Thank goodness I live in the village. Sometimes you have to make unpopular decisions for the good of everyone. The town just needs to read the police blotter to see that we already have "serious enough" problems. Someone please tell me why it is okay for kids younger than 18 to wander the streets past 8:00 P.M. on any school night...Come on parents.

oh, puh-leeze! If you read the order it says ...people of *any* age are prohibited from gathering in groups of more than 5 in the public areas...
Well, the stalwart Village of Cornwall Police department is going to have it's hands FULL if they are going to arrest all the parents hanging out in groups of more than 5 while their children trick or treat all over Homeland Park.
8:00?? That is ridiculous. But Cornwall has always been all about getting the kids out of sight and sending them away. Heaven forbid they actually get to have a childhood. The little buggers, why don't they grow up and get cranky and intolerant like the rest of the village! People wonder why some of the kids are so hostile and rude. Well, guess what? They learn from their community. When you are treated like a criminal, that is how you behave.

I think these kids are hostile and rude because their parents excuse their behavior or blame everybody else. I think this is still a great town for our children. Unfortunatley, it seems to me that as many of these kids reach teen years, parents are washing their hands of them and sending them out in the town. Please stay connected with your children and keep them involved in activities (sports, band, and drama to name a few). Also, it is never too soon to teach our kids that volunteerism can be fun.

OK, I do see the logic in that. You make much more sense than the person who just wants to bash everyone who lives here. I would go for a later curfew on Halloween if there was a year-round curfew in place.

Don't project, ARA. I don't"hate everyone who lives here". I grew up here, too, and the police presence has never been as strong or as pervasive as it is now.I am tired of the kids, in general, being harrassed for the bad behavior of a few. I am very involved in my children's lives, I know who their friends are, I know where they are when they are out and I make it a point to speak to the teens like human beings. I also don't shrink from my responsibility as a community member when I see some of them being inconsiderate, rude or destructive. I actually try to make it a teaching moment and express my expectation for their behavior and ask them to consider how others might view their actions, etc. I talk to them as if they were my own kids. I don't call the police first, like so many of our neighbors tend to do.
I agree that there is no reason to be out on the streets all night, but it is the parents' responsibility to control the children. My solution? After your kids have been brought home by the cops a few times you get hit with a transport fee, oh, let's say $100 a trip. That will make them start watching their kids.
And the anonymous poster makes a good point - the kids who are out of control are not going to worry about following a curfew, only the good kids will. So how does that reward their good behavior? It treats them like criminals, ergo, my earlier comment.