Did This Upstate Mom Deserve To Get A Ticket Because of Her Kid?
A North Country mom was ticketed by authorities after neighbors called to complain about her child's behavior. The child's bad behavior? Playing in the street outside their home.
Tamara Graveline, of Ogdensburg, was ticketed because her 11-year-old son was playing basketball in the road. According to Syracuse.com, the "crime" violates Ogdensburg municipal code section 153-4: "No person shall play ball or knock or kick any ball or play any other game or sport in any public street, lane or alley in this city." Tamara was given the "Parental Responsibility Notice" on February 24th.
In a passionate post on Facebook, Tamara says "This is what happens when (obscenity) neighbours don't have anything else to do with their time. These kids are playing basketball not robbing your house. Beyond ridiculous. Maybe this is part of society's problem. They aren't hurting you one bit. Maybe you have to slow down when you drive by. You should be anyways. There is a stop sign sign there. If it were kids doing this it would be called bullying. Stop calling the cops, they have better things to do with their time. Somehow, someway I hope your family member reads this because you look like an idiot. Because of course I'm not friends with these people. And by chance any of these kids gets a break in life due to playing in the street won't you look like an (obscenity). Cuz I'm pretty sure almost every NBA and NHL played in the road in their life time at some time. Maybe the country should ban selling basketball hoops. Cuz that's what governments do....make stupid decisions. Just like playing in the road is an offense."
In a country where childhood obesity is on the rise, and we're trying to get kids outside to play, does it make sense to ticket parents when kids play? For those of us who grew up in an urban setting - street spots were a regular part of life - from chase to stick ball to street hockey. None of our parents ever got a ticket for it. This is a stupid law, and should be changed.
What do you think?
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