Set the wayback machine for 1991.

Tuesday, September 04, 2001

Set the wayback machine for 1991. We were living in eastern North Dakota. There had been a rash of vandalism in the communities south of us, with most of the damage done to public areas. Kids must have done it, ran the accusations (don’t people always say that anyway -&160;the old accusing the young of bad things). This time, however, sheriff’s deputies and police officers were bringing in teenagers who were known to be troublemakers. Newspapers were filled with complaints about how kids were out of control. Parents and schools that weren’t teaching &uot;values&uot; were accused of responsibility for problems with young people. People debated curfews, and some communities put them into practice or started actually enforcing the curfew laws that were already on the books. And so it went, the vandalism and the complaints going on and on, for over a year.

And then police caught the perpetrators … and found they weren’t kids at all. Grownups were actually the bad guys: two men – one in his twenties (young enough, I guess), but the other was over 40. Not a lad by anyone’s definition.

Once the story broke, though, and the men were formally charged and sitting in jail, there were no letters in the paper, apologizing to teenagers for the false accusations. Sheriff’s deputies did not start apologizing to the &uot;trouble making&uot; teens who were hauled in for questioning. Critics of schools and parents did not retract their harsh words. People apparently forgot their unjust condemnation of the children in their communities. We’ll never know how many teenagers found reason to resent the way they were treated. How many of those &uot;trouble making&uot; kids found more reasons to hate the rest of us and fewer to show us any respect at all?

This is the perspective from which I view the discussion about curfews in Northwood. Do I think kids should be running around unsupervised at all hours of the night? No, of course not. But I don’t see why parents can’t set curfews for their kids. I don’t understand why parents are no longer seen as competent to make decisions regarding their children, without any proof or real justification on the part of the accusers. As someone who likes to gaze at the stars, through telescopes and binoculars, but also with just my eyes, I would like to think that among the current generation of teenagers there might be some who also like to do that. Would those kids need a police permit to be out late enough to see the space station go by, a meteor shower or a conjunction of planets, moons and stars?

Frankly, I don’t see the value or fairness in punishing a whole group of innocent people, whether they’re out stargazing or cruising, because of the behavior problems of a few. I think it’s also important to note that as of yet, no-one officially knows who’s been carrying out the vandalism in Northwood. The tendency is always to jump on kids first, but that has been wrong before (and not just in North Dakota). There is no proof that kids are responsible, and until there is, people should just watch what they say and how they treat those they believe are responsible.

Whatever the identity of the vandals of Northwood, creating a curfew with penalties for the families of kids who are caught outside their homes is a questionable policy. Supporters try to dress it up as child protection, but that looks to me like the way some men in the arab world, so filled with lust, &uot;protect&uot; women by forcing them to dress up from head to toe in heavy, shapeless black garments.

The problem here isn’t with the behavior of the kids. If there are evil individuals running amok or activities that kids need to be protected from, then do something about that. If we want to protect kids, then let’s keep treating them as valued members of the community, learning their names and interests, watching them skateboard or ride their bikes, letting them hang out with friends. Slapping a blanket ban on late night activities looks more like an assertion of the power of adults to boss kids around than a legitimate attempt to keep them safe from harm.

David Behling is a rural Albert Lea resident. His column appears Tuesdays.