Fast Food Issues

Reaunna Hennesy
Staff Reoprter

Near Rangeview there have recently been issues at fast food restaurants such as Wendy’s, Taco Bell, McDonalds and Starbucks Coffee. After school students are walking down to these locations starting, and are starting to cause problems. More then ten of Rangeview’s students hang around and become disruptive to the community. There have been plenty of reports from the businesses that our students are interrupting their business, and being disrespectful.
“There is graffiti in the bathrooms, and are being torn up,” said Officer Reed, one of the schools police officers. “There have been reports of marijuana wrapping found in the boy’s bathroom.” This has become a serious problem facing Rangeview.
“I think it’s legitimate when they call about fights,” said Principal Turner. Every day after school, Officer Reed and Officer Singleton take the time to ride down to theses locations, possibly to give tickets to any peer that is loitering around their business or causing a problem to the community.
According to Officer Reed there have been more than ten tickets given out and less than twenty and it’s not just after school. During school lunches students will leave and go to theses fast foods to eat, although there aren’t as many issues during lunch than after school. During lunches sometimes students will be stopped and asked to show their principal passes.
At any business type location it is a rule that no one can block the driveways, block the sidewalks, and cause attention to the community. At any food services it is required that once you have ordered and eaten to leave. There are consequences for not following the rules, and many teens have paid the price for their actions. Majority of the students coming to these restaurants do not even order anything to eat. They sit there and attract attention from other customers and employees. “People don’t want to take their kids in there because they don’t want to hear Nigga this and using profanity,” said Officer Reed. It is unacceptable for students attending Rangeview to act this way. It gives our school a bad reputation.
Many students think there is nothing wrong with hanging around theses public places. “We should be able to stand where ever we want with our friends without causing trouble,” said Anatacia Jackson, a freshman. “I received a ticket just for standing outside of Wendy’s with my friends.”
“There’s nowhere to really go after school,” said Kelvin Robinson, a sophomore, “Teens don’t like going straight home after school.” On the other hand, several students will invite other people to join them that do not even attend Rangeview High School, but attend other schools that are sometimes in district or teens that are not even in school that have nothing to do. “Sometimes when I go to Starbucks or Wendy’s I meet new people that I haven’t seen before,” said Jaylnn Fortt, a sophomore.
There have also been reports of fighting, sometimes students will get into some trouble and will schedule a fight to take place around these areas. This is putting the community in danger. Something serious can happen. “Kids will fight and everyone will want to watch and make large crowds,” said Yoshio Allen, a senior. Students do not realize that they are becoming a problem and distracting others. It does not only affect the school staff and administration or just customers, but it also affects the employees.
“All they come for is free water and sit outside, liter and smoke,” said an anonymous employee at Starbucks. Anyone that works would like to have a good day and not be irritated, and dealing with the issues at the fast food locations ruins their day. It irritates them to see such teen’s act the way they do.
“We have to clean the bathrooms, and I don’t like cleaning a big mess that I didn’t make,” said Rashawn Rambeau, an employee at Taco bell. “I still like working here because I get to see my friends when I’m working, work isn’t boring.”
Majority of fast food restaurants and public places do not mind the amount of people. It is the disruptive behavior and the amount of teens that are using profanity and some using gang association that is shown by a couple teens. “I don’t mind them, they are very respectful to me and they give me business,” said Michelle Goodwin, another employee at Starbucks. “As long as they don’t cause problems here they are welcome.”
Lately there have not been as many complaints as there used to be when the issue first came around. “I can make recommendations to owners that they can ask students to make wiser decisions not just Rangeview, but all high school problems,” said Principal Turner. Every day more and more the situation is getting better with closed campus and principal passes during the day.