Teenagers Loitering at City Pier
I wasn't planning to do a post about the new rules cracking down on teenagers loitering at City Pier. But this PDN article is still generating zillions of comments.
How much of a problem is this? And does the city manager have the authority to pass these new laws (banning smoking within 100 feet of a playground, and limiting the use of playground equipment to children twelve and under)?
How much of a problem is this? And does the city manager have the authority to pass these new laws (banning smoking within 100 feet of a playground, and limiting the use of playground equipment to children twelve and under)?
posted by Tom Harper at 9:30 AM
21 Comments:
There are a lot of fine young people here in P.A., I have talked to a few at the City Center and in the lot at the Safeway on Lincoln. Many made a big contribution of labor and goodwill at the PAFAC garage sale. They should have a place to hang out where they are free to express themselves.
They are YOU Port Angeles, embrace them don't fear them.
Silly to ask whether the city manager has the legal authority to do anything like setting fines or permitting or prohibiting activities. This is Port Angeles --- where the entrenched culture at city hall is to do whatever suits those who are in power. To hell with the law.
LOL! Yes. I have gone back to that article a few times, just to read the comments.
I'm amazed at what I read there. What a bunch of closed minded old farts! It is embarrassing!
Now, as to the city creating new laws to benefit businesses, that is done all the time. I'd even venture a non-researched "throw-away" comment saying most laws created are for the benefit of "business" in some context or another.
Are they "fair", and do they always support the kind of community we want to live in? Not always.
In this case, in responding to youth hanging around a public park, I think it is just another example of poorly thought out responses. They were hanging out in the Gateway area until they were kicked out of there. They moved across the street to the public park by the Red Lion, where that business complained. At that point, the city had a number of them arrested, and embarked on a project of obvious harassment for those they couldn't find a reason to arrest.
Where will they be moved to, next? What other ways will the community employ to further harass, insult and deride their own youth? What messages are being heard by these youth? What are we creating, long term, by employing these tactics against our youth?
Nice to see Port Angeles cares.
Gosh, only a few short years ago these same civic leaders told us a skate park helmet requirement was unenforceable due to manpower constraints… Now they’ve got the pigs out measuring the perimeter of the playground. Maybe they can get the useless Border Patrol to build a fence. Watch tonight as your idiot neighbors blow off every conceivable type of explosive and incendiary device all over town, in complete disregard of city ordinances regarding fireworks .Drive around and count the number of large trucks, equipment of all sizes and description, oversized RVs and travel trailers parked on public streets… this list is almost endless- these ass wads only enforce the laws they feel like enforcing (or the ones their masters tell them to) Happy Independence Day!
Dirty hippies need to join the ARMY and make the world safe for the CHILDRENS!
Vote for Nicole! She'll make sure the kids have something to do downtown!
"Rules were made to be broken!"
What a rebel!
(from previous thread, about parking, and I'll quote the nimrod directly) "These kids are creating a threatening environment on the waterfront trail and at the water front park. People don't feel safe when a gang of kids are shouting out random crap and being intimidating. It may be "innocent fun" for the kids at the moment, but it won't take much for someone to get hurt and then where will your feverish outrage be then?
9:42 AM, July 04, 2011"
Dear Puckerbutt: If this gang of kids were a few years older, they would be entitled to "freedom of assembly". You must not leave the area much, because if the kids are hanging out and in a visible location, they aren't being much of a threat to anyone. If you are so paranoid that you think that a group of kids chatting and laughing and socializing is THREATENING YOU, please, get help.
There is nearly NOTHING for kids to do in this town. The public parks are for the public to enjoy, and the last I heard, Hollywood Beach is a PUBLIC PARK.
I certainly hope some of these kids contest the ageist (profiling) law in court. What if it were targeting old folks? Ageism is ageism....
They should be allowed to congregate. They could be allowed to self-police. In fact, I believe there is a LAW that already exists for underage smoking: "In Washington it is illegal for youth under the age of 18 to use or possess tobacco. It is also illegal for anyone to give tobacco to a person under the age of 18." http://www.doh.wa.gov/tobacco/fact_sheets/complyfact.htm
So, why can't laws that already exist be used?
Our city manager needs to go. I wish he would get a job somewhere else. He's a knucklehead, and this law is about as retarded as they come. (Yes, I used the dreaded "r" word. If the shoe fits...)
annon 10:34...most of the laws in this town are created to screw businesses, especially small ones. That's why it's so strange.
Red Lion is a second-rate flophouse, anyway, that charges too much money for lots of nothing. They protect "their parking" excessively. The management can't be bothered to call back any other businesses, and the "deals" they offer for packages (to help promote PA) are a joke.
I see no reason why they get preferential treatment. Plus, they seem to forget that Hollywood Beach is NOT their private beach.
A lot of cities have ordinances about not allowing adults around playgrounds. Of course, in those cases it's about pedos and not unruly youth. However, neither is right or fair. Find something and somewhere for these kids to go and do. Making 'laws' doesn't solve anything on a long term basis. They just pick and move to another part of town where people complain about it there.
O.K., here's a solution to the problem of these so-called "loitering" teens.
They should chain themselves to the trees in Lincoln Park, thus preventing Glenn Cutler and crew from clear cutting the park.
The kids now have something to "do", they're in a park, they are learning valuable commintiy service and activist lessons, the trees will be spared (until school starts again at least), oppressive authority will be given its due contempt and those vanilla family breeder types can go back to the water front park and watch their squalling brats play on the swings and destroy the beachfront.
So take that, fascist jackbooted pigs, and that goes for you, too, uptight fascist thug city manager!
Port Angeles teens need a place that is theirs. Where can they go except the streets or parks? Port Townsend has been able to keep one going, but we have repeatedly closed ours. Why?
I heard the jackbooted fascists were cracking down on the girls at the Caffeinated Clothier for decorating the sidewalk with ... sidewalk chalk.
Gee, when the girls from the Veela Cafe were doing the exact same thing there was never any problem!
Fascism is alive and well in Port Angeles, friends!
Now, now, Chipmunks. You're not saying positive things about Port Angeles.
"Where can they go except the streets or parks?"
Well, they could get a job for the summer. Just sayin' ...
Get a job? helloooooo....get real. First, how many places want to hire a teen when there are men and women with families needing jobs? Next, do you know what kinds of restrictions the state has placed on teen workers? It's a nightmare for a business owner -- because there are things that a teen worker cannot do, the hours are limited, and although you can pay them LESS, you can't depend on them to take up the slack because of the restrictions.
Check it out buddy....the economy sucks, the unemployment rate in this area is over 20% (probably as much as 30%, if you adjust for those who have been chronically unemployed and exhausted unemployment claims).
Teens and twenty-somethings, and the over fifty are the largest group of unemployed in the country.
So, what jobs do you propose that they do? How many teens do you hire to work around your house?
Stop it at once. You're being negative!
Stop it at once. You're being negative!
5:56 PM, July 07, 2011
Now, now. That sounds so negative. You must know that we sometimes have to be negative to be positive.
I think we all go to the burned out wreck of the New Peking, encircle the rubble, join hands, think of sunshine and lollipops, incense and peppermints, grandmas and apple pie. Then we'll sing "Kumbayah" and go home.
Can we we all think positive thoughts about Walmart?
Only if the economy crashes, takes it with them, and their store(s) are burned to the ground. Those are my happy thoughts of Walmart.
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