Should We Adopt a Social Host Ordinance

Teen age drinking has once again claimed an young and innocent life. Sometimes our communities response is too late.

Linked is a recent article from the Minneapolis Tribune and give this post some serious thought:

http://www.startribune.com/local/82162452.html?elr=KArksUUUU

For Jorge's information I do have an agenda. Protect by education.

Attitude is the first defense against teenage drinking. Enforcement is another. There was someone who found photos of a post prom party and it was obvious from the photos that drinking was going on. The kids were all holding bottles and cans and you could see a keg in the back. In one of the photos all the kids stood around holding their "adult beverage" with the prominent business owner who hosted the party.

Armed with the evidence the photos were taken to local law enforcement who would do nothing. They said that they wouldn't be able to prove that there was liquor in the containers. What did they think was in them? Lemonade? Since when do you have to prove something beyond a shadow of a doubt? What ever happened to circumstantial evidence? If law enforcement won't do anything is is any wonder that kids drink and people buy for them?

Another concern is the attitude of parents who take it upon themselves to think that since kids will do it anyway they will provide them a safe place to do it. By what right does any person presume to interfere with a parents guidance of their child and sneak around so that the parent doesn't know their child is drinking? Perhaps some people think that the kids will like them when they buy them alcohol. Perhaps they remember how hard it was to get liquor when they were young and so want to make it easier for kids. Perhaps they never grew up. Evidently they will get away with it as long as law enforcement allows them to.

I understand that this is not the only time that alcohol has been involved in a post-prom party. I wonder where they got the money for the "refreshments?"

I'm pretty sure it's illegal to provide liquor to minors....why would another ordinance be needed?
Afraid I kind of have to agree with the police on this one -- there really is no way to know what's in a container. But they should make note of WHO and WHERE for that event and put some patterns together. Next time, they should be able to catch folks in the act.
And it's important to catch them. The last thing you need as a law enforcement agency is for "the word" on the street to be that you'll turn a blind eye for special people or special nights. That would be a setup for a lot of bad things -- like fatalities.
As for those who think it's harmless fun, a right of passage, or "safer to stay at home" are sending quite a different message -- it's OK to break the law, it's OK to disregard authority, and that they are "special"...as in, above the law.
Shame on them for that lesson.