Follow-up to Bowden Park Alcohol Episode Crimes & Incidents, posted by Jan H., a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Sep 28, 2012 at 8:34 pm Jan H. is a member (registered user) of Palo Alto Online
On Friday, September 28, I ran into one of the children and her mother who witnessed the alcohol consumption and child endangerment episode the day before at Bowden Park. They were at Rinconada, having vowed not to go to Bowden again. The mother stated that she, too, had called police from her cell phone at a few minutes after 5:00 pm. Yet by 6:00 pm no police officers had arrived. Does anyone know if the police ever arrived at Bowden Park, and were the delinquent parents caught in the act, or had they already left? Was anyone cited? Can signs be posted forbidding the drinking of alcohol in neighborhood parks, especially in the presence of small children? What happened was irresponsible and negligent. Preventive measures should be taken to keep this from happening again!
Posted by Two cents, a resident of the Adobe-Meadows neighborhood, on Sep 29, 2012 at 1:25 am
The police did respond. It took a while because there are only a limmited number of cops on Palo Alto streets. The officer who responded investigated the matter and took a report. I'm not sure of what the final outcome was or if the investigation is still on-going.
Improving response times would be predicated on there being more cops on the street. Currently there are a dozen frozen police officer positions.
Posted by Jan H., a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Sep 29, 2012 at 8:37 am
A dozen frozen positions??? Has nothing been learned from Oakland, Richmond, and Vallejo??? Such measures CAUSE an increase in crime! Look at crime in PA now: huge increases in burglaries, robberies, assaults, thefts, etc.
Palo Alto is becoming a less and less desirable place to live, between negligent parents, crime, and ugly buildings, I really want to leave!
Posted by Jan H, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Oct 1, 2012 at 1:47 pm
What matters is that regardless of WHO is committing the crimes, resident or not, the crimes are being committed HERE in PA. There are simply not enough police on the street to prevent crimes, respond to calls, file reports, investigate crimes, etc. A two-hour response time for four calls about child endangerment is unacceptable. I wonder how long they take to respond to a call about a beating or stabbing in progress????
Posted by Jan H., a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Oct 1, 2012 at 3:10 pm Jan H. is a member (registered user) of Palo Alto Online
Sharon, these were Palo Alto residents ignoring the fact that very small children were drinking alcohol from cups left within their easy reach. A visible, posted sign displaying park rules would go a long way in keeping people from drinking alcohol on a public playground, which is illegal. And child endangerment ( a 20-lb toddler drinking 1-2 ounces of alcohol is extremely unhealthy) should not be a low priority. Unless, of course, no one cares about the future, which is what children are.
Posted by busted, a resident of the Crescent Park neighborhood, on Oct 1, 2012 at 6:08 pm
Jan. H. Story needs to be taken with s grain of salt. Yesterday she posted a racially charged thread regarding a local business, that the editors deleted. Who knows if this story is not another exaggeration. BTW,.Jan h,,.saw your letter in todays daily post.
Posted by Jan H., a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Oct 1, 2012 at 9:30 pm
That's mean.... My granddaughter was one of the toddlers trying to drink leftover wine out of a plastic cup. What if it were your child? I pulled her, another little girl, and a little boy away from the low table,on which the alcohol was sitting, and the parents did not seem to notice,,so absorbed they were in their conversation .
And why is it that when racism is committed against white people, or people of color accompanying white people, it is NOT considered racism?
Posted by Over Zealous, a resident of the Fairmeadow neighborhood, on Oct 2, 2012 at 10:16 am
Have you ever sat in a Cafe in rural France where all the locals drink wine of the district including the children? Just because American culture abhors the sight of children drinking wine other culture embrace it. It's time to be a little more open minded!!
Posted by Jan H, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Oct 2, 2012 at 1:18 pm
Yes, I am quite well-travelled, my husband extremely so. Keep in mind that France has the highest incidence of fetal alcohol syndrome in the world. I studied anthropology and know that in Normandy infants drink hard cider. That does not make it healthy or acceptable just because of culture. Remember foot-binding of girls in China and Japan? That was illegal for 50 years before it finally disappeared ! The argument was that it was cultural, Nevertheless, it was harmful and crippling. Even small amounts of alcohol are harmful to a small body and growing brain.
Besides, we are in America, and it is illegal here!
Posted by ducatigirl, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on Oct 25, 2012 at 12:59 pm ducatigirl is a member (registered user) of Palo Alto Online
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