Stellar youth

Youth twirling dead chipmunk revolts Cornwall town councillor

Disrespect for life, lack of supervision bothers Irene Dawson

NIGEL ARMSTRONG The GuardianCORNWALL —

The dead chipmunk being twirled by young boys while others mockingly held a sign saying “dead animals for sale” was a revolting sight this past Tuesday for Cornwall town Councillor Irene Dawson.On Wednesday, she found herself retelling the incident to the July monthly meeting of the Cornwall town council.“There were seven or eight kids,” said Dawson, describing her arrival at the entrance to a Cornwall subdivision and the group of youths she met there, ages about seven to 11 years old.“They had a sign saying “dead animals for sale,” and one of them was holding the dead chipmunk, holding it up and using his hands to make it move like it was a rock star,” said Dawson. “In my opinion, it was extremely tasteless. One of them begged me to buy it and take it home to bury it.”There was a mocking tone to the event and when Dawson stopped and tried to speak to the children she was met with derision and indifference.“I spoke to one lad, who was quite mouthy about the whole thing,” said Dawson. “It is deplorable what is happening with our youth and the disrespect they show for life.”She called the RCMP which made a patrol to the area and tried to speak some parents of the youth.“It is so important, as parents, that you know where your kids are and what they are doing,” said Dawson.Councillor Kent Lannan wanted Dawson and council to know that such an incident was not a true reflection on the quality of youth or parents in Cornwall as a whole.“Clearly there are a few who are having a tough time finding their way,” said Lannan. Dawson agreed, saying that she doesn’t want to “lump all kids together,” however, she wants parents to step up and intervene when behaviour becomes disrespectful.

I drove past these "brain giants" the other night while going to my hair appointment. I was running late, so didn't stop to voice my opinion. I was completely disgusted, and now even more so that it made news in the paper. This is a tiny example of why I wish to not bring kids into this world. Although my own kids wouldn't be raised in this fashion - you can't shelter them all the time from the outside influences they will run into. It's also a reason why I can't wait to get the flying eff into a new house away from the 'hood (like that'll happen anytime soon, but still).