Enhancing social host law would send a message
Some parents just don’t get it, and it’s about time Hollister
leaders send a message to some of the most irresponsible adults in
the community who harbor and, by default, encourage illegal alcohol
abuse by teenagers.
Enhancing social host law would send a message
Some parents just don’t get it, and it’s about time Hollister leaders send a message to some of the most irresponsible adults in the community who harbor and, by default, encourage illegal alcohol abuse by teenagers.
Hollister City Councilman Victor Gomez has recognized the importance of holding parents accountable who host parties or otherwise allow teens to drink and abuse alcohol, which has proven time and time again to be one of the most prevalent killers in our country, and which stands to be a major public safety problem locally.
Gomez has initiated talks with the Hollister Police Department to enhance the local laws when it comes to penalizing parents for consequences caused by allowing teen alcohol abuse. Especially on such a considerable and wide-reaching topic, it’s encouraging to see a local leader take a proactive approach toward preventing a disaster, rather than reacting when one inevitably occurs. And we all know it will.
Alcohol abuse and drunk driving, unfortunately, have become a commonality in our culture. That, however, does not mean we should allow our younger generations to normalize what reckless adults have accepted as a mere part of life. They should teach their kids that in reality, it has the potential to ruin lives.
If these teenagers’ parents don’t understand this core responsibility – to discourage such abuse instead of blatantly encouraging it – then it’s perfectly appropriate and necessary for authorities to step in and penalize the grown-ups either through fines or jail time, depending on the severity of the situations.
Other nearby cities have taken similar approaches toward adding teeth to their local laws in recent years. Gilroy’s ordinance adopted in 2008 calls for fines of up to $1,000 against adults allowing parties with alcohol, while Morgan Hill’s law passed in 2007 not only fines adults up to $1,000, but it also threatens jail time when people provide a safe haven for drinking minors. Violators there also are subject to thousands more in fines to cover costs of emergency responses to related incidents.
Though most jurisdictions taking such an aggressive tack are near colleges or universities, Gomez is right on by pointing out a rural county such as San Benito – which lacks entertainment options suited ideally to teenagers, as many communities do – can be particularly prone to alcohol and drug abuse by teens.
Parents may argue that their kids will drink and abuse alcohol regardless. After all, they’re kids, right? That line of defense is merely an excuse for bad parents who are unwilling to step up and teach their kids about responsibility and consequences. If they’re too stubborn to see what’s right for communitywide safety, and for their own kids, then they deserve a lesson of their own.
