A small percentage of Yellowknife youth who continue to commit petty thefts against city businesses are ruining the reputations of the much larger population of honest youth.

And while store managers and their staff would rather not have to accuse youth of stealing, they have no choice.

Even then, many city stores fall victim to petty theft, some losing thousands of dollars per year, others losing thousands of dollars in a single theft.

Yes, honest teens are tired of being discriminated against and accused of stealing when they haven't. And yes, they want appropriate apologies when store staff treat them like would-be thieves.

But store staff members are also sick and tired of thievery. They don't want to use heavy-handed tactics to thwart would-be thieves and they don't mean to embarrass innocent youth -- but then again, they have no choice.

"This is not the Yellowknife of the 1930s, 40s and 50s any more," one city businessman said Monday.

"I'd love nothing better than getting rid of glass display cases and leaving everything out for people to look at and touch, but we just can't. Half the people who come into my store are thieves."

The store owner said youth don't come into his store identified as thieves and non-thieves, so he and his staff have to treat them all equally, and unfortunately that means equally suspicious.

"I don't like it, but that's the way it has to be," he said.

We agree. Although we understand the plight and embarrassment of wrongly accused youth. However, the embarrassment is fleeting, a store's loss is not.

However, store managers must ensure that such scenes involving theft and suspect youth are handled as graciously as the situation will allow