Silver Spring, Md., is not known for being backward. Just north of Washington, D.C., it is similar to other liberal-leaning inner-ring Montgomery County suburbs, only more racially and socioeconomically diverse than most. Like its neighbors, such as Bethesda, the area has gradually urbanized in recent years, as a mixed-use, relatively high-density area has grown up around its mass transit hub.
But Silver Spring has a new, dubious distinction, and the town’s embarrassing story sheds light on how difficult it is to undo America’s dependence on driving everywhere.
The Washington Post reported last week that last month, a 10-year-old boy and his 6-year-old sister were walking one mile home from a park in Silver Spring. Someone called the cops, who picked them up about halfway and took them the rest of the way home. Their parents, Alexander and Danielle Meitiv, faced no criminal charges, but a few hours later Montgomery County Children’s Protective Services (CPS) showed up. According to the Meitivs, a CPS worker required Alexander to sign a safety plan promising not to leave his children unsupervised until the following Monday, when CPS would follow up. If he refused, the worker said his children would be removed. CPS has since interviewed both children at school and returned to the Meitivs’ house.
[For more of this story, written by Ben Adler, go to http://grist.org/cities/when-d...lone-become-a-crime/]
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