Parents should get more involved

To the editor:

After the stabbing at Red Gate, parents have been pointing fingers of blame. Guess what: Maybe it's the parents' fault. Parents point fingers at the cops for not doing their jobs. They are trying. They are not there to baby-sit and make sure kids don't get into trouble. That's the parents' jobs. It looks like parents have failed.

If parents don't want their kids to get in trouble or hurt, they and the rest of the community should give teenagers something to do. At least when we sat on the parking lot by the caboose, everyone knew what we were up to. But that was stopped, leaving us no choice but to get into trouble.

There is nothing to do in Scott City. So we try to fix our boredom by drinking and stuff. Some parents don't care as long as we don't get into trouble. These are the same parents who say they want the cops to do something, but they don't want their kids arrested.

So what is it, parents? Are you going to let us sit on the parking lots? Or are you going to sit by your scanners and hope it's not us the cops just picked up?

ALEXANDRIA FOWLER, Scott City