Most of the little punks who cause problems for businesses around high schools are usually the losers anyway. This has been going on for decades. I like the tacos at La Mina on H St., but would never stop there at lunchtime during the school week. That goes for most fast food restaurants near high schools.

If they were hanging out and actually buying food, and not running off other paying customers, this wouldn't have happened.

This establishment clearly, doesn't want to be "Gang Territory".

In the early 90's I had a little corner Mom and Pop Market in Rexland Acres.  I had the "3 students at a time" rule and enforced it strictly.  If not, they would come in and gang up while others stole the place blind.  I converted a back room to a rec room where we had a pool table to give the kids a place to hang out.  My thanks for that little gesture was profanity, sodas on tha table and sometimes, defiance.  I banned two of the boys for their behavior and later they stuffed a roll of toilet paper in a block retaining wall and set it on fire.  They denied it of course even though they were seen, the father basically threatened us and took his sons side and we lost a couple of families business because of it.  The rec room was closed down and I had had enough...I sold the store and now it's just a bad memory.

The store owners have every right to protect themselves from theft, vandalism, and disruption of business.  Those folks don't make a lot of money per item and can't afford to have business driven off by rowdy kids.

Baylee..I agree about the kids.  Remembering the way I was as a kid, shy and not a lot of self confidence, it was easier to appear brave, tough and smart if I had an audience of peers.  We never did anything bad...we just thought we were sooo cool.  The kids now seem to believe there's strength in numbers and the scary part is that some have weapons.  If there were gangs when I was growing up I don't think any of us were aware of it.

Quickies was the place to eat at BHS in my youth...and there was no ganging up except to get a 15 cent hamburger.  (Lord only knows what kind of meat went in those paper thin patties.)  Times definetly have changed.

Sage...those stores give new meaning to the expression "nickle and dime operation."    Do you know how many pieces of 5 cent bubble gum it takes to pay the rent?  LOL

This was before food stamps were put on a card and people would come in, buy a nickle gum with a dollar food stamp, get the change, and after a couple of times had enough cash money to buy  a quart of beer or a pack of cigarettes.  It was an eye opener I can tell you.  When I called the welfare people to complain they told me what the customers was doing was legal and my only recourse was to stop taking food stamps.

I grew up in Shafter where the campus was closed for high school students.  You had to get a signed permit to go home for lunch.  A kid playing hooky stood out like a red flag. 

Now days when I go to Wal-Mart during school hours  I can hardly get through the aisles  for all the school aged kids shopping with their parents.  It makes me wonder,  why aren't they in school?

I agree with Sage, kids follow their parents example.  If school isn't important to parents, it won't be important to their children.

This latest example of bad behavior is reinforcement for the seclusionary attitude the educated and cultured tend to take. The Via Arte display at the Marketplace was vandalized by bikes. Graffiti is decorates all parts of town. Things of beauty and grace have to be protected and isolated, otherwise it seems the violence of the general populace destroys it.

This goes even further to the rapidly expanding lower classes and the shrinking of the middle class. Eventually the minute educated will be facing a vast unemployed mob who may not hold the sensibilities of doing what is right and just.  Where do we go then? Police state?

I think the owners right to refuse service to anyone is a right one..this is their way of saying that they have had enough..years ago,BHS was a closed campus.I only wish that their parents could see how their children act in public..then maybe they wouldn't be so quick to say that their child doesn't do no wrong

Hopefully this won't hurt La Mina's business, but I know for a fact that the landlord is happy with certain people not hanging around their anymore.  Maybe the lack of kids will attract more downtown patrons.

To an extent I would hold BHS accountable.  Ultimately, they have a say in who gets to leave campus for lunch.  I believe they should have a good behavior system, at all schools.  Not tardy all the time, never getting into fights or having regular detention, go ahead and leave campus for lunch.  They know who the bad eggs are and it would teach that person a lesson that if you behave badly or worse yet, destructively, then you are a liability to others.  There are ways to monitor who leaves and who doesn't. 

Just a thought.

Mission accomplished

I agree fully with the owners' decision to control when the students are allowed to eat at their restaurant but after speaking with the manager, I'm confused as to why everyone is saying the students are "banned." They are welcome after four, and even before that as long as they have a responsible adult with them. "Banned" means that under no circumstances are they allowed in the restaurant and that is certainly not the case.

I have a business by the store and yes students are bad for business.. we have had client not want to come to our office becase they were scared the students were going to fight or do something bad to there vehicles. we don't understand why they can't  make it a closed campus. If they can close it for a on campus lunch a day this month they can close it for good. These kids are out of controll. They yell profanity at us and throw things at us it isn't good thing. la mina did the right thtng!!!!!!!!!!!

thank you

"why is BHS the ONLY school in the district that has an Off campus policy?   all the other schools are closed campus "

Traditions die hard. Are they really the only school with an open campus policy in the district?

"Are you aware that a new strip mall is going up across from Stockdale High?  This should prove very interesting since one of the stores will be selling alcohol."

What happened to the law that stated you had to be a given amount of feet from a school to sell alcohol.  How far "across the street" is this new establsihment?

Please fence it in! I'm sure this would improve problems with students cutting classes and tardiness after lunch. Students need to show respect towards property, traffic laws, and rights of their fellow man. 

I don't know what the size of the student body is at BHS these days but it used to have the largest student body in Kern County.  It used to have two lunch periods to feed all the kids and even then it was so crowded that lunch time was chaos.  Closing the campus might be still be a serious problem when it comes to lunch time.  I'm out of the loop on rules and such with schools now so I'm not much help in that area.

Back in the dark ages, when I went there, the freshman class alone had over 1000 kids in it and that didn't even account for the other 3 grades.   I imagine having all the new high schools has relieved that pressure somewhat.  On the other hand..all we had was the cafeteria and the Student Store snack bar.  Not only did we not have the fast food outlets at school..we didn't have them on the outside either.  LOL. 

I still support the owners of La Mina.  Kids don't have a right to ruin your business.

ONe of grand kids went to BHS

They shouldn't have "open campus" anyway IMO.

They showed North High last night (closed campus for last 7 years) and then said "but it is enclosed campus"

As if there is no way that can be overcome relevant to BHS!

Yeah, lets just give up and let the little darlings come and go as they please and do whatever it is they feel like!

See how liberal I've become?

(that principal should be fired!)

I can understand that. I know my friends and I when we were high school students where just being teenagers and sometimes were rowdy and noise at places we went to lunch. I fully support the owners limiting students during certain hours who dont have thier parents or grown up w/ them.

This is just common sense.

gina33, i understand what ur saying.  I was also like your son in highschool.  But you have to look at it through La mina's eyes.  Of course not ALL kids are trouble.  But you know what would happen if we only let certain kids in and not others? O WOW now that would cause some problems.  I think the blame is to be put on the school.  here's a quote from one of the previous posts:

I like your name tag 420

I thik that answers Audrey's question BTW

Dr. Bruce was a good guy jfrancis

I don't know about this guy. He sounds like just a "throw your hands up and give up" guy to me!

(but I'm sure the kids like him)

At the risk of throwing myself to the wolves, I feel I have to comment.  I am the parent of a BHS student, but he is a freshman and not allowed "open" lunch.  I also feel that a few BAD kids, ruined this for everyone.  I also believe the restaurant has a right to do whatever they want as well.  What upsets me, is that this was NOT taken to the principalof BHS, David Reese, before action was taken.  The principal was not given an opportunity to correct the situation.  The disruptive teens were not called out, and made to be responsibile.  It went straight to the media and I believe it should have gone straight to the source (BHS) first.  Our Principal is amazing and works with teachers, parents, students and the downtown community for better cooperation and understanding.  I just don't see why he wasn't given that opportunity in this case.

Now, with that being said, I am also a parent that takes my teen to the marketplace, the mall, the movies, etc.  The difference is I don't leave.  I don't hold his hand, but he knows I am there, SOMEWHERE.  This evokes responsible behavior, not because he is an angel, but because he knows at any given moment I am watching him.  I tell him to act as if I am standing next to you, if you wouldn't do it with me there (and I probably am) then DON't do it.  I think blame needs to be placed squarely at the feet of the parents, they learn from you.  If you allow them the freedom to be hoodlums, they will be.  Maybe I am overprotective, don't let him do what "all the other kids are doing", but I have a well mannered respectible young man.  If he chooses not to be well mannered and respective of others, there are consequences.  What happened to good old fashioned parenting?

Do you seriously think the HS should use their resources to follow kids around at lunch to make sure they don't cause trouble for businesses.

Maybe a parent patrol would be more effective.

Unfortunately ynoma74, most teenagers don't have a parent like you. If they did, this blog probably wouldn't even exist.

However, the owners of La Mina have no obligation to go to the principal if they chose to restrict students from their privately owned restaurant. These rowdy kids have been causing problems in the area for at least 30 years that I am aware of. The school district knows this; it's nothing new. That is why the officer from the Kern High School Police and school security patrol all around there. But there is only one peace officer assigned to each high school, so they can't do much, especially when the campus is open and kids come and go from all directions. Ask the residents who live in the few blocks south of BHS if they are impacted by kids loitering, smoking marijuana, committing thefts, ect, during the school hours.

ynoma74

If we had more parents like you, we not only wouldn't be having this conversation, we wouldn't have gang task forces, Drug rehab centers, Prop 36's, etc.

We wouldn't need them