New London — Have we had enough yet?

By “we” I refer to those of us who have lived/worked in New London for most of our adult lives. Those of us who criticize, sure. Because we care. Those of us who bristle at the negative narratives of the city and its people. Those of us who have volunteered in the schools. Those of us who have tried to perpetuate that which is good about our kids. Those of … US.

Have we had enough yet?

I have.

And it’s time somebody in a leadership position embraces the role of the villain and starts taking back the power in this city. Because the dynamic duo of increased entitlement and decreased accountability has left the adults in this city powerless. The kids are running the asylum. And they are running it into the abyss.

They are mocking us. They are playing us. This is what happens now when an alarming chunk of parental responsibility in this city has been abdicated. When there are no consequences at home, what makes any of us think the kids will respect the consequences anywhere else?

So they do what they want. They say what they want. To whomever they want. And just so you know: This is coming directly from inside the schools. This is coming from teachers and other staff who feel powerless. They don’t need to teach “Lord of the Flies.” They’re living it.

Have we had enough?

The latest example came Friday night when the football game at Cannamela Field couldn’t be completed because of unruly student behavior in the bleachers. This comes a few weeks after fast food places on Colman St. chose to lock the doors to their lobbies for an hour after school because of disorderly student behavior. This comes after a bottle-throwing incident and a fight in a three-day span in 2023 forced athletic director Phil Orbe to cease admitting students to basketball games at the time unless accompanied by an adult.

Are New London kids solely responsible for all this? No. But before some of you start the persecution complex, understand that the teachers and staffers aren’t making this up. There is a real problem in this school system. It’s happening every day. More people just happened to see it Friday night.

Hence, this is what should happen for the rest of the football season: No students are allowed to any more games until they prove worthy of the privilege. Keyword: privilege. It is a privilege to attend a sporting event. Not a birthright.

Don’t like it? Not fair? Too bad. I don’t recall learning exactly where life is supposed to be fair. It’s not. And maybe — just maybe — the students in school who practice respect can stage a coup d’etat on the ones who don’t. Because the ones who don’t are running the school.

Want to gain admission to sporting events again? Prove worthy. Start being respectful in the classrooms and hallways. All of you.

I hope this angers a good many of you. I hope the students learn of this proposal and want my head on a platter. Good. Get mad. I assure you: You’re not madder than I am. And we all should want the same thing anyway: A safe environment at the games the kids play.

I’m not sure city leadership grasps how such incidents fortify negative stereotypes against which many of us have bristled for years. Because do you know what they’re saying out in the burbs right now? Same old New London.

And in many ways, they’re right.

I used to believe that we needed to educate kids before punishing them. But that only works when there is a good, healthy respect between students and adults. Spare me the “they’re just kids” narrative. They know what they’re doing. Right now, they are mocking us. There are too many young people in this town who don’t respect a damn thing.

And I’m tired of it.

When I got here 32 years ago, I began a journey that has tried to trumpet the spirit of the green and gold. Listening to Tommie Major before a game. Going to the Thames Barber Shop and listening to the tales from the old days. And I’ve tried very hard to tell those stories. Because they need to be told.

And it’s all getting hijacked now because respect for authority is the 06320 is an endangered species.

Think we can start trying to get it back? Or are we going to “there, there” the poor little innocent souls who laugh at us?

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro