Officially there's still 3 weeks left of summer, but this year in Lake Forest, Illinois, the beautiful summer sun went down the road and out of reach almost as quickly as it appeared.
I heard about this story briefly on TV while I went on vacation in West Virginia last month, but I forgot to investigate it until now.
Lake Forest is a ritzy suburb of Chicago that rests on Lake Michigan. This summer, the town decided to designate one-fourth of its public beach off-limits to anyone under 21, solely because a few wealthy residents demanded it.
Once again (sigh), we ask: Why 21? So not only are kids being punished (again), but also adults between 18 and 21 (again). But even if the beach's age limit was 18, it would still be stupid (and illegal).
The exclusive suburb has directed beach staff to card folks visiting the beach if they suspect they're under 21.
Has anyone thought of filing a lawsuit over this shit? Look, the beach is public. So it has to be open to the public. Period. End of story.
The community also banned people who don't live in the town from visiting the beach - a policy that smacks of exclusivity and worse. Well, Lake Forest, that's 2 illegal things you've done in one article. It was decided in a Connecticut case years ago that cities can't ban access to out-of-town folks from public beaches.
The calls for the ban came from a few rich residents who didn't want kids on "their" beach. One of them cried, "I pay a lot of taxes and have the right to have a quiet beach." Um, what about the other residents who pay taxes, many of whom have kids? Sounds like Potemkin populism, a hallmark of the New Right, rearing its ugly noggin again. Obviously the complaint about having a "right to have a quiet beach" was from someone who's been spoiled their whole life and thinks everyone owes them something, including the taxpayers owing them a beach that's more to their liking.
To that person we say: Grow up! Countless cities nationwide and worldwide, containing billions of people, don't even have a beach. You insist on having a beach that's kid-free so it can be more quiet, when most people don't have a beach, period. And now anyone who isn't a childless adult in Lake Forest, Illinois, has less of a beach, thanks to shrill complaints from spoiled crybabies.
(Source: http://cbs2chicago.com/local/local_story_173064518.html;
http://www.todaystmj4.com/bloggers/briangotter/8576207.html;
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/technology_internetcritic/2007/06/high-five-mon.html)
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Chicago suburb hates kids on its beach
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I'd like to propose a law that children not be allowed in public at all until they reach the age of 18.
ReplyDeleteIf they ban kids from part of the beach, there should also be a section that bans the rich and whiny adults who think the rest of the taxpayers owe them something.. sheesh...
ReplyDeleteAs it is now, they can use 100 percent of the beach, while the families with children can use only 75 percent..
Anyone who's ever had sand kicked in their face by unruly children realizes why banning them from the beach makes perfect sense.
ReplyDeleteyou don't know how to get up and move when kids kick sand in your face?
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ReplyDeleteGENERAL THURA SWE