"A WOMAN NAMED LORI WROTE: I went searching for your story after an experience last night. My 10-year-old son wanted the chance to walk from our house to soccer practice behind an elementary school about 1/3 mile from our house. He had walked in our neighborhood a number of times with the family and we have driven the route to practice who knows how many times. It was broad daylight - 5:00 pm. I had to be at the field myself 15 minutes after practice started, so I gave him my cell phone and told him I would be there to check that he made it and sent him off. He got 3 blocks and a police car intercepted him." ... - Steven Perez from Bookmarklet

"The police came to my house — after I had left — and spoke with my younger children (who were home with Grandma). They then found me at the soccer field and proceeded to tell me how I could be charged with child endangerment. They said they had gotten “hundreds” of calls to 911 about him walking. Now, I know bad things can happen and I wasn’t flippant about letting him go and not checking up, but come on. I live in a small town in Mississippi. To be perfectly honest, I’m much more concerned about letting him attend a birthday party sleepover next Friday, but I’m guessing the police wouldn’t be at my house if I chose to let him go (which I probably won’t). - Steven Perez

Makes my parents look like evil baby-killers, what with my mile-long walk to school when I was ten. - Steven Perez from IM

OMFG... My driveway growing up was longer than the distance this kid was walking. People hurt my soul sometimes. - FFing Enigma

We are creating a nation of children who will be too scared to speak to anyone, go anywhere without mommy and daddy or do *anything* that isn't completely "safe." In 1977, when I was 7, I started walking to and from school everyday, and I stayed at home alone for four hours until my mom got home from work. - Joey Gibson

Dude, you had street lights? Lucky bastard... - FFing Enigma

And then people wonder where these fat, video-game addicted kids came from, as they're busy locking up their kids in their house. I mean, geez, I spent my formative years in Chicago, fer cryin' out loud. I used to walk four or five blocks to school, and twice that to the store for my mom. - Steven Perez from IM

How comforable the cloak of facism can become to some - David HC Soul

Reminds me of this story. "How children lost the right to roam in four generations" http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news... - Rodfather

Wait.... What?! At least the update is reassuring, sounds like an overzealous officer that will be reigned in by a sane chief of police. - Jason Wehmhoener