Law About Underage Drinking has Affected my College Experience

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A New Law That Will Just Make Things Worse

Eighteenth birthdays are a time for celebration and good times. It was my friend’s big day and she wanted just that. She asked her parents for a party, and like most teenagers she wanted alcohol to be involved. In order to keep her house and the people inside it safe, she had to make a few precautions before the party. These rules ranged from keeping the music volume moderate, closing the windows, and warning the neighbors beforehand. The party was under control and everyone was being courteous and controlled. Around midnight, two new guests walked around back through the sliding door and crashed the party. Unfortunately, they weren’t just people we forgot to call, they were police officers, and once they entered they immediately began arresting my friends. Luckily, none of us were charged because the police officers lacked probable cause for entering the house. I thought I would never see that kind of police harassment again. Unfortunately, I was dead wrong.

My second weekend here at James Madison University, I was at a party with my friends off campus. Hundreds of kids flocked to the sidewalks near the apartment complexes. All of the upper classmen had given us one vital safety provision, which was to not step onto the street with a cup or beer in hand. I quickly noticed why they had told us this because the streets were swarming with police officers and two feet away on the sidewalks were hundreds of kids drinking right in front of them. During the party, I decided to take a stroll outside for some fresh air and there I saw something that I couldn’t believe. A freshman, perfectly fine, and by this I mean he was not drunk at all, began walking home on the street without a cup or beverage in hand. As soon as his toes touched the pavement two police officers on bikes jumped on him and began interrogating this poor young man. They began questioning him as they looked for any suspicious movements or actions made by the student. After about ten minutes of secret service-like interrogation, they whipped out a breathalyzer test. Clearly, the student failed because he was quickly taken away in hand cuffs in front of hundreds of James Madison students.

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