Police must allowed to do their jobs

Back in the '60s and '70s, I lived in areas that are now identified as "safe passage routes." In those days these routes were relatively safe, sure youngsters got in fist fights, got cut lips and black eyes, some even stole hub caps, but safe passage was provided by patrol boys and not by 1,900 safe passage workers at a cost of $11 million.

This year an additional $1 million made it possible to support more than 100 schools across the city. What happened since the Patrol boys provide the safe passage for the children and now? In those days there was discipline, the teachers were able spank a student with a wooden spoon, switches, Ping-Pong paddles or just their bare hand and no one would call child services or the police to report abuse.

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of, they actually sided with the law, now if a parent uses a paddle on a son or daughter, they will call the police and have the parents arrested.

In the past twenty or thirty years people were not happy with what we had, they demanded changes and changes is what they got. Now we don't talk about riding a bike or walking to friend's house, rather we talk about the number of homicides.

Since Jan 1 through Dec. 22, 393 individuals were murdered. God knows how many were raped, wounded, shot, but survived. Thirty years ago safe passage provided by patrol boys meant crossing the streets, Today it means keeping drug addicts and gang members from shooting the students. In order to take our beautiful city back, discipline in school has to be reinstated and the police must be allowed to do their job.

Silvio Pontarelli

Mount Prospect