Dear Editor,

I am forwarding the information in the article found at the link below, in light of your support for the Jamaican police’s decision to ban pre- and post-Champs fêtes (Editorial: “Good move on Champs, officers”, Tuesday, March 23). Once again, you were supporting reactions to social problems which means that the well-intentioned, law-abiding majority should suffer because of the lawless minority. And we always fail to see how that line of thinking will always ensure that the minority will continue to do what they do, because they suffer along with everyone else!

Here is a city, Philadelphia, that is facing something similar, and what do the authorities do? They become proactive, in a different way than banning things. They monitor, they plan ahead, and importantly, “Philadelphia is stepping up enforcement and ratcheting up penalties against juveniles in an effort to put an end to the roving groups wreaking havoc in downtown business and tourist districts.” They do not simply decide to shut down every fun event that people have. They target the offenders and the offensive behaviour. Hence, we can have as part of the headline: “The bad behaviour stops now!”

Perhaps Jamaica could learn from this! See link below.

news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100325/ap_on_re_us/us_philly_teen_mobs

Anthony Beecham

anthonybeecham@yahoo.com