# How ought communities react to youth "takeovers"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 11, 2025, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-ought-communities-react-to-youth-takeovers/1020748 "2025-07-11T19:17:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-ought-communities-react-to-youth-takeovers/1020748/81 "2025-07-14T19:40:11Z")
We also generally don’t think of e.g. 15yos as “children”. They aren’t adults, but they aren’t “children” either. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-ought-communities-react-to-youth-takeovers/1020748/82 "2025-07-14T19:51:02Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > I’m reminded of when I asked my doctor about a particular treatment, and he said that he’s not generally in favor of recommending a treatment that can destroy your liver just to correct a minor annoyance. That’s kind of where I am. Practically speaking, going in there with force might create more problems than they solve. > [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > This is probably part of the point. “Black people taking over the pool at a mostly white town” suggests maybe that Black youths have problems accessing that pool. Something that in America, obviously has no historical precedent. I don’t know if this is really about pools. Aren’t these take overs happening in other locations? You’re not wrong about pools though. A community pool used to be a source of municipal pride, but they started shutting down largely because of desegregation in the 60s and 70s. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-ought-communities-react-to-youth-takeovers/1020748/83 "2025-07-14T19:53:27Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Are there guidelines for organizers? If you want people to come to your underground rave (or even completely legal party), you need to advertise it. How do you keep 10x as many people as you have capacity for from showing up? Presumably you have access control and not just letting them all in, but now the crowds are there and this is a less than ideal situation. In general if there is an organizer it’s illegal. We are not talking about a christening that had a few too many guests. These are commercial enterprises being held in an area where such activities are not legal, and for good reason. There are multiple ordinances and laws that cover it. There are businesses that are designed specifically to handle such things. It’s just cheaper to do it at a house where they can make life miserable for those that live around them. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2025, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-ought-communities-react-to-youth-takeovers/1020748/84 "2025-07-14T20:10:30Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > Practically speaking, going in there with force might create more problems than they solve. I have a place with an HOA and there are constant complaints about kids coming over from a nearby community to ride their dirtbikes around on our (private) streets. Ultimately, though, “doing something about it” would require our community security force to chase kids with our security vehicles and somehow capture them for the State Police to come get them. That’s going to get some kid hurt, even if it’s just them riding too fast and hitting a culvert. As annoying as the vroom vrooms are, a big special assessment to compensate some delinquent’s family is a way bigger deal to me, even discounting entirely the fact that I don’t want some kid maimed because he was annoying the community. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-ought-communities-react-to-youth-takeovers/1020748/85 "2025-07-15T00:18:42Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > I don’t know if this is really about pools. …I’m not really arguing it is. I’m suggesting that the story in the OP _might_ be about pools. And I’m suggesting that something more might be going on here. For starters: the fact that more Black people and people of colour reportedly do more “take overs” could be because they do more take overs. Or it _could_ be that Black people simply generate more outrage, and when white people do it, it’s just a bunch of slightly over-zealous sports fans overturning cars or setting buses on fire. A group of Black kids “taking over a pool” are being conflated with “street drag races” as if they are the same thing. And then “youth takeovers” becomes something that needs to be addressed, when in reality it isn’t all just one thing. These are different things. This is how things escalate. The story told in the OP suggests something that should be addressed with community engagement, youth programmes, and directly addressing the issue. The “street takeovers” in Milwaukee mentioned in the second post would require a different approach in the short term, but in the long term, community engagement etc, would also be needed. But it isn’t useful to conflate the two. Because those proposed $500 fines for doing donuts at three in the morning might also be levied at the kid who hopped over a fence to go for a swim. I’m more worried about the over-reaction to “youth takeovers.” > **[Community and police prevent "teen takeover" at Aurora Town Center](https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/community-police-prevent-teen-takeover-aurora-town-center/)** > > Aurora Police and community members were out in force, responding to flyers promoting a gathering that many feared could mirror a recent event in Denver where teens clashed. > [@](#): > > The mall also implemented new rules for the day. Starting at 3 p.m., teens had to be accompanied by an adult to enter. APD was seen responding to an isolated incident with an 18-year-old that afternoon – but the mall remained calm. When society have decided that teens have to be accompanied by adults to enter a mall, and the police are called out to _enforce_ that law, something seriously is going wrong here. What the hell is really going on? Do you feel safer? More from that article: > [@](#): > > “If you’re coming to shop or spend time with family – welcome,” the department wrote on X. “If you’re coming to cause disruption – expect to be arrested.” From linked reporting: > [@](#): > > Authorities said there was no damage reported. Although two small items were reported stolen from one of the businesses, police said it’s unclear if that was related to this group. No arrests were made. > **[Denver police looking into planned "takeover" events after numerous teens...](https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/denver-police-takeover-events-numerous-teens-fight-at-mall/)** > > The Denver Police Department is looking into planned "takeover" events after it said hundreds of teens gathered at a mall and started multiple fights. Allegedly, multiple fights at this takeover resulted in no damage and zero arrests. It makes me wonder exactly how dangerous these takeovers really are, or how much of this is being driven by the same culture of fear that has led to American gun culture, militarised police forces and rounding up immigrants off the streets. > [@](#): > > “We don’t understand the end goal of something like this, but we do understand our kids are trying to tell us something,” said MiDean Shofner, a community member who spent the afternoon near the mall entrance. “This is a wake-up call to listen.” > > Shofner says she came not to confront teens, but to engage them. She says many are craving attention, community, and a sense of purpose – and the so-called “takeovers” reflect a need adults have long failed to meet. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-ought-communities-react-to-youth-takeovers/1020748/86 "2025-07-15T00:22:15Z")
Really, this might be the most face to face engagement teens these days ever get. It could well be driven by a desire to you know, _see_ people. Not saying this is the best way to do it. But it could be driven by an unmet need. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2025, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-ought-communities-react-to-youth-takeovers/1020748/87 "2025-07-15T08:46:30Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > When society have decided that teens have to be accompanied by adults to enter a mall, and the police are called out to _enforce_ that law, something seriously is going wrong here. What the hell is really going on? Do you feel safer? Our society hates and fears the young. Note for example that there’s a machine called the [Mosquito](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mosquito) used by many businesses used to drive away young people by emitting a sound older people can’t hear. People _pay money_ and buy _specialized equipment_ to drive the young away. So I’m _very_ skeptical about all this handwringing over supposed “takeovers”. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2025, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-ought-communities-react-to-youth-takeovers/1020748/88 "2025-07-16T03:45:54Z")
Over 30 years ago, I dated a man who owned a record store, and if he had customers that he thought might be troublemakers, or closing time was approaching, he would put on classical music. In the years since, I’ve read about places like convenience stores installing Muzak and the like to deter loiterers. My ex-boyfriend never failed to be amazed at who knew what was being played. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2025, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-ought-communities-react-to-youth-takeovers/1020748/89 "2025-07-16T05:02:12Z")
Yeah, a surprising number of young people and/or poor people whom I (an uncool frumpy bourgeois type) might not initially guess to be a classical music fan actually listen to their local public radio classical station quite a bit. They may not tell their cooler friends about it (or for all I know, they may be the cooler friend), but they like it. My response to the “youth takeover” scenario if, say, a couple hundred of the local high schoolers had an impromptu “block party” on my residential small-city street and blocked traffic: - kids dancing and playing touch football, cars having to go down neighboring streets instead: oh that’s kind of sweet, these crazy spunky kids, I’d probably bake some cookies to pass around - kids trampling the flowers and throwing litter, angry altercations with drivers: oh I don’t like this, I hope they go soon - kids getting into serious fights, property damage, gunshots heard: yiiiiiiikes, sheltering in place till cops arrive I would rather like it if option (1) was a thing in my area, but I worry that if you try to encourage option (1) you may end up with option (2) or (3). ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2025, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-ought-communities-react-to-youth-takeovers/1020748/90 "2025-07-20T22:18:39Z")
> **[Ohio woman learns her fate after helping to orchestrate chaotic street...](https://local12.com/news/nation-world/ashlyn-rogers-ohio-woman-learns-her-fate-for-allegedly-orchestrating-chaotic-street-takeovers-in-2024-cincinnati-crime-criminal-activity-allegations-prison-sentence-probation-jail-credit-responsibility-deeply-regret-choices-remorse-therapy-cleveland?-fbpost&fbclid=IwQ0xDSwLqSi5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHg5Hx0L9LwQrQ2uZ0r2VDGuOnzOZmHhFndx8W6lbgBx9DBhNaBeRPUGQ9JgZ_aem_5IQLm0yFc-4GdpO1kLyJaQ)** > > 'I want to express that I take full responsibility for my actions.' ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2025, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-ought-communities-react-to-youth-takeovers/1020748/91 "2025-07-23T23:35:01Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > CAN YOU DIG IT?? They needed an entire radio station working for them, to make that assembly of unruly kids happen. Have you any idea how much paperwork that requires? (Does The Warriors say whether its AM or FM?) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2025, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-ought-communities-react-to-youth-takeovers/1020748/92 "2025-07-24T04:06:26Z")
You know, I never thought about it before, but, according to the very first words spoken in the movie, Cyrus sent an emissary to make sure it was still on. Now that is some old-school etiquette. (And a bit of a flex, as he must have had dozens of messengers going all over the city.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-ought-communities-react-to-youth-takeovers/1020748.md?page=4)