Teenagers arrested over latest bout of rock throwing
(CNS): Following the reports yesterday that more rocks were being thrown at cars, this time along Shamrock Road, police said today (Wednesday 22 July) that they have now arrested two juveniles in connectionwith the incident. The teenagers attended Bodden Town police station accompanied by their parents and have been released on police bail. The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) had issued a warning to motorists in the Eastern Districts on Tuesday after receiving three separate reports of cars being hit by rocks in the early hours of the morning as they drove on Shamrock Road in the vicinity of Kelly’s Apartments and Rankin’s Jerk Centre.
Inspector Ian Yearwood today encouraged the community to continue to be vigilant while driving, particularly at night and report any suspicious activity or rock throwing incidents to police.
The police also arrested another juvenile at the beginning of this month following reports of rocks hitting vehicles after dark along the east-west-arterial in Savannah.
“This is extremely dangerous behaviour which could result in serious injury or death,” said Inspector Yearwood. Anyone with information about the rock throwing is asked to contact Bodden Town police station on 947-2220 or Crime Stoppers on 800-8477 (TIPS).
A women in Cincinnati (USA) almost died last month when a rock thrown by teenagers broke her skull as it flew throw the open window of the car in which she was a passenger.
All persons calling Crime Stoppers remain anonymous, and are eligible for a reward of up to $1000, should their information lead to an arrest or recovery of property/drugs.
Category: Local News
The divide between Caymanians and expatriates certainly shines in this thread and I note who has raised it. The anti-Caymanian sentiment within some factions of the expatriate community here is alarming and is what causes Caymanians to react as we ordinarily wouldn’t.
What does nationality have to do with the ignorant behaviour of young people? Regardless of who they are, these kids were wrong and such behaviour should not be tolerated. Likewise, the kids from Cayman Prep and High who it was alleged did a similar thing, if they were expatriate or Caymanian, were equally wrong and they all should have a good old fashioned Caymanian whipping to straighten them out!
Parents need to take more control of their children (regardless of nationality!) and the rest of us in society must also become gatekeepers. So, stop squabbling amongst yourselves about the Caymanian/expat issue – you are behaving like the kids! For once try to focus on reality.
In response to Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 07/24/2009 – 08:23
Blame it on the expats, you always do, but this was Caymanian thugs.
Regardless of nationality the youths and parents should be punished harshly. It’s got nothing to do with ‘broken homes’ or that rubbish. As you say, rich kids are just as bad if their parents neglect them.
What we can’t do is turn a blind eye because they are caymanian and fighting for the attention of their drunken parents.
It never seems to amaze me how much "expatriates" have to say about Caymanians but yet they live in Cayman – the country where Caymanians are from… Funny how that works.
There are "bad" seeds every where and it all comes back to the parenting they are receiving and not receiving. Children are products of their environment.
It may also be very helpful if you stopped using terms like yobs, thugs and drunken parents because 1) anyone’s parents rich or poor can be drunken and 2) who are you to call the offspring of anyone a thug or a yob.
It comes down to mutual respect. You are in MY country and you should respect me and I respect you regardless of your race/religion etc. because you are a human being and my mother raised me to have a little brough-upsey( to throw a little be of Caymanian slang in)!
Say what you want about my people but at the end of the day that is exactly what they are – my people. You will gain an once of respect from ANYONE talking with the condescending tone in which you do.
I agree that to label these two youth’s thugs because of their nationality (note how everyone assumes they are born Caymanian) is totally wrong. To label them thugs, idiots, criminals, yobs or any other derogatory name because of their actions is understandable.
The Ex-pat / Caymanian divide is exacerbated by some of the posts blaming the behavior on society not providing for them. For two long now excuses have been found to mitigate senseless behavior I note one posting suggesting that the actions were driven by the fact that here were two young Caymanians who could not get a job!
There are certainly similar if not worse crimes committed in all the countries of the world, so to try and bring nationality into is ridiculous but I can understand the frustration of some Ex-pats as we once again find excuses for our young people’s stupidity by blaming the ex-pat population.
The actions were stupid, dangerous and yes thuggish…no if’s, buts or maybes.
In response to:
Obviously with them being
From your use of the word "yobs" I can only assume that you are British…Just to let you know that about two years ago a bunch of Cayman Prep schools students, many of whom are probably from "good homes" with law abiding expatriot parents, were caught throwing rocks at cars driving on Walker’s Rd. Should these parents be sterilized?
The truth is there are good and bad in every group. Some expats might be too busy going out to bars on Friday nights with their mates to properly parent. I have seen many who go to a local watering hole and let their children run amuck whilst they drink.
Bad parenting and its consequences are not limited to any one culture/class.
I am happy to hear that someone is being help responsible for this irresponsible, inconsiderate, stupid behaviour! If these silly kids were to stop and think rationally about what they are doing, they would realize how very dangerous their actions are. What if they cause someone to run off the road and kill themselves?? How would they feel then? What if this was happening to them or to their family members?? They need to STOP and THINK about the big picture! Not just about having idol fun! They need to find constructive things to do with their time and NOT destructive things! I am so scared going home at night with my child in the car because I’m afraid something terrible like this could happen to us. All because of immature, selfish kids who obviously have NO RESPECT for themselves or their families, much less anyone else on this island.
To Aunonymous posted at 9.03
so are you saying that if they would have a job, they wouldn’t have thrown rocks? What sense does that make? Do you know how much efforts they have put forward to find employment? Perhaps they did everything they could to find jobs, perhaps they have been treated badly, however, nothing is an excuse for taking it out on innocent people who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time!
To tie this into comments on other threads: These kids were only throwing rocks because they are not employed. The RCIPS has been kind enough to identify two young people in need of jobs. Who will be the brave soul to come forward and offer them jobs?
No one?
In reply to tie into comments…
Brilliant suggestion! Don’t bother with further education, don’t bother with job experience, don’t bother trying to be adult in demeanor, just throw some rocks at cars and someone is forced into giving you a job. Tell me if you actually injure a driver while doing this does it entitle the rock thrower to amanagerial position?
Or even better kill someone and you get set up for life with a paid pension. "Brave soul" more like deluded to employ two teenagers like this!
Just a thought.
Obviously with them being Caymanian youths they will be let off with a slap on the wrist and everybody will be blamed except them and their disgraceful parents, but this time the lawmakers need to set an example to other teenage thugs that this kind of anti-social behaviour is not acceptable. There’s no excuse for this kind of thuggery, they will blame the lack of jobs, too many expats etc etc, but these are the scumbags who don’t want to work anyway, because these delinquents have been dragged up by lazy idle parents they end up acting like them. They are the one’s who make up our unemployment figures but have no intention of working, they make enough through dealing and the odd burglary.
Unfortunately a short sharp shock is needed to get them to realise that their behaviour is not acceptable. Maybe a couple of years in prison and they should be forced to work so that when they get out they know the value of work and won’t go back to smoking ganja all day and causing trouble instead of going to work.
As for the parents, 5 years in prison and compulsory sterilization to stop them being able to have any more little yobs.
Its the Caymanians that will suffer in the long term if they don’t stamp out youth thuggery before it’s too late. The law abiding and do-good expats will leave when crime becomes too much, you’ll be left with only the criminal expats and no jobs, no money, no blackberry’s or 4×4 or jet-skis.
It is the society that is responsible to instruct its young people the proper and improper conduct within said society. Hopefully the parents are doing their job in teaching children right and wrong but if the message is not being adequately delivered to their children then the society must make it perfectly clear what it will and will not tolerate.
Coddling young people will only hurt them in the end.
What is wrong with people? How stupid can you get? I had the other day a good mind to get out of my car and slap two teenage idiots upside-down their head as they wrote their bicycles almost in the middle of the lane along the new by-pass up to Newlands instead of riding along the shoulder. When I blew my horn, to make them move out of thw ay, they had the nerve to compliment me with a couple of hand/finger gestures. I hope that the parents of these teenagers as well as the police are setting them straight so that they can learn a lesson for life! Can you imagine if some person could get hurt or worse killed with this BS. We need to start naming and shaming these kind of idiots so that thegeneral public can be aware. Why continue to protect people who are endangering others just because they are too stupid to think straight.
I trust that these persons will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. We have to set some kind of precedent here as this type of behavour is becoming too common amongst some of our young people. We should not wait until someone loses his or her life before taking this type of action to the courts.
Yes by all means, name and shame the juvies and the parents also, why are these thugs out on the streets at 3.30 a.m? Parents, where are your responsibilities? You should be made to pay for the damages that your dysfunctual kids have caused the innocent public to incur. What happened to the good parenting that the older caymanian parents gave us, it worked before, this way now of cursing out any one that speaks to your child or tries to correct them is what have us in this mess, dont come back now with your nasty attitude at the rest of the world. remember how you talked to your children, ridiculed others in front of them, remember what they see and hear they also do. So strat by correcting and respecting at home and please dont spare the rod either.