As rec center violence shows, what ails a community will eventually ail its safe havens

I agree with Recreation Commissioner Susan Slawson’s comment in Tom MacDonald’s story about violence at city rec centers.

 

Despite shootings and a rape at city centers this spring and summer, she said recreation facilities are not dangerous. Not usually, no.

But as those incidents show, what ails a neighborhood and a community will eventually ail its rec center and its library and whatever few safe havens some neighborhoods have.

So it’s a good, if belated, move for the city council to hold a summer hearing Thursday about the violence. Especially since as Slawson pointed out in MacDonald’s piece, more kids are using city rec centers this summer.

And it will be an even better move if some fast and effective solutions come of it.

What do you think should be done to deal with the recent violence at rec centers? Heightened security at the rec centers? Cops stationed at or nearby the centers? Share your thoughts.