October 1959 - San Francisco Police Officers Association

The national and world-wide outburst
of juvenile punkism has thrown
a scare into every parent who cares at
all about his family. Who can tell what
is behind this terrifying situation?
Every age has had its own problems.
Historically the young people are the
ones who started revolutions and move
toward changes and social reforms. In
Medieval times the young university
students revolutionized teaching and
learning. Young doctors and scientists
have effected cures and scientific progress
undreamed of twenty years ago.
Obviously it is no crime to be young.
Youth Has Its Fling
Yet on the other side of the coin
there were the undermining influence
of young people on entire philosophies
and ways of life. Early in this present
century young people dared to shorten
bathing suits and shook their elders by
holding hands in public. In the "Roaring
Twenties" flaming youth set the
country on its ear.
Could it be that the present trend of
lawlessness on the part of youth is a
complete rebellion against the nebulous
results of two world wars and the
Atomic Age? Juvenile violence has
never been so wide-spread and vicious
as it is now.
Young people have and want more
now than they ever did. Almost every
boy in America has access to an automobile,
the attraction of drinking is
probably no more or less prevalent in
these good times than it was during
the depression. Money is probably one
of the digits in the strange combination.
Most policemen are parents. They
are parents whose children face the
"PUNK-ISM"
What's the answer?
By PETER GARDNER
same problems and situations as any
other group of youngsters. There is no
law of nature which commands a policeman's
child to conform to society and
in the hearts of many policemen there
is a dark spot caused by the conduct of
his children who come from so-called
good homes. Policemen cannot be sanctimonious
about the youth problem.
Punks and Hoods a Menace
With a proper accent on constitutionality,
which is the backbone of our
life as a free people, there could be a
return to public support of police work
with juveniles. There is no need to impinge
upon the basic freedom of any
American and yet there is a crying need
to curb the flash flood of punks and
hoodlums.
Gangs who identify themselves by
wearing distinctive garments which
mark them as a group apart from society
should be treated as they conduct
themselves. If they make trouble for
others, trouble should be made for
them.
A return to the old-fashioned police
work where a well-placed shoe to the
posterior of the young offender was
employed. There are men who are now
over thirty who can remember the feel
of leather against the seat of their
pants. Men who learned to respect the
policeman or stand in awe if not in respect
of what he stood for.
Today such an act on the part of the
police officer trying to do his job judiciously
would bring about the noisome
reign of chaos and law suit-itis.
The air would fill with the cries of
ASSOCIATION MINUTES - (from pare 3)
Anthony Rodriguez of that company
appointed to his place. Cole was praised
by Chairman McKee for his service to
the Association.
M/S that members of the recruit
class now in the Academy be granted
membership in this Association for the
rest of this fiscal year at no dues.
Passed.
Good of the Order:
October meeting was Candidates
Night and Turkey Drawing Night.
Every effort should be made to stimulate
attendance at every meeting.
M/S that the meeting adjourn.
Passed.
Meeting adjourned at 10:20 P.M. in
respect to the memories of our departed
brothers.
Respectfully submitted,
Peter C. Gardner, Secretary
social workers and parents who know
that "these are really good boys"; the
office of the County Clerk would be
deluged with certificates of intent to
file civil suits and the Civil Liberties
Union would be rampant on its high
horse.
Tom Jefferson and his constituents
never meant that people should run
rough shod over the law. No, they intended
that this would be a nation of
law wherein all could live in peace and
harmony.
But sessions by session, law by law,
assemblies and senates and the very
Congress of the United States have
pulled the teeth of law enforcement to
the point that law enforcement is now
an old lion who can no longer bite but
must gum its opponents into submission.
Respect Must Be Taught
A long look should be taken into our
system of courts and juries, particularly
where children are concerned. Take a
fifteen-year-old whose sole purpose at
that time it to tell the world to go to
Hell. Show him just how far he can go
with this attitude. Show him that our
property is not a target against which
he can take out his grudge against the
world.
Put the shoe back on the foot of law
enforcement. Put some teeth into the
lion's mouth and put a little down-toearth
common sense into the mind of
the community. Finally, let the courts
handle young criminals as they would
any other criminal. Any movement of
this type would outflank the movement
toward violence by the young people
and slow it down, if not stop it.
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