Mom Who was Criticized for Letting Her Kid Walk Alone, Transforms Town

[Vitalux]

http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/images/stories/inspiration/Please_do_not_feed_the_fears.jpg



A few years ago, a mom in a small Mississippi town was chastised by neighbors and the press for teaching her 10-year-old son to walk to soccer practice by himself. The first time he set out on the route, which was less than a mile, a cop picked him up, scolded him that it wasn’t safe, and warned his mother that they’d received "hundreds" of calls to 911 about the boy out by himself, and she could be prosecuted for “child endangerment.”

That day marked a turning point for Lori LeVar Pierce.

Instead of cowering in shame, she called the chief of police and asked if the town really was so dangerous a kid couldn’t walk to soccer. The chief said it was very safe and apologized for the cop’s actions.

But the local newspaper believed its own version of reality, and saw foul play around every corner. They wrote, "The fact remains that things are different now. The days of Andy Griffith’s Mayberry and Leave It to Beaver are gone."

Lori set out to prove such fears were unnecessary. She even lobbied for -- and won -- an ordinance that now provides sidewalks anytime road or neighborhood construction is undertaken.

This week, the newspaper's editorial board finally came around, saying, "We should feel safe in our own neighborhoods."

They called for more discretion regarding calls to 911: "It seems we’ve all gotten paranoid." They suggested that just because you see teens loitering on the corner, or a 10-year-old out walking alone, doesn't mean trouble is brewing.

Source : http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/most-popular/mom-whose-kid-walks-alone-transforms-town.html

[conk]

Sometimes the snake on the path is just a rope.

[chancy]

Sometimes the snake on the path is just a rope.

Hello Everyone: Sometimes it's not just a rope! Where I come from the government has made it mandatory to integrate sex offenders into the communities. Whether they received help or not in prison they are released into nice family communities.
I do not believe in fear sensationalism BUT a community has the right to know that there are sex offenders in their community put their by the government. (We the people are the financiers of government programs therefore we have and deserve a say in what happens with our dollars spent)
Myself believing that the streets are safe for kids is a priority BUT when it's proven that there are people that are already proven to be trouble that's another story.
My hat is off to this Mom for her due diligence. However there are snakes lurking the sidewalks which parents need to due their due diligence in regards to.
chancy

[chancy]

Hello everyone:

A tidbit of what I am talking about in my previous post:
The first paragraph says it all.
Here is the link:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/canada/59562-spotlight-pot-penalties-caught-pm-s-attention

chancy

[conk]

Sometimes the snake on the path is just a rope.

Hello Everyone: Sometimes it's not just a rope! Where I come from the government has made it mandatory to integrate sex offenders into the communities. Whether they received help or not in prison they are released into nice family communities.
I do not believe in fear sensationalism BUT a community has the right to know that there are sex offenders in their community put their by the government. (We the people are the financiers of government programs therefore we have and deserve a say in what happens with our dollars spent)
Myself believing that the streets are safe for kids is a priority BUT when it's proven that there are people that are already proven to be trouble that's another story.
My hat is off to this Mom for her due diligence. However there are snakes lurking the sidewalks which parents need to due their due diligence in regards to.
chancy

Agreed! Not saying we should not educate our children about the dangers and challenges they may face. There ARE snakes, yes. But so many see a threat under every leaf and live their lives in a constant state of suspense and anticipation. Generally speaking, we get what we expect.

[pugwash84]

I think it depends on the child. Would the child know to disobey an adult if they thought the adult was wrong?, Would the child be able to communicate to tell someone if something was wrong?, would the child know who to talk to if something was wrong?, does the child know his/her phone number and address in an emergency?, Does the child know how to cross the road safely and does the child feel safe when walking alone. To me the parent needs to be thinking about these questions and taking into account on the way the child is, if the child is a daydreamer and often forgets where he/she is then it may not be safe but if the child is responsible for his/her age then 10 years old isn't too bad. Each child is different and this should be taken into account. If people don't let their children out in fear of something happening, then how are children supposed to learn simple things like walking down the street on their own. Children have to learn to grow up, or are they going to be holding Mummys hand still when walking down the street and crossing the road at 30! lolol

[Cidersomerset]

Great story this is something I have been saying for years, When i was a boy i walked to school in the 1960's from the age of 7/8 years old
about amile there and a mile back along busy main roads.....My mother warned me not to speak to strangers and there was the usual
hype of the 'Gypsies,Tinkers' might get you !! nothing against (Gypsies thats what was said ).....The Moors murders were also in the sixties...

I noticed a big change in the eighties here, when a few high profile cases caused hype and fear and all of a sudden every stranger especially
male was a potential child taker , and most people started to take their children to school by car and the notorious traffic conjestion
of the school run began.. Now no one wants their kids exposed to danger, but I do wonder if all this is part of the general 'fear'
culture to keep us dumbed down..Lately I've noticed in the last few years kids are being encouraged to walk because of lack
of exercise etc..

The point is if half as much crime happened as is percieved to happen no one would leave the house, obviously some places are
at greater risk than other and as have already been said it depends on the confidence of the child...Front line police numbers
for this area Town & villages for a population of Aprox 50'000 is less than 100, I'l try and find the figures....
and the police station is open 8.30am -4.30pm...though I presume there is an emergncy responce....
The point is we are kept scared by the media ...imho...Steve

http://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/contact/policestationlocator/Details.aspx?sid=32

[Anchor]

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Oh by gosh - YES!

She is doing an amazing thing here - thanks for posting the thread.

We need to challenge this fear BS - and challenge it hard.