My response to the street racing bust:
#1
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I know it's a little late but I was busy all weekend. I took the time to write to the Virginian Pilot a letter of response to the incidents of this weekend and will post it here for everybody to read. Here is the link to the original Pilot article I encourage you to contact the various news media organizations if you were not happy with their coverage of events. Remember to come across as civil and professional. Warning: long read.
I don't expect it to get published because it's so long but I want the editors of the Pilot to hear my views. I enourage you all to:
write to the Pilot yourselves
Contact WAVY TV 10
E-mail WTKR: desk@wtkr.com
Contact WVEC
If you think they did a good job of coverage tell them so. If you think they did a poor job and inaccurately depicted situations tell them so. If you feel police somehow mishandled the events of this weekend tell them all so. Get involved. Don't just sit back and complain about it on here. Take the message out.
In the March 5th article, “State Police put Brakes on Street Racing,” I offered that a place for auto enthusiasts to meet would reduce drug use and drinking and driving among our young people. Many people may have laughed my statement off and viewed it as a choice of the lesser of two evils. I’m here to tell you that it’s not. Here is my message to parents: Contrary to what the local media wants you to believe, your child’s interest in working on cars is by no means evil.
In addition to running DragVA.com, a popular online community of auto enthusiasts in Virginia, I served as Chairman of the Newport News Mayor’s Youth Commission and was a member of the National League of Cities Council on Youth, Education, and Families. The latter is a group of mayors, councilmembers, and executives of youth serving organizations from around the nation who have an expressed interest in issues related to young people in this country. The one constant question I would be asked by local elected officials was in some form: Why are so many young people involving themselves in underage drinking and doing drugs?
The (short and simple) answer is this. There just are not enough things for our youth to do in our communities.
Yet, here in Hampton Roads we have an immense number of people who are auto enthusiasts who would want nothing more than a place to congregate with other locals who share the same interests. Meeting together in empty parking lots to admire each other’s hard work, participate in good fellowship, and create new friendships is a harmless combatant against underage partying.
With all due respect to the concept of “teen centers,” no teen center in Hampton Roads would come close to drawing the numbers that the “car crowd” could bring in week in and week out. With support from local law enforcement in the form of moderate supervision; designating a VDOT lot as a hangout spot would be the golden ticket to answering the age old problem of providing young people something to do.
A seemingly simple, effective, and cheap solution. So why would anybody be against it? The fact of the matter is that by choosing to only cover the bad apples of auto enthusiasts, it creates a negative view on the community as a whole. The local media was all over the street racing bust on March 4th, and rightfully so. We are unapologetic of those who participate in illegal activities and they should face the consequences. But where is the coverage of all the positive stories of the local auto enthusiasts?
Stories like that of the hundreds of people who join Team Top End, a local car club, in donating to charities such as the Food Bank of the Peninsula multiple times a year. Or the story of the high school senior working an after-school job just so he can modify his car to shave a second off his quarter mile time at the track each summer. Or the story of the regular joe who translated his devotion to cars into a successful business venture.
Stories of charity, hard work, goal-setting, and entrepreneurship don’t make auto enthusiasts seem so evil now do they?
Chasing people out of parking lots like they are some sort of parasites is not part of the solution. It’s part of the problem. Encouraging people to drive around looking for the next hang out spot will only encourage more illegal street racing. The answer is for local officials and authorities to work together with the local auto enthusiast community to control where to go. A partnership and some communication would go a long way in solving a lot of the problems regarding street racing, promoting positive values, and underage partying.
Sung Kim is a third year political science major at Old Dominion University and owner of DRAGVA.COM. He may be reached by e-mail at: sungek@gmail.com
In addition to running DragVA.com, a popular online community of auto enthusiasts in Virginia, I served as Chairman of the Newport News Mayor’s Youth Commission and was a member of the National League of Cities Council on Youth, Education, and Families. The latter is a group of mayors, councilmembers, and executives of youth serving organizations from around the nation who have an expressed interest in issues related to young people in this country. The one constant question I would be asked by local elected officials was in some form: Why are so many young people involving themselves in underage drinking and doing drugs?
The (short and simple) answer is this. There just are not enough things for our youth to do in our communities.
Yet, here in Hampton Roads we have an immense number of people who are auto enthusiasts who would want nothing more than a place to congregate with other locals who share the same interests. Meeting together in empty parking lots to admire each other’s hard work, participate in good fellowship, and create new friendships is a harmless combatant against underage partying.
With all due respect to the concept of “teen centers,” no teen center in Hampton Roads would come close to drawing the numbers that the “car crowd” could bring in week in and week out. With support from local law enforcement in the form of moderate supervision; designating a VDOT lot as a hangout spot would be the golden ticket to answering the age old problem of providing young people something to do.
A seemingly simple, effective, and cheap solution. So why would anybody be against it? The fact of the matter is that by choosing to only cover the bad apples of auto enthusiasts, it creates a negative view on the community as a whole. The local media was all over the street racing bust on March 4th, and rightfully so. We are unapologetic of those who participate in illegal activities and they should face the consequences. But where is the coverage of all the positive stories of the local auto enthusiasts?
Stories like that of the hundreds of people who join Team Top End, a local car club, in donating to charities such as the Food Bank of the Peninsula multiple times a year. Or the story of the high school senior working an after-school job just so he can modify his car to shave a second off his quarter mile time at the track each summer. Or the story of the regular joe who translated his devotion to cars into a successful business venture.
Stories of charity, hard work, goal-setting, and entrepreneurship don’t make auto enthusiasts seem so evil now do they?
Chasing people out of parking lots like they are some sort of parasites is not part of the solution. It’s part of the problem. Encouraging people to drive around looking for the next hang out spot will only encourage more illegal street racing. The answer is for local officials and authorities to work together with the local auto enthusiast community to control where to go. A partnership and some communication would go a long way in solving a lot of the problems regarding street racing, promoting positive values, and underage partying.
Sung Kim is a third year political science major at Old Dominion University and owner of DRAGVA.COM. He may be reached by e-mail at: sungek@gmail.com
write to the Pilot yourselves
Contact WAVY TV 10
E-mail WTKR: desk@wtkr.com
Contact WVEC
If you think they did a good job of coverage tell them so. If you think they did a poor job and inaccurately depicted situations tell them so. If you feel police somehow mishandled the events of this weekend tell them all so. Get involved. Don't just sit back and complain about it on here. Take the message out.
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#2
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Originally Posted by sung
I know it's a little late but I was busy all weekend. I took the time to write to the Virginian Pilot a letter of response to the incidents of this weekend and will post it here for everybody to read. Here is the link to the original Pilot article I encourage you to contact the various news media organizations if you were not happy with their coverage of events. Remember to come across as civil and professional. Warning: long read.
I don't expect it to get published because it's so long but I want the editors of the Pilot to hear my views. I enourage you all to:
write to the Pilot yourselves
Contact WAVY TV 10
E-mail WTKR: desk@wtkr.com
Contact WVEC
If you think they did a good job of coverage tell them so. If you think they did a poor job and inaccurately depicted situations tell them so. If you feel police somehow mishandled the events of this weekend tell them all so. Get involved. Don't just sit back and complain about it on here. Take the message out.
I don't expect it to get published because it's so long but I want the editors of the Pilot to hear my views. I enourage you all to:
write to the Pilot yourselves
Contact WAVY TV 10
E-mail WTKR: desk@wtkr.com
Contact WVEC
If you think they did a good job of coverage tell them so. If you think they did a poor job and inaccurately depicted situations tell them so. If you feel police somehow mishandled the events of this weekend tell them all so. Get involved. Don't just sit back and complain about it on here. Take the message out.
I actually saw that the paper had mentioned your name. I plan on writing them sometime within the next few days.
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nice write-up sung.
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very well put sung. I hope they look it over and can come within reason and post it out, It should only be fair they here all sides of the matter and not just the bad stuff that has happened.
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#6
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Nicely done, you should contact Dee of the CAR CLUB COUNCIL OF HAMPTON ROADS, she and I are working on something right now, but there is a spot where everyone can go, I've mentioned it here before, its JENROS CLASSIC PUB, in the haygood shopping center, all the car clubs and enthusiast have been going to that parking lot for the past 30+ years, jenros sponsors it, and the police dont even come in there. Checkout fridays Va pilot auto weekly section for info, or call Dee at 456-2211, tell her Anthony referred you.She is the PRESIDENT of the council. you can contact me at doughboy418@hotmail.com.
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but cant you only go there during the DAYTIME?
i think sung is looking more for a spot to chill at on the weekend nights...etc
i think sung is looking more for a spot to chill at on the weekend nights...etc
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Its every saturday night and sunday afternoon, I've been going there for the past 14yrs myself.
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nice letter Sung.
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#10
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Also the car club council is in our corner, the council is made up of the vette, camaro, mustang, streetrods, classics and antiques, mopar and my club Neighborhood dreamz, these clubs dont look down on our style of cars as most of you think, they look at us as being just like them, car enthusiast, If any of you are actually in clubs you should join the council, we are actually in contact with rasr(racers against street racing) about coming or sending literature for us to pass out and to sign up people.
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