The grown-ups who live in the area may be fed up, but teenagers hanging out Tuesday night around C.M. Musser Elementary don’t think there’s really a problem with unruly youths.

“It’s a friendly neighborhood,” said Breanna Upshur, 13, who was out walking with friends Tuesday, as they often do.

“I love Sharon, but there’s not much else to do in Sharon,” said Heather Harrison, 14.

Kids walk in groups and meet up with other friends who are out and the groups just get bigger, said Yonshalae Powell, 13. Then people “take it the wrong way” and assume there’s going to be a fight and call the police, she said.

“If there was something around here to do for fun, we wouldn’t have to do that,” Yonshalae said.

Yonshalae said she and her friends are too old for playing games, so they walk and talk. Heather said they listen to music a lot.

Reports to police of disrespectful and disorderly teens blocking traffic and fighting are blown out of proportion, said Jashawn Ray, who was walking with a group of boys and crossed paths with the girls at Plum Street and Cedar Avenue.

Jashawn said there are lots of fights after school, but Aaliyah Green said they’re usually younger kids.

Heather said people hear things from other adults and people in other places about Sharon and that’s where the bad rap comes from.

“The most that boys do is run around and be boys,” Heather said. “That’s all they can do.”

When asked if there was a gang problem in town, Yonshalae said there isn’t.

“It’s not even like that, really,” she said, adding that it’s just groups of kids who call themselves by a name.

Sierra Coxson, 16, lives on Spruce Avenue and said she hasn’t noticed any more fights or trouble than usual in recent months and she doesn’t think there’s a problem with kids fighting.

When asked if she was scared to be out in the neighborhood, she said, “Oh, no.”

Rashawn said that police “start stuff” with the kids hanging out. Aaliyah said the police have a problem with black people.