The writer of a letter published Wednesday complains about high school students hanging out near a store in his neighborhood (“High school kids hurt neighborhood”). Why would anyone choose to have a business so near an established high school? I know why — there is money to be made. Surely a good portion of the money the store generates comes directly from those same students. The solution to this problem is simple: Stop selling to them during school hours. Period. Put up “no loitering” signs and enforce them with help from local police.
Perhaps eliminating some of the products from the shelves that attract customers who are less-than-savory will help. Getting rid of gang-related items would be a stellar start.
As for the young woman (who may or may not have been a high school student) lying on the ground, vomiting, claiming that she was “given too many pills” … shame on you for telling her to “get the hell out of here” instead of calling an aid car. I am appalled. I’m sure her parents (who probably live in your neighborhood) would have appreciated the effort to aid their daughter.
The kids who hang out around the store are kids from the neighborhood. They live here. The store chose that location. I hope that the threat to “take care of them yourselves” involves legal behavior. You shouldn’t expect school administrators to leave 1,500 students unattended on campus to hustle 10 kids away from a storefront. That would be foolish indeed. Instead, do what any responsible adult would do if they were witness to vandalism, drug sales, loitering, or threatening behavior — call the police. Every time.
Stephanie Bowsher
Everett
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