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Old 07-25-2010, 08:15 AM
 
Location: In a house
13,250 posts, read 42,630,918 times
Reputation: 20198

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Margritte you seem to be displaying a pretty significant case of selective reading.

No one has a problem with a person knocking on someone's door.

The problem is bypassing the front door, which is the typical door used by strangers and people needing assistance, neighbors asking for a cup of sugar, and the local evangelist asking you to witness their testament. The problem is bypassing THAT door, the "please knock on me" door, trespassing around the BACK of the house, to find the back door, the "hey I live here, I'm allowed" door, or perhaps the "my mom lives here and expects to see me at this door" door...and pounding on it. At 10:30 at night.

To summarize:

1. NOT just any old door; the BACK door.
2. Trespassing through someone's yard to get TO the back door.
3. Doing this for the express purpose of harrassing someone.
4. Doing this at 10:30 at night, for the express purpose of harrassing someone.

If it was a guy whose car broke down on the side of the road, while his wife is in labor and bleeding in the back seat, then would that guy go through the trouble of going PAST my front door, to the back door, where there are no street lights for me to be able to see who is there, then pound on that door, and then, when I approach the door to answer it and he sees me coming through the window, he runs away?

No! Someone experiencing an emergency would go to the front door.

The only time people would go to the back door, is if they are invited, if they are specifically authorized, or if they're attempting to break in or otherwise cause trouble.

At 10:30 at night, I haven't invited anyone. The people who are authorized to visit me have a key and wouldn't pound on the door. That rules out the 2 segments of the humanoid population on this planet who might possibly have reason to pound on my back door at 10:30 at night. That leaves me with the segment of people who are "attempting to break in or otherwise cause trouble." As such, I have the -right- to be concerned, I have the -right- to defend myself against the intruder, and I have the -right- to assume that it is, in fact, an intruder and react appropriately. I'm not going to wait for the police to show up to defend my home and my family, when someone is pounding on my back door. By the time the police get to my house I could already be dead.
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Old 07-25-2010, 12:46 PM
 
17,183 posts, read 22,758,557 times
Reputation: 17472
Quote:
Originally Posted by Magritte25 View Post
A person simply knocking on a door is NOT trespassing. That is just ridiculous. And yes, there ARE valid reasons that a person might show up at someone's door that late. Use your imagination.
Not both doors at the same time and certainly not my *back* door. They would have to go through my gate or jump over a fence (which, in our case, is backed up to the utilities right of way behind our house).

Also, pounding is not just *knocking.*

While the homeowner may have overreacted, the kids should not have been out running around at 10:30 pm and they should have been schooled about what can happen. This could easily have been much worse if the homeowner went to the door with a gun. That teenager could be dead or badly wounded.
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Old 07-25-2010, 03:22 PM
 
Location: South Carolina
14,785 posts, read 23,953,955 times
Reputation: 27090
Yes some states have the castle law and they can fire if they feel that their home or property is in danger and had this particular state had this law and the kid ended up dead then the homeowner would not be facing charges . Kids should be taught what can happen when they pull pranks late at night on peoples homes . You can be killed woudl be the first thing out of my mouth . Gosh I guess I was a different kind of parent because my kids were out at 10:30 at night working a job , not knocking on doors . Shows the parent is not that hands on does it not ? Parents need to know where their kids are at .
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Old 07-25-2010, 03:27 PM
 
Location: Australia
1,492 posts, read 3,220,454 times
Reputation: 1723
Quote:
Originally Posted by okpondlady View Post
Police said the teenager and three friends rang Van Plew's doorbell and pounded on his back door at about 10:30 p.m. Saturday in a "ding dong ditch" prank. The teens ran when the homeowner yelled at them and Van Plew followed and tackled Mateo.
Investigators said the boy suffered a cut on his elbow, bruise over his eye and a bloody lip.
Van Plew is facing charges of endangering the welfare of a child and harassment.



So..because these 3 teen aged kids decided to harass some guy at his home late at night HE is being charged????? That is insane. He followed them and tackled one. Personally I think the kid got what he deserved. He shouldn't have been there. Of course now everyone will defend the poooooor child. He was "ABUSED by this terrible ADULT." He shouldn't have been playing PRANKS. Pranks are dangerous and get out of hand easily. You notice it is DAD who is apologizing..but still pressing charges.

So the kid learns from this episode in his life:
Dad will defend me no matter what kind of stupid crap I pull.
The Law will make an adult pay for whatever stupid crap I do.
I can play pranks and someone else is at fault.
Good Job Dad.
Such a pity.
The teens should receive a public flogging
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Old 07-25-2010, 03:34 PM
 
2,605 posts, read 4,673,551 times
Reputation: 2194
Teens, at any age will do things off center of what we adults wish them to do, HOWEVER, when they sneak out at night with friends, they should at least show better judgement than to pound on back doors and cause trouble that could bring harm to others. Had those boys found a park and played in the dark, there would have been no problem unless the police found them and hauled them home.

What was so wrong was being in someone's yard at that hour and being close to their house. had someone else done that to that boy's family home at that hour it would have likely scared the wits out of him. HIS father would have been the one to have to deal with it, and I would imagine he would have done pretty much the same thing to protect HIS family.

If teens insist on sneaking out and doing things at night, they could at least not break the law and refrain from infringing on someone's person or property.
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Old 07-25-2010, 04:08 PM
 
13,975 posts, read 25,823,059 times
Reputation: 39851
Charges are dropped against the homeowner:
D.A. drops charges in "Ding-Dong- Ditch" case | ditch, dong, case - Local News - WRGB CBS 6 Albany

For what it's worth, I hate hearing these things referred to as "pranks". To me, a prank is something humorous, harmless, and performed against somebody who knows you well enough to get the joke.
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Old 07-25-2010, 05:07 PM
 
852 posts, read 1,360,668 times
Reputation: 1057
I'm just glad these boys weren't shot or something. Teenagers do stupid things, and when they're in groups, they do really stupid things. Even nice kids, even smart kids. I may be in my 40s, but I remember being a teenager.

I think some community service is in order for the boys, and beyond that, IMO, the whole incident has already been made more dramatic than it needed to be.
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Old 07-25-2010, 06:27 PM
 
Location: In a house
13,250 posts, read 42,630,918 times
Reputation: 20198
This was an older man wasn't it, that tackled the kids? I agree that they don't necessarily need to go to jail or juvenile hall or any of that kind of thing..

But they need to learn to appreciate private property AND they need to learn to appreciate that scaring the bejeezus out of the elderly is just wrong, on so many levels.

Perhaps community service like Lucy says, but specifically to benefit the Elderly. Could even have "Senior Summer" where flyers could be handed out and posted on the local Senior housing area, with permission of their management of course, to let them know that the boys will be by to give out free ice-cold spring water and hugs.

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Old 07-25-2010, 07:55 PM
 
852 posts, read 1,360,668 times
Reputation: 1057
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnonChick View Post
This was an older man wasn't it, that tackled the kids? I agree that they don't necessarily need to go to jail or juvenile hall or any of that kind of thing..

But they need to learn to appreciate private property AND they need to learn to appreciate that scaring the bejeezus out of the elderly is just wrong, on so many levels.

Perhaps community service like Lucy says, but specifically to benefit the Elderly. Could even have "Senior Summer" where flyers could be handed out and posted on the local Senior housing area, with permission of their management of course, to let them know that the boys will be by to give out free ice-cold spring water and hugs.

Hey, Anonchick, we agree!
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Old 07-25-2010, 09:40 PM
 
3,562 posts, read 5,204,210 times
Reputation: 1861
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mattie View Post
Charges are dropped against the homeowner:
D.A. drops charges in "Ding-Dong- Ditch" case | ditch, dong, case - Local News - WRGB CBS 6 Albany

For what it's worth, I hate hearing these things referred to as "pranks". To me, a prank is something humorous, harmless, and performed against somebody who knows you well enough to get the joke.
Excellent.

I don't want to see the boys arrested. I agree that this spun way out of control. However, I think that this needs to be a huge wake up call for parents and kids.
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