This is a serious question that I'm having difficulty with.

It seems like lately there's a lot of teens having a grand ole time just breaking things, stealing kias, etc. Generally causing monetary distress to the communities they live in without actually stealing anything of value or use.

Like its not crimes of desperation, they're not selling anything they steal, just having a good time breaking car windows and doing general mischief.

I know news media will amplify these for copaganda purposes. Hogs will go wild shouting for public executions of these teens, etc.

But like, what causes this and what can be done to help communities not have dangerously bored teens just absolutely fucking up people's month or year by destroying their budget car they need to get to work, breaking windows which is expensive to fix, and just happens again, and generally just being dicks breaking things.

Not all the victims of crime are annoying SF tech bloggers which are easy to write off and laugh at.

if my simple mind has been completely taken advantage of, please let me know. I just don't get the young chaos agents. I can defend people stealing from walgreens but I just don't get breaking your neighbors shit.

EDIT: Since the real likely answer is sad and doomery, I want to invite folks to offer ideas of what could be done to strengthen these communities and give these kids an outlet.

  • bbnh69420 [she/her, they/them]
    ·
    1 year ago

    This was the power of the BPP, give kids a positive example, build alternative institutions focused on collective liberation rather than individual satisfaction, but also look badass and be a “cool” alternative to other types of youthful disaffection/rebellion. The panthers were disciplined, but they also had enough aesthetic and ideological appeal to snap some youth out of the malaise

      • bbnh69420 [she/her, they/them]
        ·
        1 year ago

        100 percent, the most effective leftist group in American history had to be crushed with the most aggressive measures possible so that they couldn’t be effectively emulated