Parent Previously Sought Help From Sheriff’s Dept. and Greenville County Council
Cynthia Zerga-Patnall appeared before the Greenville County Legislative Delegation, Monday evening, proposing specific legislation designed to prevent teen hoodlums from harassing law-abiding citizens on city streets and in neighborhoods and other public places. She proposed state laws that would hold parents responsible and accountable for all of their children until the age of 18 years.
Zerga-Patnall had addressed the delegation previously regarding teens in her neighborhood using abusive and threatening language when addressing girls and ladies on the sidewalks in the neighborhood.
She had previously sought help from the Sheriffs Department and Greenville County Council.
Delegation members had suggested she bring them specific proposals for dealing with the problems. That is precisely what she did.
She brought several proposals that Chairman Sen. Mike Fair said he would study. The first proposal was:
“The parent or parents of any minor who becomes pregnant will be held responsible financially for the care of both the minor and her child until the minor parent becomes 18 years of age. No one under the age of 18 shall be eligible to receive welfare, food stamps or Medicaid.
“No minor shall carry or have in their possession any firearms or lethal weapons, including knives. If found in possession of such weapons, the parent or parents will be charged with a fine no less that $500 and no more than $1,000 and / or community service of 100 hours to be performed by both the child and the legal guardian.
“The parent or parents of any minor found in possession of any illegal drugs, including illegitimate prescription drugs, shall be responsible for any and all fines leveled by the presiding judge. The parent or parents shall also be required to perform community service as directed by the presiding judge.
“Whenever a police officer observes a person whom he reasonably believes is a street gang member loitering in any public place with one or more other persons, he may order all such persons to disperse and remove themselves from the area. Any person who does not promptly obey such an order is in violation and will be brought to the juvenile detention center. Parents will be fined no less than $100 and no more than $500 fine.”
There were other proposals, and Senator Fair said he would study where some of these proposals may have been put into effect and how successful they had been.