THUNDER BAY – I am not going to lie. I was happy to hear about the curfew for minors that our new Mayor of Thunder Bay, Keith Hobbs` is planning to enforce, finding midnight to be more than fair, and was honestly surprised about the mixed feelings I have heard throughout the day about the subject. Is it really demographical profiling or really just common sense?
It is not a secret that teenagers are not known for their abstract thinking or common sense.
They are also not usually known for thinking about the consequences of their actions, personal responsibility or accountability.
This is not to say anything negative about adolescents in general because really they have a completely legitimate reason for these things and for the most part, so much of it is not even in their control.
Adolescents, for the most part, just don’t have the “hardware upstairs“ needed to understand the totality of these concepts. Study after study has shown that the part of our brain called the prefrontal lobe, simply is not fully developed yet. It is that simple.
I am not implying for one second that every single teenager does not know the reason between right and wrong and is therefore going to go out and cause trouble. There are many, many young adolescents in this city that are very smart individuals and contribute nothing but positive society.
I am also not implying that I believe this curfew is necessary for that reason in general. Of course, crime prevention is an issue but my real concern with minors being out all hours of the night is more what could happen to them, as opposed to what mischief they may get into.
I know I would never get into a car with a stranger now at 29, but a “ride was a ride“ when I was a minor, and I am sure my feelings of invincibility back then were not abnormal. I just luckily never got into the wrong car.
I agree with Jay Stapleton when he says that “demographic profiling is not an acceptable prevention strategy.“
I just don`t believe this is a case of demographic profiling more than just plain old fashioned common sense.
Kelty Stapleton
The opinions expressed in all of our editorials are those of the authors.