Vandalism sprees are a shocking wake-up call
Published on Tue, Aug 10, 2010 by Beckye RandallRead More Voices
What is wrong with kids these days?
Yikes! I sound like my mother!
But still, the question deserves to be asked. In less than a week, three separate incidents of vandalism took place in Arlington. Not just a little spray paint or knocking over someone's mailbox, either. No, these youngsters slashed tires on dozens of cars and trucks, threw rocks through the windows of 40 school buses, and shot BB guns into people's cars and homes.
It would almost be less unsettling if the same perpetrators were responsible for all three incidents, but that doesn't seem to be the case.
Rather, it appears that the decision to destroy property was formulated independently, by three different groups of youngsters, at nearly the same time.
Acts of vandalism do tend to increase in the summer, when longer days and fewer scheduled activities can lead to trouble. As Professor Harold Hill admonished, "An idle brain is the devil's playground." But the sheer magnitude of the recent destruction is still astonishing.
The damage at the bus yard required steely nerves. A sign posted on the gate warns of video surveillance, but the 17-year-old vandals apparently didn't believe it, or didn't care. They scaled a chain link fence and systematically littered the large parking lot and inside of the vehicles with shards of glass from windshields and side windows. According to police reports, no blood was found, despite all the glass. Detectives speculate the boys wore protective clothing to guard against injury...which indicates a level of planning not usually associated with random vandalism.
The boys who ran through Clover Park and Heartland neighborhood streets slashing tires and breaking windows were younger - 13 and 14. It makes me wonder why they were allowed to be out of the house in those early morning hours, hours when they should have been sleeping peacefully in their beds.
Of course, I don't know the details of these kids' lives. I have no idea what their living situation is, or how much parental support they can count on, or if they have responsible adult role models in their lives.
The thing is, we can all be positive influences on young people, even those with whom we only have casual encounters. By demonstrating genuine interest in and respect for youth, we can help them develop those same attributes toward others. It's the kind of positive cycle that needs to be implemented at the most basic level of our society, so kids these days can grow into the successful adults of tomorrow.
Yikes! I sound like my mother!
But still, the question deserves to be asked. In less than a week, three separate incidents of vandalism took place in Arlington. Not just a little spray paint or knocking over someone's mailbox, either. No, these youngsters slashed tires on dozens of cars and trucks, threw rocks through the windows of 40 school buses, and shot BB guns into people's cars and homes.
It would almost be less unsettling if the same perpetrators were responsible for all three incidents, but that doesn't seem to be the case.
Rather, it appears that the decision to destroy property was formulated independently, by three different groups of youngsters, at nearly the same time.
Acts of vandalism do tend to increase in the summer, when longer days and fewer scheduled activities can lead to trouble. As Professor Harold Hill admonished, "An idle brain is the devil's playground." But the sheer magnitude of the recent destruction is still astonishing.
The damage at the bus yard required steely nerves. A sign posted on the gate warns of video surveillance, but the 17-year-old vandals apparently didn't believe it, or didn't care. They scaled a chain link fence and systematically littered the large parking lot and inside of the vehicles with shards of glass from windshields and side windows. According to police reports, no blood was found, despite all the glass. Detectives speculate the boys wore protective clothing to guard against injury...which indicates a level of planning not usually associated with random vandalism.
The boys who ran through Clover Park and Heartland neighborhood streets slashing tires and breaking windows were younger - 13 and 14. It makes me wonder why they were allowed to be out of the house in those early morning hours, hours when they should have been sleeping peacefully in their beds.
Of course, I don't know the details of these kids' lives. I have no idea what their living situation is, or how much parental support they can count on, or if they have responsible adult role models in their lives.
The thing is, we can all be positive influences on young people, even those with whom we only have casual encounters. By demonstrating genuine interest in and respect for youth, we can help them develop those same attributes toward others. It's the kind of positive cycle that needs to be implemented at the most basic level of our society, so kids these days can grow into the successful adults of tomorrow.
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