Street Drinker Violence

[Eagle]

Guess we ought to beg to differ. I do not buy the Daily Mail , cannot speak for others.

Hopefully a significant increase would reduce their consumption.

I realise they are sad cases , but it must be remembered some people do not feel safe walking by them or get offended by their language.

Surely they must be considered as well.

[Annie]

To be honest I'm more often offended by the language of and intimidated by the faux gangster posterings of bunches of kids walking up the High Street.

If we're talking about how certain behaviour can be 'perceived' as threatening, then children spitting, using that silly patois, dressed for b-ball in the prison yard, throwing fried chicken bones on the street, glaring at passers by and generally acting with as contemptuous an attitude that their adolescent rage can muster.

It is very easy to walk down the street and NOT intimidate anyone. I do it all the time. It takes an effort to intimidate. And some idiots love it.

yes I agree with you,many a time have I had to step off the pavement as a "line" of yoofs walk towards me taking up all the space,what worries me is my husband refuses to accept this,and walks "through" them!

[Maria]

I'm with your husband there: i often walk in the middle of/through groups of young people - ie young males often wearing hoodies like my grandson does (yoofs??) - and do you know, I've never felt intimidated.

I know there is crime around us, as there was where we lived till we moved here 2 years ago; it was in a very leafly area of North London but hardly a day went by when we didn't hear syrens and police commotions. It really is part of life these days unfortunately, something better be done about it, but in the meantime I don't intend to change my behaviour or live with fear.

Incidentally, I have a similar story to someone else's in the Forum, can't quite remember who; I left the house once to find 6 or 7 boys sitting on my house's outside wall; I wasn't frightned but I felt uneasy. So I turned back, spoke to them, told them I was most probably being quite a "wuss" as they say, but that they were making me feel ill at ease and unsettled and would they mind terribly getting up and going somewhere else. The classic reply was "oh well seing you are asking so nicely we will move. And they did. I met them some days later and we greeted each other like long lost friends - have no idea what they were doing/planning outside my house to this day, but they were fabulous.

[14BradfordRoad]

The trends and fashions like hoodies, the baggy joggers coupled with the patois weird
talk and overly assertive body language from young males (Yoofs! ) are all things that
youngster will grow out of (I hope). We've seen many varying trends amongst the young
throughout the years and generally speaking only relate to our own era (those were the
days, etc)..
The problem here is the drunken violent behaviour that people don't always grow out of
and the effect it has on the lives of others, their own children, spouse and the rest of
society. We can learn to understand it in some ways, disjointed lives, broken society but
many of us find it hard to excuse it. It's just not nice for anyone!

I know that this problem has to be tackled by addressing the root causes, that said this
will never be easy or plain sailing to achieve. In the meanwhile we can only consider any
methods that may help. I'm not convinced that high alcohol prices will be the entire answer
but I am warming to the idea that it may help, maybe not for the present alcoholics (maybe
little hope! ) but possibly for the future alcoholics and street drinkers!
We have to consider all options...

[Voyageur]

Thing is..... no matter what educational and supportive backgrounds people have, some will develop anti-social tendencies. My view is that we can't change the world so that everyone displays common decency and model behaviour.

I believe in good education, and a good level of family support is always preferable, but some people just aren't going to choose the path that society in general wants them to. Just saying....