That CAN'T be! Not MY kids! Not in Wethersfield!

[SyZyGy]

That CAN'T be! Not MY kids! Not in Wethersfield!

The Wethersfield that IS and the Wethersfield that we THINK exists are not always the same. Let's get real.

Most parents can't or won't believe that their little "darlings" could ever be involved in any illegal or inappropriate activity be it in or out of school. (That, despite the fact, that many of our parents were involved in their own generation's forms of frowned-upon behavior.)

The Town, the Board of Education (BOE), and the Wethersfield Public Schools (WPS) via their administrations don't like to hear about (or disseminate) negative statistics being associated with them. Do YOU know what the drop-out rate from whs for each year for the past five years? Do you now how many WHS students are forced to leave school each year for illegal activities? How much trouble would you have to go through to get that information? Is it common knowledge? Remember, we are in budget season: biggest piece of the pie goes to the WPS.

The typically, undersupported achievers are paraded before the public occasionally. And, from them we DO draw inspiration. The foul-ups are brushed under the rug. Should we not celebrate well deserved achievement? I don't think so. Would we really prefer to just not know about the kids, our kids, who have slid down the left side of the bell-shaped curve to become more than just a standard deviation.

Wethersfield has much to be proud of. But, the Town/WPS should not hide the facts that there are some briars in our strawberry fields. Let's be honest. Let's tell it like it is. Let's hold the Town, the WPS/BOE, the Town and ours youths responsible for their behavior. Let's insist on knowing the facts, bad as well as good, as a gauge (over time) on how we are doing - really doing - as a Wethersfield society.

I would like to start a thread which must be based on reported facts - not allegations - about the what's going on in our own backyards. And, then, we need to use this information to prod the WPS, the Town, the our youths to do better. We have a lot of well-paid teachers, very well-paid administrators, managers, staffers, and high income parents who apparently need to be doing better - a lot better - for the kids in town.

[SyZyGy]

[rigt]www.courant.com/news/local/ec/hc-4sbrf0311.artmar11,0,5115307.story
courant.com[/right]


News Briefs
Hartford Courant:
3/11/2005

Teens Arrested In
Purse-Snatching Try

WETHERSFIELD - Two local teenagers were arrested last week in a purse snatching attempt at the Super Stop & Shop on the Berlin Turnpike that police believe is related to a similar robbery at the grocery store last month.

Ryan Burton, 19, of 58 Stillweld Drive, was charged with conspiracy to commit third-degree robbery and conspiracy to commit sixth-degree larceny,

Jessica Gorniak, 17, of 97 Main St., was charged with conspiracy to commit sixth-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit third-degree robbery, possession of drug paraphernalia, and operating a motor vehicle without a license.

Police said on March 2, at 9:15 p.m. Burton entered the store, while Gorniak waited outside in a vehicle. Burton tried to grab a woman's purse, but she maintained a grip on her bag. Burton panicked and ran out of the store.

Police found the vehicle a short distance away and arrested Gorniak and Burton.

A similar purse-snatching incident occurred at the same Super Stop & Shop on Jan. 26. The robbers made off with a purse.

"We believe the two could possibility be connected," said police Lt. Kevin Dillon.

[tooold]

Not sure what the driving force is here (many potential positive and negative reasons) but would caution that since you initiated this you may need to continue it
to be fair, honest, and thorough.

[SyZyGy]

tooold,

A short message can some times be powerful. Unfortunately, your short message leaves much to my and others' imaginations, I am sure.

I could have started this thread by merely posting the HC's article with no preface, but I didn't. (Do you question the WPD in releasing this information to the Courant, or the Courant for printing it? Why is that?)

However, I just felt that I did need to "justify" the thread to a certain degree because I have some of your ambivalence toward this broad subject.

I look forward to your thorough contributions to this thread and discussion - in all honesty and fairness too. Post your facts. And, let's talk here.

[tooold]

I do not have the inclination to post this type of news on a repetitive basis. I am sure that some may think that one posting is somehow specific to the individuals involved in the post and this is where the fairness issue comes into play.

I agree with what you have stated, mostly, although I believe too that many households in Wethersfield have the "glass house" mentality and with this information being reposted in a forum like this, will tend to throw stones, exacerbating the issue that you, fairly, want to bring attention too, and have a reverse effect.

I do think that the postings should be an all or none. I guess my driving force is based on the perspective that although "facts of each case are facts", one never knows what mitigating factors there could be for each instance.

The instance that you have posted is surely valid to press your point of "not my kid". However, kids do make mistakes and some reported cases and actions are not aggressive or have an impact on others in this sense, but merely passive actions that they will need to face the consequenses for.

I know much more than I can post and as a parent, professional counselor, and taxpayer, I would like parents to see the king without his clothes, but am leary about posting these things here.

[joe]

(This post is NOT biast on the side the two teens in the purse snatching)

Syzygy: i see your point, but do you really need to copy and paste that artice from the newspaper onto this website? is that the most constructive activity you can do with your spare time? almost as lame as what the purse snatchers did.

i believe that each individual is entitled to their own privacy, and when the negatives do occur, it is nobody else's business to know the entirety of the situation. did you really have to remind everyone about this situation (many of us already knew, thanks)? i dont see many good deeds getting posted on this website, yet when someone screws up you are very quick to re-inform the public.

[joe]

also, i would like to add a few more words if possible. wethersfield is a town just like every other town. whether or not anyone wants to face the facts is not for me to say. this town is not sugar-coated. just like every other town, alot of illegal activities take place, not just in wethersfield, but everywhere. the fact that very few of these "criminals" ever get caught is beyond the point.

(not naming any individuals) Has anyone ever been out into the real world? if so, you would realize that the recent purse-snatching attempt is not the first crime to ever be committed in this town. but it is the first crime that i have seen posted on this website, yet not the first one to be made into a huge ordeal. things will happen, good and bad, and when they do, i don't think anybody should be acting as if it is a huge surprise and that every individual in this town should know of all the good and bad deeds done by others.

when "criminals" are caught in the act, some individuals like to pretend that they have never heard of such an act, like they were born yesterday, like wethersfield is a perfect, sweet little town with nothing wrong ever going on. if this is you, take a reality check. step outside your computer room and get with the program.

yes, crime is bad, almost nothing (if anything) positive will ever result from an illegal act, and criminals should be taken off the streets to be punished, but when these incidents occur, nobody should act as if they have never heard of such behavior.

[SyZyGy]

tooold wrote:
I am sure that some may think that one posting is somehow specific to the individuals involved in the post and this is where the fairness issue comes into play.

joe / tooold,
you both make some valid points. (no, i don't have to live in a computer room to participate here; some of us are quite mobile.)

anyway, while nosing around the town's website, i visited the wpd's webpages. there the chief posts a monthly report - for the information and edification of the public - you, me, all. so, in fairness, here is an except (link is provided for anyone who wants to read it all, you know, for context:

(Taken from the:
wethersfieldct.com/police/monthly/ )

Police Department
Monthly Report

James L. Cetran
Chief of Police

"February 2005
Juvenile Unit, Cases of Interest:

• This unit is investigating multiple sexual assault cases. Investigations include polygraphs and at least three of the cases are near completion.
  
• This unit assisted at Wethersfield High School while the SRO was away on training. During that week, this unit was involved in three arrests made at WHS. The arrests included possession of narcotics, dangerous weapons violation, and an assault.
  
• This unit also had one investigation involving a Silas Deane Middle School student who threatened to shoot another student that was bullying him.
  
• This unit also handled a case in which an Elementary School-aged student threatened to shoot another student that was making fun of him.
  
• This unit also assisted in a multi-person threatening case. "

&

"SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER (SRO):
Arrests:
During the month of February seven (7) on site arrests were made. Five (5) of these arrests stemmed from a single incident that started with a dispute between 2 juvenile females. Their argument was disorderly, drawing attention from approximately one hundred (100) other students in the main, 2nd floor hallway. A boyfriend of one of the females was walking toward the argument, when he began an argument of his own with two males (one juvenile, one adult student.) The argument became physical, and an assault occurred. School administrators had to get involved and break up the fight. During the week of February 14-18, Detective Fisher was required to make three (3) arrests at the high school. The first arrest was for the possession of a facsimile firearm (BB gun), which the student was trying to display as if it were real. The second arrest was for an assault where a student punched and bit another student. The third arrest was for possession of marijuana by a female student."

whs? middle school? elementary school? geesh!

[AB]

What's the point of this whole thread? Everyone knows that all of this and more goes on in Wethersfield just as it does in every other town.