I'm not sure where this thread belongs but I chose here since it involves high school kids. A few years ago the social host laws were a hot topic among these threads and in the newspapers. I know there was a Melrose High prom last evening, correct? Well it seems afterwards that a neighbor of mine hosted a rather large party for the prom goers. I know for fact that parents were home and also for fact that underage drinking was indeed going on. Anther neighbor told me that police did show up in the wee hours of the morning by appeared to have done nothing. Did they not see, notice, smell that drinking was going on. Do they no longer enforce, care about these social host laws.? Do that many parents really have no problem with allowing 17 year olds to consume alcohol?

There's always those parents that want to be the cool ones.

The police should have cited the parents for allowing minors to drink. I realize that some parents would say, better at home than on the road, but that misses the point! Parents should not encouraging minors to break the law - otherwise laws will mean nothing to kids latter in life! These are life lessons which must be taught. Those were stupid and ignorant parents!

Some parents want to be their friend and you should never serve underage young adults.

High school students especially. Allowing 20 year olds to drink in your home is different. High school students shouldn't be drinking period. Not enough responsible adults to teach teens that it is not necessary to drink to have fun.

Spying on your neighbors kids after prom? What a loser. Here is an idea you square, stop looking out the window and go to bed. If everyone minded their **** business the world would spin so much easier. Yes, kids drink, its what they do. Did you NEVER drink as a kid? All of a sudden you're the adult so now its hypocrite time? Am I saying to promote kids drinking, NOPE. But to start hammering parents and kids for a little booze seems a bit too much for my liking. And I happen to think I'm in the majority with this feeling. And not only are you a spy and a rat, you bash the cops without know ANYTHING they did at that house. Unreal what this city has become, you move here from Cambridge with all the other dorks?

You should be ashamed of yourself for your statement. I had a party everyone ran out cause the police were arriving and my friends daughter got killed by a car because she was drunk and ran out into the street. Live with that you fool.

The law is 11 o'clock when a complaint comes into the police department for noise. You should let your juniors find there own liquor dummy.

"Spying on your neighbors kids after prom? What a loser. Here is an idea you square, stop looking out the window and go to bed. If everyone minded their **** business the world would spin so much easier. Yes, kids drink, its what they do. Did you NEVER drink as a kid? All of a sudden you're the adult so now its hypocrite time? Am I saying to promote kids drinking, NOPE. But to start hammering parents and kids for a little booze seems a bit too much for my liking. And I happen to think I'm in the majority with this feeling. And not only are you a spy and a rat, you bash the cops without know ANYTHING they did at that house. Unreal what this city has become, you move here from Cambridge with all the other dorks?"

Your response is over-the-top one-sided and rude, I am guessing due to your "I'm so cool that I get the fact that all kids drink" attitude. But honestly, do you really not get it? I wouldn't say this person was "spying" on his/her neighbors. It was probably a pretty loud gathering, and not something that you would need to sit at a window with binoculars to see. It is certainly within everyone's rights to choose not to call the cops, and if that is what you choose, that is fine. However, can't you even try to imagine that someone else may have had an experience- maybe he/she or a loved one got so drunk at a house party that s/he got hurt, did something regrettable, hurt someone else? Maybe the idea that by calling the cops, something like that could be prevented, was what was in this person's mind. Maybe the person has a strong belief in the law, and wants it upheld (these parents, no matter their intent, are facilitating the breaking of the law, and are breaking the law themselves- You may think the law is stupid, so then go work to change it, but the fact is that it is a law, and you really can't just pick the ones you want to follow or think are the "right" ones.) Maybe the person thought, "If someone gets hurt at this party, and I knew about it and didn't do anything to stop it, I couldn't live with myself." Can you really not see any reason the poster would call the police, other than that he or she is a "loser" or a "hypocrite"? Was there no other way to argue your point than to make assumptions and call names?

I'll meet you people half way. I still believe if everyone minded their business the world would be a better overall place. But, if you're the type that follows the law to the tee, then I can respect that, believe it or not. I just know people too well. The same law-abiding guy/girl typing here is the same person doing 50 mph on Upham St. That is why I don't always buy the BS talk about rule following. That person looking out the window calling the police is probably the same person texting and driving down main st. See where I'm going with this? Hypocrite central. And to repeat, I'm not talking about the true law abiders, this little tidbit isn't for you. If you really are a good overall person, then my over the top first comment was not for you.

But where is the line. Knowing full well (and we all do) that kids are going to drink just like we did. Do we get tougher on the city and then have these kids arrested? Possibly ruin a shot at college, tradework, or military? All because they were doing what kids have always done? What is that line? You people can hate on me all you want, but I didn't see one solution listed above, just more of the same, more complaining.

So it's spying when you hear kids walking up and down your street talking in the middle of the night? Or car doors opening and closing? Cars parked along the street, knowing some kids were driving after a party where alcohol was served (and I know for a fact there was alcohol) is scary.
Yes. Many HS kids will drink as they have for generations. But I think it's irresponsible for adults to outright condone and encourage it just because "they're going to do it anyway". I understand that the kids have to pass a breathylyzer before these events. It's possible some of the kids are able to sneak alcohol into the prom but I'm sure most kids are sober throughout the event and they have a great time anyway. Imagine that. So why not encourage more sober activities instead of sending a message of "you just had a great time sober, you must need a drink". Substance abuse in all forms is all to common today. We should all discourage it as much as possible.

No one wants to see a kids life ruined. No one is saying the cops should have arrested every kid there for drinking but the party should be shut down, alcohol confiscated and if there were adults present allowing this activity then yes, they should be fined via the social host law, which brings us back to the original post.
Why Is it no longer enforced?

And we should install condom dispensers at the Mt. Hood parking lot because "they're gonna do it anyway". Ridiculous logic!

I get your point, but it's not ridiculous logic. It's the absence of logic altogether.

I realize that I’m of a different generation and that things have changed a lot, but I didn’t “do it anyway” (either one!) and don’t feel I missed out on the “high school experience”.

I also never drank or took drugs. I just kept saying no until people stopped bugging me about it. It took a bunch of times but it worked. My parents told me that if I stuck to what I wanted for my life I could get it.

My friends parents are too permissive. They do not want to be a parent. They just want to be friends with their kids and their kids friends. Or, some have no parenting skills. They say yes to everything their kid wants no matter how much it costs or how many hours they have to drive.

Every year some group of kids gets killed around prom and graduation. Tell your kids they can skip the drinks and drugs and still enjoy themselves. Be a parent for once in their lives before they have no life.

Well aren't you a little angel. You were clearly the straight edge no one hung around with. 90% of kids drink in high school, at least that much. Don't come on here talking about the 10% and how cool you were cause you said "no way man!" It is completely normal for these kids to be doing what they're doing. Promote it? No way, but understand weather you want it to happen or not it is going to happen. I still see only complaining and zero solutions. Outside of whining about the Police, who btw, are awesome in this city.

Also for all you do-gooders saying "so i'm just supposed to turn around while these kids drink!?" Gage it, if they're walking by your house and keying your car, ya call the cops. If they're walking by and not bothering a soul, let them continue on their way. Also I don't see any of you high and mighty's at the opioid meetings. You know, an ACTUAL issue that kids are facing. Guarantee none of you have ever been. Screw booze and pot, opioids are what we need to be concerned with. But because its wanna-be-Winchester (even though more like saugus), we pretend nothing happens here. You want to be useful, get involved with stoping heroin and pills getting into the hands of our kids.

Melrose's own survey gives results that fewer than half of the students at MHS have had alcohol in the last 30 days. You have exaggerated the alcohol consumption by students because you want to normalize underage drinking as acceptable. You think that children drinking alcohol is acceptable.

It is important for parents to send the message that alcohol, pot, and other drugs are not acceptable for children to use. The more that parents send the message and send that message to other parents then fewer students will start early.

If you want opioids to stop, begin with alcohol, cigarettes, vaping, and pot. Begin by choosing healthy ways to deal with stress and healthy ways to have fun.
Children do experiment and we can support them by teaching what alcohol does to the brain and how dangerous it is for a developing brain. If they do drink, review the actions that led up to that choice, provide a reasonable consequence, and follow through.

But that’s too much like responsible parenting and “work”! It’s SO much easier to claim it’s ‘normal’ so let’s find a bigger problem to not deal with. Well surprise surprise, big problems start as small ones.