Blaming Kids?

some thoughts

We have gangs of kids wandering the streets at night now in Bournemouth, UK.

Last night was particularly upsetting.

I’ve heard them now for maybe a year or two, the odd scuffle, the odd occasion of raised voices, sometimes coming to blows, and the sound of running feet.

I keep a window permanently open, so I hear them, even from six floors up, because at night, it’s deadly quiet now, apart from them.

Big change from the Bournemouth that drew me in 30 years ago, the bustling town with 24 hour nightlife.

Now it’s all dead at night, except for the homeless kids.

I’ve even got to know the voices of the few that might be in charge, though I’ve never seen them, I guess they are the regulars, issuing orders to the others.

A regular voice now is one of a girl, though its hoarse, much louder than most of the boys, probably deliberately practiced, it’s still unmistakably the voice of a girl.

I picture her as being probably bigger than most of the lads, but still she is a girl, lacking the testosterone and aggression of the boys, because when push comes to shove, I hear them brutalising her.

This morning about 4 am I woke to hear her being brutalised.

I heard repeated blows, her voice screaming she hadn’t done anything to whoever it was beating her up, then her voice sounding like she might be in a stranglehold, screaming much quieter, but still as hard as she could, I guess to try to alert the world to her helpless struggle, whilst her assailant(s) wished she would just quietly take whatever it was they were dishing out to her.

This isn’t the first time I’ve heard her being brutalised.

She sounds at the best of times maybe mentally ill.

Anyhow, I don’t feel like there is any point calling the police though I considered it.

The police might come and arrest and take away who?

Only the girl, who would be deserted by the boys beating up on her.

I guess they are all she has otherwise why would she carry on hanging around with them?

The truth is she has no choice, this is what life has dealt her, and a growing number like her, out.

This is one of the things I knew would come about, since I first realised the global energy problem.

This is the bottom end of the system we live by, the system destroying the planet, the system of energy slavery, that we, her elders, set up, or at least contributed to, and continue to contribute to, as long as it exists, because we don’t have any choice, any of us individually, except maybe a grand benefactor like the government, or a large bank, could fix.

Until then we are all energy slaves, all of us from richest to poorest, living on an increasingly burning and flooding planet, because seemingly, we can’t collectively get our heads round what needs to be done, and all push for it as one.

Immediate Issue of solar indexed stimulus is the only way out.

Can’t blame the kids for the system we are pushing onto them.