Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Wednesday Rant

This is not going to be a typical funny Wednesday post. In fact there is nothing funny about it at all. I just need to get something off my chest.

This past weekend was homecoming. Should be a fun time right? School spirit, pride, and loyalty. Sometimes it goes too far. Apparently, before the football game some of our players had gone to a soccer match against our local rivals. There was the typical trash talk that occurs. Then players from the rival soccer team showed up at our homecoming and engaged in more trash talk and included insults to one of our football players' girlfriends. Ok, no big deal.

It seems after the football game, the offended player gather together some buddies, including a few guys from New York, and grabbed a few baseball bats to go beat up the soccer player who trashed his girlfriend. When they arrived at the boy's home and shouted for him to come out and take his lumps. The father called the police then went out to inform the angry group that they had best leave his property before the police arrived.

At this point, the group decided if they couldn't take the son they'd take the father and they smashed his head in with a baseball bat. They shattered every bone in the left side of the man's face and injured him badly enough that he had to be Med-Evac'ed to a trauma center. The man's neighbor, mayor of that community and athletic trainer to the rival high school, came to the man's defense when he saw what was occurring. The group was all too happy to turn their bats on this man as well and demolished one of his arms (shattered elbow, compound fractures).

Now, one would think that arrests of all guilty parties would be swift. In fact, most of the punk-ass thugs young men were carted away by police that evening. However, the main assailant, the one who organized the attack, evaded the authorities and none of his cohorts are cooperating with police. They refuse to name him as part of the group. There seems to be some question as to whether or not this kid will be arrested. Yes, I grasp the concept of rules of evidence and whatnot.

This group damn near killed one man (The man will live but it is unclear what sort of permanent brain damage he may suffer) and has crippled another, both of whom are well-respected members of the community, and they are entirely remorseless. They were not joyriding and had a bad accident. They were not in a spontaneous fight that got completely out of control. They planned for one person's blood and they took the blood of the people who interfered with their plans. This was not youthful stupidity. It was malicious, premeditated violence.

Years ago I worked at a maximum secure facility for juvenile delinquent boys. At that facility there were hardened boys who were armed robbers, murderers, rapists. They were violent repeat offenders who you knew would finish their time and end up 'graduating' to adult prison. There were others who had made really foolish choices that went horribly awry and they found themselves before a judge who threw the book at them. To be honest there were boys who'd had the book thrown at them because of their race or socio-economic background too.

That being said, a juvenile facilty is too good for these local guys. Try them as adults.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lime,

There are some days when it is hard to see the glow in the middle of every human being.

Sounds like this crew needs to go around the wheel a few more times, starting maybe at the worm level.

Understand your rant.

P.

Anonymous said...

Sometimes I don't understand the world. It makes me incredibly sad, just trying to imagine what the two men and their families are going through right now.

Charley "Apple" Grabowski said...

Hopefully they'll be tried as adults and under the stricker gang laws. Seems that the boy that got away should be charged with something.

lecram sinun said...

This is so sad and once again illuminates that the current definition of winning is crushing your opponent as opposed through attaining exellence. It's a societal mindset... (and forgive me pontificating) the same one that brought down the Roman Empire.

S said...

OK I am fuming because this is what we get when we train our little men to be brave football playing warriors, soldiers and killers.
These are the very same beings that we send over to other countries to slaughter innocents. Is it really any different?
Little shitheads, I hope they are hit hard for refusing to narc out their "leader"

Oh man, men, their games and their testosterone...I just wanna hurl...

Ok done thanks!
X

EmBee said...

I have a firm belief in the 'Karma Train'... It's comin' down the rails for these guys and someday, somewhere it's hopefully gonna hit 'em so hard it'll knock 'em right outta there socks!

Unknown said...

That just makes me ill. I hope those kids come to their senses and give up the 'leader' and do their time. Total idiots. Teenagers these days scare the crap out of me sometimes.

Kelly said...

I have no words that could convey how sad I am to hear that. What is wrong with kids!?!

Anonymous said...

Oh man, that is so sad. Can't read that without it being bothersome, huh?

But you know, that kind of thing happens all the time when people start trash talking others. Thats where it always starts. Not that it is an excuse by any means, but it's just not a good idea to start trash talking anyone. People get angry (especially if the trash talk is directed towards ones girl!) and then this kind of stuff happens.

It sounds as though these other guys are scared to implicate the main assailant. Which is really common. He's probably a strong guy who has a crazy, violent streak. They dont want to find themselves at the end of his baseball bat next time. Which happens all the time. People get seriously beaten or worse, killed sometimes for implicating someone who may be dangerous.

It's a really sad situation all the way around. I feel so bad for the guy that got beat. Although for safety's sake, I hope he learned not to start his trash talking with anyone in the future.

For the person that got hurt, I hope all turns out okay for him. I do hate to see people get hurt. What a horrible incident.I hope he is able to completely heal. Soon.

The other guy, well...they will probably get him eventually. If not for this, certainly for something else.

Marc

Logophile said...

This is the kind of stuff that makes me soooo annoyed,
rant on, sistah!

RennyBA said...

This was a sad read Michelle. These kids must be crazy and it's disapointing to hear that they use the sport as an excuse to behave like this. They've of course missed the whole point.
Sorry to hear that your hump day was spoiled by this, but do hope the rest of your week will be fine:-)

KFarmer said...

What in the world? The violence some teenagers exhibit is just horrible! I watched Elephant the other night-I cant believe all this- it makes me sad, mad and sick at the same time. What do these boys parents have to say about all this is what I would like to know? Damn.. you have every reason to rant.

KFarmer said...

PS- hope you dont mind, I blog-rolled you :)

Moosekahl said...

Amazing...I remember when homecoming was aobut spraying my hair kelly green, dying my legs green with lotion and food coloring and begging my parents to go white wash the highway. I hope they find the little ring leader...see what happens when he gets to play with the big boys.

TLP said...

OMG! That's horrible! What can possibly cause these kids to act like this?

Fred said...

Sad to say, I've seen some of this with rival high school students in our area. It hasn't gone as far as your story, thank goodness.

Look no further than this past weekend's Miami/FIU college football game, where thugs were running around stomping on the heads of opposing players. Kids look up to that kind of behavior nowadays. It's pathetic, but real.

Anonymous said...

This made me sick to my stomach, and while I know parents aren't always at fault...what kind of morals have these kids been taught...or not taught, rather...it frightens me that mere kids can have no value of human life...are they that desensitized? I agree...they need way more than a slap on the wrist if their is any hope of reforming their messed up minds.

Stephanie said...

I am at a complete and total loss - what has this world become?? It scares the hell out of me.

Anonymous said...

There are some very very sorry people in this world.

Mark Leslie said...

I completely agree with you and am angry that they could conduct such a premeditated vicious assault.

It makes me sick to my stomach.

Bridget Jones said...

That young offenders act was the worst and stupidest thing ever perpetuated. Well enough intended but seriously out of touch with what's going on out there.

You do the crime, you do the time.

Hope they throw the book at the punk ass thugs.

P M Prescott said...

Coming by way of Brian's blog.
Sounds like the district should suspend all athletics for the rest of the school year. I got my college degree from a track scholarship so I know how this would really hurt many athletes who would most likely sue the district, but it's time to realize schools are there to educate and this would be the best lesson for all students and parents to learn. Athletics is a privelige and can be taken away.