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Newspaper Page Text
: ujutjw v ,--p- yyte me, but he didn't want to offend any of his family by giving them publicity through his complaint, and asked me to say nothing about his family, and not again to give his address. In writing that letter in the first instance he showed, that by signing his name and giving liis-axldress he wasn't afraid to assume responsibility, but the moment others became involved and were disturbed by the pub licity he wanted to be guided by their judgment. I talked with other boys, too. And here is the situation as I get it from them. There was a large vacant lot where the -boys had played about two city block square or something less. Across the way there was another lot, but this was not available because of the dumping of dirt there. The big lot had been partially fenced in and used for a dump and a "-No Trespass ing Allowed" sign placed on the re mainder of it. It is about a mile from Douglas Park, and even before the boys were shut off the lot the light was bad at night, and the boys weren't always home in time to do much playing after supper before it got dark. It appears that some of the boys have been arrested at times and taken to the station. Then their par ents would be brought into the mat ter and things made unpleasant for the boys and their families. 'Some of the boys were afraid of -getting a police record by being ar rested for playing where they were not wanted yet they were not bitter at the policeman. I could greatly strengthen this story by telling some other facts, but must keep my word with the boys. However, I will draw some con clusion which may help city officials and others interested in boys to see things from a human point of view rather than from a property point of view. If it be true that property-owners complain and don't want boys to play on their vacant lands it may be be cause the owners haven't thought of the human side the boy side of . the argument. And it may be that the property-owners haven't thought at all, because they haven't been in formed that boys were driven to the streets and -sometimes- to police sta-Nl tions because they were not per mitted to play on vacant lots. "" Afew arrests of boys who have committed no crime, and not even a serious misdemeanor, is giving them police records. Itmay inspire them with hatred of the law and finally make criminals of some of them. It would be interesting to know how many men with criminal records made their first acquaintance with the law and the police by being ar rested for playing "round the Cor ner" or on lots, on the complaint of property owners. My attention was directed by one of the boys to the fact that the boys who go to school and play after school are not bothered; but the boys who work during the day and have to do their playing ia the evening are the ones complaints are made against. Do we assume that boys who have to work when they should b in school are the sons of poor people and hence can be driven from pillar to post with nobody to rush to their defense? Now I know that there are many boys who are called "bad" boys, but I have found often that the so-called "bad", boys were the bright boys, the boys with the most active minds and most vigorous spirits. I tried an experiment in another city years ago, where I was running a newspaper. The superintendent of' the public schools had been making public complaint of the. large amount of truancy. I sent a reporter, to the superintendent to get the name of tho ,, r.A rlag.tt.