In wake of violence, Norfolk group calls for parental responsibility

Maybe Cindy McCain's new book will give us all the answer. Don't you think?

Whoever wants to make comments about the Norfolk Police Department killing african americans may want to look into some hard to face facts. The african american community is shooting and killing their own at alarming rates. The violence that takes place in Norfolk between african americans is staggering. Crime should not be tolerated by anyone or any community regardless of color.

People can grow and change . . . perhaps he has reconsidered things since the last time around. Cheers, MGM

I thank him for stepping up on this issue and hope his efforts are a success.

kill more Black people than the Norfolk police, that's where you need to direct your energy and stop trying to blame everyone else for the lack of personal responsibility.

How did we get Hillary Clinton in the thick of all of this?

The comments made in reference to parental responsibility has nothing to do with Norfolk Police shooting a 17 year old juvenile and leaving her body on the floor of the apartment for 9 hours. I applaud Mr. Howard and his group, but murder is murder. How many times have the Norfolk Police went to a hostage situation involving a 'white person' and the situation ended with the person's life being taken? In reference to the person talking about the mentally challenged Black man Anthony Grier shot down by Norfolk Police in January 2006 that was accused of robbery, no gun was ever found and no video was ever produced to show that Anthony Grier had a gun, yet it was classified by the Commonwealth's attorney Jack Dolye as justifiable just like the 'white police officer who gunned down Seneca Darden. The murder of Black people in the city of Norfolk is business as usual when it comes to Norfolk Police. In t

First thing is these kids need to have parents! Giving birth to a child does not mean you are a parent!

Once Hillary said that it takes a village to raise a child, she seemed to inadvertantly give many parents carte blanche for assuming somebody else would raise their kids while they worked, watched soap operas, or whatever. We see it all the time, and white parents rank right up there with ignoring their kids in public. How many good restaurants do you enter where the kids get their own table away from the adults and run around, ruining the meals of people around them? This is not guns and drugs, but the parents are equally oblivious. Even community events can involve kids at a potluck charging the tables before everybody else, taking four times as much food as they can eat, leaving very little for the adults behind them in line, then running around in narrow spaces between tables when the adults finally get seated to eat the leftovers. Sadly, no one has seemed to teach these parents to teach their

What's really sad is that someone has to tell Parents they are responsible for their own children. I guess when you are a teenager youself you can't be expected to take care of or guide another. Stop expecting other people to raise your children or stop having them!

that's what's missing in these communities. I find it ironic that Mr. Howard would be leading this. If my memory serves me, it was he who a few years ago was smearing the Norfolk Police after the shooting of a mentally deranged man before the facts in the case ever came out. And when they did, the shooting was deemed justified. Until the leaders of the black community start teaching their young men to respect authority, the police, teachers, etc..., nothing is going to change for the better. All these meeting in Norfolk and Chesapeake are much to do about nothing...empty talk, yeah the participants feel good when they leave after hearing the rousing speeches from the Cheif of Police and the City Manager, but it stops there....nothing is being accomplished...too many words-not enough deeds!

It's about time that someone stood up and said it! But, words are one thing, action is quite another. Words mean nothing unless the action backs it up. I just hope this isn't them placating themselves...

When teenagers are out at all hours of the day and night with no supervision - they are bound to get into trouble. Bad actors are just waiting to fill the void that parents should be filling. Are parents too busy, just don't care, or have given up? That is the questions that needs to be answered. In any casy, parents should be asking some very simple questions:
1. Where are you going?
2. Who are you going with?
3. No alcohol or drugs.
4. Be back by (time) and don't be late.
5. Enforce your rules and check up on them.
or
6. Pick them up at the jail.
If parents would do these simple things, you could save your child's life.

This movement is long overdue. When parents have been informed by the schools for years that their child has major problems, they don't want to hear it. The teachers/schools are blamed for what is ultimately the result poor parenting.

If a minor is in a gang and/or has possesion of guns/illegal paraphenalia, the parent should not be allowed to play the ignorance card. Look at Columbine, VT and this situation. If parents don't know the activities which apply to their own child, they ARE negligent shown by lack of involvement in their child's life. When they know their kid has problems, it is their duty to get them adequate help!

Like I said, the schools see it very early - and sadly, it is only getting worse. School accountability is good, but parental accountability should go hand-in-hand. Parent report cards need to be instituted that grade them on the level of support and involvement in the

Taking responsiblity for your children and their actions. It's about time people do this! Of course, this means people will have to discipline their children and we all know that won't happen due to perceived fears of social services coming into their homes. Well, tough people! Without discipline in the home and responsibile parents we'll continue to have the heathens we are creating and sending into the real world. "Spare the rod, spoil the child" comes to mind. Make your children responsible, respectful citizens or we'll continue down the spiral we're already on.

Twenty years ago in Northern Virginia, my wife and I turned in our youngest son for shoplifting some candy, which he had eaten. The police drove him, with us following, to the store where we compelled him to confess to the store owner. Our son had to pay for the candy and was barred from the store (a popular kid's hangout) for life. He received a 90-day suspended sentence in juvie hall.
Fifteen years ago in San Diego, my wife and I turned in our oldest son for "tagging" some local businesses with some of his wannabe gangbangers. He had just gotten his drivers license (but wasn't driving that night), which was then revoked for a year. He also had to scrub the graffiti off the wall as much as possible, and then pay the business owner for the cost of paint and labor to paint over the rest of it. He also received a 2-year suspended sentence.
Neither son has ever had any further problems with the law, and both ha

Some times the only way to save your children is to turn them in to the police. You can't tell me that the parents of these kids hanging on the corners, selling drugs, running with gangs, perpetrating criminal acts, have guns in their homes, don't know about it. They chose to ignore it because they realize that it is their neglect that allows this to happen. We as a society need to hold parents to a much higher standard than what we do now. We also need to start to hold them legally responsible for the criminal acts of their children. Do you shoot the dog that is put on you, or do you shoot the person that puts the dog on you? I say you shoot the person, and then shoot the dog. It should be the same with the children and the parents. Hold them criminally responsible, disrupt their lives, make them go to court, make them do time for their negligence. You can no longer turn your backs on your childrens actions or y

What a great group, taking ownership for issues affecting black families. This is such a delicate situation that no white person could have called for this. Not one of us would dare make any assumptions about the mother/father of the young lady who was shot, yet this black group has strongly called for more parental oversight of teens. Great job, people!!!!!! Cheers, MGM

That girl did not own that gun, and we need to know when she got it from and where other juveniles get theirs in these violent crimes. Parent(s) need to be responsible and accountable for their kids crimes. Enough is definately enough, and like the gentlemen said how many senseless deaths have to occur before parent(s) start taking care of their children, but what they are doing is equal to child abuse and neglect. That should be punishable by law.