Posted on 08/04/2003 11:15:49 AM PDT by bedolido
WAYLAND -- Photographs of Wayland youths apparently binge drinking, smoking marijuana and partying in private homes are posted on the Internet and common knowledge to a number of local teenagers -- and police.
Many of the teenagers who appear in the photographs, according to one Wayland High School student, run in the same crowd as William Senne, 18, who last weekend crashed into a state trooper while allegedly driving drunk.
State Police Trooper Ellen E. Engelhardt remained in critical condition at Boston Medical Center yesterday, according to a hospital spokesman.
The pictures, uploaded by students to private Web sites and distributed by electronic instant messaging, show youngsters in suburban homes chugging beer, playing drinking games and posing in sexually suggestive positions. Some photos show young people with what are described as marijuana cigarettes.
"I've seen it. They (kids) took it right off when they found out we knew," said Police Officer Frank MacKenzie-Lamb. "There are pictures of kids drinking. I was surprised. One of the citizens who brought it to our attention had a kid in it (one of the pictures)."
Senne's crash has focused a spotlight on a town where underage drinking and drugs apparently run rampant. Many blame parents for failing to prevent parties in their homes while they are away. Police Chief Robert Irving said he "wouldn't be surprised" to learn some parents were providing alcohol to teens.
"Wayland is very concerned about underage drinking," said Irving. "It is a big, big problem."
WHS student John Gately Jr., who enters his senior year in September, said he is fed up with drug and alcohol abuse in his school.
Although he claims he did not leak the Web sites to police, many graduated seniors, associated with Senne, accused Gately of doing so and "interrogated" him, he said, last May 16 during the prom when one Web site was made known to police. MacKenzie-Lamb said police learned of the Web site from a parent.
Although many sites no longer exist, at least one was still up and running last week and depicts more than 50 pictures of various youths partying.
"I am just concerned for their safety; I am not out to get anyone," said Gately. "I hope things get better. I hope my classmates take precautions now (after Senne's accident). I hope it dies down."
One picture depicts a teen with what looks like five marijuana cigarettes hanging from his mouth. Another shows a teenager chugging beer out of a funnel while others cheer. Some depict popular college drinking games like "Beirut" and "Beer Pong" being played in family dining rooms.
Some are of a sexual nature.
One picture shows two teenage girls kissing, while another titled "sandwich," shows a young woman sitting between two teens licking her forehead with beers in hand.
"I've seen pictures of kids funneling beers and doing weird stuff after they are stoned or drunk," said Gately. "I saw one picture of a boy on top of a girl in a sexual position. They had their clothes on, and he was grabbing her on the chest. The girl seemed OK with it.
"But it's just really weird stuff. I found one with vibrating toys they play with. They get the underclassmen girls all drunk and high."
Gately adamantly said he only spoke out because he was concerned with the safety of his peers, although he said he was a "troublemaker" in middle school and is regularly picked on in high school.
A year ago, Gately said several Wayland youths smashed his mailbox and tossed eggs at his home.
Police and school officials say solving the problem in Wayland begins with educating parents.
Wayland school superintendent Gary A. Burton said he has sent several letters to parents warning them about the dangers of teenage alcohol and drug abuse.
"We recognize this as a community problem," said Burton. "We repeatedly tell parents not to do that (allow drinking in private homes). Graduation is not an excuse to allow kids to drink."
Irving said police will continue to patrol many favorite partying spots in Wayland, including the Town Beach on Lake Cochituate, the Loker Conservation area, Wayland Middle School and Dudley Pond.
According to Irving, on April 17, police found Senne and friends with a 30-pack of beer in the trunk of Senne's car parked in the Town Beach parking lot. As police approached, someone shut the trunk of the car. Police asked the teens to open the trunk and found the beer, Irving said.
Senne was not arrested, but was ordered by a court magistrate to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, meet with a counselor once a week and commit no further offenses, according to Irving.
Irving said Senne's 90-mph crash into Engelhardt's cruiser on Rte. 25 in Wareham just after 6 last Saturday morning, constituted another offense.
On Aug. 5, Senne is scheduled to be charged with being a minor in possession of alcohol in Framingham District Court, Irving said.
Bill Phillips, a drug and alcohol counselor in Framingham, said Senne could face jail time.
"Framingham is on top of the game," said Phillips. "Some kids will go to a treatment center, get jail time or extended probation. Framingham is good. They do not forget the past."
Phillips said the days when teenagers from affluent suburbs like Wayland received special treatment were over.
"It used to be (those with) money got away with everything," said Phillips. "Open your eyes and look out the window. It's (drugs) all over (the country)."
Irving said stricter drug and alcohol laws would probably not deter underage use. He said parents need to become more aware of their children's actions.
"We can't follow them (teens) around, we can't do illegal searches," said Irving. "Most parties occur inside people's houses. Police can't get inside unless a complaint is being made. Responsibilities are on the parents. Sometimes, it is beyond our ability. If our youth officer (Jim Forti) hears about a party, we try and intervene."
In addition to obtaining alcohol from parents, Irving said Wayland youths were probably getting alcohol from older siblings or stores in neighboring towns.
A few months ago, police sent an underage person into every establishment in Wayland to purchase alcohol. According to Irving, not one restaurant or liquor store sold to the teenaged girl.
Irving warned the consequences of selling alcohol to underage drinkers are severe.
"Parents are naive to think they could have a party with alcohol at their house and if kids consume it they couldn't be held responsible," said Irving. "If you sell to someone, a person gets drunk, there are certain liabilities."
I will say, however, that companies are held accountable for the intrinsic safety of their products. That's why we have the FDA, the Surgeon General, OSHA, etc. There is a huge bureaucracy that is expressly for the purpose of regulating the safety of most products.
I believe that it's the responsibility of a manufacturer of any product to inform the public of the possibility of any negative side effects of their product. In the case of alcohol, these negative side effects are clearly printed on every vessel containing the substance. In addition, there are groups like MADD, DARE, and other private organizations that are sending the message to everyone.
Let's face it, if anyone does not know that alcohol is dangerous and impairing, then they are ones who are putting their heads in the sand.
What I can't abide by is the trend toward holding manufacturers responsible for the end use of their product. If products are used as intended, then there are usually very few problems.
This is a bit different than Prairie's example of the bartender being held responsible. In that case, the bartender has the benefit of actually seeing the level of intoxication of a patron. The bartender makes an informed choice to ignore the dangers that a drunk driver can present. However, a manufacturer (or a bar owner in many cases) does not have the benefit of having any contact whatsoever with the person using their product. How could they be held responsible for the unintended side effects of the misuse of their product?
The essence of my argument is that people in our society are quick to blame everyone but themselves (or their loved ones) for their misfortunes. In a free society, people make decisions and they must accept responsibility for those decisions.
Everyone who drinks has made a choice in their life to begin drinking. I have not done any research on the subject, but I believe that it has been known for quite some time that alcohol is not necessarily healthy, especially in large or frequent doses. I believe that it has also been widely publicized that alcohol can be a very addictive substance for some people.
Therefore, it's the individuals decision to ignore the warnings that are omnipresent and decide to use a product that has known negative side effects. These people should be held responsible for their choices.
I have empathy for the victims and families of alcohol related deaths or disease. I believe that in cases of death or injury, the person responsible should be forced to pay any hospital bills, burial costs, etc. AND spend a significant amount of time in prison. In addition, these people (and others who are caught drunk driving) should be forced to perform community service such as performing talks on the dangers of alcohol from a first-hand perspective.
I do not believe, however, that people who use products in a responsible manner should be penalized for the irresponsible actions of other individuals. This will be the effect if manufacturers are required to spend extra money on advertisement that discourages people from using their product. These extra costs will ultimately be passed on to the consumer.
I may be a bit more Libertarian in my views than others in this forum. (I guess that Libertarian is a bad word for some on this forum.) However, many people would agree that we should have the freedom to do most anything as long as it does not infringe on the rights of others. When individuals do infringe on the rights of others, then that is the time for government to step in. I don't believe that it's the role of government to preemptively decide which product has the potential of being used in a reckless manner.
As Prairiebreeze pointed out, manufacturers are being held responsible for the use of their products. I don't believe that this is the function of government. This is part of the reason that our government is becoming so cumbersome and we are being taxed for it to be that way. It is also the reason that trial lawyers are gunning for other industries like guns and fast foods. Like someone else pointed out, it's a slippery slope.
I don't necessarily disagree that it would be a good thing if manufacturers decide on their own accord to spend money on education, etc. However, I don't believe they should be forced to do so.
Prairie: How would you propose to entice a manufacturer to spend money on something that does not directly benefit them? They must be forced do so by either the government or consumers. How about if we support those manufacturers who do go the extra mile to educate and let the market decide? That would be a far more reasonable way to go about the whole thing. Vote with your wallet.
Thanks for the discussion.
Pest
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