Questions raised as Philadelphia cracks down on flash mobs

Thousands of teenagers and young adults reportedly "swarmed" Philadelphia's South Street on Saturday night, according to the Associated Press. That prompted area businesses to shut down early and forced police to send in officers to "control the crowd," AP reported.

"This is not 'Leave It To Beaver' type stuff we're talking about here," Police Chief Charles Ramsey told reporters. "We are talking about serious crime being committed and people being injured. And if anybody thinks this is a joke, then they've got another thing coming."

But Daily Voice syndicated blogger Wain Bennett, who lives in the Philadelphia area, notes that Tea Party gatherings have also turned into flash mobs.

Philadelphia Daily News columnist Elmer Smith criticizes the lack of responsibility by organizers of these gatherings, whether by Tea Party protesters spitting on members of Congress or young urban kids gathering in Philadelphia.

Kids run wild on South Street disrupting businesses and occasionally assaulting people. It's not the fault of the people whose Twittering drew them there.

Protesters on Capitol Hill shout racist epithets at black congressmen. You can't blame protest organizers if a few people do their own thing...

That's the resounding shrug of the suddenly impotent. Organizers can draw thousands of people together with a tweet or an e-mail blast. But they're not responsible for what happens after that.