Posted on 01/21/2015 8:13:32 AM PST by petercooper
On a recent Saturday afternoon, a 10-year old Maryland boy named Rafi and his 6-year old sister, Dvora, walked home by themselves from a playground about a mile away from their suburban house. They made it about halfway home when the police picked them up. You’ve heard these stories before, about what happens when kids in paranoid, hyperprotective America go to and from playgrounds alone. I bet you can guess the sequence of events preceding and after: Someone saw the kids walking without an adult and called the police. The police tracked down the kids and drove them home. The hitch this time is, when the police got there, they discovered that they were meddling with the wrong family.
(Excerpt) Read more at slate.com ...
At 10 we were always miles away on bikes, and then came home for dinner.
Investigating the people who threaten them is not an option, I guess.
Evidently the cops can’t keep the town safe enough for kids to walk down the road.
I would say this...having been around some parts of Maryland...if this area in question is Baltimore, then the cops were right. Even some areas of Rockville....are not that friendly.
This is weird, stupid, creepy, and totalitarian.
Aha - the Stasi from The Peoples’ Republic of Maryland is alive and well, I see.
Memo to Slate: This is the nanny state you all advocated for and voted for; welcome to the new world you created.
And NOW you have second thoughts.
or Bowie.
I think the 6 year old is too young to walk home ALONE, but with a 10 year old sibling, I don’t see a problem with it. Especially in their own neighborhood, during the day. When I was 10 years old I went everywhere by myself.
They have gotten crazy about this stuff. I’ve heard of parents being charged for leaving kids in the car for just a few minutes while a parent runs into a store or somewhere for 5 or 10 minutes. That’s insane! When I was a young kid, I waited in the car MANY times, and no one thought anything of it.
Idiocy.....
American society has deteriorated since I was a kid. Walking home “alone” did not get the police arresting your parents.
Safety and trust are gone in the USA.
50 years of liberalism has destroyed what once was a great country, but isn’t any longer.
Sign zee papers or CPS will take your children away.
We are raising a nation full of wimps and wussies. We will lose the next big war decidedly with this mindset. If we even have the “balls” to fight it.
Woodside Park in Silver Springs is pretty upscale, much more so than the rest of Silver Springs.
The mom in this case is an oceanographer and treehugger.
Police Investigate Family for Letting Their Kids Walk Home Alone.
Police give guns to kids when out walking alone.
There fixed it
What is the statistical probability that these two children would come to harm walking home? Compare that with the probability of them being injured driving in a car with their family. Compare that with the probability of a lightning strike. Compare it with the probability of an adverse reaction to medication or food.
Unless you forbid any activity with a higher probability then screw off.
Hell, people should read the entire article.
Initially the father wasn’t cooperative by refusing to show his ID when the police showed up, then six other cars show up. They basically threaten to kill him when he goes upstairs. CPS shows up, and they threaten to kidnap(my words) their children if he didn’t sign papers! They also went to their school and asked the children questions without the parents present.
What in the hell has become of this country?!
In a small town this may be fine these days but the country has changed a LOT since I was a 10 year old in the late seventies.
1. There are a lot more people even in the more rural suburbs and a lot of these people are strangers unlike in a small town where everyone knows everyone and they will look out for kids.
2. Our facebag, computer and cell phone habits have created a very reclusive society. Most people don’t spend any time outside or get to know the people in a 1 mile radius. Not all people but most.
3. There are fewer kids playing outside, so they can’t have safety in numbers. My kids play outside all the time and I let them go to the park down the street but then again its not 1 mile away. They sometimes have trouble getting other kids out of their houses to play.
4. Pedophiles are more plentiful due to the internet and easy available child porn. These people have always existed but with the internet and the exposure to porn, I think some people that would normally live life without abusing a child may be lured into that lifestyle more easy via the internet.
5. People that see bad things happening seem to reach for a cell phone to take video rather than help someone in trouble. So if my kids were attacked by a dog or something, I wonder if a bystander would help or run and call the police? I saw a news story last night where a 70 year old lady pulled a man from a burning car! At least one young male witness went on about how brave she was to help the man. IF HE SAW IT HAPPEN WHY DID HE NOT HELP!!!? He looked to be about 22 years old! Once all the older folks die off, will anyone help someone in trouble??
6. In most places, both spouses work. There are no women at home keeping an eye on the neighbors kids when they roam around the hood. Houses are empty, and even when people are home, all windows and doors are shut, so you have no idea what is going on outside.
“Investigating the people who threaten them is not an option, I guess.”
Arrest the people who are a threat to the kids, not the kids’ parents.
My sis who was 9 frequently made the trip herself...walking
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