Posted by Liberty (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 6:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)

That is not for the government to decide. When I was 16, my curfew went from twelve to one - SUPER excited I had an extra hour to do, well... nothing. I have never had any run-ins with police. I never robbed anyone. I never got into fights. I never shot a gun into a building or vehicle. I never did anything except meet up with friends, eat, cruise around Selma and then go home.

It's the parent's job to parent. I realize there are children that ARE, in fact causing trouble - but this is another situation of 'guilty until proven innocent'. This needs to be handled on a case-by-case basis.

The only kids who are going to follow this curfew will be the ones who AREN'T doing anything.

Posted by popdukes12 (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 7:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I remember Lt. Brock calling me one night to come pick up my son when my son and some of his friends were out at Block Park. What happened to the "good old days" when grow-ups could handle a situation like that. popdukes12

Posted by Liberty (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 7:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I came back to comment about my story at Bloch Park.

I and some friends had went by KFC, grabbed a bucket of chicken and some cokes and went back TO B.P. and sat under the lights in the stadium parking lot. We had blankets down on the ground and were eating, laughing, having a good time...

A police officer came up and told us we needed to leave. I questioned why he was bothering us, who were clearly doing NOTHING, and not concerning himself with the crackheads in the dark corners. Don't get me wrong, so long as they stayed in their little corner I didn't care. I just couldn't understand why the cop was riding our behinds when we weren't doing anything.

It's just more of the same - putting the work off and worrying with those who aren't worth worrying with.

Posted by Mr_Peepers (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 8:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)

"I questioned why he was bothering us, who were clearly doing nothing..."

Hmmm.. maybe because you were tresspassing?!?

Posted by Liberty (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 8:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Oh, is it? Because as long as I've been alive there have always been kids parked at Bloch Park. I've never seen a "No Trespassing" sign. The officer who came and pestered us said nothing of trespassing.

Clearly you missed my point.

Posted by Ramsey (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 8:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)

@ Liberty

In theory I may agree with the thought that parents are responsible for their children; but, governrment should help ensure everyone's safety. There is no logical reason why young people should be out riding around or sitting around after midnight. Responsible parents are already doing that, but many parents are not!

Posted by WarEffort (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 8:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)

No one should be harassed when abiding by the law. Cops don't get to decide where you eat and when. And as for "no logical reason" you overlook personal liberties. Do you have be 18 or 19 or 21 to finally have access to the bill of rights? Arrest criminals. Don't impose convenient little pieces of martial law to curb the fact that cops are catching traffic violators instead of murderers.

Posted by Liberty (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 8:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)

You're right. We should just let the government take care of everything. We should just go to work, pay our taxes, keep our mouths shut, our heads down and let them do whatever it is they want - you know, to "keep us safe".

It is called accountability, people. The kids should be held accountable for whatever it is they are doing. We have police officers to tend to the people who commit crimes - that is THEIR JOB.

What are you teaching kids by doing this? That they are not to be trusted? That they are not able to make decisions for themselves? Sounds like trouble in the long run...

Nothing about being a teenager is logical, Ramsey. It's the only time in your life where you can run around and be an idiot and get away with it. There is a big difference between being a teenager and being a criminal.

NOT all teenagers are bad. Not all teenagers are criminal. Why punish GOOD kids because of some hoodlums running around with no home training?

Posted by eyeonyou (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 8:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)

In Selma, it might not be a bad idea to implement a curfew considering the rate of youth crime here. But honestly, I feel it's just some petty mechanism the judicial system is using to "attempt" to deter crime. In reality, they are going to commit this crime regardless of a curfew.

Posted by lovepeace (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 8:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I personally think this will be a great idea. Do you not see all of these young people in the papers for shooting someone or stealing from someone. Times have changed from the way they use to be. You could let you childern play outside without a worry, but now days its totally different. Maybe this will help selma & keep crime down. The kids will get over it, & like my parents always said if your out past 12 then your up to no good. My cerfuw was always 11 or 12 until I was 19. Which back then I hated it but it was good for me.

Posted by selmaOnMyMind (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 9:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)

D@MN if you do or D@MN if you don't! First you want a solution for the high crime rates, then you complain about the way in which law enforcement implements a strategy to do so. Maybe you could complain 3-6 months down the road if it is not working. I think if some of you didn't have a reason to complain, then you'd find one and then.....well.......COMPLAIN!

Posted by mommyof4grls (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 9:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Where I am from we had a curfew implemented at 1 a.m.
I think that it is a great idea, but I think that maybe the curfew should be for 16 and under at midnight. There is nothing wrong with the city "trying" to help the youth, the question for me is whether or not they are going to actually enforce it. If we were caught after curfew our parents were called, from the police station where we were taken to. No teen, child, whatever has any reason to just hang out walking around at that time of night. They can stay in the yard, or in the house. What people have to realize is that many, many parents here let their children do anything they want. I have seen this even in my 6th grade daughter's class. It's a sad reality, but it is reality.

Posted by Publisher (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 9:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Well said selmaOnMyMind. If parents aren't going to parent as they should, then someone has to look out for the children of this community with some "tough love."

As for the officer at Bloch Park, maybe he was concerned about the safety of a group of children, after dark, with "crack heads" lurking nearby who would do anything to score some cash for their next "hit." Or maybe he had a bone to pick, who knows. I wasn't there so I'm just speculating.

Dennis Palmer
Publisher
The Selma Times-Journal
selmatimesjournal.com

Posted by bunnyk (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 9:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I see nothing wrong with teenagers being teenagers. We always had parties in high school at local pastures and it was harmless fun!! As long as the parents care and set a curfew, then it is not up to the police to decide. They need to be in sitting in the local Wal-Mart and Winn-Dixie parking to lots to make sure we don't get robbed.

Posted by tiredofthistown (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 10:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Curfew sounds like a great idea. The problem will be ENFORCING IT! I don't ever see too many cops patrolling late at night. How will this be enforced?I myself grew up in the times when we would hang out at Bloch Park or either the old Wal-Mart parking lot. Cops would come by from time to time and tell us to break it up, but they were just trying to keep too many people from loitering. Looking back, I don't see anything wrong with that. Usually when a lot of people would start to gather, a fight would end up breaking out. I guess it was a good thing that the cops would make us disperse.

Posted by Wedgie (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 10:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)

These are all good arguements; however, the bottom line is in this town a lot of parents are not parenting. Their kids are allowed to run rampid from birth. I realize that law abiding children should not be punished for those who cause the problems but one must understand that there are reasons for a curfew.

I would say one is, if you encounter a group of kids, to me it would difficult to determine who are the kids that are up to no good and who are the ones just hanging out. With a curfew most, and I say that loosely, of the law abiding kids will be at home under the curfew. The ones who are not at home, once picked up and their parents are gotten out of bed to come get them will probably get the message.

Secondly, Liberty I was once the kid in the parking lot with my friends hanging out not bothering a soul, but as it was explained to me then I will explain to you now. It's not you the police are worried about getting into mischief it's you they are worried about being a victim. As someone said earlier, freaks come out at night and those freaks are often out to harm someone. I know it is not fair but neither is life. I'm sorry, but in Selma even adults don't really need to be out after midnight. Everything closes down except for night clubs and if you are below the age of 21 you shouldn't be in them anyway.

But let me say this, if you are worried about the government taking control of your lives then you had better place more emphasis of concern on the socialist health care plan than a curfew. I have no problem being at home by 12pm and I am an adult. It seems to me that this would only make it easier for the police to narrow down who is up to no good if you ARE a law abiding citizen.

JMO.

Posted by eyeonyou (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 10:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)

WIth this excessive amount of crime in Selma, we honestly need something in place. It can't hurt to at least implement it and see what happens. Maybe it will render a positive result, but we will never know unless it's tried. The kids out this late will at least have to be accountable to the "cause". Let's face it, Selma is not the Selma it use to be. Try looking at it this way....if anything it might keep a young kid from being another stat or victim.

Posted by TigerFan36701 (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 11:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)

"the bottom line is in this town a lot of parents are not parenting"

True enough, but a LOT of this is because these kids do not even HAVE parents to look up to. Look at all the grandmothers/aunts/etc that these kids live with that try to set an example. Problem with most of it is no male to set standards of decency, respect, and authority. When young boys reach a certain age it often times takes a dominant male to enforce and ingrain discipline in that youth's development.

With all the broken homes and crackbabies around here you have a problem with youths and crime.

Posted by WarEffort (anonymous) on October 31, 2009 at 10:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)

ask yourselves this: Do you see cop cars parked in the worst neighborhoods where the most crime occurs trying to PREVENT crime? No. you see them at that stop sign that lots of people might roll, or where the speed limit changes from 55 to 25. There's no revenue in crime prevention. Their behavior is a product of what they are advised and expected to do by the chief or whomever is in charge.

Posted by disgruntled (anonymous) on November 2, 2009 at 11:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)

WarEffort, I thinks one of the reasons that the cops in Selma do not patrol the areas they know crime will be is because they are either scared or in cohoots with the criminals. Please, no one start an argument about me pointing out the fact that we have corrupt cops in Selma. I know that not every Selma police officer is corrupt or even the majority, but there are still some that have not been weeded out yet.

I notice everyone mentioning bad or lack of parenting in Selma that inevitably leads to youth crime. Patsy Riley has immplented the parenting hotline in the state of Alabama. I want to call it the PAL hotline, but I am not sure. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to have community parenting classes and advertise her hotline, especially for young mothers and fathers that are really too young to know what to do.

Another thing to do would be to step up our policies on deadbeat dads and do something about them. Maybe if there were consequences some of them would at least reconsider walking out. Crap, has anyone watched Maury lately. I swear there are more deadbeat dads than good ones nowadays!

Posted by scruffy2436 (anonymous) on November 2, 2009 at 2:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Disgruntled, not just deadbeat dads, but deadbeat moms also. Even in Alabama, sometimes the mom is the bad one, not the dad.
Parents need to wake up and realize that the law will not arrest you for correcting your child. Not beating them, but correcting them. There is a line there that should never be crossed.
And if the child says they will call the law if you touch them then do what I did...I told my two children that if they EVER told me that crap, then go pack their bags because I would be on the phone calling the law for them.
Guess what, it never happened in our house. And that is another thing that the children today do not hear enough, it is OUR house, but the parent or parents make the rules.
Children need to have a place, i.e. their home, to feel safe. If they feel as though they do not even have that then they will act out in varies ways. They need to know that it is their home too, but they also need to know the rules and boundries. And what happens when they cross the line.

Posted by Wedgie (anonymous) on November 2, 2009 at 2:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)

As long as this great country continues to pay for having babies, not working, and soon to be free health care we will have walking baby machines as we do now. You can have all the classes, high hopes, and chatter you want but it is all about getting a check. The kids do not matter until there is a forum for those having them, i.e. more money or crying to a bleeding heart camera cause they were arrested or killed.

Posted by scruffy2436 (anonymous) on November 3, 2009 at 7:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Wedgie, WELL SAID!!!