May 18, 2010
Tuesday

I am still having trouble believing that the youth in Ketchikan is so devoid of humanity and right feelings that it has taken me a while here to come to grips with it and speak out. I, of course, am speaking of the You Tube episode wherein many teens bullied an unfortunate individual. And the resulting lack of prosecution or official condemnation of their actions.

It is widely known that the District Attorneys (Assistants, et al) in Ketchikan are not as good at their jobs as they should be. They spend too much time on petty offenses, the larger ones are dealt down to smaller offenses and nothing is accomplished through the court system. No treatment or education is available to inmates, so they don't learn how to not re-offend. There are times when it appears to me that the DA's office is fearful of encountering the wrath of the monied, at least, it's as close as I can come to defining their actions or lack thereof. Not prosecuting these children is deplorable.

Harassment at the very least, or a very public and official disapproval of their actions. Had it been a child of mine, I would have taken that child to the police station myself and insisted on their being arrested. But, there's the other problem...

Parents no longer care for their children. They are not taught respect, they are not penalized for their unsocial behavior. And children learn as much by what they are taught as what they learn through unspoken lessons, and these children have learned that it's okay to do what they did, because they didn't get in trouble for it. What will they do next?

This is the age of terror and violence, and no one is doing anything in Ketchikan to alleviate this situation. Parents don't have to parent, children don't have to mind, and those who suffer, well, nobody cares about them. This is the reality of Ketchikan, and the legal system here. If you pay attention to the court calendar and the police reports, you will see that those who furnish alcohol to minors receive a $50 fine. Huh. Drug dealers of "just pot" receive a slap on the wrist as well (14 days in jail), and dealers of other drugs are treated to probation. All over the country teens are doing more violence to others than anywhere else in the world, and everyone says, Too bad, but nothing is done about it.

Ketchikan, I've said it before, it's time to take control of this city, time to work towards making this a better place to live. The City Council and Borough are more concerned about the tourists that come to town than those of us who live here year-round, and it's time that solutions be found and implemented to curtail this kind of activity, whether it means making parents responsible for their children's actions, or teaching children the proper way to behave using the school system. How hard is it to get the message across that is NOT okay to be disrespectful, it is NOT okay to be violent, it is NOT okay to step on the rights of others, it is NOT okay to steal, it is NOT okay to be stupid, it is NOT okay to take advantage of those less fortunate, and so on and so on. These lessons used to be learned in the home, they aren t now.

And it's time to get rid of those who are not working toward making Ketchikan a worthwhile community in which to live, be it news editors who biasly report the news, district attorneys who don't do their job, or council members only concerned about making the tourists happy.

YouTube pulled the videos because their submission guidelines prohibit submission of Graphic or gratuitous violence... Their policy states If your video shows someone being physically hurt, attacked, or humiliated, don t post it. At least YouTube has a conscience.

Sincerely yours,

TJ Wilson
tjwilson[at]mail.com
Ketchikan, AK

Received May 16, 2010 - Published May 18, 2010

Viewpoints - Opinion Letters:

Webmail Your Opinion Letter to the Editor

SitNews ©2010
Stories In The News
Ketchikan, Alaska