Sack of Shit - Editorial

boulder, co is known for being an odd place. the home of the university of colorado (and my good buddy CJ) is a beautiful locale often referred to as "27 square miles surrounded by reality." the city is extremely liberal, very progress, and a bit off-beat. here you'll find a mix of trustafarians, techies, an abundance of recreational athletes...and a criminal hacky sacker.

the very city that in the 90's attempted to pass a referendum legalizing marijuana while simulateneously banning public smoking (yes, on the SAME ballot measure) feels that while a little weed may be harmless, a friendly game of hacky sack is a public nuisance and a threat.

a 17 year-old boulder high school student was hanging out with some friends on the pearl street mall, enjoying a little sack. er, hacky sack (hey, it is boulder, so you never really know). after mistakenly kicking the little bean bag past a friend, the kid was approached by a cop and issued a, get this, $250 ticket for public nuisance! worse, this "offense" requires a court date for the boy to answer the charges against him. so, of course, he'll have to miss some school to tend to his newfound legal troubles.

for a society that constantly bitches about overcrowded jails, overworked courts and understaffed police forces, we sure do find new and creative ways to exacerbate these problems by creating ridiculous scenarios like this one.

the stated purpose of virtually all police forces is to "protect and serve." but theoretically, shouldn't we be protected from things we actually need protection from? you know, like robbery, rape, murder and other crimes actually worthy of police attention and public outcry? boulder residents were shocked, annoyed and a bit disgusted with this publicized incident. and rightfully so. sure, boulder is wrought with pretentious rich people who are the only ones that can afford to live comfortably in an overpriced housing market. but even they deserve to have their tax dollars used wisely and appropriately.

the kid is going to fight the citation and, sadly, he will lose because the ordinance governing the pearl street mall prohibits throwing, launching, or forcefully maneuvering objects while on the mall property. the tragedy in this is that we're constantly harping on our young people to stay away from drugs, alcohol and other unhealthy or illegal activities, yet once they do find a benign, safe alternative we punish them with disproportionate force. ain't that a kick?