Has anyone ever thought about looking at things from a teen’s point of view?

Adults look at us and think we are trouble because we walk around town or just sit there and hang around with our friends. The police want us to find a spot to hang out – away from town. When we do, they still bother us.

I was at a friend’s house recently, doing nothing wrong, and the police charged me with a curfew violation. We were staying out of trouble, found a spot to hang out and police still complained.

Cops need to grow up. If they tell us to go somewhere and we do, they should leave us alone.

They complain about us being on the streets, but when we are off the streets, they still complain. We don’t want to hang out at our houses all day; we want to hang out with friends. We don’t want to hang out in town, but it’s the only place to go.

If people were really concerned about us, they would open something up for us. But, they are not. The police are always nagging us, trying to charge us with something. We, and our parents, are sick of it. I think the police should get the teens’ perspective. We are humans, sick of being treated like trash. Not all kids are bad. Actually, none are.

The cops have to give us a chance. Our voices should be heard.

Hillary Groves, Mechanic Falls