On Dec. 26, 2016, approximately 6,000 children somehow coordinated to have a massive fight inside shopping malls across 12 U.S. States. At 15 different malls across the Country, approximately 300 to 500 teenagers, ages 12-17, entered per mall to have a fight on command in the State of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.
Posted onto social media as the events unfolded nationwide, it became a national headline the following morning.
On Dec. 26, 2016, approximately 6,000 children somehow coordinated to have a massive fight inside shopping malls across 12 U.S. States. At 15 different malls across the Country, approximately 300 to 500 teenagers, ages 12-17, entered per mall to have a fight on command in the State of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.
Posted onto social media as the events unfolded nationwide, it became a national headline the following morning.
Local and national news shrugged it off as, “Oh, kids will be kids…”
After a few weeks, it had been forgotten.
Was that really the right thing to say?
The fact that these mall fights broke out should bother everyone. Our nation’s children literally coordinated across 12 states to have a massive brawl on the same day just for a laugh on social media. Let it sink in. Our government cannot even coordinate that fast! What those kids did that day is on the criminal record already.
Sgt. Chris Amsler, spokesman for the Aurora Police Department in Aurora, Colo., told reporters, “There was something going on on social media about a fight that was going to take place here, which is what drew all of these people who were up to no good to our mall.”
Are our kids getting more violent?
The sad truth is, yes.
The National Incident Based Reporting System is a database of crime statistics used by the FBI and the Department of Justice to keep track of crime data from police departments across the country. Every month, departments submit their numbers.
These are the numbers of total crimes against persons by location in 2016 coming from U.S elementary and secondary schools. They are considerably more violent than other locations one would expect.
At San Francisco’s B.A.R.T transportation system, a resurgence of ‘Wild West’ style raids happened onboard on two occasions in 2017. Fifty to 70 teenagers climbed on board during a stationed stop and robbed the passengers of their belongings after the trolley moved forward.
Some were held at knifepoint or threatened to be shot. Others got roughed up and punched in the face.
The teenagers escaped in a flash. The police never caught them all. This is criminal record.
“I’ve been here 24 years and this is the first time I’ve heard of anything like this happening,” said Keith Garcia, A BART police officer.
It should not surprise anyone to know that violence and hate are inseparable. Hate crimes occur on a national level. To keep track of hate crimes, the FBI maintains a national database accessible to the public. In 2016, U.S. elementary and secondary schools had more hate crimes (248) than other locations such as colleges and universities (210), bars and nightclubs (96) and corrections facilities (61).
Should we be worried that our kids might be getting more violent now?
Well, yes. The trend has only gone up. This is the growth in total crime offenses within the last six years according to the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System. From 2011 to 2016, there is a 129 percent increase in total offenses at elementary and secondary schools.
Oh, kids will be kids?
Elementary and secondary schools gained more total crime offenses than colleges/universities and U.S. Jails and prisons combined from 2016-2013. On the other hand, college/universities had a 167 percent drop in crime from 2011-2016.
How astonishing to see so many weapon law violations tallied by elementary and secondary schools. There were more weapons brought in those schools than all bar/ nightclubs, shopping malls, and colleges/universities combined in 2016.
Also, who do you guess had the most drug/narcotic offenses?
Worth mentioning, there are only four locations where crimes occur more than elementary and secondary schools, including homes, anywhere a car could drive and anywhere a car could park.
Published in Crime in the United States, 2016, there were 481,006 total juvenile offenders. 230,358 engaged in crimes against property. 97,919 juveniles committed crimes against society. 152,729 juveniles committed crimes against persons.
It is not a matter of asking if our children are absorbing too much violent content anymore. Now, it is about accepting the new normal that is violence. It is a kid.
