Here in almost lily-white central PA, we have the whole punk-kids-vandalizing-town-square thing going on too. It's not just an inner city problem.

It's cold and it's dark early, and they've been thrown out of almost everywhere else, so they come to the library (from which I have the day off today, obviously). They don't want to go home. I've seen the streets they live on, and I don't blame them.

Some of these kids are OK one-on-one, but then they hang out with the ones who have been sent to me for community service by the local District Justice. People don't understand why they hang out with these kids and take their crap, but I've learned. If the punk kids are your neighbors, and you get beaten up for not going along, and the adults either are never around or won't protect you, you hang out with the punk kids so they think of you as their posse. Less bloodshed.

I've ordered lunch in for kids who have sought refuge in the library from other kids who have been thrown out (by me and by the reference librarian) for threatening them. But I go home at closing, and so must they. And then what?

The response of this very conservative town has been to turn a blind eye to the lack of adult supervision, because they don't want to pay for youth facilities. I'm about at the end of my rope, the local recreation commission held a meeting in my story time room to discuss storming the Boro Council on the kids' behalf, and the DJ, a tough and lovely woman, looks like she needs a year's vacation. When this little town's problem is solved, I'll let you know how we did it...

Regards--
Mary Anne