ACLU criticizes proposed Pa. nuisance ordinance

A civil liberties group says a central Pennsylvania college town's plan to hold party hosts responsible for any illegal activities of guests would be unconstitutional.

[Joe Wright - Rebersburg]

The death of a young man in the last few weeks or so is something that makes all parents fearful of the effects of mixing alcohol and young people. I am soon to be 55 years old and that same fear existed for my parents when I was a young man and I am pretty certain it was a concern for their parents and so on. These fears do not present us with an excuse to incriminate someone for the actions of another. There has to be another way to get this under control. One thing that needs to happen is the citizens of Stae College need to remember that without the university that town wouldn't look much different from the farm community I live in, namely Rebersburg. The whole town would be nonexistant and the police force might have maybe 1 or 2 officers if any at all. The culture of school life has to change and it will take the buy in of the students and it surely won't happen over night but will be worthwhile. Taking away the rights of people is never the answer to a problem and will only lead to more problems. The citizens of State College need to get rid of their us and them rhetoric when speaking of the students and promote a we atmosphere and try very hard to work together to solve these problems. Working together is and always has been the best way to solve problems. If you can remember that you are the adults here and find a way to work with the student body the two of you together will no doubt come up with a viable answer to this problem. You need to be proactive and not reactive. Keep in mind we were all young once and for the vast majority doing the same thing these kids are doing right now the only difference here is now we are trying to make them criminals. Thanks for your time.

[mack]

This is not something that happens often, but I find myself agreeing with the ACLU on this one. As the parent of two college students (not Penn State) I understand the idea behind this ordinance. What happened to the young man was/is a tragedy, one that parents of most teens and young adults fear. But, the responsibility for someone's actions should not be pushed onto someone else. Each person needs to take responsibility for themselves and their actions. Although, as in the world outside a college campus, adults furnishing alcohol to underaged individuals should be held accountable for that.

[Frank Sellers]

To "mack" - Why would you not often find yourself agreeing with the ACLU? They fight for YOUR RIGHTS. You may not like that individuals accused and even convicted of crimes also have those rights, but your own personal prejudice against such individuals doesn't negate those rights. This law has sinister implications and to me is an attempt to infringe on the Constitutional right to gather and meet. A State College mayor could use this law to harass members of the opposing party when they try to gather for fundraisers or political strategy meetings. And if upheld, then presumably I could be held criminally responsible if I innocently loaded my car to a friend without knowing he was going to use it as a get-away car at a bank robbery. This law if raw fascism.

[Frank Sellers]

This law has sinister implications and, to me, is an attempt to infringe on the Constitutional right to gather and meet. A mayor could clearly use this law to harass members of the opposing party when they try to gather for fundraisers or political strategy meetings. And if upheld, then presumably I could be held criminally responsible if I innocently loaded my car to a friend without knowing he was going to use it as a get-away car at a bank robbery. This law if raw fascism.