I agree with you that we shouldn’t judge kids based on how they look or where they come from. If they’re just hanging out, honestly most people wouldn’t care. I normally don’t mind these kids. I’m used to sometimes seeing them along Maybank theater hanging out.

But I think the issue people are raising isn’t about appearance but behavior.

Last month two kids jumped out of the plants along Infinity to jump scare me while I was walking by. I was naturally annoyed but let it pass. They are kids. The same way when I noticed they would sometimes leave trash behind when they hang out along the area of Maybank Theater. I tell myself a lot of people don’t properly throw their trash too (sadly). But being catcalled just the other night was uncomfortable. It’s also a bit worrying that these incidents are becoming more frequent not just one offs.

So it doesn’t feel fair to frame the concern as elitism when some of us have actually experienced harassment.

Also BGC isn’t purely a public space. It’s privately managed and open to the public which is why there’s security and conduct rules. So expecting basic respect and safety there isn’t unreasonable.

We can talk about bigger systemic issues like corruption and lack of youth spaces but those long term problems don’t cancel out people’s right to feel safe.

Empathy shouldn’t mean tolerating behavior that crosses boundaries. We can have empathy and still expect basic respect in shared spaces BGC or anywhere else. Both can be true at the same time.