The cause behind troubling teen takeovers like Raleigh’s | Opinion

When people ask why so many teenagers are participating in street takeovers and other reckless group events, the first answer is usually social media. While social media certainly plays a role, I believe it is more of an accelerant than the underlying cause.

Social media doesn’t create bored teenagers. It gives bored teenagers a place to gather.

For generations, teenagers spent much of their free time earning money. They mowed lawns, babysat, bagged groceries, washed dishes, worked in fast-food restaurants, or stocked shelves after school. Those jobs did more than provide spending money. They taught responsibility, punctuality, customer service, and the satisfaction of earning a paycheck. Just as important, they filled hours that might otherwise have been spent looking for excitement.

Opportunities still exist for motivated teenagers, but the simple first jobs that once introduced young people to the working world seem less common than they were a generation ago. That doesn’t explain every bad decision, but it does leave many young people with more unstructured time.

Instead of asking only how to stop the next street takeover, perhaps we should also ask whether we’ve unintentionally removed one of the best pathways to responsible adulthood. If we want fewer teenagers searching for purpose in a crowd, we should create more opportunities for them to find purpose through work.

Jarles Alberg, Raleigh

Our traffic problem

Raleigh is one of the fastest growing cities in the US, and its traffic is increasing to match. Yet little seems to be being done about it.

On my way to downtown, I pass rows of shiny new townhomes with driveways filled with shiny new cars. It’s no wonder then that every time I turn out of my neighborhood, I am confronted with a never-ending parade of cars on my suburban collector road, turning a one-mile journey to 540 into a 15 minute wait.

One of public transportation’s greatest benefits is carrying more people on the same amount of road. Turns out many people riding in one vehicle beats many people riding in many vehicles.

There’s only one problem. The city buses don’t touch my neighborhood.

If Raleigh wants to tackle its traffic problem, increasing the number of bus routes is an easy way to start.

Jaiden Trinh, Raleigh

Help for affordable housing

In June, Congress passed one of the largest housing bills in U.S. history focusing on expanding the supply of housing in the U.S. It is a bold step that will help address important parts of America’s housing crisis. But increasing housing stock will take years and even then, there will still be people who are priced out safe, affordable housing.

There is a solution. Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs) and other special purpose vouchers currently help 2.4 million households stay stably housed and moving toward economic security. But only about 25% of North Carolinians receive assistance from HCVs because of chronic underfunding by our federal government. We need our Congress to not only renew HCVs but increase funding for 250,000 new vouchers. I call upon the fourteen members of the House of Representatives from North Carolina to help more families have safe, affordable and stable housing.

Liz Clerkin, Raleigh

Hemp bill hypocrisy

NC House Speaker Destin Hall says legislators need a full month to review a Hemp Bill.

Yet, he sees nothing wrong with pushing a vote on the 638-page state budget plan after legislators had only about 48 hours to review it, allowing only limited debate on the House and Senate floor, without any public input.

There is something terribly wrong with this picture.

Naomi Slifki, Chapel Hill

Emblems of belief

When I visit Arlington National Cemetery, I always notice the “emblems of belief” that are included on the headstones. There are 98 categories to choose from, including a variety of Christian ones; Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim ones; Stars of David and a Messianic menorah for Jewish believers; and even an atom, representing atheists. We are a country of diversity united by the concept that all people are created equal and this is reflected in the way Arlington honors the beliefs of its heroes and heroines.

I realize Christian nationalists inside and outside the Trump administration have profound struggles reconciling their cruel policies with the teachings of Christ, but they should get over their narrow identity politics and reflect on the way service members are respected on truly sacred ground.

Scott Shuford, Hillsborough

C’mon, Harris Teeter and Food Lion

It’s summer, the planet is burning, and petrochemicals help to stoke the blaze. They also form the plastics which litter, pollute, and damage our world and our bodies.

Why do North Carolina Harris Teeter and Food Lion grocery stores continue to distribute free single-use plastic bags at their check-out counters? By now, these companies have probably heard of the risks incurred. At the very least, Harris Teeter and Food Lion could charge a small fee for each plastic bag, to encourage customers to bring their own bags.

Even crunchy Whole Foods continues to plasticize its fruit and vegetables wastefully and pointlessly.

Please, supermarket CEOs: it’s time to stop!

Rosemary, Haskell, Chapel Hill