Thursday, October 9, 2014

More questions on Locust Street Park

This letter appeared in today's Intell/New Era. It's in response to a letter published on Monday.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Some people are just turning a blind eye and making excuses. How often is this person ( living in Washington boro) here In Columbia observing the actions of the kids in the park? I saw first hand the vulgar (yes vulgar) carrying on and it had nothing to do with tossing a football around. These kids are angry and hostile in addition to disrespectful toward people and property. Let's send them to the park in Washington boro and you can deal with them.

M.J Baker said...

I was born and raise in Columbia and still live here and proud of it! Futhermore the damage is being done by disgruntle kids not adults.
M.J. Baker

Anonymous said...

You do not see adults hanging in the park you see kids hanging in the park get real.

Anonymous said...

The entire "youth culture" is far different today than in prior decades. We still knew what was right vs wrong and even if we pushed the limits, we still had boundaries of what we would and would not do- those specific referenced above individuals may not have this.

Anonymous said...

I agree with turning a blind eye and making excuses! Our so called elected officials are ignoring the issue. If this was a ELECTION year maybe then just maybe someting would be done.???

Anonymous said...

Regarding the comment..."Let's send them to the park in Washington boro and you can deal with them." I like this idea, it would be great to farm out our problems to our surrounding communities like they do to us. We can even provide the bus to transport them to the Washington Boro playground!!

Anonymous said...

Yet another example this evening, I heard that some kids started a fire under the bridge. Fire department was actually called to the scene. What is going on? This is called arson. Maybe they should be "corrected". That will take care of it.

Joe Lintner said...

Someone lit up a pile of lumber.

Joe Lintner said...

Right. I don't recall anyone going to those extremes "back in the day."

Joe Lintner said...

I have a feeling that such behavior wouldn't be tolerated down there.

Anonymous said...

did they "catch" the punks? face it...the community MUST get involved...WE ALL MUST CALL 911 WHEN THE BAD STUFF IS GOING ON....(NOT when it's all over and they're gone!) same goes for the break ins.

Anonymous said...

Last night at 9pm...group of skateboarders were standing all over the park benches. Isn't there a curfew? Even with the park being out of the police authority, can't they(police) tell the pack of kids constantly to "move along"? That's what they did with us when we were young. Hell, when we saw the cops coming we IMMEDIATELY started to walk and all we were doing was congregating at the corners. Why can't the police set up a sting operation....send some adults or kids through the park and observe, when the bullshit starts they can swoop in and make arrests. Surely criminal activity is criminal activity, no matter on private ground or not. Have the Old Grounds members do the walking and have them request to press charges against these punks. Are these Columbia born and raised family children or again out of town transients? I ask because EVERYONE who grew up in Columbia at one time or another hung out at the park......RESPECTFULLY!!! How soon is the agreement to being ratified? I hope once it is, the police will set a course to act swiftly and forcefully, not selectively, to regain the park for the good people of Columbia to use.

Anonymous said...

Agreed, that's the issue.

Anonymous said...

good points. again...how long will it take???? WHY does everything done by ALL mgmt of this town take months and months or years to do? that is UNACCEPTABLE. the paper work SHOULD already be done. NO MORE EXCUSES

Thomas R Arndt said...

I recently had the pleasure of attending a 4th Friday event in the Park across the Street from my home, which by the way my Parent's purchased back in the early 60's so I have seen and participated in many event's and just having fun growing up across from the Park, as the evening went on a part of the shall I say "GANG" for lack of a better word starting jumping over hay bales that were set up for the Children's games on the skate board's, a group of women that were running the stand politely asked the boy's not to skate anywhere while the event was going on, their reply was lashing out, calling her name's and they jumped and ran around like the little punk's they are, as I walked back down to my home the Police pulled up in 2 Cruiser's and 4 officer's proceeded to gather the Gang up only to have them yell and curse back at them, 1 of the kid's actually made threat's that he is going to F$^&k them up!!! this is only 1 event of many that I have witnessed and only the beginning of what I fear is going to lead up to more violence and someone is going to get hurt bad. The people who made the Park a special place in the 50's thru the 80's were Teenager's who might have been a bit rebellious and maybe drank some beer or wine and Heaven forbid smoked a little pot now and then but never ever did we disrespect the Park or the Police Officer's who would from time to time stop by just to talk or asked if we saw anyone they might have been looking for. I don't understand and maybe never will why the power's to be in this town never seem to grasp what is really going on in the Park and other problem's as well, this reply is for anybody like T.E Lutz who fail's to see the problem, I was one of the teenagers T.E. Lutz talked about and I will alway treasure my memories of growing up hanging at various part's of the Park, when you were 12 or 13 you sat at the Library and as you grew older you eventually could stand around the Statue, this meant you were part of the in crowd, we had fun, but never disgraced the Park like what is going on now, ride by some evening and all you have to do is look. I wrote this hoping to shed some light on what is really going on. My email address is keater12@aol.com and would welcome any comment's.

Anonymous said...

a skate park would help

Anonymous said...

i think the time is here and now for a group of adults...big burly football types of course...to "hang out" in the park during the early evening hours until 9 or so whenever cvs closes so people feel safer walking back and forth. since the police won't the "old gangs" from back in the day need to show face.and of course Tom Arndt is 100% correct when he says how we hung out inthe park..BUT we were NEVER disrespectful to anyone...nor did we ever disrespect or damage any trees, benches etc. this HAS to STOP...NOW. WTH is this town coming to?????? Where is our Boro leadership??? Why doesn't the police chief and the mayor address this problem AND all the break ins? Extremely disappointed how ALL this is being handles....IT ISN"T..SHAME ON YOU

Anonymous said...

All of the burglaries are most scary, some while people are home. Does any one cameras, or a description, or know if anything is being done? Is it all over town or only in parts, people are concerned and rightly so. More patrols? Neighborhood block watch? I looked on the police Facebook page and other than the August warning, nothing!

Anonymous said...

can't someone make a citizens arrest ?

Anonymous said...

It's all over town and not likely to change any time soon. The best protection is a high fence and a good watch dog. Fence the park and hire a security guard, it's only tax money.

Anonymous said...

joe schmo is sick and tired of all these break ins, robberies, etc going on ALL over town. the residents are now at their wits end. and where in the hell is the paper work that allows the police to do anyhting to the punks at the park? really??? this SHOULD have been done IMMEDIATELY...DON'T ANYBODY KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS???????? this IS UNACCEPTABLE. as usual, the boro is BEHIND the 8 ball.

Anonymous said...

One kid was handcuffed during a Fourth Friday event and it did not deter anyone...even the kid that was handcuffed! He was back in the park later that same evening. These kids are beyond brazen.

Anonymous said...

In all fairness, the mayor said that he went to the park and had a talk with these kids. He did try. I'm certain they have no respect for him either.

Anonymous said...

What Mayor??? Yesterday around 3:45 I saw a Columbia Police Officer walk in to the park and talk to the teens about a group of 15 or so. He was there about 3 0r 4 minutes and left. and behold the teens where still there and growing in numbers!!! Talking is not the solution here............. Duh
it's time for action.

Anonymous said...

Mr Mayor surely you jest! Public safety????? on whose watch???