Hi and I hope this email finds you well.
This letter is to address John Jerralds’ proposed Juvenile Curfew for Pensacola and possibly Escambia County as well. The problems he is hoping to solve are teen crime and general lack of discipline and direction, all of which are caused by economic distress, lack of positive attention, discipline and optimism about the future, none of which will be lessened by the threat of violations, detention and legal records.
Juvenile crime occurs almost entirely before the hours in which the curfew would take effect and the local police administration have shown no enthusiasm for this approach. At the most recent City Hall discussion on the subject, Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan suggested that, “We are again — as with too many things — trying to solve a societal problem with a government answerâ€.
What we, as a community and local government need to invest our resources in providing beneficial alternatives to street life, especially for those who’s home lives may be neither enriching, healthy, or in some cases safe.
Possibly a good first step would be a staffed community board, which should include young people, that can develop ideas like, community centers which are open until midnight, artist/craftsperson/athlete/youth collaborative projects, youth-conceived-and-managed projects and parent/teen events which encourage interaction and mutual respect.
Michael Kilmer
Mutiny Zoo
