i found it lovely and charming and fun. To me it makes Brattleboro a wonderful place. Many of these people are young adults does this mean you will not be able to enjoy just sitting on the sidewalk playing the guitar and singing a song?
---
People who fight fire with fire usually end up
with ashes.
~Abigail Van Buren
To love a person is to learn the song that is in
their heart and to
si
Authored by: virgogal55 on Friday, June 19 2009 @ 09:24 AM GMT+4
The problem with "hanging around Harmony Lot" is that it's purpose is for
the PARKING OF CARS--not to hang around in. It isn't a park, it's a
parking lot. There are store fronts which have doors that open into the
Harmony Lot; and for a lot of people with disabilities and problems walking
any kind of distance, the Harmony Lot is where they like to park in order
to get into these businesses (and others close by on Elliot Street). Like it
or not, wrong or right, some people get very nervous when they try to park
in the Harmony Lot and they see groups of seven or more people standing
around, blocking empty parking spaces, sitting on cars, etc. Since that's
not really what the Harmony Lot was built for (hanging around, using it like
a park), then there should be a way to curb it.
Authored by: SpudHill on Friday, June 19 2009 @ 09:49 AM GMT+4
"there should be a way to curb it."
Good pun
Maybe it's just that I'm used to areas with a lot more people on the streets but I've never parked in Harmony Lot where I've seen anyone "loitering" in front of the entrances to these stores. I've never had any difficulty using those back doors.
Perhaps this is a difference in vision....as to what constitutes a vigorous downtown. Personally I like to see people of all ages and as long as there's no drug use or rudeness I don't have a problem with people standing around visiting. Go to any major metropolitan area and that's what you'll see. I guess the other end of the spectrum are those who would rather see tidy neat no people messing up the scene unless they have money falling out of their pockets sort of view.
But I really have never seen all that many people in Harmony...maybe I'm going down there at the wrong times but it's usually pretty empty. And considering that most towns have kids who "hang out" I don't see the advantage to this town of having a huge parking lot in the middle of town this size, as long as no one sits on my car I don't have the same reaction some seem to.
Also common wisdom in larger cities is that the more people on the street the safer you are. For example, if you're in NYC, stay on the streets that have a lot of activity, you're in much more danger on the uncrowded isolated street.
Just a thought or couple of them
Authored by: virgogal55 on Thursday, June 18 2009 @ 12:34 PM GMT+4
"To be honest I can't really blame young people for loitering downtown.
What else is there for them to do in Brattleboro?"
How about what we used to do when we were kids in Brattleboro... get a
group together and play baseball, football or basketball; go to the
movies; stay at home and listen to music while playing cards,
boardgames, etc.; go bowling; sit and visit with your parents,
grandparents, etc.
All of these things can be done without loitering around downtown and
many of them can be done without spending any money. And if money is
a reason a person couldn't do them then maybe getting a part time job
would help in two ways--that person would be off the streets and making
some money.
I too have to agree that nine times out of ten it isn't kids (and by "kids" I
mean someone 13 to 17 years old) that are causing the problems--it's
"young adults" between the ages of 18 to 25 or so who are the ones
causing a lot of sh** downtown--and in the case of the recent murder, it
was a man in his forties! So coming down hard on "kids" isn't really the
answer.
Authored by: JoanneN on Friday, June 19 2009 @ 01:33 PM GMT+4
I never stayed home and played board games as a teen I was out and about with my friends and yes we hung out in parking lots and on town hall lawns and places as such.
I do not see any of these guys doing anything different except maybe in the way they dress.
I mean really even my Mother has stories of hanging out in a local graveyard and making out. Teens do not stay at home not even dorks LOL!
Are you sure your from this planet? Maybe on other planets they get together and go play football and go home and play board games. The closest I got to any of that is frisbee in the street.
---
People who fight fire with fire usually end up
with ashes.
~Abigail Van Buren
To love a person is to learn the song that is in
their heart and to
si
