The other day (ok really it was more like 2 weeks ago, but obviously it impacted me because it's still on my mind) Matt and I decided to start our weekend out right with Happy Hour drinks and food on a Friday.
(Side note: Happy Hour seems to be a big deal in Columbus. Of course there are Happy Hour deals everywhere, but in other places we've lived, it was more of something you happened to be in the right place at the right time. But here, Happy Hour is an event. People specifically plan to go to Happy Hour. And I'm not gonna lie... I like it.)
So there we are on a sunny Friday late afternoon/early evening, driving along with the radio on, enjoying life, when BAM! A rock hits our windshield.
OK, I may have screamed. It was a loud noise and I was caught off guard. You probably would have too.
We pull over at a gas station to check for damage and figure out what happened. That's when we notice the offenders: a group of young boys, no older than 10 years old. They're standing at a railing that overlooks the road and throwing rocks as cars go by.
Our windshield has no real damage. There is a tiny speck of a mark where the rock hit, but luckily no cracks. The kids are still throwing rocks though, and someone could get hurt or worse. We decide the right thing to do is call the police. Another car stops at the gas station and say their car was hit as well and that they've already called the police. So we all wait.
An officer arrives and asks what happened. We tell her the story.
She immediately says to us, "Well, you aren't going to get anything from them. That's low-income housing. Their parents don't care what they do and even if you sued them, what are they going to give you, the crappy $4000 house they're living in?"
We quickly explain that we aren't looking for any kind of compensation, that all we have is a tiny speck on the windshield. We just wanted someone to stop the situation before someone got hurt. We simply wanted an officer to stop by and give them a warning, maybe scare the kids a little.
The officer continues to badmouth the neighborhood. She says that there is no hope for any of the kids, that they're all troublemakers, that they're all going to grow up to be worthless just like their parents, and on and on.
At this point, we are ready to go. We can see that nothing is really being accomplished and are starting to feel sick about the way she was looking down on this group of people. Plus, we've been there at least a half hour now. It's 6 pm and Happy Hour ends at 7!
When we ask if we are done and OK to go, the officer says yes, unless we want to press charges. We explain that we don't want to press charges, we just wanted to help discourage this group of kids from doing something like this again with worse consequences. We didn't want anyone to get hurt.
Are you sure? She seems dissapointed.
Yes. We're sure.
We went on to enjoy our Happy Hour, but couldn't stop talking about the situation. And I still can't get it out of my head.
Yes, these kids were wrong to throw rocks into traffic. It was stupid and dangerous.
But should we as a society give up on them?
I say NO.
I understand that the officer we talked to was jaded. I understand that she may have dealt with numerous issues and crimes within this housing complex and completely lost hope.
But it still feels wrong to me.
Those kids could grow up to be anything in the world with the right push. Anything. They are in elementary school. I refuse to believe that their fate is predetermined.
(Side note: Happy Hour seems to be a big deal in Columbus. Of course there are Happy Hour deals everywhere, but in other places we've lived, it was more of something you happened to be in the right place at the right time. But here, Happy Hour is an event. People specifically plan to go to Happy Hour. And I'm not gonna lie... I like it.)
 |
| Not when you are thrown at our car, you don't! |
OK, I may have screamed. It was a loud noise and I was caught off guard. You probably would have too.
We pull over at a gas station to check for damage and figure out what happened. That's when we notice the offenders: a group of young boys, no older than 10 years old. They're standing at a railing that overlooks the road and throwing rocks as cars go by.
Our windshield has no real damage. There is a tiny speck of a mark where the rock hit, but luckily no cracks. The kids are still throwing rocks though, and someone could get hurt or worse. We decide the right thing to do is call the police. Another car stops at the gas station and say their car was hit as well and that they've already called the police. So we all wait.
An officer arrives and asks what happened. We tell her the story.
She immediately says to us, "Well, you aren't going to get anything from them. That's low-income housing. Their parents don't care what they do and even if you sued them, what are they going to give you, the crappy $4000 house they're living in?"
We quickly explain that we aren't looking for any kind of compensation, that all we have is a tiny speck on the windshield. We just wanted someone to stop the situation before someone got hurt. We simply wanted an officer to stop by and give them a warning, maybe scare the kids a little.
The officer continues to badmouth the neighborhood. She says that there is no hope for any of the kids, that they're all troublemakers, that they're all going to grow up to be worthless just like their parents, and on and on.
At this point, we are ready to go. We can see that nothing is really being accomplished and are starting to feel sick about the way she was looking down on this group of people. Plus, we've been there at least a half hour now. It's 6 pm and Happy Hour ends at 7!
When we ask if we are done and OK to go, the officer says yes, unless we want to press charges. We explain that we don't want to press charges, we just wanted to help discourage this group of kids from doing something like this again with worse consequences. We didn't want anyone to get hurt.
Are you sure? She seems dissapointed.
Yes. We're sure.
We went on to enjoy our Happy Hour, but couldn't stop talking about the situation. And I still can't get it out of my head.
Yes, these kids were wrong to throw rocks into traffic. It was stupid and dangerous.
But should we as a society give up on them?
I say NO.
I understand that the officer we talked to was jaded. I understand that she may have dealt with numerous issues and crimes within this housing complex and completely lost hope.
But it still feels wrong to me.
Those kids could grow up to be anything in the world with the right push. Anything. They are in elementary school. I refuse to believe that their fate is predetermined.
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