19 arrested at Chicago mall – where were moms when teen melee shut the mall?
Page 2 of 2
Ford City Mall senior general manager John Sarama says the incident wasn't related to an appearance by the boy band Mindless Behavior, which ended about 45 minutes earlier, and I completely agree. Just watch any of the videos by the band and all you will come away with is a sticky feeling from the sweet lyrics of teen love and searching for the one who will understand your soul.
However, back in the day when bands worked hard to create public unrest we had Michael Philip (a.k.a. Mick) Jagger, then 24, striding toward the American Embassy in Grosvenor Square tossing musical matches at the teen powder keg with every step he took.
Jagger and the Stones didn’t sing of finding Mrs. Right; the song largely credited with the London riots 40 years ago was “Street Fighting Man.”
Everywhere I hear the sound of marching, charging feet, boy
'Cause summer's here and the time is right
for fighting in the street, boy
But what can a poor boy do?
Except to sing for a rock'n'roll band
'Cause in sleepy London town
There's just no place for a street fighting man
Hey! Think the time is right for a palace revolution
But where I live the game to play is compromise solution
Well then what can a poor boy do
Except to sing for a rock'n'roll band
'Cause in sleepy London town
There's no place for a street fighting man, no
So when parents say “I smell trouble,” there’s reason to pay attention. As parents we need to sniff out the trouble spots and add some prevention to the mix.
It’s hard to attend the events with your teen, but perhaps the knowledge that a parent awaiting in the parking lot (where most of the damage and animal behavior took place) would have short-circuited the riot, looting and arrests.
I know how hard it is to be “Mom’s Taxi Service” but in the cases like these we need to be more nosy about who’s in the parking lot for our teens. I’d rather drive to the mall for a pickup than the police station for a bail out.
