Curfew needed Downtown (Pittsburgh, Millvale, Etna: renting, attorney, home)

[nuwaver88]

What is up with all of the youths hanging out around the T station until late in the evening at Liberty and Wood? Last night I was waiting for the 10PM 91A and there must have been one hundred youths hanging around this stop. Shortly before my bus was to arrive, I discovered that I left my keys in my locker at work. I went back to get my keys and could have easily made the 10:30 91A but got to talking and decided to catch the 11pm bus. As I got back to the bus stop at 10:55pm, most of these same youths were still loitering. In other words, they did not get on one of the many city buses that come around 10 or 10:30. They decided to hang around the bus stop and scream and yell and throw their Mcdonald's bags all over the place rather than in one of the three obvious trash cans at the stop. Throwing it in the trash would be akin to doing what the MAN wants them to do. They can't do that in front of their buddies. Then one of the youths was dancing off of the curb into the street when a Port Authority Police Officer told him to get back on the sidewalk. To show off in front of everybody, the youth called the cop Barney Fife. The cop nicely pointed out that you cannot disrespect a police officer. This is when the youth, energized by the crowd, punched the cop in the face. The cop got the kid to the ground and was ready to put the cuffs on him when the kid spun out of it and escaped down an alleyway towards Penn. The crowd cheered for the kid, not the cop. Within a minute, several Port Authority and PPD cars were on the prowl. I am sure he did not get too far. I am also pretty certain that he got the beatiing in the lockup that he never got growing up for punching the cop. I understand that it is the weekend, but these kids should not be allowed to loiter Downtown until late at night. Many of these kids suffer from poor parenting. Big revealation, huh? Lets' see, trash goes on the ground, cops are the enemy, and disrupting pedestrian and vehicular traffic is ok.

[Hopes]

That late at night, my bus only runs every two hours so I'm not sure you can failry judge them for not getting on a bus within an hour's time.

I do think that kids from the immediate city neighborhoods go into downtown to hang out at night. I'm surprised there was only one Port Authority cop standing guard if the crowd was as big as you say.

Curfew? I'm not sure how that would work on a grand scale. Sharpsburgh, Etna and Millvale have curfews---nobody under 18 is allowed out after 9pm or 10pm (can't remember). I hear it works well. I just can't see the city passing a law like that because too many voters might oppose it. Plus anyone who is under 18 is permitted out if they are traveling to/from work. The police would be stretched thin trying to enforce it. Another consideration is special events, like concerts, that let out after 11pm.

I'll venture a guess that many of those children might have been over 18 anyway. You can't set curfews for adults.

There are loitering laws. The police do enforce those by kicking people off steps. However, a person can't be considered loitering if they are at a bus stop.

As for the poor parenting, I'm not going to judge. Some of those children might not even have parents. Those who do probably only have one parent--who might work evening or night shift. I believe most parents do the best they can, but it's a significant challenge for the impoverished.

[Agbor]

The above incident is the main reason I do not go out to clubs anymore in Pittsburgh..since I do not have
a car..I felt safer down in the Village/Chelsea area in NYC when I went out last...):

[mattm93]

Those youths were probubly 18 or older so nothing can be done other then loitering.

[PeterRabbit]

In the hippie days if you weren't constantly walking the cops arrested you for loitering on Walnut St., Shadyside. They'd put you in jail in East Liberty for awhile then let you out if you could post a $15 bond assuring you'd show up for the arrainment in the morning. No-show meant they kept your money as a guilty fine. If you showed up you'd get your money back because the cops didn't usually show. A big inconvenience but eventually you get the idea and don't do what they consider loitering.

[nuwaver88]

quote=mattm93;10844368]Those youths were probubly 18 or older so nothing can be done other then loitering.[/quote]

I was there. Why is everybody assuming that these kids were older than high school age? Most of them were under eighteen. I know what I see. Did I see their ID? No I did not. I have been around long enough to know what high school kids act and look like.

[Hopes]

My son's friends who are 18 and 19 don't look any different from 16 and 17 year olds.

[skrizzle]

I'm 29 and while I don't look like a high schooler anymore there is not a ton of difference... And no difference at all when I was 20-21. My gf is 22 and looks like she's 16.

Curfew is a bad idea. Perhaps more cops out on the street would be better? You see this happen anywhere tho, city or burbs. You always find dumb kids around that age wanting to impress their friends and do what they think looks cool.

[fleetiebelle]

I live near the T line in Beechview, and there were a few times that I was downtown at night after meeting friends that the number of kids just hanging out by that T station that I needed to get past to get home put me on edge. I know most of them are just kids, but as a woman alone at night the sheer number of them gave me the yips.

[Hopes]

The Liberty Avenue T station makes my sister nervous even during the daytime. I do know that the nearby McDonalds was a drug dealing location. In March, the District Attorney threatened to padlock the three downtown McDonald's locations if McDonalds didn't start addressing the problem by hiring additional security staff. Maybe they moved to the street, but that can't be the only reason because my sister has complained about that block for a few years now.

I think that particular location is an attractive hangout because of the abundance of seating in a place where they can't be accused of loitering. If they sit in a park, security forces them to move along. (It's actually rather sad that teenagers aren't allowed to sit on the benches in the downtown parks.) But nobody can tell them to leave a bus stop and that bus stop has the most seats. I'd hate to see the solution be to remove the seats. Pittsburgh doesn't have enough benches in the city.