DAYS AFTER A YOUNG MAN lost his life in a rock-throwing incident, online readers were stunned by reports of more rock-throwing, again among teenagers.
A rock was thrown from one Transport Board bus carrying schoolchildren into another along Fairview, Christ Church, last Thursday. This resulted in an 11-year-old boy being struck in the face.
He was injured, the bus damaged and the driver’s bag also disappeared in the melee.
Online readers called for immediate corrective action, targeted at both parents and children.
Janette Reifer: They are not bloodthirsty. They [are] trying to copy gang style. They are a bunch of lawless, bad-behaved idiots. When they go before the magistrate, they can hardly open their mouths, all the so-called aggression. The laws are too lenient because they are considered minors. When caught, they need to be given serious community services. Let them go clean the same Transport Board buses, and the parents pay for the damage to the buses.
Michelle Carter: Wasn’t it just last week that an 18-year-old died after allegedly being in an altercation, involving rock-throwing, with his 16-year-old neighbour? I can’t believe that this week these youngsters throwing rocks. They don’t plan to learn from the mistakes of others? Find the perpetrators and make their parents pay and then give the li’l nuisances community service.
Nicole Jordan: These children get outta hand; they need to be taught a lesson. Two more buses off the road, which means a longer wait for commuters.
Trudy Mayers: Yet you all keeping these young monsters amongst schoolchildren who willing to go to school and learn. If they don’t want to be in school, stop wasting money on dem twice, in school and prison too?
Elle Tee: As long as one can identify the person or group that caused the damage, their parents should be made to repair the buses.
Francis McClean: We are in trouble. Kids outta order grow up deviant. Now we know why the crime issue we are currently having.
Cassandra Gittens: They need to find the culprits and make their parents pay for the repairs and also ban them from riding the buses.
Kira Smith: This is why paying commuters like myself does [have] to leave home when it dark and can’t get back home before dark ’cause all the buses park in Weymouth or transporting the hooligans.
Ebonyeyes59: We’ve already seen the destruction of seats on buses, now windows. It must be cheaper to employ security or minimally a conductor to ensure that order is maintained and any troublemakers evicted. Crack down hard, before this becomes an epidemic.
• Sherrylyn Toppin is The Nation’s Online Editor.
