| Author | Message | ||
     Kenney Citizen Username: Kenney Post Number: 145 Registered: 11-2003 |
DMWB(Drunk Men With Bats) could be a secret organization(to prevent law suits and jail). The drinking part would pacify straws boredom concerns, while the bats would be enough to prevent us from getting hurt. After a couple weeks, kids would be home before the sun went down. This may even help prop up test scores. The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today..FDR.. | ||
| 1-2many Citizen Username: Wbg69 Post Number: 653 Registered: 6-2002 |
I respectfully submit that we do not have to start brainstorming or implementing any community-wide response to this isolated incident. Of course, an investigation should be conducted. Of course, we should tell our kids to take care and to try to stay out of harm's way - in much the same fashion most of us do ourselves. But let's not blow this out of proportion. Let's not divert our limited community resources to "fighting" what is, at this point, a one-time incident. | ||
| thegoodsgt Citizen Username: Thegoodsgt Post Number: 318 Registered: 2-2002 |
What time did the attack occur? | ||
| Kenney Citizen Username: Kenney Post Number: 146 Registered: 11-2003 |
1-2many, i had you penciled in as the social chairman...oh well.. The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today..FDR.. | ||
| michael Citizen Username: Michael Post Number: 425 Registered: 1-2002 |
Good answer Bobk. Urban Legend. Support the Maplewood/South Orange Ministry of Propaganda (formerly known as the CCR) | ||
| sportsnut Citizen Username: Sportsnut Post Number: 758 Registered: 10-2001 |
1-2many - when, in your mind, does this constitute a problem to focus resources on? How many more times does it have to happen before you are convinced that it is a problem? A purported gun in the HS. A neighborhood against gangs meeting. How much more proof do you need? Do you think they scheduled that meeting for the fun of it? If it were my child I would certainly have wished for more resources to prevent this kind of thing from happening. bobk - I hope the parents are not reading this board. Your lack of sympathy for the true victim in this case is appalling. I know you don't mean to be so cynical but that is the way it comes across. I can only hope that those of you who are not yet "convinced" never receive a phone call regarding your own child. | ||
| 1-2many Citizen Username: Wbg69 Post Number: 654 Registered: 6-2002 |
it has to happen more than once to justify organized response. once requires an INVESTIGATION, as I said. a neighborhood gang meeting does not mean there is a problem; it only means there's widespread fear. in any event, this type of group will very likely have nothing but a positive influence, but it needs to be aware of, and not add to, a heightened sense of fear. as in your case - you cited it's very existence as proof of the feared problem! a little circular. a gun in the HS means too many kids have access to guns. it does not mean we should search 2000 kids every day, for one kid, doing something one time. we should be aware yes, but panic, no. are you saying we have to treat every single incident as a "crime wave"? because that's what it sounds like. the truth is crime keeps going down, SUBSTANTIALLY, but ironically people keep talking about the (remaining) crime more and more, wrongly creating an environment of panic and fear of what's called a growing problem, that is actually a SHRINKING problem. we cannot prevent all kids from getting beaten up. some of them will. that's part of living in a society. we can protect our children from guns by changing, and tightening, gun laws. we can protect our neighborhoods, as well as grow friendships and a stronger sense of community, with neighborhood watch groups. | ||
| sportsnut Citizen Username: Sportsnut Post Number: 759 Registered: 10-2001 |
1-2many ask yourself why is there fear? Gangs exist. I have no doubt that they are already infiltrating our town. You may call it fear - I call it being a realist. I agree with you about access to guns. But tell me how you are going to do it? Are you able to go into every home where there is a gun and force the parents to take appropriate actions to ensure the gun is locked away? You think that is more reasonable than to install metal detectors? (BTW, I'm not wholly convinced on their success in preventing guns in schools). Again, I ask when do you believe it becomes a problem. One more kid bringing a gun to school? Two more? Please quantify what is an acceptable level of risk for you. I am not panicing. If I were the house would be up for sale. Crime is down overall. What about incidences like teens getting assaulted in the park? I would love to hear you say to the parents, "Oh well, your child was just unlucky. His number was up. Next time he'll be luckier." Those are all nice long term goals but what do we do about the here and now? Pretending that gangs don't exist is not going to make them go away. | ||
| Marvin Gardens Citizen Username: Marvin_gardens Post Number: 24 Registered: 11-2003  |
Gangs exist. I think there are more gangs of scared, whiny complainers in Maplewood than there are gangs of kids. Maybe, I'm just lucky but I've never seen groups of kids anywhere in Maplewood. Maybe I should get out more often... _______________ Do Not Pass Go | ||
| sportsnut Citizen Username: Sportsnut Post Number: 760 Registered: 10-2001 |
I'm glad you think this is amusing.  And yes you need to get out more. | ||
| gozerbrown Citizen Username: Gozerbrown Post Number: 264 Registered: 3-2002 |
Maybe I missed something in my reading, is use of the term "gang" mean that these kids are black? Are all kids who hang out in bunches who are black in gangs? | ||
| Joan Citizen Username: Joancrystal Post Number: 2240 Registered: 5-2001 |
1-2 Many: The problem with one time incidents is that they are in the habit of becoming multi-time incidents if something is not quickly to stop them from doing so. It doesn't take much commitment of town resources to get a group of people together for an organized social activity in the park after dark. At minimum we need a permit, a date, a time, a theme, and some participation. The people who used to run their dogs in Memorial Park after dark frequently made the argument that they were performing a public service since the large number of dogs and their human companions kept the crime rate down in the park after dark. They may have had a point. I'm not advocating a return to running dogs off leash but there should be some less environmentally invasive activities which could replace this. | ||
| Joan Citizen Username: Joancrystal Post Number: 2241 Registered: 5-2001 |
Gozerbrown: Read the initial post on this thread. The term gang is being used here to refer to kids who gang together to beat up on another kid, resulting in the attacked kid receiving serious but not permanently disabling injuries. No one has made any mention of skin color or socio-economic status of the kids involved. No one has mentioned whether the alleged gang members lived in Maplewood or were from out-of-town. Such issues are irrelavent when public safety becomes the prime consideration. | ||
| 1-2many Citizen Username: Wbg69 Post Number: 656 Registered: 6-2002 |
Joan: "The problem with one time incidents is that they are in the habit of becoming multi-time incidents"? no, by definition, the isolated incident is isolated. you have just demonstrated that people freak out about one incident, fearing it is "only time" or "right around the corner" that it becomes something that Jeopardizes Our Very Society. we can't freak out about what MAY become a pattern. if we do that we have to freak about every single thing that happens. that is neither possible nor, more importantly, advisable. and, our resources are better spent on addressing the truly existing harmful patterns around us. that said, neighborhood watch groups, imho, are probably always helpful on many levels. | ||
| Joan Citizen Username: Joancrystal Post Number: 2244 Registered: 5-2001 |
1-2 Many: My posts to this thread are in reaction to the thread topic which reads "Keep Your Kids Out of the Park At Night". If most people avoid Memorial Park (or any other park in town) in the evening hours, this will encourage conditions under which more kids could be attacked. If people are concerned about the possibility of further violence in the parks, it is a far healthier solution for them to make greater use of the park in the evening hours: walking through the park to/from the train station, the village or the library; taking an after dinner stroll or attending a more organized activity, etc. than to sit cringing in their homes behind multi-locked doors. More of us utilizing our wonderful town parks in the evening hours would have a positive benefit for all concerned and would make the parks a far safer place for all of us, including our children. | ||
| Tom Reingold the prissy-pants Citizen Username: Noglider Post Number: 1264 Registered: 1-2003  |
I don't think neighborhood groups or enforcement of existing laws or anything else you suggest is going overboard. If we do these things, single incidents are less likely to become patterns. 1-2many's point is a good one: you can't define a line with a single point, to speak in metaphoric geometric terms. Tom Reingold There is nothing | ||
| Callahan Citizen Username: Callahan Post Number: 12 Registered: 11-2003 |
Good thread MSB. Everyone should stop the speculating and guess work. Get your answers. Call Chief of Police Robert Cimino at 973-762-3400 tomorrow and ask him how many documented attacks on teenaged and pre-teenaged boys have occurred in recent weeks. Then presume that there has been a similar number of "undocumented" incidents as well. Hopefully, he will supply you with the cold hard facts. Callahan | ||
| bobk Supporter Username: Bobk Post Number: 3979 Registered: 5-2001 |
Sorry Sports, it isn't my intent to be cynical about this. However, having raised two kids here in town, both of whom were around or involved in various "incidents", it takes quite a while to get the true story of what actually did happen in the park. | ||
| Callahan Citizen Username: Callahan Post Number: 13 Registered: 11-2003 |
1-2many, I just read your posts a little closer. You're perceptions are mysterious, yet they are often shared by others as well. What true knowledge do you have about crime in Maplewood, crime in Essex County, and crime in general? Please cite your sources for all of us to reference. Then we can all discuss this further. Callahan | ||
| Montagnard Citizen Username: Montagnard Post Number: 286 Registered: 6-2003 |
Hey, I have an idea! Why don't we move the police station next to Memorial Park? That ought to do it. |
