The Mean Streets of Whitman
Isn't this just lovely?
What, you expected your tax dollars to be put to prudent use. Honestly, Stephanie, as a Massachusetts taxpayer you really should know better than that by now.
"Other devices"? Are we talking wheelchairs, baby strollers, and bicycles here? Of course not, but it was nice of them to put that wording in there - sounds so official and legal-like.
I really friggin' hope not.
That's just fabulous. Do they honestly think the Brockton Juvenile Court has the resources to deal with this petty crap? Do you think the community might be better served by using the courts to prosecute, oh, I don't know...CRIMINALS? Believe me, Brockton has more than their fair share of those.
You can bet that some of the police officers and town officials involved here are among the voices of "concerned citizens" lobbying for more money for their town coffers. You know, due to those evil Bush tax cuts that are forcing towns to cut back on the number police officers on the street, which of course leads to, yes, you guessed it, "IT'S FOR THE CHILDREN!"
UPDATE: One of the kids was on the "Blute and Scotto Show" on WRKO this morning. According to him, he had been warned previously not to ride his skateboard on the streets. He then referred to the "jerkface cop" who arrested him.
So, while I still think this was handled improperly by the police, it seems this kid is a little punk who probably got what he deserved.
A pair of baby-faced Whitman boys, busted on a public street for illegal skateboarding, were arrested, booked and shackled before being hauled into a Brockton juvenile court to face charges, the children's irate parents said yesterday.
"It's absurd," mother Stephanie Saltzman said. "My son is 12 years old and all he was doing is skateboarding. I mean, you gotta be kidding me."
What, you expected your tax dollars to be put to prudent use. Honestly, Stephanie, as a Massachusetts taxpayer you really should know better than that by now.
Saltzman's son, Josh, and 14-year-old neighbor, Ryan Maxwell, were arrested Aug. 3 when a Whitman police officer caught them skateboading [note to Herald: it's called Spellcheck] on South Avenue. A town bylaw prohibits using skateboards or other devices to "coast or slide" along public streets.
"Other devices"? Are we talking wheelchairs, baby strollers, and bicycles here? Of course not, but it was nice of them to put that wording in there - sounds so official and legal-like.
Town officials would not comment on the specifics of the case yesterday, but they said police would not arrest kids unless their illegal actions were more severe than simply skateboarding.
I really friggin' hope not.
The boys said they were booked at the police station and then driven to Brockton Juvenile Court, where they were locked in a cell for two hours before being led into a courtroom with shackles around their wrists and ankles.
That's just fabulous. Do they honestly think the Brockton Juvenile Court has the resources to deal with this petty crap? Do you think the community might be better served by using the courts to prosecute, oh, I don't know...CRIMINALS? Believe me, Brockton has more than their fair share of those.
You can bet that some of the police officers and town officials involved here are among the voices of "concerned citizens" lobbying for more money for their town coffers. You know, due to those evil Bush tax cuts that are forcing towns to cut back on the number police officers on the street, which of course leads to, yes, you guessed it, "IT'S FOR THE CHILDREN!"
UPDATE: One of the kids was on the "Blute and Scotto Show" on WRKO this morning. According to him, he had been warned previously not to ride his skateboard on the streets. He then referred to the "jerkface cop" who arrested him.
So, while I still think this was handled improperly by the police, it seems this kid is a little punk who probably got what he deserved.
