Vandals Target Ball Park
Rod Walters, Prince George Youth Baseball Association coordinator – photos 250 News
Prince George, B.C. – Spray painted walls and dugouts, broken glass and garbage strewn all over the place – Joe Martin Field has definitely seen better days.
The decades old ball park located in the Hart has been the repeated target of vandalism the past several years but never as bad as this.
“It’s been an issue for a while now, you always get a little bit of vandalism but this is extreme this year,” says Prince George Youth Baseball Association coordinator Rod Walters. “It’s the worst I’ve seen.”
Little leaguers from the ages of 8-11 play at the park, and he says parents are not impressed.
“They’re disgusted with this, because anybody involved with ball knows of this field and what Joe Martin has done for baseball. It’s a double whammy.”
Walters doesn’t know who the perpetrators are but guesses the park’s isolated location makes it a prime target.
“It’s isolated and that’s what makes it such a nice field. In the summer time it’s a beautiful place to play.”
He also says it’s frustrating considering “it takes a lot of our energy to try and keep this park looking decent and respectful for our youth. You want them to be able to come here, play ball in a safe location. So when this happens it’s not a very good example.”
Prince George RCMP Corporal Craig Douglass says police are well aware of the problem.
“Yes, Joe Martin is one spot that we’ve been to recently. It was particularly hit hard,” he says. “It’s something that we’re familiar with and we’re obviously trying to identify who’s responsible for this.”
He adds those responsible will face consequences once caught.
“Depending on whose doing this, their history, the nature of the call, how much damage was done, we definitely look at the courts as an option,” says Douglass. “A charge of mischief in the Criminal Code.”
As for cleaning up Joe Martin Field prior to opening day May 4, Walters says they plan on painting over the graffiti this weekend (the paint has been provided by the City).
He also has the following message for the person or people guilty of these acts.
“Put your energy to something else, something more productive.”
Comments
How about we make the parents of the problem pay for the cost of fixing it up. Make parents responsible for the behavior of the kids.
Growing up on the Hart, I remember the work done by the Martin Family to provide places for us to play baseball on. Starting with Joe Martin giving up his lawn and back yard for a baseball field to start with. Then the use of equipment and his time along with a lot of fathers to build fields for us to play on. Back then we respected the effort put forward by those families who did this for us.. If we had done this damage when we were kids , our parents would have marched us all down there to fix it after getting a swift kick in the arse.
To the kids who have lived on the Hart all your lives, it was probably your grandparents who helped build those facilities, show some respect and promote some respect among your peers.
Criminal Code blah blah blah
“Depending on whose doing this, their history, the nature of the call, how much damage was done, we definitely look at the courts as an option,” says Douglass. “A charge of mischief in the Criminal Code.”
Yeah right, then the claim of a hard up bringing and drug and alcohol abuse is mentioned and well the heart starts to bleed and nothing is done about it. The fear factor from the RCMP with youth these days has no effect (not like it did prior to 1986) the kids responsible for this clearly don’t give a damn.
Go after the parents of the kids responsible for the damage. Well that doesn’t work either, there isn’t a judge who would hold the parents responsible for restitution. The system is broken, kids are protected from public humiliation for the stupidity they commit.
The police are too busy with other “make work projects” assigned by the white shirts to be out patrolling and well doing “community policing”.
Want to catch these little buggers, put in video cameras and a remote monitor capable DVR, take turns watching the stream and when the kids are there drive up and have a look. Sooner of later the kids will take the hint and eventually you will catch the ones doing the damage. Till then you will just be collecting file numbers from the Mounties.
The parents didn’t do the vandalism.. If found make the vandals clean it up and pay for it. Making the parents pay just shows the kids they won’t be held responsible for their actions. Our society has become a blame everyone else but the one truly responsible.
Give the kids a couple of toothbrushes and away they go..then once all cleaned up to original they are free to go.
CHARGE them both, parents and kids and hold them accountable maybe then parents will realize that they should pay attention to the needs of their kids.
Well said Professional. I can remember an RCMP officer offering to place his flashlight down my throat when I was lipping off, and it shut me up. Now, I’d have him on my phone camera and put it on YouTube and CBC would do a special about aggressive police tactics.
We also use to have work camps for wayward youth. Fortunately I managed to miss the pleasure, but I had a friend who got to spend a summer in one, and he came back with a new appreciation for hard work, and no desire to ever go back.
The culprits are likely young offenders, essentially untouchable, and blame the parents, but another of my friends in this current era paddled his kid with a wooden spoon and had to take a parenting course. So parents have been pretty much neutered when it comes to controlling their kids.
But what might hurt, is confiscation of all property on them when caught – including their phone, any cash they have on them, any jewelry, any vehicle they’re driving is impounded. And then, off to the bush each weekend to cut firewood.
@ski51 Totally support your tactics, problem is the system will scream because of the human rights violations that are implied in that system of justice. “Corrections” is a contradiction in term these days.
These vandals have hit all over town this winter. Insane amounts on the Andres Electronics building even after it had been painted mid winter. April 20th was extremely bad in a couple areas.
Public caning, that’s it!
Can you say spanking without getting in trouble !
If it is in fact ‘kids’ who vandalized the ball park then something more than punish, pay or exact some kind of feel good right wing sanction on them needs to be looked at.
When I was a kid ,12-18yrs of age, there was no time to do any extra work (ya vandels can be a busy lot) because there was lots of work for pay. Pumping gas , bagging groceries, helping out in mechanical shops and garages when not in school and there was always clean up in lots of business. This was a time before red tape which is a product of the human resource stranglehold on humanity, just talk the the boss or forman tell him you will show up on time, work as hard as you can, and won’t steal from them and that usually got you in the door.
These opportunities are nearly gone today.
The part time after school work is what formulates a well rounded adult, with this kids have little time to be bored and if they are they can ride around on their new dirt bike that they bought with their own hard earned dollar.
Lots of good comments, except for those calling for Parents to pay for repairs.
It seems obvious that holding anyone but the miscreants responsible will send the wrong message.
Being caught and having to make it right is the only way these punks will learn not to do it again.
I suggest that area parents and parents of those who play ball at this field stand watch, and try to catch the twerps in the act.
Law enforcement will not agree, of course, but they also won’t do much more that the occasional drive by either, will they?
Gotta catch the vandals, that’s the first step in re-educating them, and helping them to find the path to responsible adulthood.
After all, we’re going to need them working, to fund the CP and OAS!!
metalman.
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