I don’t think you should change venues, abandon alcohol, or anything of the sort.

Just require kids under a certain age to be accompanied by an adult, responsible for them. If you want to welcome kids, make it a family event, not a drop your kids off event. Forget what happened, and focus on a more likely scenario. Do you want to be responsible for somebody else’s kids? What if the event was over and mom hadn’t shown up to pick him up? Does The Drake even allow unaccompanied minors? That makes YOU his responsible adult. Is that what you planned on?

I guess it’s not a good idea to hold release parties on Halloween. Our team held it’s release party on Saturday.

Other, more ‘normal’ folk may have arrived and alleviated any misconceptions that the mother may have had.

As far as my choice of costume; it’s Halloween – Vampires, Freddy Krueger etc…

I ended up having a great time with a REAL minister and his son, and he (minister) even upgraded the next day.

Live and learn.

But, I do believe that she was justified. If she felt her child was in harm’s way, she was obligated to prevent others from whatever danger she sensed.

I was more taken back by the officer’s (only one) attitude, but considering the call, and the fact that by the end of the interrogation I think he understood it was just ONE BIG MISUNDERSTANDING.

Makes great blog though!

1. Advertise party.
2. Minor shows up.
3. Only two guys, one in a satanic priest outfit and second guy is holding a stuffed animal toy, are there representing those throwing a party that was to start /20/ minutes previously.
4. Yeah, I’m pretty sure that I’m calling authorities to be on the safe side.

While it was their choice to pick costumes a little judgment for a family friendly function might have been called for I would imagine. For an event you want to promote to the public, the Ubuntu satanic edition is not something that most people are aware of nor would they embrace the idea. (Not that a satanic priest would cause me to think of that distro, even being a part of the Ubuntu community myself)

There wasn’t a problem last year, even this year two other parents came with their kids and they didn’t have a problem…

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PennsylvaniaTeam/EventsTeam/PhillyIntrepidRelease

I just think that people in the United States are way over paranoid, certainly moreso than in much of the rest of the world. There simply aren’t statistics to back up these fears, just a lot of silly news programs that get good ratings from scaring people.

I’m a little surprised at your “creepy dudes” assumption, both Jim and Randy are adult professionals and I’d be reluctant to put them into a creepy category no matter what they’re wearing. Plus there was a big Ubuntu banner, colorful signs for the tables, official CDs to hand out…

I thought the culture of fear was just here in the UK, where photos and videos or school nativity plays are banned just in case a pervert is filming for other reasons, or that a single man walking a dog in the park will be asked to produce ID because “single men should not be out where kids come to play”…any many more silly incidents…

Still, at least it went OK for everyone afterwards.

Invite 14 year old kid to a “party”. Party supposed to start at 3, but 20 minutes later there’s only these two creepy dudes trying to chat up the 14 year old kid.

Yeaaah. And you’re wondering why the parent was freaked out?

Less simple, but perhaps more effective, is for us to start connecting with the parents of young free software enthusiests. I don’t think making that connection is any harder than sending an email to the parents with a few links about our group. One look at planet is probably enough to convince most parents that we’re good people.

-Dave