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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 14, 2001)
2_________ WedNEsdAy, N ovemòer 14, 2001 Letters Opinion A & E Editor Oregon Revised Statute 419C.680 says: 1. No minor shall be in or upon any street highway, park, alley cw other public place between the hours of 12 midnight and 4 a.m. of the following morning, unless: Such minor is accom panied by a parent, guardian or other person 18 years of age or ova and authorized by the parent; or such mi nor is then engaged in a lawful pursuit or activity which requires the presence of the minor in such public places dur ing these hours; or the minor is legally emancipated. Each county in Oregon has its own curfew laws that comply with the state law and are enforced heavily by local police officers with good reason. Par ents have every right to discipline and award their children any way they see fit If they trust their children enough to be away from home after midnight that’s great! But just because they are away from home does not mean they have to be outside, in a public place that strictly is prohibited by law. The law is not there to restrict parents or teens from their freedoms. It is there to protect the community from harm. In 1999, Clackamas County had 454 reported sex crimes with only 'll actual arrests, according to the Clackamas County Oregon Uniform Crime Report Which means there are still a possible 377 sex offenders roaming the streets. Most of who are probably just waiting for an innocent victim to be on the publication. Letters to the Editor are subject to editing. We reserve the right to not publish any letter. Curfew laws need to be reconsidered Curfew keeps youngsters sáfe* secure u > i DAISY BAIN All signed letters to the editor should be 500 words or less and will be considered for publication if submitted by 1 p.m the Friday prior to streets in the twilight hours of the evening. There were also 52 reported kidnapping cases in Clackamas County. Only three arrests were made in 1999. With those figures alone, how could you not want today’s children within closed doors? The curfew law is also enforced to help parents with uncontrollable teens. Too many times I have seat my friends get into fights with their parents that result in the kid running away, even if onlyforafewhours. Toaparent,afew hours feels 1 ike an eternity. Drug use is a problem communities in Oregon face as a whole. Theeasiest way to fight drugs is to start young. The longer you can keep kids off the streets, the better chance we have as a community to keep them away from the drug pushers who we all know luik the alleys in the middle of the night The second amendment promises our right to peacefully assemble, so why can’t teens assemble somewhere indoors? My right as a resident in a community is to know that I can sleep at night knowing that my 13 and 17- year old sisters are safe. If the law helps to enforce a fear factor in their heads, then I say great The more they fear going out late, the. less inclined they would be going out late. I don’t want my sisters to be the next statistic I read about while researching for this paper. I commend the students who wish to challenege the curfew laws in the courts, but we can take faith in the system. ________ LUKE MAHAN________ Staff Writer “This doesn’t affect me, so I don’t care.” ‘I had to go through it, so they should too.” These types of attitudes are taken far too often in regard to is sues such as the environment, foreign policy and in this case, curfew laws. Almost every time I convey my op position to these unconstitutional laws, I am promptly supplied with a response similar to “You’re 18j Xvby do you care?” Only a month ago was I liberated from the 1 lp.m. constraint set by the Gladstone authorities. Until I turned 118,1 was often pulled over for merely walking to a friend’s house, or conversing on the sidewalk with cronies after a long day at weak. How ever, even though I am now18,1 do not go without run-ins with officials who suspect me to be underage. Un derage? You’d think I was drinking or try i ng to get into a nudie-bar. Alas, my only crime was being outside. O Aside from the obvious logical and rational flaws (including the fact that most adolescents can’t even go to the local 7-EIeventogetamidnight snack), curfew laws include more serious rami fications. These locally regulated ordinances undermine parents’ ability to set their own rules for their children. If parents allow their children to be off their prop erty after any given time, that decision should be respected. I am surprised that parents have let local governments control limits they should be setting themselves. Another argument against curfew is the second amendment to the Con- stitution, which promises our right to peacefully assemble. Shouldn’t this right be available at any time and not just when local law-enforcement says we can? We should be allowed to as semble peacefully not just before 11 p.m. or 12 a.m., and not just after we turn a certain age. I am sure there are some assemblies with non-peaceful in tentions, but I am also sure these cases are in the minority. In honesty, it is a small percentage of people who are committing illegal acts “after hours” who are thereby ruining everyone else’s fun. I suppose my problem is being all theory and no action, so I consider writing this article my action; at least I’m bringing up the issue, which no one seems to consider very often. A Clackamas student named David Scheidegger has hopes to take the fight further by challenging the law in the courts. “By notfightingthis laty, we are set ting a precedent that we will let any unjust law made by the legislators and bureaucrats go unchecked/’ said Scheidegger. His efforts will hopefully open the eyes of voters who don’t re alize that the vay people the law af fects have no say in the matter. I happen to be concerned about the freedoms of future generations and not just my own. Do you think there should be a curfew for people under 18? Scott Hunter K£leShali^^^ Major: Undecided Major: 2 Year Transfer "No. It should be up to them to make their own choices." "No. I just think if the parents raised them up right they shouldn't have to worry about curfews." ◄ ◄ Ray Kauffman Prince Brown Major:Construction Management Major: Undecided "Hell, no. I would say sixteen to seventeen is alright My mom let me stay out as much as I want when I was sixteen to seventeen. It was cool. Under that, I understand." "It depends on the parents." ◄ ◄ Editor-in-Chief: Maggie Jirasek (x2447) Webmaster: Luke Mahan Opinion Edi tor/Production Coordinator Salena De La Cruz Cop)\Editor: Allison Gerfin Sports Editor: Elena Bory ska Isaiah Creel Jesse Gurzynski Erinn Leiten Christina McFarland Daniel Merys Elisabeth Meyer Nick Barron Leah Boeringa Managing Editor: Liesl Muggli News Editor Frank Jordan Secretary: Mike Pollock Advisor: Photo Editor: 19600 S. M o I a II a A ve , O reqon Cliy, O regon 97045 (505) 657-6958 exj 2509 Photos and quotes compiled by Salena De La Cruz and Maggie Jirasek JoAnne Gale Business Manager: Patty M amula (x2310) Daisy B ain (x2578) The Clackamas Print aims to repot the news in an honest, unbiased, professional manner. The opinions expressed in The Clackamas Print do not necessarily reflect those of die student body, college administration, its fac ulty, or The Clackamas Print advertisers. Products and services advertised in The CZocAomas Printare not neccesarily endorsed by anyone associated with The Clackamas Print. The advertising rate is $4.75 per col umn inch. The Clackamas Print is a weekly publication and is distributed every Wednes day except during Finals week. The Clacka mas Print Copyright 2001.
