You've Got to be Kidding: Cops Steal Childhood

From my ex-hometown newspaper, the Barrow Journal:

"Three boys, two of them 8 and 10, were arrested by Auburn police officers the day after Christmas for name-calling and fighting.

"According to a police incident report, the 10-year-old boy, from Loganville, was skateboarding in front of his mother’s Auburn apartment building on Mount Moriah Road when there was some name calling.

"A 14-year-old boy then allegedly told his 8-year-old brother to go hit the 10-year-old. The younger boy did that, causing some redness and slight bruising under his left eye.

"The 10-year-old pushed back, but the 8-year-old tackled him to the ground and hit him several more times before the older boy could get away and tell his mother. The mother called Auburn police.

"After talking to the boys, the officer decided to charge all three. Two were charged with disorderly conduct and the third, apparently the youngest, was charged with simple battery.

"'Both parties (adults and children) were made aware of these charges and were advised that they would receive a letter from the Department of Juvenile Justice as to a court date for the charges,' states the incident report."

What is this world coming to? I used to fight like cats and dogs with my cousins and friends when I was a kid. I never got arrested for it. Hell, I barely got in trouble for it. Kids fight. It is part of being a kid. Unless you brutally beat the hell out of somebody, how in the world do you justify arresting an 8 year old kid for being a kid? I think these cops need to find something better to do with their time. If they can't find anything, that tax money could be put to better use than paying some incompetent idiot's salary.