People are getting less and less intelligent.

Spearheading the stupidity are the teenagers of the United States.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/27/us/mall-disturbances-after-christmas/index.html


CNN) — Disturbances that included gunfire, massive brawls and food-court fights played out at more than a dozen malls across the country in what proved to be a chaotic day after Christmas.

The disturbances, some of which were captured on social media, prevented some shoppers from clearing off clearance racks and returning Christmas gifts as they intended.

The mall incidents, which ranged from minor melees to mass evacuations, occurred nationwide from Colorado to Tennessee, Texas to New Jersey. Here's what happened at six of those malls.


Aurora, Colorado

It all started with a social media post that promised a fight at the Town Center at Aurora.

Aurora Police Department spokesman Sgt. Chris Amsler said about 100 people had gathered in the food court before the brawls broke out -- prompting the Colorado mall to close early on Monday afternoon..

"(It) kind of morphed into this large disturbance," Amsler said.

When off-duty police officers working as security guards tried to break up a fight, people circled the officers, who called for backup, Amsler said.

As police officers on duty arrived, fights broke out throughout the mall, at a movie theater and at a nearby park-and-ride lot, he said.

He estimated 500 people were involved. Authorities arrested five people, all juveniles, and recovered no weapons, he said. One person assaulted at the park-and-ride lot suffered "significant" injuries and was taken to a hospital, Amsler said.


Memphis, Tennessee

In Memphis, Tennessee, seven people were arrested after incidents at two malls, CNN affiliate WMCA reported.

Police said a group started a disturbance in the Wolfchase Galleria food court and started running, which prompted some customers to call 911, WMCA said.

Then a crowd gathered outside Oak Court Mall, about 10 miles west, and started a disturbance, WMCA said. Both malls were cleared and closed early for the night.



Fayetteville, North Carolina

In Fayetteville, North Carolina, people panicked after teenagers fought in the food court, Fayetteville police spokesman Shawn Strepay told CNN affiliate WRAL. No shots were fired, despite reports of gunfire, Strepay said.

"Once people start running in that area or chairs are getting knocked over, tables, that sort of thing, that echoes and it could resemble the sound of a gunshot to a lot of people," he said.


Elizabeth, New Jersey

The first calls from the The Mills at Jersey Gardens came in just after nightfall Monday. Witnesses said they thought they had heard shots fired. That, along with a fight, led to what Elizabeth police Officer Greg Jones described as a "chaotic panic and everybody running all at once."

Ultimately, though, patrons had mistaken the sound of a chair slammed during a fight for gunfire, city officials told CNN affiliate News 12 New Jersey. Two people, an 8-year-old and 12-year-old, were injured, the station reported.


Fort Worth, Texas

The security guards had no other choice but to place the Hulen Mall on lockdown. At one point, police told CNN affiliate KTVT, at least 100 people were involved in a series of fights.

Fort Worth Police spokeswoman Tamara Velle said officers initially responded to reported gunfire inside the mall. After breaking up the fights, officers stopped by each store to let people leave while the lockdown remained in effect, KTVT reported.

There were no reported injures or property damage -- thanks in large part to local police, Kelle said.

"You keep hearing the horror stories of the mall shootings across the nations right now," Velle told KTVT. "Anytime we're hearing about a mall shooting and it's the day after Christmas, (where) you have tons of people holiday shopping ... we're going to get in there as fast as we can."

Reinstate the draft.

Reinstate the draft.

I'm ALL for that! Either that or some kind of forced public service. Kids these days need some structure and discipline, it seems that a LOT of parents aren't giving this to them.

Children fight in the food court, and they shut the mall down? An 8 and 12 YO arrested?
Every news story has an agenda...

Everybody's afraid of a shootout.

Children fight in the food court, and they shut the mall down? An 8 and 12 YO arrested?
Every news story has an agenda...

The 8 & 12 yr old were injured, not arrested.

I figured I read through it too fast. 

I agree with reinstating the draft. And for girls too. I c all it equal rights have equal responsabilities.

Bob Skinner

The draft has been used only 5 times in the past, and each was during a war (or war-like conflict)-  Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam.  It was only needed as a measure to obtain necessary personnel for the actual fighting of the war.  I am guessing there would be no purpose in a draft in a non-wartime.

Not everyone is cut out for military-type service, and certainly not everyone requires military service in order to be a responsible, organized, or disciplined person.  But many young people do need something productive to fill their time, especially when the traditional family unit is so horribly broken (seems to be almost the norm now).

How about two years mandatory military service for everyone upon graduation from HS, or age 18 if you aren't going to school? College bound kids can start at 20, after their military service has ended. They'd probably be better students that way.

I prefer two years military or government service after primary schooling. Some people just can't handle military discipline.
We need some way to re-instill patriotism in our young-ins.
I also like 16 years of (free) public education, with the following two years of government service. Anyone who drops out of school still must serve the remainder of the 16 year time plus the two years in military/government service. This would be an incentive to stay in school.

Bob Skinner

Not to split hairs here but I have an aversion to 'government service'. I'm tired of bending over and servicing the government every time the tax collector comes around. Maybe 'community service'?

I'm with you on that one, Gary.

I had a good buddy that was a Sergeant Major in the Army.  His wife worked a govt job that gave waivers to people that couldn't enlist normally due to all kinds of reasons.  Ironically, he would wash them out after a few weeks.  I thought this hilarious of course.  He wanted me to join up and kept bothering me to do it.  I finally said, you've known me long enough do you really think it would work out?  He said no.  Seems I have issues with authority figures...especially ones I think that are stupid.

Cuda,
Trying to figure out what your statement had to do at all with the current conversation?

How about two years mandatory military service for everyone upon graduation from HS, or age 18 if you aren't going to school? College bound kids can start at 20, after their military service has ended. They'd probably be better students that way.

I like this idea but there would need to be an option of military service or some type of public service. As others has said, not everyone could make it through military service.

I spent 4 years in the Army after graduating HS. I would have never made it through college if I had gone to school right after HS. I lacked the discipline needed to make it through college then.

Don't worry It's just the Trump effect

You can say anything, do anything , demean everyone , it's OK

It's the new normal.

Sounds like fun....you up first?

Don't worry It's just the Trump effect

You can say anything, do anything , demean everyone , it's OK

It's the new normal.

Sounds like fun....you up first?

Not here, please. Take it to the Arena boys. I'm sure it will be fully appreciated there.

I thought the way Heinlein postulated in his book "Starship Troopers" was interesting..

There were 2 levels of citizenship - One by birth, and a higher level you earned by military or Govt service - the higher level entitled you to vote, and hold government office, among other things..

That meant, he said, that the people who determined who that gov't was, were the same people who understood what the government did and didn't do, and knew the value of "good" government...

Neat premise, but it'd never fly.

Jamie

Not here, please. Take it to the Arena boys. I'm sure it will be fully appreciated there.

We're always open. 

I thought the way Heinlein postulated in his book "Starship Troopers" was interesting..

There were 2 levels of citizenship - One by birth, and a higher level you earned by military or Govt service - the higher level entitled you to vote, and hold government office, among other things..

That meant, he said, that the people who determined who that gov't was, were the same people who understood what the government did and didn't do, and knew the value of "good" government...

Neat premise, but it'd never fly.

Jamie

It's that part about privilege by birth that won't fly. We've got enough of that already.