“They’re really disrespectful.”…Why are we seeing more and more of the huge brawls by teens who gather in malls or other public places? The answer is that social media has changed the way teens gather. A problem? Only when the teens are “disrespectful” to others like they were at the Jersey Shore. What happened to good parenting? Is this a sign of the times we’re living in?
Three people were arrested after a fight involving 300 teenagers broke out on a New Jersey beach over the Memorial Day weekend — a situation that got “way out of hand,” according to the city’s mayor and police.
Police made the assault and disorderly conduct collars after the wild brawl erupted near the iconic Lucy the Elephant attraction in Margate on Saturday. Hours later, scores of teens descended on a local WaWa — leading to a dozen more arrests for underage drinking, marijuana possession and fighting, Philly.com reported.
“There’s not one of them from Margate,” Margate police Capt. Ken Bergeron said. “There were so many people fighting, they had to get help from Ventnor and Longport. They’re really disrespectful.”
Cellphone footage of the mayhem on the beach at Washington Avenue shows officers throwing a disorderly teen into the sand as witnesses shout in the background.
“Stop throwing sand,” one girl screams as officers handcuff two suspects.
Bergeron said police had few options to disperse the crowd at the convenience store later since curfew laws in the town are difficult to enforce.
“As long as they’re not blocking the sidewalk, there’s not much we can do,” he said. “WaWa has to call and let us know … It’s hard to post somebody there the whole time, especially during a holiday weekend.”
The situation with the large numbers of teens hanging out on streets, often late at night, has gotten “way out of hand,” Margate Mayor Mike Becker said.
“We welcome all visitors, but we can’t tolerate this behavior,” Becker said. “It was a mess. This is probably the third year we’ve had the same thing over Memorial Day weekend: total lack of respect for other people.”
Read more: NBC
