Safeway should have security cameras installed. I find the delivery driver more credible but not having been there I cannot pass judgement on these students. Anyone who goes to this Safeway has seen the gatherings. None have ever threatened me, but I am a 6’1 and, as a man, may be less likely to be harassed.
They may be “kids” to some people, like the parent quoted in the article suggests, but they are fully capable of inflicting harm. It seems likely that most of these students were so-called “good” kids that were intimidated by one or more of the so-called “bad” ones into not being totally honest about what transpired. We all knew about this in high school, didn’t we? It’s nothing new.
I'm no fan of Safeway but this is not really about Safeway's (many) shortcomings. And this is not about not having a 'teen center'. This is about out of control kids who have no respect for adults and think they can get away with theft and intimidation. Maybe if we start fining and otherwise holding their parents accountable, it'll put the onus of them to do a better parenting job. Coming on the heels of Dale Dougherty's excellent piece on academic underachievement in SoCo, it's clear there is a big problem with a lot of 'our' kids, who will have a rude awakening when they hit the competitive work world....without literacy, numeracy, manners, and good judgement.
Great article Laura. Not an easy solution to this. I really feel for the delivery driver. I'm glad she chose to work in Santa Rosa. Maybe the deliver service could assign a hulky person to deal with the rowdy teenagers at the Sebastopol site. I also think Safeway should do more to monitor the situation. Maybe Safeway could post a "no loitering" sign outside--kids could still shop but then have to congregate elsewhere. Personally I don't shop at Safeway during the hours that the kids are hanging out. Does Safeway realize that they're loosing business because of the teenagers presence? If it's a drop off/pick up site, then it could be elsewhere on the property--not right at the entrance/exit.
It seems to me the school administration/district has some responsibility to maintain some sort of oversight on the students off campus. Saying it happened after school hours is not a responsible response. The merger of two campuses has resulted in traffic congestion and, it would seem, an escalation of issues at Safeway which has become a drop off and pickup site. I realize this has been a problem for many years. How about administrator stepping up to plate with some solutions rather than passing the buck?
Safeway should have security cameras installed. I find the delivery driver more credible but not having been there I cannot pass judgement on these students. Anyone who goes to this Safeway has seen the gatherings. None have ever threatened me, but I am a 6’1 and, as a man, may be less likely to be harassed.
They may be “kids” to some people, like the parent quoted in the article suggests, but they are fully capable of inflicting harm. It seems likely that most of these students were so-called “good” kids that were intimidated by one or more of the so-called “bad” ones into not being totally honest about what transpired. We all knew about this in high school, didn’t we? It’s nothing new.
Reminds me of national politics… a few thugs and so many followers.
I'm no fan of Safeway but this is not really about Safeway's (many) shortcomings. And this is not about not having a 'teen center'. This is about out of control kids who have no respect for adults and think they can get away with theft and intimidation. Maybe if we start fining and otherwise holding their parents accountable, it'll put the onus of them to do a better parenting job. Coming on the heels of Dale Dougherty's excellent piece on academic underachievement in SoCo, it's clear there is a big problem with a lot of 'our' kids, who will have a rude awakening when they hit the competitive work world....without literacy, numeracy, manners, and good judgement.
Great article Laura. Not an easy solution to this. I really feel for the delivery driver. I'm glad she chose to work in Santa Rosa. Maybe the deliver service could assign a hulky person to deal with the rowdy teenagers at the Sebastopol site. I also think Safeway should do more to monitor the situation. Maybe Safeway could post a "no loitering" sign outside--kids could still shop but then have to congregate elsewhere. Personally I don't shop at Safeway during the hours that the kids are hanging out. Does Safeway realize that they're loosing business because of the teenagers presence? If it's a drop off/pick up site, then it could be elsewhere on the property--not right at the entrance/exit.
It seems to me the school administration/district has some responsibility to maintain some sort of oversight on the students off campus. Saying it happened after school hours is not a responsible response. The merger of two campuses has resulted in traffic congestion and, it would seem, an escalation of issues at Safeway which has become a drop off and pickup site. I realize this has been a problem for many years. How about administrator stepping up to plate with some solutions rather than passing the buck?