>They do not have specific neighborhoods here, so they go to the malls and college areas. I guess in some other cities up north they stay in their own areas. Areas where people who live in nice neighborhoods don't go. I guess that would be safer.
>
>http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/3305482/

This is really a pebble in your shoe, isn't it? How come? Just curious.

I suppose me position on the whole parental vigilance is closest to Nick Mason's, among those who have weighed in here. I am not blind to the dangers out there, and have made sure my daughters aren't blind to them, either, but believe kids will be handicapped as adults if they are kept on too short a leash. This outlook comes specifically from my own experiences. I realize others have seen the dark side more closely and are therefore more protective.