MILWAUKEE — Hours after a reckless driver slammed into a parked school bus, debris still sits on the curb outside of Morse Middle School. Parents say it wasn't a matter of if this would happen, but when.
RELATED STORY: Reckless driver plows into school bus outside Morse Middle School, suspects run away
Mylee Thao-Xiong says dangerous driving is a norm around her daughters' school.
“They’ve been going to this school for three years now. Every day when I drop them off or pick them up, you see reckless drivers everywhere,” said Thao-Xiong.
Milwaukee Police Department's calls for service show there have been 54 calls about reckless vehicles in the Menomonee River Hills neighborhood between January 2020 and December of 2022.
Police are still looking for the driver who ran from the scene outside the school on Monday. Video from the moment it happened shows it was likely teenagers driving the stolen car.
LaNelle Ramey, the director of Mentor Greater Milwaukee, says kids often get bad behavior from witnessing it themselves
“Young people aren't necessarily doing all this reckless driving, but they're mirroring a lot what of they see adults do,” Ramey explained.
Mikkaal Merriwether works inside the middle school and saw the crushed car on his way into the building Monday morning.
He says he's seeing the trend of reckless driving in kids move in the wrong direction.
“I just try to continue to remind the kids as I’m in the school, that this is not going to impact your life in a positive way and there's other ways to have fun and enjoy yourself and this is going to hurt yourself in the long run,” Merriweather said.
Ramey says that kind of mentorship is what kids need to make sure they're on the right path.
“They're searching for something. How do we fill that gap of 'something.' It’s really just kids that need to hear they're supported they're loved and someone cares about them.”
Now, Ramey and the community are focusing on helping the kids affected by Monday's tragedy.
Anyone interested in joining a mentorship program or creating one in their area can contact Mentor Greater Milwaukee.
Editor's Note: TMJ4 News has updated the following sentence to reflect the most accurate data from police, 'Milwaukee Police Department's calls for service show there have been 54 calls about reckless vehicles in the Menomonee River Hills neighborhood between January 2020 and December of 2022.'
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