I've been noticing lately a disturbing trend. When young people commit a crime, it never seems to be their fault. It's always someone else's. They are always said to be good kids, no matter what they do.
It started a few years ago when those two boys vandalized the new science building at the University of Minnesota Duluth. It wasn't their fault, some claimed, arguing that the vandalism was due to the building being left unlocked. That even though the act was done late at night when the boys should not have been out.
When a Denfeld High School student a few years ago robbed US Bank, he was referred to as a good kid even after he tried it again after getting out on parole.
Then, just recently, there was the young man who got shot while wielding a baseball bat in a confrontation with police officer. He was called a good kid and a child. At 17, he was not a child. I remember hearing on the national news years ago about a person being beaten to death with a baseball bat.
We must stop making excuses when someone under a certain age does something that is a crime. Their family and friends may think someone else is to blame, but that's incorrect. These young people need to be held responsible for their actions, not someone else.
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Cecilia Hill
Duluth
