Loitering is defined as “to remain in an area for no obvious reason” (Webster).
We know how loitering is interpreted. It is taken as ‘hanging out in a store without buying anything’ or ‘standing in front of a gas station looking sketchy’. If one is loitering criminality is suspected. Many police departments have stepped up their loitering laws in an effort to stop crime before it happens. The flip side is: dirty looking people get harassed for no reason.
In my heart of hearts I believe citizens should be able to stand where they want as long as they want if they aren’t harming anyone. I can understand a “get out we’re closing” but I can’t get down with a “get out you aren’t buying anything”. Still a business is the business owner’s property. The business owner has the right to refuse a person service or tell them to get the fuck out. But what about public land? What about street corners and parks? I say let the bastards waste all the time they want in those places.
Teenagers loitering all damn night shut down a 24-hour convenience store in Arcadia recently. Those kids took up all the parking spots and stood right outside the front door, smoking. When I wanted to go buy something, I wouldn’t have a place to park and ended up going elsewhere. I imagine they also pushed away a ton of other potential shoppers by just being there.
As someone who did a lot of loitering during my teen years…
It has to go it’s fucking stupid. We called it parking lot pimping back then. Get some weed some alcohol 50+ people 20+ cars and everyone just bump their music and get crunk. Yes we were young and bored, however that is a stupid excuse. Don’t even get me started on my pre teen mall rats day. :face palm:
yeah i think loitering is stupid. i loitered everywhere all throughout highschool and middleschool, it is a nuisance.
the best way to stop loitering is what a lot of shops and mcdonalds in ontario are doing; blasting classical music outside.
edit: that being said you can’t tell someone they’re loitering on public property, but if its in a parking lot or outside a shop i say gtfo.
Black and white, city late at night, focus is skyscraper office building with only a few windows lit. Camera slowly zooms towards high lit window, two silhouetted figures are standing inside.
Office interior, two-shot of detective in trench coat and city mayor talking.
MAYOR: “With laws in place against standing around, the millipedes in this city will be done for.”
Detective leans back against desk and lights a cigarette.
Have you seen the stores that are experimenting with the high pitched noises that blast at full volume all night long and that people over 24 or so can’t hear? Well it is supposedly excruciating for teenagers and young people so it keeps them from loitering. Which I say is awesome because I can’t stand when those damn kids ruin perfectly good places hanging around acting like jackasses. The worst is when they try and start trouble with old ladies and people coming and going. I seriously think if kids aren’t getting beatings at home, then men need to step in for these fatherless children and give them the ass-beatings that they are needing so badly.
Nope, private property yeah but thats a different story.
As long as you’re not behaving in such a way (smoking weed and blasting music like a retard ) to the point where it makes you look like you’re a criminal/thug its fine.
It is annoying when people loiter around the 7/11 near me and everytime they ask if they want to either buy weed from me or sell me weed, everytime I say no and they get pissed.
as long as its nothing bigger than 5 kids drinking coke or sumtin i dont see a big deal. but if their hassling people, distrupting business or something…than i understand.
but i can see this having bigger implications, like kids who hang out at malls getting arrested n shit even if their shopping just cause someone doesnt like them.
Most loiterers round here are usualy chavs looking to cause trouble or get people to buy the ciggarettes or alcohol, I see no harm in making them move on unless they are waiting for someone buying stuff inside. (Some stores have limits on the amounts of kids inside at once to try and stop theft, so you can understand them waiting for eachother in situations like that)
As a bit of personal experience, my high school was a closed campus. We were told that local businesses didn’t want a bunch of kids milling around at lunch time, which I originally thought was ludicrous. Why wouldn’t they appreciate the massive influx of business? As with any high schooler, I had very little understanding of the world outside the sphere of adolescence at the time.
Then, a couple years ago, I was on lunch break from work and stopped into a fast food restaurant. It was packed full of fucking kids from the local high school. By the time I got my food and got back to work, I was five minutes late and I hadn’t eaten anything. Those little bastards.
Alot of people that seem to be loitering aren’t really. They are just indecisive.
When it comes to a group of friends deciding where to go for the night it can take a long time before anyon emoves anywhere. I hate when this happens during the winter because people can’t make up their minds. Then you got security, police shop owners giving you looks for no reason.
yeah we get a bunch of kids that come into my work. Thank god they don’t loiter though. They are in, sit down, eat, and bounce. Good little kids… till you have to clean up after them. Messy little fuckers.
Sorry FoF, loitering sucks. If you can loiter that means you have nothing to do and that’s a problem. And especially in places where it interferes with other people trying to get shit done.
