<p>Saw a story about this on our local news this morning and thought you all might be interested. </p>
<p>Swarthmore</a> College campus attack being probed - delcotimes.com</p>
<p>[Swarthmore</a> campus abuzz over possible gay-bashing | Philadelphia Inquirer | 04/07/2011](<a href=“http://www.philly.com/philly/news/pennsylvania/119384024.html]Swarthmore”>http://www.philly.com/philly/news/pennsylvania/119384024.html)</p>
<p>well, I certainly hope they catch the jerks who did this, if for no other reason than to get them hooked up to the proper counseling and juvenile authorities. The fact that these incidents don’t happen with any degree of regularity makes them all the more disconcerting when they happen at all.</p>
<p>My daughter is a Swat soph and I have spent considerable time staying “in the ville” for the past year. The ville is usually a very nice, safe, accepting place. I can’t say enough about Swarthmore’s campus and staff.</p>
<p>However, I noticed on weather friendly nights teenagers tended to gather and “hang out”. We were all young once but this bunch is unruly. Last summer was especially terrible not only since school was out, but kids from nearby communities with curfews began gathering in Swarthmore as well. </p>
<p>I was shocked at the cursing, yelling, loud obnoxious music playing, disrespectful behavior going on. I witnessed the front window of a shop being broken, a glass bottle thrown by a group at two men in their twenties for no apparent reason, a young man in another group, pulling his pants down in front of me and a couple with a toddler, pushing a baby around 5 p.m.</p>
<p>The night the bottle was thrown there had to be 30 kids split up in groups. Along with Swat teens, you can see the kids arrive on foot, bike, by car, train, as the night progresses and the surrounding towns curfews become enforceable.
I know Swarthmore College and the ville (police) are making every effort to protect students and residents alike. It is my opinion that a curfew for Swarthmore would be prudent (especially before summer). Just my opinion.</p>
<p>and where exactly were the borough police while all this was going on? My son lived off-campus in the ville for his jr and sr years, and complained often about the ville kids congregating outside his apt window until all hours – I got the impression it was annooying but not dangerous or illegal. It sounds like it’s gotten quite out of control. The ville is such a tiny place, with one main intersection near the train station; I find it hard to believe the ville police can’t patrol that area on summer nights and get this under control. Tsprite, did you alert the authorities to the situation?</p>
<p>Bigotry can not be tolerate, but college kids should be able to deal with a bunch high school kids. Students need to learn to live in the real world too. This thread makes Swarthmore sound like a high crime area which it is not. How about some community outreach in the ville as well as in some of the far flung places around the world. Cheers</p>
<p>Momuv2 - after the bottle incident I wrote the mayor an email informing him of the escalating sitation. I did not make any disparaging remarks about the police but rather suggested a curfew which the police could then enforce. He replied and forwarde my email to the chief of police. The chief of police assured me they had it all under control (as in finding the Finlandia teen and making him pay restitution). Subject dismissed.</p>
<p>Tonight I arrived back from a wonderful Swat jazz performance around 10:30. There was a convertible full of teens parked crooked in front of Renato’s raising a ruckus and when they squealed away one made like his fingers were a gun and aimed it at a couple sitting on the curb. Further down, right under the apt window I am staying in, a group of teenagers was hanging out, tearing up red ribbon on the sidewalk and the girls were squealing. I went up to them, pointed up to my window directly above and politely asked them to relocate since I was going to bed. I told them I was young once but now I’m old and need sleep! They were cool and one even said sweet dreams. They’re not all bad but it seems like when there is a group mentality it gets out of control.
It really is my opinion that although a good town, if left unchecked and with ever growing numbers of kids from other towns there will be a fight.
On a side note, I walked past the train station with my friend who has lived here over 10 years. She pointed out grafitti on the station and told me two years ago you never saw that. Very sad.</p>
<p>Will Miles. I never insinuated Swarthmore was a high crime area, but rather one where certain situations were escalating which may cause an incident where someone is seriously hurt. As far as colege kids “need to live in the real world” what would that entail? Confrontation of some sort? That would only instigate worse feelings and more attacks. My daughter was raised in NYC and not if privilege. Why should there be fear from anyone when certainfactors set into place could peacefully remedy the situation?</p>
<p>tsprite, thanks for your thoughtful posts.</p>
<p>And totally OT, how <em>was</em> that jazz performance? :D</p>
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<p>If the comments section below that article doesn’t make you fall in love with Delco and its charming citizens, I don’t know what will. Though, I guess a few of them are pretty funny.</p>
<p>I think it’s pretty unfair to pass judgments about Delco’s citizens one way or another as a whole. Let’s not forget about all the invisible people who have better things to do with their lives than posting spiteful comments on the Internet and trying to find free beer.</p>
<p>It’s not that I don’t see what you’re saying. I just also dislike being categorized. I say this as a “local teen” with a very profound admiration for Swarthmore as well as a member of the Class of 2015.</p>