Is purchasing gas late at night a harbinger of criminal mischief?
If so, the city must have quite a dossier on lots of its residents. Rather than assuming that the teenagers were planning to commit crimes, isn’t it possible they weren’t criminals, but were simply low on gas? The standard arguments include comments such as “teenagers have no business being out that late at night,” and “if parents aren’t doing their job, then the city will do it for them.” But when did local government take over parental authority from parents? If I ask my 16-year-old to run to the 24-hour drug store at 11:30 at night, Deltona now has the right to overrule me, possibly by fining me and my child. What’s next, a law against saggy pants, or perhaps a mandate of two hours of homework before watching TV or playing video games? Deltona has criminalized being a teenager — kids can now be picked up, penalized and fined, even if they have their parents’ permission to be out. But the city didn’t stop there. Deltona is also telling teens where they can and cannot go during the d
