Raspberry Park residents have been left horrified following the incident where a 14-year-old boy was attacked in an alleged act of bullying, with many saying they are going to think twice before letting their kids get out of sight.
“In a small town, you don't expect to see a lot of this,” said Wayne Strabel, resident of Raspberry Park and witness of the attack.
“Kids think they can get away with this sort of stuff.”
Strabel went on to say many young criminals walk away with only a slap on the wrist and are not punished to the extent he believes they should be because they are under the age of 18.
“This is scary stuff that is happening,” he said.
Andrea Williams, also a resident, said she is worried for the well-being of her children.
“I heard the screams for help from the park,” said Williams, a mother of three children all under eight.
“I'm always concerned about my kids. I never let them go over to the park unsupervised for any reason. There are just too many possibilities of what might happen.” Williams added that this is the worst bullying incident she has heard about in the neighbourhood.
She said her eight-year-old son has been sleeping upstairs as he is nervous about staying the night in the basement following the incident.
Neighbour Jennifer Malone is also worried for the safety of her children.
“I am concerned about my kids playing in the park,” she said.
“We've been very protective of our children. Our kids are not allowed to go over to the park unless we are with them, even though we only live across the street.”
Like Williams, she said this has been the most disturbing incident she has seen in the Raspberry Park neighbourhood.
“When parents don't monitor their kids incidents like this happen. This needs to stop,” she said.
