Farewell Speech

This will be my last post for a while. But be sure to check back in the next few weeks for more.

 

 

 

 

 

As my temporary farewell, I would just like to say......

 I am in favor of a city-wide curfew for teenagers seventeen years of age and younger for three reasons: to lower the number of minors causing trouble late at night, to give parents and peace of mind, and finally to give the city a better reputation. I believe the best way to go about making it known to all cities is to show the public the results of the cities that do require a curfew for minors. It would give them reassurance that having this curfew really does make a difference in the community. As well as it making a difference for the community, it will also keep more teenagers safe during the more dangerous hours of the night. As a specific way to get the word out, it would be incredibly beneficial for a short film to be made that includes feedback from various cities that enforce the curfew for teenagers. Broadcasting the film would give people proof that it isn’t a useless law. There a many reasons that people argue against enforcing a city-wide curfew for minors, including the fact that they feel as if it goes against the First Amendment. If it comes down to a vote either for or against a curfew for teens, I can tell you I will be the first in line to vote in absolute favor for it!

Gotta have a good reputation, right?

Teen curfew would give the city a much better rep! The cities that have already decided to go through with the city-wide curfew have most likely attracted a new crowd of people solely because there are fewer teens roaming around late at night.

 In the Harvard Law Review, in the section entitled ‘Juvenile Curfews and the Major Confusion over Minor Rights’, it states, “Faced with the overwhelming political popularity of juvenile curfews, advocates of minors' rights have attacked the ordinances in court…” revealing that it indeed does has the majority in favor of making city-wide curfew (Harvard 2400-2421). I believe it is safe to assume that cities would naturally be in favor of making a curfew for teens if it meant a better reputation for them.

As a resident of a community that is generally clean and family-friendly, I can say that when I visit a city in which the teens are roaming around and making noise late at night, it automatically loses my vote in pleasant cities to visit. Reputation is an important factor in our country and in our society, and having a good one is crucial if you want people to feel welcome in your town. A city’s good reputation is the magnetic force that draws people to it. Who wants to visit a town that is filled with teenage hooligans roaming about at night? No one!

Peace of Mind

Creating a curfew for minors would give parents such a peace of mind, knowing that their child, or children, are somewhere safe instead of roaming the city so late at night. In many cases, families will make a specific curfew for their children that is understood when the teenager heads out for the night. However, with that comes leeway. Most parents want their children to have fun with their friends, which often results in a conversation that may go something like this: “But mom, why can’t I stay out until 1a.m. instead? I’ll be back by 1:30, tops!” “Okay, sweetheart, I guess so. Just be careful.” And almost every time, the only thing that the teenager hears is that they can stay out later. The “be careful” part is generally ignored. I myself, am not a parent, but I know that my parents are constantly worried about me and that I am somewhere safe when it gets late. When I was in high school, I always had a curfew of 11:30p.m., which made my parents feel more comfortable that they didn’t have to worry that I would be coming home at an un-godly hour. I spoke with my father, Steve Farris, who is also a high school teacher, and asked him what his thoughts were on a city-wide curfew for teenagers. Mr. Farris states, “I think that a city wide curfew is generally speaking, a good thing. I believe it will cut down on crime, and late night car wrecks. But at the same time, I think a city wide curfew negatively impacts good kids who are responsible and safe.” As a father, he later commented, “My heart would feel more at rest, knowing that other kids have a curfew too, because it’s not that I don’t trust my own children, it’s that I don’t trust other people.” Many parents feel the exact same way when it comes to the uncertainty of the other minors that are gallivanting around with their own teen. This city-wide curfew would give all parents of teens  peace of mind to know that there are other adults, including police officers that are watching out and making sure that minors are in by a reasonable time, safe and sound.

TROUBLE,TROUBLE,TROUBLE

Let's face it, teens cause trouble.The first point I want to address is the problem of teenagers causing trouble late at night as the rest of the community is settling down for the night. When families decide to move into a neighborhood, they are not pre-warned of the minors that are causing trouble late at night. Teens often ignore the fact that there are other people around that do not enjoy the noise that they make. Despite the suggestion that they should be inside and off the streets by 11:00p.m., and the “threat” that there may be some legal action taken if they do not abide by this, minors overlook this fact and continue with their whereabouts.

 

                                                     There are very few police officers that patrol average family neighborhoods in order to ensure that minors are following the curfew rules. With that being said, we cannot expect all minors to judge an appropriate time to be in before it becomes a disturbance to the people and families around them. In an academic journal by Editor Jeffery Wilson, he states, “Many cities such as New Orleans, Atlanta, and Washington D.C., require individuals under the age of 17 to be off the streets by 11 p.m. Teenagers found violating this curfew are held at a police-designated truancy center until a parent or guardian claims them.” (Wilson 494). In these large, metroplex cities that have created a city-wide curfew, it can be automatically assumed that there is less commotion in the wee hours of the morning. As of right now, and it being quite rare for a city to make a general curfew of 11p.m., minors do not usually “start the party,” if you will, until late, late hours after everyone else has gone to bed. Many teens are out looking for trouble when they feel that there isn’t anything better to do. Creating this city-wide curfew, specifically for the Dallas/Fort Worth community (since it is local) will make for a much more peaceful environment for the families not engaging in this teen play. With that, I move to my following point.

Going back in time...

For years, cities have requested a steady curfew throughout for minors. The most common time request has been a 11:00 p.m. curfew for all individuals seventeen years of age or younger. As an opposition however, for years these curfew laws have been a sensitive subject, as was written in a journal by Ed. Jeffery Wilson.  He states that the laws are “challenged on the grounds that they violate the First Amendment by prohibiting a juvenile’s right to free association” (Wilson 494). As the First Amendment does not specify the age limit to which the freedoms apply, I understand the point from which those against a curfew stand. In my community in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, most teens are advised to be home and off the street by 11p.m., but there is in no way a law that is so set in stone that causes them to follow the advisement. Also, besides the fact that there are suggested times to be home, teens are just naturally drawn to testing their limits regardless if there is a law or not. It's been a long time coming for a city-wide curfew for minors.

Welcome! Let's get this done!

Hello! This blog is dedicated to the fight for a city-wide curfew for minors. Hope you enjoy all the info I have to offer!

“What time are you going to be home, sweetheart?” “I don’t know mom. Late I guess.” What exactly is late? Minors and young teens are often roaming around their suburb communities and neighborhoods late at night after football games or a large party. As well as making noise to disturb others, they are also causing trouble doing things they shouldn’t. I believe the reason they feel so free to roam around at late hours is because there isn’t a well enforced curfew throughout the city. I am in favor of an enforced city wide curfew for teenagers because it would reduce the number of minors that are out causing trouble in those late hours, it would give parents a peace of mind, and it would also give the city a better reputation.