As I passed through Hawkins Preserve on Nov. 20, I caught a gang of juvenile girls destroying the old kiosk.
I didn’t actually see them vandalizing it, but I heard a big noise just before I came into view, and the green roof of the kiosk as well as the papers inside the plexiglass cover were down on the ground.
Three of the four girls were standing around the parts on the ground and the fourth girl was already reaching up on the new “Nana’s birdbox” just a few feet away trying to do something to that as well! I am sorry I did not have my cellphone with me to provide further identification of the culprits.
I have a picture of the old kiosk from Oct. 2011, taken on the day that I personally finished repainting and anchoring it into the ground. I also made the paper pictures and the text sign that were posted on the new board which I purchased at the time with my own money. What with all the vandalism that has occurred during the 10-plus years that I have been associated as a volunteer to the preserve, I am not surprised that this old gem has finally succumbed to the thoughtless acts of the idiot kids who do this stuff.
I entirely agree with John Anderson (Journal, Nov. 14) that we need serious accountability from the parents, school authorities and the juvenile delinquents themselves for their wantonly destructive behavior and lack of respect for other people’s property.
Juvenile vandalism is just one of the reasons I voted against 3B. Until I see some kind of accountability – including requiring the kids to restore the old kiosk to its 2011 condition – I will not change my voting stance on these kind of issues!
Dale Diede
Cortez