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6/10/96:		 Would President Clinton's proposal for a national curfew really curb teenage violence?



Submit Date: 30 MAR 1999
Name: Maggie
Email:
Response: Teen curfews are good 'cause parents don't have 2 worry about where their teens r. and w/ teen curfews they know what time their kids r gonna b home. and then they won't have to call the police 2 find them. so follow your teen curfews!!!!!!! :-P


Name: Venetta M.
Email:
Response: I feel that the idea of wanting to reduce crime is great!!! But we also have to realize that it's not everybody that's going out stealing, killing, and etc...So, I feel if we can get kids involve in more after school programs. Maybe kids would be happier and have time to think of doing bad..(KEEP THEIR MINDS BUSY)!!!!


Name: adam
Email: rboys4@aol.com
Response: I am a 17 year old male from a suburb of detroit michigan, and i have a curfew of 11 o'clock every day of the week, including weekends. it is an unfair practice, unless it is only directed at those committing violent crimes. I am a 4.0 student, and i have never committed a crime, and if i am out past 11 o'clock on a weekend, then i'm darn well going to fight any fine i am assessed because of a stupid law. I looked over some of the other people's comments in this area, and there were a lot of good points, but there is no way that there should be a national curfew law. In one response that i read, somebody said that they think the fines from the kids for curfew violations should be used to pay for jails to be built and kept up to code. This is a good idea, but i don't think that the parents who get the fine slapped on them for letting their kid stay out late would like it. First of all, if a kid gets pulled over, and fined for violating curfew, they may be more likely to commit a crime in retaliation, and more likely to go to jail. I think there should be another way to keep the kids in "Generation X" from committing crimes, and it should start with education, and not with curfews.


Name: Stacey
Email:
Response: I think that teen curfew would be a good idea if it was up to the government to raise our children. But it is not, so I disagree completely. Parents need to teach their children, from an early age, the morals and values that they were taught or that they know are right so that when they grow up they will not go on a rampage late at night. Parents need to be the ones to take responsibility and set a curfew for their own teen. And take them to CHURCH.


Name: Kenneth
Email: pnutt@concentric.net
Response: DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR KIDS ARE? The answer should be yes. Does America really need help raising its kids? If it does, we have a much larger problem than teens being on the street late. This is a family matter, and the governmant should stay out.


Name: Terra
Email:
Response: Curfews are an absolute nessesity! If kids aren't on the streets then they can't commit as many crimes. Fines from curfew breakers can provide extra money for childrens programs. With curfews, social services can better get to the heart of kids problems. This will nip blooming criminals in the bud. Public safety is far more important than a few rustled feathers!


Name: James Pinkeet
Email: JP41585
Response: I think that we should have teen curfews because when there isn't teen curfews teens die


Name: Craig Goldstein
Email: Jgold@erols.com
Response: I think if clinton enforces teen curfews then the violence would not go down it would go up. Because people would try to stay out and disobey the laws that the president made.


Name: L.P. Knight
Email: lpk993@aol.com
Response: As I read through the various comments on Clin- tons proposed curfew plan, I agree with most that parenting is the key to curb our youths behavior. As a police officer for the LAPD, I see alot of our youths out late at night either getting into serious felony crimes, or being victims of serious crimes or death. And I think that had some of these young people had been either at home, or some type of safe venue, they may be here with us today.


Name: Ralph Randall
Email:
Response:
Curfews should only be set by parents. When curfews are set by Government Officials they are implicit police states or minimally police matters. If Government Officials had increased the money they put into Education & Recreation as they did with the money they put into prisons, I might think they are trying to deal with the long and short term issues of teenage delinquency. My grandmother told me you could always tell the priority of Government by how they spend there money. There is no money for education but plenty for jails. HEAR ME !! Government curfews for kids will be effective if the government is building more jails. When curfews are imposed by government it is a step away from lock-downs.

Name: Frances Murphy
Email: FrankieLou@aol.com
Response:
Yes and No. A curfew would give the good kids with good homes an excuse to go home early. But what about the kids who don't have a decent home to go to?

Name: John Brathwaite
Email: jonbrath@ix.netcom.com
Response:
A VERY BAD idea!. Some young people are responsible and can handle freedom, otheres cannot. We should not restrict young people who are successfully adapting to the adult world because of the criminality of the few. Some good kids have jobs, and must be out. Others are performing useful activities within their respective communities (for example, a young man at my CHurch was elected to the board of elders - he must be out at night occasionally). A curfew would probably kill a lot of businesses, cinemas, for example. And what about music concerts? Won't a curfew destroy that type of business venture? No a curfew is not the answer. Jobs are the answer. Give them a stake in society and they will alter their behavior.

Name: Judy
Email: hemisc@aol.com
Response:
We would probably solve a greater problem if the President put a curfew on the PARENTS, rather than the teens. Sound flippant? Not trying to be, because we have a serious problem of teens being the way they are because PARENTS are absent from their children's lives physically, emotionally, and/or spiritually. It is not a hopeless situation when parents begin to exercise their responsibility to raise their children and teach them decent values.

Name: Terry
Email:
Response:
Nothing the president or any other so called offical can say will have the same affect than a PARENT(s). Clinton is fighting for his political life and will need to talk about Crime, Drugs and Kids in order for any of us to pay attention to what he's saying. It's a shame that politics are involved with such a serious issue. Curfews may help in some areas but creating ways for the young people to burn their energy is a greater issue. It will keep 'em busy in productive ways. His policy falls short because it should've included innovative programs that would foster the kinds of activities most adults would appreciate seeing. For those of you who will have children in the future, give them productive things to do. Take them places to see life. We are all examples so when was the last time any of you spent time kickin' it with a teenager? or even talking to one?? Every little bit helps to plant a positive seed so let us all do our part. And when a presidnet needs to talk about keeping kids off the streets he's not talking about your son, daughter, sister or brother, neice or nephew.

Name: Malcolm X Hamilton
Email: Malcolm_Hamilton@Baylor.edu
Response:
I believe it would curb it somewhat-especially in the summer.
In the summer kids are out of school and have more leisure time on their hands.
so to a point-yes.

Name: John Harrison
Email: J.L.Harrison@worldnet.att.net
Response:
I think that the inabililty to know that African American Men know that Bill Clinton is a coward,he showed this type of character by refusing to let our brothers and sisters drown in the Atlantic Ocean when they tried to come from Haiti. I think this philosophy of determining that this is one of the primary causes that we are having this problem.

Name: Ron
Email: rdavis@dmci.net
Response:
Teenagers created the computer industry as we know it today. Teenagers created the internet as we know it today.
You can't stop something by bottling it up. It'll just fester.
I agree with debbie and others like her... Parenting.
Also, disband the NRA!

Name: Michael Flowers
Email: $Ml3592@Devry Colu.Edu
Response:
I don't think it will most cities in america have curfews anyway what people need is for the parents to take back the control to many teens are out doing what they want to and when they want to. And they know that if their parents don't like it well they can just claim their parents beat them and the parents would be taken to jail. The parents need to be given more rights to teach their children the difference between right and wrong. I'm 23 and my mother still says she'd beat my butt if I do something like sell drugs. It is obivious that in Americas race to protect children we have taken away the basic rights of the parent to discipline their kids. And for that America gets what it deserves!

Name: debbie lewis
Email: debbie lewis@msn.com
Response:
A curfew may help; but nothing takes the place of responsible parenting and the social responsibility of the rest of us - to make it unpleasant for criminals to commit crimes. If we see something is wrong, do something about it - even it is just reporting it.

Name: rlands
Email:lands@electric.austin.tx.us
Response:
Don't really know. Only time will tell. It definitely will not solve the problem. It may have some effect early on, but after the first week or when the newness wears off, life will go on. I do believe though the message that the government, intentionally or unintentionally, is sending is that, if you can't control your kids we will. You know what I mean?
D.O.T.C - w/ much love.

Name: EDDIE PRICE
Email: HOOKUPZ@IX.NETCOM.COM
Response:
MY ANWSER TO THE QUESTION IS NO.
WE NEED TO STOP TRYING TO HINDER AND CONTROL THE SUCCEDING GENERATIONS AND RESPECT THE FACT THAT THEY ARE THEY WAY THEY ARE BECAUSE WE TRAINED THEM TO BE THAT WAY . THEY ARE THE NEAT GENERATION OF THE HUMAN SPECIES,MEANING THEY ARE ACTUALLY BETTER THAN US IN ALL ASPECTS , THEY ARE MORE EVOLVED, THEY ARE BETTER LOOKING THEY ARE SMARTER AND THEY ALSO HAVE STRONGER SPRITUAL CONNECTIONS ("I FEEL YOU!!" THEY REALLY CAN!!! ) HOWEVER,OUR RESPONSABILITYAS THE PRECEDING GENERATION HAS BEEN DISTORTED AND DILUTED AND OUR FEAR OF THEIR SUPERIORITY DEGRADED OUR PART OF THE EVOLUTIONARY PROCESS TO THAT OF A SCARED DISIPINARIAN. INSTEAD OF RECOGNIZING THEIR STRENGTHS(WHICH IS EGOTISTICALLY DIFFICULT) WE BELIEVE IT IS EASIER TO DISCILINE THEM.
WE NEEEEEEEEEED TO FIND OUT WHAT THIS GODSENT GENREATION REQUIRES NEEDS AND FEED IT TO THEM .(LIKE IT'S THE THANG TO DO!) INSTEAD OF LOOKING FOR WAYS TO OPPRESS THEM SO WE CAN CONTINUE OUR PAPERCHASE UNDAUNTED AND UN CHALLENGED BY SUPERIORITY.
OH, BY THEY WAY, I HAD TO BE HOME BEFORE THE STREET LIGHT CAME ON!!!!!!!!!
ALWAYS EDDIE, ALWAYS

Name: Darrick
Email: dwilliams2@usa.pipeline.com
Response:
I think that the President's attempt at teen curfew as a deterrent to teenage crime is, in itself, good. However, unless the parents get involved and help enforce the curfew, it will not be successful. The teenage population far exceeds that of law enforcement personnel. Law enforcers will not be able to spend a lot of time chasing teenagers and at the same time, deal with other calls for service. It is up to the parents to do the most enforcement of the curfew if it is to be a success. I grew up in the '70's. Fear of GOD, Mom and Dad stopped me from doing a lot of things. I'm glad I had that fear because I am a true believer that everyone must have something to fear if they are to be shaped and molded. Without fear, teenagers will do whatever they please and not woory about consequences.

Name: Dean Gamboa
Email: dg0002@jove.acs.unt.edu
Response:
Its just another quick fix to the problem of teenage violence. Education is the key to freedom. Nobody knows what to do, but start by opening your mind to all sorts of ideologies. Tensions are mounting everywhere and this problem has been growing since the 1400's. The system has been infected, but its an awesome ideal and everything is in place. Everyone needs to think long term and vote. Make voting popular. Make it as exciting as the Superbowl! So few people actually vote that we are not the minority. End these quick fix programs and think long term goals. Nothing is gained by locking our future up by a certain time. Show them that there is a better way than violence. When the people start to lead, our leaders will follow. Peace.

Name: Haeold Thurston
Email: damu@ix.netcom.com
Response:
No I dont think the presidents curfew idea will hold water. We have had curfews here in Detroit for many years and to no avail. They are not enforced. The only time that our city gets to working on the curfew seriously is devils night (halloween) I am sure you have heard of this infamous night. Well they enforce the curfew for about three days, to keep the kids from buring down abandoned house. Any other time, in the summer, toddlers are out past eleven thirty in this city.

Name: Rita
Email: Rita FP@aol.com
Response:
According to crime statistics, the "prime time" for juvenile crimes of all sorts is (surprise!) 3 - 7 p.m. BTW it's also prime time for teenage pregnancies as well. So a curfew would have basially no effect on the overwhelming majority of juvenile crimes.
I hate quick fixes like curfews because it assumes that stranger violence is the predominant violence in our society. Of course, it isn't.
60% of all homicide victims knew their assailant (30% of the time it is a family member). 70% of violence against women is by their partner. These numbers are even higher among minors.
A curfew won't help that.
If we want to be serious about juvenile crime and violence, we'd better get serious about how we promote violence as a problem solver in our country, through our families, in the media, etc.

Name: Todd Allen
Email: taallen@geneva.edu
Response:
While curfews are a good idea, I feel that more needs to be done to provide young people with alternatives to gangs and violence. It really does us no good to take the young people off of the streets, place them in the home and ignore or neglect their needs. It is time that collectively (i.e. churches, schools, and local communities) we seek ways to provide young people with a positive and affirming atmosphere in which to mature.

Name: P. K. McCary
Email: pkandco@wt.net
Response:
People seem to think that keeping children off the streets is the answer to the problem. We are looking in the wrong direction. To combat violence, we have to offer an alternative.
Do you think for one moment that because someone has to be at a certain time, they will adhere to it if they already have a propensity to go against the law? I think not. We're white washing the whole problem. Rev. King said, "Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions." This is an easy answer and a real half-baked solution to the problem plaguing our children.

Name: James Silver
Email: jsilver@nmaa.org
Response:
I feel that it would because having less of young people on the street would save their lives and maybe someone else. According to some researcher the majority of the crime happen at night and many of all young people are involved.

Name: Kathy Andrews
Email: kathy.andrews@cbn.org
Response:
President Clinton can pass any law that he feels is necessary. It is time for the parents to take responsibility for their own children! I am appalled by the "total" lack of disregard that parents have for what their children are doing, the total lack of disrespect for their elders and anyone in authority. Maybe because parents are so young now, they want to be children along with the children. We need to go back to the "old school" and raise our children the way our parents raised us.