This Has To Stop: Billings Is Better Than This

When you live in Billings, you expect the occasional surprise. A spring snowstorm in late April? Sure. Construction delays? Unfortunately, yes. But waking up to find your vehicle damaged because someone allegedly thought it would be fun to throw bricks at cars? That's different and deeply disrespectful.

According to the Billings Police Department, officers responded around 1:44 a.m. Tuesday, April 29, to the 200 block of Covert Lane after reports of a group of teenagers in a vehicle allegedly throwing bricks at vehicles in the area.

Police say officers were able to locate and identify all of the suspects.

Police Are Asking Victims To Come Forward

If your vehicle was damaged, your property was vandalized, or your car was broken into, police ask that you call non-emergency dispatch at 406-657-8200 and reference case number 26-26230. Authorities say the vandalism happened in the Heights, west of Main Street.

This Isn’t Just “Kids Being Kids”

Throwing bricks at someone’s vehicle isn’t a harmless prank. That’s someone’s transportation to work. It’s how parents get their kids to school. It’s how families get groceries. For some, a damaged vehicle could mean missing a paycheck they can’t afford to lose.

And beyond the financial side, it's violating. We work hard for what we have, and someone else decides to destroy it for entertainment? That’s not funny. It’s selfish.

We’re better than this.

Why Does It Feel Like We’re Seeing More Of This?

Every time something like this happens, the comment section of social media usually turns into a blame game. Some people immediately point fingers at transplants and say Billings is changing because too many people are moving here.

And sure, Billings has grown. Billings has changed in many ways. But if we’re being completely honest with each other, we can't pin every act of disrespect on people moving here from somewhere else. That's too easy.

Maybe the bigger issue is something happening in communities around the world right now. A growing lack of accountability. Less respect for other people. A mindset that actions don’t have consequences.

That should concern all of us.

Community Accountability Starts With Us

It’s easy to look for someone to blame when things go wrong. But the truth is, life can be complicated. Some parents work overnight or juggle multiple jobs, and not everyone can keep an eye on their older kids every second. I wish I had an easy answer, but I don’t. All I know is that we can’t just accept this as the new normal. Still, when damage is done, there has to be accountability. As a community, we can’t just shrug these incidents off as “just the way things are now.”

Because they don’t have to be.

Billings is still filled with so many good people. People who care about their neighborhoods. People who look out for each other. People who take pride in this place they call home.

That’s exactly why stories like this hit such a nerve.

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We Have To Protect What We Love

This city deserves better than reckless behavior that leaves neighbors cleaning up someone else’s mess. If you’re one of the people dealing with damage this morning, that frustration is completely understandable.

If we want the city we love to stay strong, we all have a role in making sure this kind of behavior doesn’t become normal. I don’t have all the answers, I’m just a mom with an 11-year-old, and I can only be responsible for how I raise my own child. But I can promise you there’s no way I’m going to let my kid grow up thinking it’s okay to be reckless with other people or their property. Not even a little bit.