Challenge to Monrovia Curfew

* Regarding the challenge to the Monrovia daytime curfew ordinance, April 29: I fully support such a challenge to these clearly unconstitutional and oppressive laws. Why should my family be punished because my children are not on the public school schedule? My older children should not need the permission of the police to walk around their own neighborhood during the day.

They also should not be subject to police harassment because they do not fit into some arbitrary mold. In Monrovia, a school identification card is not enough for the police, they also want all non-public school children to carry an orange numbered card to show the police. This is outrageous! Because my children have school on a different schedule, they have to carry “papers” as if we lived in South Africa 20 years ago.

I can assure merchants in Monrovia that they will not be seeing my children in the movie theaters, ice cream shops, etc. when we have a day off from school. Police harassment just isn’t worth it.

JACQUELINE HALPIN

Altadena

* I cannot, for the life of me, understand how forcing youngsters to attend school, on pain of police questioning plus the possibility of fines or enforced “community service,” either furthers their interest in learning or helps them acquire any basis for constructive participation as adult citizens of the community.

Rather, I feel that daytime curfew ordinances such as Monrovia’s reek of anti-youth, discriminatory, “Big Brother is watching you” attitudes and, as such, seem well-designed to pour gasoline on the flames of youthful rebelliousness. Is this what we need in these uncertain times?

HORACE GAIMS

Los Angeles