It's 2 L8 4U
Sometimes life's lessons are tough. In fact, most of the time life's lessons are tough. Some of our young people learned one of them this past week. Remember that old saying, "the straw that broke the camel's back"? That is the lesson they learned.
After nearly two decades of trashing the bank corner, Peabody youngsters have been banned from the corner, the parking lot, and the park area to the north. The bank officers finally had enough. The area is officially off limits to kids. Peabody police officers will enforce the new rules.
Quite predictably a minor youth rebellion arose almost immediately. Computer-generated signs were taped to most of the utility poles downtown Sunday evening, with an excessive number plastered on the light pole in front of the bank. The signs say, "Don't Hate! Let us Sk8!" and are decorated with clip art of skulls and crossbones. No "please," no hearts and flowers clip art, no "what can we do to change your minds?" Just "give us what we want."
Another of life's lessons, youngsters, is that privilege is accompanied by responsibility. If you accept the privilege of access to the bank corner to sit, skateboard, hang out, and see and be seen, then you have responsibilities. Those include not leaving your food wrappers, cigarette packs, clothes, pop bottles/cans, beer bottles/cans, and other trash in the planter or on the grounds. Your responsibilities require that you not bend or break the spikes on the decorative iron fence. You should not lob the imported river rock at the light fixtures, the parked vehicles, or the walls and windows of buildings in an attempt to break something. In fact it's your responsibility to just leave the darn river rock where it was put in the first place! Why do you think it needs to be thrown anywhere?
Your responsibility includes not pushing down the remaining lengths of wood fence at the back of the elevated area. It means not pulling plants out of the planter or shredding the plants as you sit on the edge and spit sunflower seeds all over the sidewalk. It involves not yanking more limbs from the trees that were put there to enhance the area. Being responsible includes not carving your initials (or four letter words) in the limestone on the rock wall, not chipping out the mortar to see how many rocks you can dislodge, or smashing the stones themselves just to see if you can.
The park area, parking lot, and planter were installed in the early 1980s and have been a target for trash and vandalism ever since. I think that shows an extraordinary amount of patience on the part of the owners. For 20 years they have picked up after you, repaired the damage you have done to their property, and re-planted the trees and shrubs you destroyed — all in an effort to keep the area looking nice. And during that time they let you have the run of the place, hoping you would behave in a responsible manner.
But you didn't and enough was finally enough. The privilege to use that area as you please has been rescinded. You ran out of chances to behave. It has nothing to do with hate and it has nothing to do with "sk8-ers." It has to do with your behavior and that of the young people like you who have been ducking responsibility for 20 years.
You will have to find another place to hang out. Here's a suggestion
— SUSAN MARSHALL
