This is Viewpoints for Sunday, December 24, 2017

The real black-on-black crime

I am writing this in regards to the issue with black-on-black crime. As a black woman, I see the need for this issue to remain in the forefront. However, in the neighborhood and community in which I reside, and in many other communities, there is another black-on-black crime being committed every day: parental indifference.

This is where a parent allows their children to do whatever, whenever they choose, with no consequences or guidance. I am speaking directly to the parent(s): How criminal of you to allow your child to hang out at midnight and beyond doing God knows what. How criminal of you to turn your back when your child is defacing the streets and vandalizing other people’s property.

How criminal of you to allow your child to drop out of school only to hang out with their have-nothing-going-nowhere friends? How criminal of you to blame teachers, the school system, the police and anyone else who has had a hand in trying to bring structure and discipline to your child.

You get angry, curse, rant and rave about the treatment from them when the real criminal is staring at you in the mirror. Be mindful of your children and what they are doing because if you don’t they will eventually end up like you: A criminal.

Patience account overdrawn

I was out of town Dec. 12 for the week, surely the first thing I would observe when returning to Captain Kell would be significant Irma debris removal, now three months after the storm.

Again, “someone” had spread more debris along the curb than they hauled away. The huge pine tree trunk that had blocked the street and now right-of-way, had been cut and moved multiple times off and on my lawn, was still reposed as a lawn ornament.

I consolidated the debris in piles along the street curb, a continuing task after each “supposed” debris removal visit. I retrieved my Irma debris historical notes of prior conversations with county authorities and The Telegraph article that offered advice about what we should do. I visited the Government Center.

I told staff that I was aware that the destroyed tree/debris remained outside their building. However, their unkempt grounds did not improve the appearance of the grounds of our home with its usual pristine appearance, especially as we were celebrating our 65th wedding anniversary and Christmas.

Frankly, I believe the patience account for this event is overdrawn. (To our “fishermen” neighbors, if the next “debris removal” visit is a repeat, bring a rake. The debris is turning into compost, and contains large bait worms.)

This story was originally published December 23, 2017 at 9:00 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Sunday, December 24, 2017."