Kids begging for some direction
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How hard-core can you really be if you and your gang buddies choose a populated mall with a noticeable security presence as your spot for a rumble? When you teach in at a public high school, you realize that the most dangerous gang fights are those that go down outside of school and away from any earthly authorities. The ones that happen at the school are problematic, certainly, and can interfere with the education of other better-behaved students, but those kids fight at school because - at least at some level - they know it's a safe place to fight since someone will intervene quickly.
Tonight's fight at Triangle Town Center is already hitting the news (http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/3285401). Since we were making our way back to our car after getting new glasses for Lee (yay!) at Lenscrafters, we had a front row view ... that is, until we realized what was happening and promptly turned in the other direction. Since the mall was being cleared, we had to walk around the outside of the mall from Dillard's to Macy's - no small feat for those of you familiar with the mall's layout. Having observed the beginning of the altercation, I can tell you with near certainty that a) it was a gang fight and b) it was planned. There were clearly two different groups, each with distinguishable attire typical of a gang, and there were far too many people, both participants and onlookers, for it to have started spontaneously.
I must compliment both the mall security and the Raleigh PD for a quick response. The situation could have become much worse if they hadn't done their jobs well. Which brings me back to my original point ... these weren't hardened gang members. These were kids. Kids who were making very bad choices but who wanted direction enough that they made those choices in a public place where the consequences couldn't be too terrible. Kids who probably weren't getting that direction from the places (parents, community, church) that they should have been.
While many people walked away from Triangle Town Center tonight talking about the hooligans who were out of control, I'm praying for the kids who need direction. And praising God that we were only on the perimeter and were able to get away easily when the fight broke out.
Tonight's fight at Triangle Town Center is already hitting the news (http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/3285401). Since we were making our way back to our car after getting new glasses for Lee (yay!) at Lenscrafters, we had a front row view ... that is, until we realized what was happening and promptly turned in the other direction. Since the mall was being cleared, we had to walk around the outside of the mall from Dillard's to Macy's - no small feat for those of you familiar with the mall's layout. Having observed the beginning of the altercation, I can tell you with near certainty that a) it was a gang fight and b) it was planned. There were clearly two different groups, each with distinguishable attire typical of a gang, and there were far too many people, both participants and onlookers, for it to have started spontaneously.
I must compliment both the mall security and the Raleigh PD for a quick response. The situation could have become much worse if they hadn't done their jobs well. Which brings me back to my original point ... these weren't hardened gang members. These were kids. Kids who were making very bad choices but who wanted direction enough that they made those choices in a public place where the consequences couldn't be too terrible. Kids who probably weren't getting that direction from the places (parents, community, church) that they should have been.
While many people walked away from Triangle Town Center tonight talking about the hooligans who were out of control, I'm praying for the kids who need direction. And praising God that we were only on the perimeter and were able to get away easily when the fight broke out.