Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I don't agree with the OP, we need to dig deeper into a lot of these youth to see how we can support them as a society. The recurring same policies and tactics are no longer working and therefore we cannot keep asking why longer-harsher prison sentences are not working. We need to work on a new revolutionary idea in criminal enforcement. Broken children become broken adults when coupled with generational trauma.
There is enough money in DC, but not enough social workers.
No, that’s not it. Harsh sentences absolutely do work, they just have to be consistently enforced. Have you been in Singapore?
Of course, it should be a multi-pronged approach. Consistent enforcement is just one aspect, and that must include the adults around these kids.
I heard a social worker on the radio this morning lamenting that he’s visited the kids’ homes who are repeatedly stealing cars and engaging in criminal activities.
His complaint: There were drugs in the home, and no food in the fridge.
To this I would say that these youths then should be removed from these environments that are not homes.
More social workers are not going to make a difference in these situations. These kids are already eligible for free food, free healthcare, and free education.
Support systems that kids in other countries could only dream of! Yet it does not help at all, it has no positive impact. Why is that?
Things not earned have no value. When you work to earn your food you appreciate. When you work to pay your rent or mortgage you are invested in the neighborhood.
Exactly, as the other poster said Singapore has some draconian laws, but hey they work. They ensure that crime is low. And keep in mind that Singapore is a very very expensive country/city to live in and has its own problems with poverty, but those people don't turn to crime.
As an immigrant from a country where it's hard to make something of yourself, whenever I hear people here complain about the "injustice" and etc, I simply scoff at that. I am sorry, you) they were born in the US, which provides people with boundless opportunities. It is on them to make something of themselves. And even then, they have many programs to support (as you said, kids in many countries would dream of that), yet those people turn to crime and people keep complaining about "systemic injustices" . I am sorry at some point it is a them problem, and If they turn to crime (especially violent crime), I am sorry but the full force of the law should be brought down upon them (max punishment, keeping them in jail before their trials, etc).
No thanks, I don't want to live in a back water 3rd world country like Singapore. Max punishment is not going to work because crime will still happen, it just means more underground deals and dirtier politicians who you think are keeping you safe but are not. If your country was so awesome in justice, equity and fairness you would not have moved to America. Obviously, as the news pointed out, the man was having a mental health crisis. Apart of fairness is equity and a social net. Countries without such can expect to fail and have the illest in society disrupt their peace.
I am pretty sure you couldn’t find Singapore on a map and have no idea anything about the country. Surveillance by cctv is everywhere and crime is harshly punished. As a result citizens give up some freedoms but live in a society where they don’t have to worry about getting randomly robbed and assaulted, walking over human feces, getting harassed by mentally unstable people, getting carjacked by a 13 year old, etc.
In the United States the car theft rate is 287 per 100,000 while in Singapore it is 1 per 100,000. In DC it is 651 per 100,000.
Singapore is the third safest country in the world.
A crappy Toyota Corolla in Singapore costs $120K because the government doesn’t want people to drive. If you give up freedom for security, you’ll pay for it everyday of your life.
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The US gives citizens a wide degree of freedom.
Anonymous wrote:
Cause the armed pre-teens are professionally trained? Give me a break. At least I’ll take a couple with me worst come to worst
I’d vote for a strong castle doctrine
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:It’s instructive that for most voters the Brexit vote wasn’t about wanting to Brexit but about sticking it to the government that ignored their concerns. I would hold my nose and abolish the Council and ANCs in a heartbeat
The ANCs are just a layer of extremist idealogues or codependent do gooders who further insulate the Council from real work. Scam town.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We should focus on housing, providing mental health services and other holistic wrap around services for teens and the mentally ill.... many of whom are Vietnam veterans.
I heard someone on the radio mention they are a social worker and found teens who are committing the acts do not have food in their homes and are often unsupervised due to lack of proper parental care.
This country should be ashamed of itself for not doing enough for its taxed citizens.
Failure to care for everyone in society leads to these kind of outcomes.
Uh... what? Vietnam vets are in their 70s and 80s now, if they are still alive. I do not think that's the primary source of criminality in the District in 2024. I mean, we should absolutely provide services to veterans, and mental health and related problems (including unemployment and homelessness) are still a major risk for vets. But most vets come from enlisted services these days and the VA actually offers pretty good services -- the problem is often making sure that vets have proper knowledge of available services and ensuring they have legal or other representation to help them navigate the agency.
Most of the troubling mental illness we see in DC right now, which is leading to a lot of the crime we are seeing, is the result of people who are veterans of... growing up in DC. Sad to say it, but I'd rather spend a tour in Iraq than spend my youth and adolescence in certain DC neighborhoods. This is a homegrown issue.
Many of the unhoused claim to be Vietnam vets. Are you saying they are liars?
NP. Yes 100%. Perhaps it’s part of their drug induced delusions.
Anonymous wrote:It’s instructive that for most voters the Brexit vote wasn’t about wanting to Brexit but about sticking it to the government that ignored their concerns. I would hold my nose and abolish the Council and ANCs in a heartbeat