PARENTS NEED TO BE ON THE LOOK OUT FOR DRUGS

Dear editor,

I am issuing a plea to local parents - do you know what your kids are
doing when they are supposed to be in their classrooms during school
hours, or when they are out and about during the evenings?

When you drive by Bert Church High School, take a look across the
street at the fenced area along Big Hill Road. Take a look at the
garbage left on the ground. Take a look at the Grace Baptists Church
area and you may find some interesting activity going on. The
students that congregate there aren't just visiting the church -
during portions of the morning, lunch hour and afternoon they are in
the area using drugs. Some of them try to hide, but others are doing
it out in the open. They are also drinking open liquor. There are
vehicles that do not belong in the area bringing liquor and
exchanging drugs. There has been drug paraphernalia, such as pipes,
glass tubes and lighters, as well as empty bottles and vodka coolers
left behind empty or smashed.

Some of the people drinking and using drugs are getting behind the
wheel to drive off, and others are going back to class, intoxicated
or stoned. To get away with it they are dumping Visine into their
eyes to reduce redness. This is not only happening near Bert Church
High School, it's happening in other areas of the city as well.

If you think your child would never do this - think again. I am the
parent of a child who hid it very well, and I consider my kid to be a
good kid. There are plenty of bright, intelligent and well mannered
kids who are making poor choices and destroying their brain cells.
Police can only do so much. It's time for regular people to assist
them. We can not close our eyes to the situation and hope it goes
away. The problem is only getting worse. What will happen when these
kids run out of cash to support their drug habits, will they break
into homes and businesses?

Do we, as a community, want our kids watching this activity and
repeating it, the cycle never ending? Will it take one of these kids
dying from an overdose or car accident to force us to take action?

Do we need to go to city council and ask for a city-wide curfew,
punishing many kids who are not involved? Or do we need cameras to be
installed?

As a community we need to come up with some solution, and we are
going to get more of the same.

- - CONCERNED CITIZEN