Rod McPhee's defence of those young people responsible for the damage to Mandela Gardens (YEP, May 12) is misguided and misplaced.
It is based upon three false assumptions.
1, That the individual has a right to use public property for any purpose.
2, That other cities allow such use.
3, That those involved were innocently motivated.
'Public' does not mean belonging t
o any one individual but belonging to each individual as a member of the community. It therefore, confers right of use to each member of the community, being mindful of the right of every other member of that community.
A visit to the Trevi fountain in Rome, or any of its other public fountains would disabuse Rod of his view that licence is granted any to self-indulgent undisciplined middle-class twerp to frolic in the water.
Our 'funsters' committed a conscious pre-determined act of vandalism, heedless of the enjoyment others would forfeit as a consequence. What if everybody did likewise? Rod thinks public amenities should be totally accessible and available.
His inter-active city would presumably feature a bouncy Town Hall, a Millennium sandpit and a laughing Black Prince, with community clowns and rubber truncheons to keep disorder.
Paul Kilroy, Leeds
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