HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) – A social media trend involving teen takeovers is raising concerns among local anti-violence advocates who say the gatherings are causing problems across the country.
Footage compiled by NBC News shows teens fighting, being tackled by police and doing burnouts in busy intersections during these takeovers.
Dr. Shannette Bone from Chill Huntsville Stop the Violence said teens participating in the trend may not understand the long-term consequences.
“It’s like, almost like, let’s see who gets the biggest of viral posts or something like that, or they don’t realize that how it’s going to affect you later on in life, especially if you’re out here trying to get a job or you’re out here trying to be in a community,” Bone said.
Dr. Bone said teen takeovers may continue to spike now that school is out.
“There’s no supervision. There’s no accountability. There’s no consequences. And there’s always bad decision-making,” she said.
The valley has seen recent incidents of teen violence. This weekend, reports indicated teens were carrying guns in a Madison County neighborhood. Five guns have been found on school campuses throughout Madison County since mid-March.
Bone said she believes violence can be prevented but it starts at home. She said parents should be good examples for their children and have honest conversations.
“You have to talk to them, you have to sit them down because our people perish from lack of knowledge. So what they don’t know, or what we haven’t taught them at an early age, we don’t have to end up teaching them later on in life. And sometimes later on, it’s not always the best decision because it’s too little, too late,” Bone said.
Bone said the viral violence has to stop before another child loses the chance to walk across the graduation stage.
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