ITEMS

Parents, Youths should go to bat for watchmen

Community response demands accountability for teenagers trespassing at St. Anne's

Parents, Youths should go to bat for watchmen.

To the editor:
There have been many thought-provoking letters and commentaries written concerning the Logan Canyon incident. I learned a little of the history of St. Anne’s and why it was sold, and feel sad that it does not speak well for our community that the Catholic Church was forced to sell its property because of the treatment received at the hands of Cache Valley youths.

If adults in this valley were involved in trespassing in their youth, maybe they should not tell anyone or at least express regret and teach their children to have respect for other people’s property. I feel it shows a lack of maturity when adults tell young people things they did that were wrong: it’s like “I did it and I turned out OK, so you do it too”

I am sure there are two sides to this problem, no one really knows what happened up there except the young people and the watchmen. (even the second guy at the gate doesn’t know.) Those watchmen called 911 as soon as they got the 30-plus youth contained.

If they had meant to harm them, they could have kept them for as long as they wanted to instead of turning them over to authorities. Those guards were very probably tired of young people coming the property and thought a good scare might prevent a recurrence for a while.

If the one girl was touched inappropriately that man should be punished, but if he accidentally touched her then it would be just as wrong to accuse him of such a horrible thing. (I’m sure no one was too willing to be tied up.) Did even one parent go to the watchmen and ask for t heir side of it before going to the authorities?

None of us has perfect parenting skills, and even if we did that’s no guarantee that our children won’t do things we wish they would not do.

I feel we all can learn some valuable lesson from this incident and know that it could have been one of our own involved. I would hope that the parents and the 30-plus youth would not be made to feel that they have to keep on hanging their heads.

It is hard to let this issue be put to rest because the watchmen have been charged. Maybe it would be good for the community if the parents and the youths were to go to the authorities and ask that the charges against the three watchmen be dropped-especially since the owner of the property saw fit to have the charges against the youth dropped.

Margaret Townsend
Logan

Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, FOLK COLL 32

Reproduction for publication, exhibition, web display or commercial use is only permissible with the consent of the USU Libraries Special Collections and Archives, phone (435) 797-2663.

Utah State University Folklore in the news collection, 1973-2012, FOLK COLL 32

http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv04849

St. Anne's Retreat

http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll20/id/28

SCAFOLK032Bx003Fd07Item0019.pdf

Parents, Youths should go to bat for watchmen.

To the editor:
There have been many thought-provoking letters and commentaries written concerning the Logan Canyon incident. I learned a little of the history of St. Anne’s and why it was sold, and feel sad that it does not speak well for our community that the Catholic Church was forced to sell its property because of the treatment received at the hands of Cache Valley youths.

If adults in this valley were involved in trespassing in their youth, maybe they should not tell anyone or at least express regret and teach their children to have respect for other people’s property. I feel it shows a lack of maturity when adults tell young people things they did that were wrong: it’s like “I did it and I turned out OK, so you do it too”

I am sure there are two sides to this problem, no one really knows what happened up there except the young people and the watchmen. (even the second guy at the gate doesn’t know.) Those watchmen called 911 as soon as they got the 30-plus youth contained.

If they had meant to harm them, they could have kept them for as long as they wanted to instead of turning them over to authorities. Those guards were very probably tired of young people coming the property and thought a good scare might prevent a recurrence for a while.

If the one girl was touched inappropriately that man should be punished, but if he accidentally touched her then it would be just as wrong to accuse him of such a horrible thing. (I’m sure no one was too willing to be tied up.) Did even one parent go to the watchmen and ask for t heir side of it before going to the authorities?

None of us has perfect parenting skills, and even if we did that’s no guarantee that our children won’t do things we wish they would not do.

I feel we all can learn some valuable lesson from this incident and know that it could have been one of our own involved. I would hope that the parents and the 30-plus youth would not be made to feel that they have to keep on hanging their heads.

It is hard to let this issue be put to rest because the watchmen have been charged. Maybe it would be good for the community if the parents and the youths were to go to the authorities and ask that the charges against the three watchmen be dropped—especially since the owner of the property saw fit to have the charges against the youth dropped.

Margaret Townsend
Logan