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New Trend? Calling Police to help w/out of control teens? Why?


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In light of the story in the news about the teen in Calumet City (shot and killed by police after his mother called the police to assist her in dealing with him :(), I wonder why people are calling the police in these cases to begin with.

Maybe it's just me but I would think that the police would be the LAST people a black family should call to help with an out of control teen - especially a boy. I always thought it was common knowledge in our community that the police couldn't be trusted and that if you did end up having to call them, be prepared to be treated like a criminal, even if you're the one needing help. But I'm starting to hear more and more about people calling the police on their kids and I am truly baffled by this.

What do you guys think?

http://www.myfoxchic...eports-20120201

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Trust me, the police don't want to go out on these calls either. Add mental illness into the mix you have a whole new class of problem.

Writegirl, the problem is even worse when you consider the fact that police are stationed in many of our inner city schools. So and infraction that might have warranted a suspension in the past now results in a criminal record, creating a steady supply of Black boys to feed the insatiable prison industrial complex.

No I also recognize that a lot of young men are simply of of control and parents, and schools have lost control. I'm not convinced that the parents or the schools are to blame.

Our society has allowed a whole class of behaviors to slowly but surely disappear. The least of which is respect for elders. Children have not problem talking to their parents like they are grown. I can't remember the last time I heard a child address a man as "Sir" or a woman as "Ma'am".

I see kids curse their parents out -- in public. Even on the upper east side of Manhattan is not uncommon to see a little girl call their mother "bitch" without an repercussions.

Unless we reign things in this will only continue to get worse...

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This is such a no-win situation. In addition to everything else, the kid who was shot was autistic.

Meanwhile, - the other news story making headlines in the Chicago press had to do with a prestigious suburban white high school, with a national reputation for excellence, currently being on lock-down because of the rampant drug dealing going on there. Authorities even confiscated the cell phones of all the students, as part of an investigation. Their parents are all up in arms considering this an invasion of privacy. Interviewed-on-TV-students seemed very nonchalant about the availability of drugs at their all -American high school...

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Troy, yes I can remember the "yes ma'am, yes sir" days. When I moved to California I found it interesting that many of my neighbors out there were horrified that my kids were saying yes ma'am and no ma'am. I recall one neighbor saying, "Girl I wish I WOULD make my kids say some shit like that! They ain't SLAVES!" That was the first time I realized that not all black ppl were raised the same. lol. My grandmother tried to make me believe otherwise though, and she swore up and down that if I didn't say "yes ma'am" and "no sir" and teach my children to do the same that there would be hell to pay. :)

Cynique, the story about the drugs in the suburban white high school doesn't surprise me at all. I grew up in a predominantly black neighborhood out in the north suburbs. The only white kids that were at our school came from the Navy base. Our school was known for having fist fights. But for all us kids that went there, it was common knowledge that the white schools in the "better" (aka RICHER) suburbs, were no better than ours in terms of "good" or "bad" kids.That's because those kids had money to buy and deal drugs...and they did - on a regular basis.

We would hear the dirty details from some of the few black kids that were shipped off to the private schools in the old money suburbs. There were also a few black kids whose parents were able to pull some strings to use an address for some of the public schools in the "desireable" white neighborhoods, thereby avoiding sending their kids to our all-black high school. All those black kids pretty much told the same story: "the grass aint greener and these people's kids are crazy and doing way more criminal shit than us!!!" That was back in the 80s.

I guess at the end of the day, all kids are a hot mess these days w/the level of disrespect that Troy was talking about - both black and white. The difference lies in what happens after they get caught up. Obviously, our kids have to be taught to watch your back w/regards to everything from each other to law enforcement. White kids get the luxury of walking around with chips on their shoulders and nonchalant attitudes even when they get caught doing criminal activities like selling drugs in school. smh

Every time I get on these type of topics, I end up feeling like all of these societal problems are nothing more than distractions for what's really going on...the real root of this crap. sigh. :ph34r:

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"Girl I wish I WOULD make my kids say some shit like that! They ain't SLAVES!"

​That is the statement of someone who was not likely raised in a manner to respect their elders or even authority for that mater. Now we are several generations deep into this and have no cultural memory of a time when things were different.

Since most folks don't read there is no prospect for knowledge transfer.

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There are a whole lot of issues in the linked story. In general, no I would not call the LAPD to help me with my child. But in this story the parents had called the police for help with their autistic son [6ft, 200lbs] several times and I’m supposing they handled the matter to the parents’ satisfaction – or they wouldn’t have called them again. Some will say the police are not mental health professionals and parents should not expect them to help control their children. But if not the police then who? In this budget cutting frenzy we are in now assistance for families having to deal with these problems has been slashed into nonexistence. Programs that help put people to work, assisted living spaces, in-home care assistance, medical, dental and mental health care – all slashed. Where are these families supposed to go for help? Trying to get an appointment with a social worker is a nightmare and even if you get one there’s not a whole lot for them to offer. For a lot of people 9-1-1 is the only answer they can come up with.

Troy, as a daily bus rider I hear a lot more mother’s cussing out their kids than the kids cussing the mother. Of course a lot of these mothers are young themselves. It makes me sick!

That’s a good point about the police presence on school campuses. I’m told they are even in middle schools.

Just the thought of me calling my mother a bitch makes me cringe!

Crystal

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