I WRITE in response to the letter (LT, November 14) entitled Goths don't cause us any trouble' and completely agree with the person who wrote that piece.

The vast majority of Emos or Goths are bright, intelligent young people who wish to express themselves by dressing in a particular way.

They generally do not cause problems for anybody and I fail to see how people can concentrate their complaining efforts on these youngsters, when there is a much bigger problem at hand.

If you look at the groups of youngsters causing trouble in most neighbourhoods, it is the feral children whose parents lack the necessary parenting ability and fail to discipline or teach respect to their offspring.

Maybe these parents quite simply don't care less what their children get up to, as long as they can sit at home all day and drink beer. After all, children are an easy meal ticket for academic underachievers, aren't they?

This issue is something that I feel strongly about and is a huge problem with this country.

We are allowing groups of violent feral children to run riot, swear at parents, throw stones at passing people and slash our car tyres.

And the worst thing? We have to just accept it.

As a former serving police officer I know all too well that they are completely powerless; ASBOs are a joke and most of these children are too young to be prosecuted.

Something needs to be done from a higher level, rather than concentrating on a group of (mostly) well mannered and polite youngsters congregating in town.

I fear a rebellion from the average law-abiding residents of this country, who may feel forced into taking the law into their own hands if the current situation is allowed to degenerate and these young yobs are allowed to take further control of our streets.

It is the same young yobs who turn into fully-fledged thugs, who drink all day and look for a fight at night.

The same thugs, in their stripy jumpers and tracksuit bottoms who are likely to randomly attack you and your partner as you make your way home after a few quiet drinks.

It's quite disgraceful and if one politician came up with an agenda to seriously deal with these dregs of society, they would be voted into power tomorrow.

Concerned 20-something Blackburner (via email).