Ms. Green: I too am grateful the terrific work that Dr. Conner does at the Troup School. A response that involves only the school, however, is not sufficient. The principal himself said that the police should be involved because the incident took place at least in part off school property. In addition, there was more than a "single bottle" thrown. I heard at least two bottles crash onto the street which caused me to look into what was going on, at which time I witnessed one of the three students thrown what was at a minimum the third bottle, which landed about 2 feet from a woman with a stroller on Beers St. We should not minimize the problem. There is a difference between teenage pranks and reckless indifference.

Leagle Eagle: I agree that it is a police matter, not a board of ed matter. That being said, juvenile court is a bit much.

I am glad that the community stepped in to clean up the mess, but I am disappointed that the handful of adults (parents? teachers? other community members?) who were standing on the steps when the incident occurred did not get involved.

Mr. Komisar, leagle eagle,
It is unfortunate that you fall prey to the common perception(s); something goes wrong in "these" neighborhoods and the police is the answer. No doubt the behavior needed to be corrected but the question is by whom. As a citizen of this community, did you try to address these kids by just talking to them or are your fears so wrapped in the fear of what you believe the kids would do to you. There are minor things that "Neighbors" can do to correct situations. Did you think to speak to the students and advise them that what they were doing was wrong? Were you in fear that they would harm you? Since they are Troup Students they are no older than 8th graders; did they look threatening, did you care enough to want to help? I am a homeowner on Beers Street, I care about my community and I have been working in this community for over 20 years. I have seen things built up, deteriorated and built up again, but we keep working at it to make things better. We not only hope but we try to engage and teach adults and children that we all have the responsibility to create and maintain our neighborhood. We also work with the police so they would get to know the people, the community and we try to solve problems/issues together. It is not Us and Them, it is Us all together!!! Do you care enough to work with your neighbors to improve some things. Can you see them (theses kid need guidance), is it important to you to see them improve their behavior and not end up in jail?

Ms. McDonald

Ms. Mac: Who said anything about "these" neighborhoods? I am a homeowner in "this" neighborhood too. I am the one you might see walking up and down Edgewood Ave in front of the school (really the whole block between Sherman and Platt) wearing a suit while picking up garbage with a big orange bucket a few afternoons a week. I spent night after night going door-to-door with our alderwoman in the pouring rain. I fought city hall to force the city to take care of a menace who had fired a handgun in our neighborhood multiple times. I care a great deal about this community, where my family has lived since the 1920's.

As for how I attempted to engage the students, I actually did attempt to speak with them. When I saw them throw the third bottle I began walking towards them to speak with them about respect for the community, their impact on their neighborhood, ask them why they had thrown the bottles (especially when seemingly aiming right at a baby), etc... They turned and ran toward the school foyer and by the time I got inside, they had entered the auditorium. The adults inside the foyer prevented me from confronting the students directly, which, seeing as the kids were now no longer outside but were inside the school, was the appropriate thing to do.

That said, I must say I resent the tone and what it seems that you are implying. I very much was seeking to help, but I know from my own youthful indiscretions that often facing the consequences for our actions is the best way to learn from them -- and that falls far short of going to jail. (Honestly, I'm not sure how jail even got mixed up in this conversation in the first place.)

Why do you ask whether I feared that they would harm me? I never said anything about feeling threatened. Quite frankly, I've only had positive experiences with the students with whom I've interacted. I'm not sure why you made that assumption either.

Ms. Green: Again, I'm not calling for anyone to be arrested or given a record. I'm simply saying that we have the benefit of officers walking the beat on Edgewood Avenue, and their presence can help to prevent these types of events. Being confronted by a random guy who lives near your school can have one impact, but hopefully being confronted by a police officer can have more of an impact. That doesn't mean anyone needs to be arrested. I agree that it's unfortunate that so much of the money our city spends on our schools doesn't seem to benefit the kids and families who need it most, and it's wonderful that there are people like you and Ms. McDonald involved.

It seems to me that we're on the same side here. This is our neighborhood, and we're all striving to improve it and make it the best that it can be. We're in this together. To that end, it would be nice of the school would reach out to the community for engagement and involvement on a more regular basis. I know that I've reached out to the city schools in the past to find out about projects where kids volunteer in the community alongside community members, but have never received any calls back or anything.

Mr. Komisar, leagle eagle,
It is unfortunate that you fall prey to the common perception(s); something goes wrong in "these" neighborhoods and the police is the answer. No doubt the behavior needed to be corrected but the question is by whom. As a citizen of this community, did you try to address these kids by just talking to them or are your fears so wrapped in the fear of what you believe the kids would do to you. There are minor things that "Neighbors" can do to correct situations. Did you think to speak to the students and advise them that what they were doing was wrong? Were you in fear that they would harm you? Since they are Troup Students they are no older than 8th graders; did they look threatening, did you care enough to want to help? I am a homeowner on Beers Street, I care about my community and I have been working in this community for over 20 years. I have seen things built up, deteriorated and built up again, but we keep working at it to make things better. We not only hope but we try to engage and teach adults and children that we all have the responsibility to create and maintain our neighborhood. We also work with the police so they would get to know the people, the community and we try to solve problems/issues together. It is not Us and Them, it is Us all together!!! Do you care enough to work with your neighbors to improve some things. Can you see them (theses kid need guidance), is it important to you to see them improve their behavior and not end up in jail?

Neighbor!