Funny, how this seems to crop up each Spring / Summer.
Wearing gangsta clothing does not mean you are looking at someone who is off the derech. Perhaps, it means they are not yeshiva bochurim, but to paint them with such a damaging brush is wrong and hurtful.
5 teens (all in yeshiva, but out for lag Baomer) are standing on 16th Ave at 2:00am, with their (white) shirts untucked.
An ex-classmate and 2 friends (all wearing hooded sweatshiirts) stops to say hello and catch up on news.
All of a sudden, you have 10 AT RISK TEENS!!
See how its important to know your facts?
Remebmer, they (or a family member) may read the CR, and seeing this sort of sensationalist reporting does no one any good.
Also, please bear in mind, while we have many boys who are slipping (and even 1 is 1 too many) we do not have an epidemic! We have 1000s of good boys, and 100s who may not want to fit the mold we have made for them.
But to say the yeshiva / parenting system is a failure, is plain wrong. We need to do whatever we can to help each and every person find the niche that’s right for them, but in the meantime, lets give credit where its due.