Hannah Montana Concert Raises Questions About Verizon Center Policy and Parental Responsibility

both share blame here. children shouldn’t be allowed to attend events there without a repsonsible person 18 or older escorting them.

ive got to disagree. i’m no parent but i would’ve been doing the same thing at 13. And as far as I know its legal before midnight or whatever the curfew is in DC.

would you also object to 13 yr olds going to the movies at gallery place?

Those parents should be ashamed of themselves and the Verizon Center cannot reasonably be expected to babysit children while they provide for the general security of the facility.

To Response Number 2.

I am a parent and there is no way I would let my children go to the Verizon Center or the Regal Cinemas…even if we lived in a unit above Gallery Place. There are very few places in NW one might consider allowing children to wander unaccompanied and sadly Penn Quarter is not one of them.

If tickets were so scarce the parents should have driven their children to the Verizon Center, escorted them to the door and been ready to collect their children after the concert. The parents could have caught a movie, gone shopping, or gone to a restaurant while they waited.

When I was 13, I was taking the bus downtown from suburbia to see museums, etc (before metrorail opened). I also snuck into 930 club and other cool spots now long gone from our ‘hood.

I don’t think it’s a problem for the kids of that age (13 – any younger and NO WAY) to be at that sort of concert without a parent, but the parent should walk them to the concert hall door when they arrive and be there as soon as the concert is over, waiting right around the corner in case there is a problem in the interim.

wow, hope they made it home okay. my cousins and i were always on the train when we were that age. but gee, those poor babies… never been out of suburbia and crying on the train. they were probably traumatized.

I remember gowing up on Long Island snd going into NYC with friends on the train at 15 or 16. 13 may be a tad too young for that sort of adventure, especially if she was the oldest and “in charge”. I agree that the parents should have accompanied them downtown and then killed a couple of hours and brought them back home. Penn Quarter is not built for kids or “tweens”, it’s clearly geared towards the over-21 crowd. It would be the same in Georgetown or even Clarendon or Old Town for that matter.

Some 13 year olds could probably make the trip unescorted with no problem.

Apparently, these girls did not have a clue as to what to do when they got into a jam.
1. When lost, they should have know to go to the manager at the station (don’t talk or go with strangers)

2. Where was there cell phone? Did they have money to use the pay phone in the metro station?

These children were sent off without direction. The parents sound like irresponsible idiots.

Children need to be taught what to do in all circumstances. These children left home without survial skills.

As for Verizon…why on earth would they be holding a concert for preteens on a school night? This sounds like a Saturday or Sunday afternoon event geared toward a young crowd.

As for being unchaperoned at Verizon Center at night, no thank you. It is not safe for anyone at any age, unless you have a bodyguard.

I’m with Jon. I was taking the bus/Metro from the burbs to go to gallery shows and sneaking into the old 930 when I was 15, but I was a fairly bulky guy. Pre-13-year-old girls unescorted in the city are asking for their faces to end up on the back of a milk carton. Like malls, tween concerts draw child molesters like flies to poo.

The old Capital Center used to have lounges for parents to wait out kiddie shows, so they’d at least still be in the building to pick them up.

Sure, I did a lot of reckless things when I was 12 or 13 as well. That’s why it’s obvious to me that this group of 12-13 year-olds should have had a parent chaperone. It just takes one parent to chaperone a group of 5 girls. The other 9 parents can stay at home, but one parent should have bit the bullet here and gone along to ensure the safety of these girls.

if the eldest was 13, there’s no question that a parent should have accompanied the tweens on the subway.

I think it is very dependent on the child on whether they need a chaperone. In general, boys are probably better able to handle the situation than girls and urban kids who are used to public transportation with adults are better than chauffeurred suburban kids.

I took NY City subways alone at 11 but again I grew up in the city and am a guy.

Verizon Center should not need to require a parental supervision but parents should be required to us common sense.

I don’t have too much of a problem with the unescorted teens taking mass transit. After all, if every kid was dropped off by their parents by car, there’d be gridlock not to mention it’s not very green. Navigating mass transit by themselves is an essential skill for kids to learn, and with the Verizon Center right above the Green/Yellow/Red lines, the most efficient way to go.
My main objection is to the very idea of Hannah Montana as must-see entertainment. I was subjected to a couple of episodes of that TV show via my 5 year old niece, and quite frankly, it’s dreck. The acting is hammy, the singing is mediocre at best (and lip-synched), and let’s not forget the dad is the one responsible for “Achy Breaky Heart.” It’s just not very good! Then again, my idea of decent children’s entertainment would be something along the lines of “Sideshow Bob’s Cavalcade of Whimsy.”

Their parents were probably too concerned with watching the new ‘American Gladiators’ show to escort their kids safely to the concert.

Not knowing the socio-economic and racial profile of these children, which would skew my answer significantly based on my experiences, your experience seeing unaccompanied kids on the metro isn’t really that shocking at all. I see it all the time.

That being said, the parents are to blame here and are idiots. Then again all parents aren’t smart and many many are idiots (watch the news, sit on a metro train/bus, stand at the corner of 7th and H and watch. You’ll be amazed.) I personally wouldn’t send my kids on the metro alone at that age, heck I barely like it when my wife takes the metro alone.

As for the Verizon center, it is acting as babysitter here. I think the management knows that when they have a kid’s concert. Its a fact of life.

But at the end of the day isn’t the Verizon center babysitting all of us when we go to games and concerts? Hannah montana, the crowd is skewed younger and probably not drunk, but at a wizards game or concert, I seem them babysitting all the drunk and rowdy people as well.

I went to shows unchaperoned when I was in high school, but definitely not in middle school. In middle school it was a thrill to walk around the mall by myself.

One or two of the parents should have taken the subway in with the girls and done a little shopping or gotten a bite to eat.The kids could have called the chaperone at the end of the show and arranged a place to meet.

In addition to molesters, those types of shows also attract the rats from the ghetto who are looking to prey on kids with money or anything else they can steal. No way I would let me children wander around Penn Quarter at night.

I agree with many of the people here saying the blame is on the parents. Also, IMO, there is a critical distinction between taking the metro(or NYC subway) into the city on occasion compared to this situation.

Absolutely anyone who did not have their head in the sand knew that this concert was coming to Verizon Center, knew that it was a huge event, and knew that the audience would be tween girls (and some boys for the opening act). To the point, any person who gets his or her rocks off by preying on children knew without doubt where to be that night. So, the risk to the children is increased exponentially compared to when five kids at that age take the metro into the city without an adult on a random Saturday afternoon.

On a brighter note, I took the red line up to Tenleytown about 20 minutes before the show was over, and encountered two young girls with their parents who left the show a bit early trying to beat the rush. The kids were excited to say the least, and gushing with thanks to their parents for taking them to the show. It was clear that the parents efforts to go was appreciated by the kids, and likely created a memory that may last a lifetime.

I thought there are no public school buses for DC kids, so they have to take the Metro to school. Do you object to that policy as well? The Verizon Center is directly above the Metro, so I don’t think it is too different?

Let me get this straight, the girls were actually in the Metro, and not out on the street yet? The didn’t understand that Gallery Place was their stop? I will agree a one-way ticket isn’t sufficient by itself, you need emergency money in case you get the wrong stop, and you need to write down your actual destination stop.

Parents need too gauge what their own children can handle and chaperone/nurture/guide accordingly. Honestly, I know of late tweens who know handle busy urban environments better than most adults in their twenties and others who don’t. If the city or the Center enforces an age cutoff for teens, then the implication is that there is some age above which individuals suddenly show maturity and below which they don’t. I get that we have certain age cutoffs for drinking, because it’s clearly harmful, and for voting, because it’s impractical not to. But I think it’s important that parents get to slowly give their kids more reponsibility to do other things like go to movies and concerts and wander a little bit farther unchaperoned as they recognize their kids are ready for it. I remember crying from feeling lost and overwhelmed the first time I visited New York City, with just my younger sister trying to help me calm down. I was barely an adult by then, but we kept our wits about us, weren’t ever in any real danger, and both learned a lot from that experience that I often still find myself grateful for today.

17… let me guess you just moved here from suburbia? I grew up in NYC and was all over Brooklyn and lower Manhattan with friends all the time. Walking and riding the subway was the only way to get around. Thats the problem with this society… we have too many soccer moms afraid to let their kids live and experience city life. Instead they would rather drive in with their mini vans or H3s, sit in traffic, and hold their hands all the way to the front door. Give me a break… live a little… experience what the city is about and how other people live. Most of the sickest crimes take place in the ‘burbs anyways in places like Omaha, Minnesota, and the Dakotas… I feel safer in the city any day of the week.

DC & PGCo. school kids use the metro to get to school. When I had a commute that had me on the same time the kids got out I had to suffer the antics of not just teens, but tweens, and elementary kids. All unaccompanied. I’m sure a small gang of DC 7-9 year olds could get the metro train and bus, transfer where needed and reach their destination quite well. Provided they have experience dealing with public transit.
I don’t know the background of the girls and their 13 year old leader, but they might not have had enough experience with the system to realize how to deal with missing a stop or getting the wrong train/ bus.
The fault of the parent or parents (if they aren’t divorced) is not giving the kids the survival skills (and maybe a cell phone as a life line) to deal with the situation.

Loofa133, why would knowing the socio-economic and racial profile of these children have skewered your answer significantly?

I just wish kids in general would be a little more discriminating and creative in their entertainment choices. Hannah Montana is Disney dreck at its worst, something you can imagine being a Simpsons parody of insipid, focus group and merchandising-driven acts. There have to be better options out there.

Clearly the parents are at fault, if their kids were not comfortable on the metro & in the city they should have had a guardian.

But keep in mind the comfort level of the kids isn’t something to rip them about. I grew up in suburban FLA, so a city like DC would have scared the crap out of me at 13. But I had no problem biking all over the place, including busy streets. I had no problem hiking through swamps, cow pastures, orange groves, old phosphate mines, etc. I had no problem with wildlife, including the numerous aligators in our ponds, lakes, and rivers.

I guess I’m trying to say lets not rip on the kids for being uncomfortable in a city, when many of you city raised folks might have been uncomfortable in a more rural enviroment.

1) I think part of the reason that the girls were alone is that the concert started at 7pm. So, there parents couldn’t get off work in time to drive them in. (They were from Annapolis btw)

And their mother was picking them up from the show.

2) I couldn’t believe they actually walked off with me. I mean, I was a complete stranger to them. It was shocking, but I guess I look harmless enough.

3) The girls had no clue where there seats were, and we later found out that one of the girls (who was 10) was actually sitting by herself because they hadn’t been able to get tickets together.

4) I used to go to a lot of concerts when I was their age but there was always a parents room where the adults could go and sit and not be bothered by the concert.

Criminals and perverts aside, I wouldn’t want my kids unsupervised in PQ based solely on the number of times I’ve almost become someone’s new hood ornament.

Columbo – not ripping the kids… instead ripping the parents for not exposing them to all facets of life and the metropolitan area in which they live. Maybe if their parents rode the metro with them once in a while they wouldn’t have been “in shock.”

To anon 2 (post #8), it is after all, business. By your logic of only having this concert on Friday or Saturday nights, you are implying that nothing geared towards kids should be on weekday nights. Circuses, Ice Capades, G-rated movies don’t just shut down on the weekdays. The choice is there, its the parents responsibility to decide whether its ok for their kids to go or not. Hannah Montana performed in Baltimore the next night on Tuesday. Plus, with Wizards, Caps, and GTown season in full swing, they weren’t about to give up a Saturday night for this.

As for the comment:

“As for being unchaperoned at Verizon Center at night, no thank you. It is not safe for anyone at any age, unless you have a bodyguard.”

I must take serious exception to what you are implying by saying “anyone at any age.” I’m not saying PQ is super safe, but your tone seems to imply some really high crime area and I’m inclined to think you are a suburbanite.

Isn’t the real issue here that the parents simply put their kids in a situation they were not prepared for – as evidenced by the fact that they ended up lost and crying. At some point its fine for kids to learn public transportation and getting around by themselves, but these kids were not ready.

To DP
You must have a reading comprehension problem…I suggested that perhaps these concerts should be held on Sat or Sun afternoon…never did write anything about Sat or Sun nights.
It is also apparent that you do not have children of your own.

Nope….not a suburbanite..never have been, never will be. I have lived all around the world and in many major cities.

PQ has along way to go, particularly in the area around Verizon center. Perhaps you limit yourself to the establishements off 7th where it is less threatening.

Don’t judge unless you have all the facts.

To solve the issue between DP and Anon 2, I propose the Verizon Center quit having any events at any time just so all the idiots who do not know how to drive and maneuver their cars would stay out of my garage.

to Anon 2:

Regardless of where you live or have lived, to suggest that the area around Verizon Center is unsafe for anyone of any age without a body guard is hyperbole to the extreme. That statement may be true about some neighborhoods in DC, but not here. I’m not suggesting the neighborhood is perfect (it’s not) or that there is no crime (there is), but your statement is not based on facts.

anon 2, I’m not looking to get into it with you, but you’re the one being judgmental and frankly getting a bit personal and I feel I have to respond.

To attack my reading comprehension by making a big deal between Saturday afternoon and Saturday nights is laughable.

As I have stated, Wizards, Caps, and Hoyas seasons are in full swing. There aren’t too many free weekends available. Because of the setup time, having a Hannah Montana concert on a Saturday afternoon will mean VC is unusable to any of the tenants that night.

As I have also stated, other activities geared towards kids occur on school nights such as Ice Capades, circuses, G-rated movies throughout the country. It is up to the parents to decide if their kids can go or not. But of course, you choose not to address any of this and instead choose an ad hominem attack based on the semantics of difference between Saturday afternoons and Saturday nights.

Now, as for the safety of PQ, I will typically walk the neighborhood, even at night. I have walked from PQ to Union Station or from my job near Dupont Circle to PQ, also at night.

I’ve never felt any great sense of danger but I’m also not going to say there is no crime. All I said was “I was inclined to think you are a suburbanite” because you were taking things to the extreme. I never said you were one definitively because I don’t know you.

I only stated that your statement exaggerated the problem.

I had thought I had responded to your post without being personal or discourteous.

Isn’t it entirely possible that these girls had gone to the concert without their parents’ knowledge and then got in over their heads? That seems more probable to me then parents sending their kids off to the Big Bad City.

Sadder than their parents’ possible behavior, was the fact that the kids couldn’t figure out a Metro map.

Bless you for taking care of the girls.

I can only hope one day we develop a genetic cure for being a moron and get this society back into respectable shape.