Hamilton Place skating center

[serendipity]

As a parent I have to ask why not one news outlet in Chattanooga is reporting on what happened at the skate rink last night? Yes, I watched the news, and I heard how a boy was shot near Captain D's and La-Z-Boy on Gunbarrel, but that is not the story at all.

My son went with his best friend and another boy about 10:30 to pick up the youger brother (of the best friend), from the skate center. When they got there, it was a riot, and tons of police macing kids in the face. A boy was shot in the leg and two other shots fired into the air. All three shot fired by the boy running with the gun. My son and his friend got the brother and helped another boy who had been beaten and thrown into the dumpster, and barely made it back into their car before having the car attacked by a group of black youths. They had a light knocked out by a stick, and the windows showed plenty of marks on them from the boys who came after them.

They got out of there as fast as they could and made it back to my home and the very first thing said by all of them was how scared they were, and how my daughter would never go there, ever. They told me what had happened, and I called several other parents who's children had been there last night as well, and all the kids stories are the same. They all came home scared, they all said the very same thing, the car was damaged, and yet, the only story about what happened was that there was a boy shot on Gunbarrel Road. WTF?

There were plenty of police there, and I as a parent would think it would be nice for them to let those of us not "in the know" know that the place is not safe.

Anyone care to shed some light on the story?

[marshall]

Maybe your or your kids should call the news stations. It sounds like you know more than they do. They can only report what the cops tell them....until someone else speaks out.

[serendipity]

I actually just saw more of an accurate story about it on Channel 12. Still, they tried to make it sound like just a few unruly kids, when it was much more than that.

[tcrashfx]

Teen Shot Near Mall
Bill Mitchell's picture
Submitted by Bill Mitchell on April 1, 2007 - 8:17pm.

One person was shot near Hamilton Place last night in what witnesses describe as scuffle among dozens of teenagers near a skating rink. Residents of a nearby apartment complex say it's not unusual to see hundreds of unsupervised teens and pre-teens on Saturday nights congregating near Captain D's on Gunbarrel Road. They say the young people are there waiting on city buses to take them home after places like the mall and Hamilton Skating Rink close.

But the manager of Hamilton Skate Place says it's normally not a problem.

Keith Sharp: "I've never noticed a lot of people...I'm here every Saturday..walking around outside being a big problem."

wdef.com/node/3770

[Babs]

One of my co-workers has an 11 year old son who calls her at work frequently to ask if he can go do this or that. She always says "No". Last week he wanted to know if his older brother could drop him off at the skating rink about 9:00 pm. That got a definate NO! Even I could see the problem with that! I couldn't believe the number of young teen boys just "hangin" at the Northgate mall yesterday. Not shopping or talking to other kids, but just sitting.

[xterragirl]

I'm sure there are places where kids congregate but I was out at PF Chang's Saturday night and around 9:30 or so, I headed over to McDonald's to get a hamburger for my daughter. I was actually thinking how quiet it seemed to be in the area.

At any rate Serendipity, I'm glad your kids made it back safely.

[serendipity]

Thank you Xterra, but my daughter was home with me and my son had just ridden with a friend to pick up his little brother. Neither of my children have ever been allowed to just be dropped off somewhere without a parent. That to me was just asking for trouble. My parents never allowed me to be dropped off at a skating rink or movies, and though I never understood what the big deal was until I got older, I don't think I missed out on anything.

I did hear this morning that they had a teen in custody for questioning about the shooting, and that the boy that was shot was doing better.

[Bryan Stone]

well we don't have a gang problem in Chattanooga & it's not Spring Break anymore,... so what do we call it now?

[Kordax]

so what do we call it now?

Off-court midnight basketball?

After skool wilding-learning field class?

[tcrashfx]

I heard they are copying us and calling it "Choir Practice".

High-Tec boots and now this.

What is the world coming too?

[caringnana]

I used to be a regular at the skating rink because no kids should be left there unattended.I have seen what goes on there.There is drugs, tobacco,alcohol,sex and gangs.The management and the one cop they have cannot see everything that is going on there and sometimes they know but prefer to ignore it.This is not the first time a fight like this has happened there.The last time this happened the cops were able to control it nobody was seriously hurt.The fire department has even been called twice be cause it was overcrowded and a fire hazard.They found some of the exit doors locked and so many people inside they could'nt get through but all they did was write a citation.I have seen them admit so many people in there that they ran out of skates but they kept charging addmission and letting everyone in.
One night one of the kids brought presciption drugs in and passed them out to anyone who wanted them.when Matt[the cop]found out he gathered all the kids up and talked to them but he never called the parents of the kids that had taken this .Did he not realize this could have been fatal and their parents would have not known what thay took.
I have seen parents drop their kids off and leave and these kids leave with someone else and then show up in time to meet their parents.I"ve seen younger kids shoved down and pushed around but they dont tell anyone because they wouldn't be allowed to come back and these kids love to skate.If your kids are going to skate there be sure there is an adult watching out for them.It dosen't cost anything for an adult to set and watch.

[serendipity]

Not meaning to offend anyone, but, I have been amazed and amused at how they are trying to say this was a result of children being kicked out of the mall. Am I not right that the mall closes at 9pm? This happened around 10:30 AT THE SKATING RINK DOORS! The crowd did run down and spill over into La-Z-Boy and Captain D's parking lots, but, there were at least 300-400 youth hanging out around the area, and countelss others inside. There were two young boys waiting right outside the doors on a parent to pick them up who got maced accidently as they were just in the crowd. How in the hell can they keep ignoring and denying that this happened at the front doors of the skating rink? (and spilled over into surrounding areas)

I have never let my kids be dropped off at a movie theater, a mall or a skating rink. EVER, and now my son understands why. He is old enough to be very protective of his little sister, and he now sees my reasons. The car was also damaged, hit with a bat or large stick in the parking lot near the front doors where they were picking up my son's friend's little brother. From the mouths of these boys I was told this happens all the time there, not to this magnitude, but it is not an uncommon occurance. The owners apparently are to worried about losing money than to be honest and admit they can not control what is happening.

[one]

Clearly the problem here is the word "youth" and 10:30 at night. Combined with "unsupervised" and "without guardian".

Flashback: When it got dark my azz was told to get inside the house.

[serendipity]

I agree.

When I was a "youth", we lived in the country and chased fireflies and camped out. When we got cars, we ventured into Chattanooga to cruise Brainerd Road, and even though it was a different day and time, there was still plenty of trouble we found during the few hours we were alllowed to be out. In comparison, I am now looking like an angel.

[Bob]

Kids/People are like dogs, exactly like dogs actually. One is no problem, three or four can be controlled with authority and attitude but a pack can't be controlled except with quick obvious brutality that basically only breaks the pack into manageable groups.

Remember the IQ of a mob?
take the lowest IQ and multiply it by 0.5

sounds like a photo safari to me, anybody else got a sony nightshot camcorder??

[Tookie]

When I was a youth, we knew better than to even go to the skating rink after dark.

[Jay]

I've never been coordinated enough to skate..........I fall down... But, the dark......it does not scare me.......I'm a night owl.......I like the dark

[Longshot! [ Saint ]]

We crush down on the kids and the area, the same crowd giving the City shit accuses same City of Gestapo tactics and (*shudder*) REVENUE GENERATION.

I'd just like a list of approve methods to forward on to the George Team commanders, and stick with my East Chattanooga homicides, thank you very much.