Posted by Swaffords on 3/20/2008, 10:57 am, in reply to "Gang Concerns"
We appreciate your comments and clarification on some of the concerns I know that we and neighbors have, but there are a couple of points we'd like to make that I feel speak for a lot of residents in Powder Springs.
First, we have been told that there is a point system in place so that even if someone has done certain nonviolent crimes, they are simply turned over to their parents and not prosecuted, and it's not until they've accumulated a certain number of these "points" from doing multiple lawless acts that any real action is taken against them. I fail to see how it makes us safe if a 15 year old burglarizes our home and he's just slapped on the wrist and mom and dad do nothing about it.
Giving classes in schools is a good idea for young children who haven't already falling into bad habits, but does nothing to the 12 and older crowd who have already started doing wrong. A burglary is a burglary and it doesn't matter if the person who did it is 15 or 18... we are still victims, and maybe the laws within the city limits should reflect that, and people of certain ages should be treated the same and punished the same if they commit a crime as an 18 year old would. If there is little to deter them against doing it, they'll continue to do it, and do worse things as they grow older. Classes and seminars don't turn these kids around once they get past a certain age. It takes more.
Second, we've heard about the curfew, but there's been plenty of time we've seen teens walking around very late at night. If the neighborhoods were patrolled more often with cars rather than so many of them being on the 278 and Richard Sailors areas, maybe they'd catch more of them?
Third, while we agree that you shouldn't assume that a group of teen boys are criminals just because they're hanging out, it's fully within a towns ability to create laws that limits large numbers of teens from congregating. Many towns in the U.S. have these laws. If more than say, 5 teens are roaming back and forth and back and forth up and down the same streets, the officers will pull them over and drill them as to why they are doing it, and if there are more than that towns number limits allow, they take the kids in and have their parents pick them up.
Look, let's be honest here... people are no doubt going to play the race card and say that a bunch of uptight white people are scared because they see black teens and assume they're all criminals. But the reality is, many of the crime problems in Powder Springs in the last few years have been commited by young black males who have moved into the area and who are hanging out in gangs or wannabe gangs. Not all by any means, but many of the crimes. If we see ten white kids walking up the street saying "MF" loudly to each other and smacking people's mailboxes we're going to call the police just as quickly, but we're also going to do it if we see black kids doing the same thing. We're not going to adopt the attitude of, "Leave the black kids alone because we don't want anyone to think we're racists".
People move out here because they don't like the hussle and bussle of the big city, and they want a higher quality of life than what you might find in Smyrna, or Cabbagetown, or other inner city areas. Quality of life includes not having to listen to Rap music from cars vibrate your home windows 5 times per hour, watching teens look in your mailbox or steal yard ornaments, or having to worry if your back door is kicked in when you come home from work. The quality of life has gone downhill in Powder Springs due to a certain element of kids that have moved into the area, and we speak for many in saying that we're all getting tired of it.
We do appreciate all the police ARE doing, but we do think that maybe a bit more can be done. A "zero tolerance" policy for loitering, limits on groups of underage people who just "hang", and putting more fines and penalties on the parents who have the kids who are creating the problems, are only a few things that could be stepped up a notch.
Looking around, there are a LOT of "for sale" signs in the area. Due to the market, many are renting their homes out since they can't sell them because we've actually had realtors tell us that Powder Springs is earning the repution of "going ghetto", and some realtors are steering good buyers away from the area completely. This needs to be turned around, unless Powder Springs leaders actually want us to be the next Mableton.
We know some people from leaders to police to neighborhood associations are trying. But let's try a little harder. There are still gaps that aren't being dealt with as well as they could be.
Swaffords and neighbors
Powder Springs GA.
30127
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