“There’s no way in the world that a parent can tell what a kid is doing, even between the school and the house. The kid could spray paint a garage or a house, and the parent might not know anything about it.”
– Ald. Ed Smith (28th), as quoted in today’s Sun-Times, speaking to the issue of a city-issued $250 fine for the parents of first-time offenders of the proposed graffiti law
This argument also assumes that kids have no concern for their parents / grandparents and are willing to subject them to fines.
That is, I think, a shakier assumption than the one regarding parental knowledge / control.
Reminds me of article a couple of years back in Tribune where the kid was killed by a train while tagging in the red-line tunnel. Kid was from Near North address, seemed to come from home with some means…the writer interviewed other taggers who talked as if it was a blow to society, and it seemed the parents even knew he was up to something. It was quite the twisted read…sad to see anyone hurt like this, but seemed no-one wanted to talk about accountability.
Once the parents have to pay the fines and cleanup costs, they’ll find a way of knowing what their kids are up to.