Page 1 of Avoidable Tragedy?

Just seen on the news about this 14 year old girl shot dead in an apparently motiveless `drive-by` shooting (see here for details). It seems that these are becoming more common as the amount of gun crime rises, but i was quite concerned that she was going home by herself at half midnight anyway - i am sure when i was 14 i was not even allowed out at half midnight, let alone wandering around on my own :/ What is the world coming to :(

______________________________

...some kind of superstar*

i had to be in bed by 9pm at that age, but hey, that Was the stone age ;)

Quote:
but i was quite concerned that she was going home by herself at half midnight anyway
From the witness account, it seemed she was with a group of boys and not alone. It seems she was a victim caught in the line of fire from a car.

Tragic. It seems that the mandatory 5 years for firearms possession means nothing these days - to say nothing of life imprisonment for murder.

If I had one wish, it would be that every bullet fired at a human target would turn against the s***bag that fired it... >:(


SN

I agree, this is so sad and really worrying...

No blame can or should be attached to the parents, but uncharged does raise a good question though; how responsible are the parents, allowing their daughter out so late? It was a similar situation with the shooting of that girl in Birmingham, in group of 15/16/17 yr olds out at 2.30am.
My son is 16 and is out tonight at a friends, I am picking him up at 10.30pm(as always), I believe that`s late enough. I will not allow him in a pub either with his friends(all 1st year of 6th form..16-17)

I understand that people will have different views to me, what are other people`s views on `curfew` times for their children to be home by, or am I being over protective?

Neil.

My son is 12, he is escorted to & from is picked up from karate class & is given a lift to\from the youth club he attends by parents of his friends.



There are 10 types of people in the world - Those who understand binary and those who don`t.

This item was edited on Saturday, 9th October 2004, 22:11

It`ll turn out to be drugs related as usual. Terrible news and my thoughts are with the familky - but if you hang about with these sort of people you can expect trouble :(

Badboybez

In Madness You Dwell

I agree this is absolutely awful, but surely its all about "eliminating the risks"??

Dont have your child out unsupervised at that time of night. Sure, youre kid`s gonna winge on about "cramping their style" - ask them what good is style when your guts are full of lead?

Similarly with Ken Bigley - yeah, that was a terrible thing to happen, but why didnt he get out of the country, when people were warned to do so?

Reminds me of my mum and my aunts "oooh, your cousin`s had to go out to the Gulf...".

Well, he shouldnt have fecking joined up in the first place!!

You dont wanna be a victim? Dont lay yourself open to the risks in the first place....

The problem the police have is that they are in a no win situation. The black community are now saying the police are not doing enough to stop this sort of thing. So the police start to do something about this sort of thing and they will accused of being racist for targeting the black community. There was an intesting artical in the Sunday Times magerzine (I think) They were talking to black leaders about gun crime and muggings and they were saying that it was time to stop blameing everone else for their problems and that they should put their own house in order. There was a quote by an American black leader. "If I hit you in the face and you fall to the floor that is my fault, but if you are still on the floor a week later, that`s yours"

Gun crime is now a big problem in parts of Nottingham and is slowly speading to the next city along. My city. Leicester.

Sentances need to be upped as a deterant to stop kids thinking carrying a gun is cool.

I know somone will come back with the institutional racisum argument as to why black people are held back, but have Asians not suffered the same?

My thought go to her friends and family.

Andrew.

Completely agree with the 42%er.

The police conduct stop and searches for this kind of thing.

I would be willing to bet my bottom dollar that the gunmen in the above situation were black males. Yet when the police actually conduct more stop and searches and Black Males they get accused of Racism etc - by the black community themselves!!

They are stuck between a rock and a hard place imo.

....and no i am not a rascist before anyone jumps on that bandwagon.

Neil

Quote:
My son is 16 and is out tonight at a friends, I am picking him up at 10.30pm(as always), I believe that`s late enough.

Crikey....I would consider myself reasonably old fashioned but you take the kit-kat my friend !
That`s well OTT for a 16 year old male ! :/

However,half midnight for a 14 year old girl is ridiculous.
Having said that we don`t know the facts.
Kids can be deviious little s***s and she could have said she was staying with friend A,who said she was staying with friend B,who said she was staying...you get the gist.
Lo and behold everyone thinks they`re safe when,in fact,they`re wandering the streets.

Then again her parents could be uncaring skank chavs.Who knows.