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| What's happening to America's youth? |
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Teach your children well ..
EDITOR'S NOTE: Something has happened to America's youth. In the following group of articles, some from the Broward County, Florida (Ft Lauderdale) area, and some from the Long Beach, California (Los Angeles) area, we present a series of stories regarding the way our middle school and high school kids are willing to treat each other. Unfortunately, there are many more such stories we could post.
Because the fact is there seems to be something happening to our youth in America today. The problem ranges from taunting, to bullying to out right violence, and sometimes can escalate to the level of homicide.
It's as if there's a total irreverence for rights of the individual
.. substituted instead for the approval from the teen-group for actions we'd not have found occurring just a couple decades ago.
To me, born in the early 50s, it calls to mind the warning I heard in MY youth .. from Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young .. to "teach your children well" .. for, indeed, its up to us, the adults.
We hope these stories will make one pause .. and think .. |
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 Stories that come from the Broward County, FL (Ft Lauderdale) area:
Michael Brewer (Reenie Brewer/WFOR) |
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Michael Brewer, Boy Set on Fire, Tells Happy Back-to-School Story; Miraculous Recovery Continues
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (CBS)
When Michael Brewer was doused with rubbing alcohol and set on fire, allegedly by three classmates at Deerfield Beach Middle School, his doctors said he would be lucky if he ever woke up from his medically induced coma - today, more than six months after the incident, Michael is waking up to a new reality, and going back to school.
He won't be returning to the same school where he was attacked off campus in October 2009, and family members did not say what school he will be attending. But he told the Today Show that he is looking forward to it.
"I can't wait. I kind of miss school," Michael told the morning program.
Michael survived the October attack by jumping into a nearby swimming pool. But he suffered second and third-degree burns over two-thirds of his body.
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The three teenagers accused of participating in the attack have been charged as adults with second-degree attempted murder. Each faces a maximum of 30 years in prison. All pleaded not guilty.
Less than 5 months after the brutal attack on Michael, another classmate, Josie Lou Ratley, was allegedly attacked on the Deerfield Beach Middle School campus by the boyfriend of a classmate, who was enraged by a text message allegedly sent by Ratley.
Michael Brewer had some strong words for his former school.
"The school is terrible. I don't know why I went to the school," he told the Today Show.
As for Ratley, who is reportedly out of her medically induced coma and responding to her family- although still unable to talk- Michael sent his best wishes for as miraculous recovery as he has made.
"I hope to see her again and get stronger like I did every day...she can do it," Michael said.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20002968-504083.html
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Josie Lou Ratley (Rick Freedman/Family Attorney) |
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Josie Lou Ratley, Michael Brewer Attacks Spur Broward County Anti-Bullying Campaign
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (CBS)
On the same day that Josie Lou Ratley's mother announced that Josie showed a marked improvement by breathing on her own, her school district announced a renewed effort to stop bullying.
Broward County School District Superintendent Jim Notter announced Wednesday that the district has a new theme for students and parents to remember: "You have the power to make a difference - use it!" The saying is part of Broward Schools' "silence hurts" campaign that was started several years ago.
PICTURES: Josie Lou Ratley, Steel-Toed Attack Victim
PICTURES: Michael Brewer's Remarkable Recovery (WARNING: Some Graphic Content)
Notter urged parents and students to report anything suspicious on a tip line, e-mail or text message, emphasizing that any report can be completely anonymous. The numbers and email address will be put up on posters that will be posted in all schools, facilities and sites. |
Notter admitted signs were missed in the case of Michael Brewer who was set on fire, allegedly by three classmates, in Deerfield Beach and in the brutal beating of Josie on school grounds.
15-year-old Wayne Treacy has been charged with first degree murder for allegedly savagely beating Josie at a bus stop March 17 after she reportedly sent him an insensitive text message about his brother who had recently committed suicide. Kayla Manson, who was a friend of Ratley, is accused of pointing out Ratley to Treacy knowing that he intended to hurt her.
Josie's mother, Hilda Gotay Ratley, told reporters Wednesday that her daughter is opening her eyes slightly and has squeezed her doctor's hand, however Gotay said that her daughter's doctors are unable to tell what kind of long-term damage her daughter may be facing.
Josie remains in a medically induced coma.
Treacy and Manson are being held at a juvenile detention center pending an April 19 hearing to determine if Treacy will be charged as an adult.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20002032-504083.html
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Kids across the country are stunned when they experience such traumas |
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Why Didn't Anyone Warn Police Josie Lou Ratley Was Going to Be Severely Beaten?
DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. (CBS/AP)
Why didn't anyone warn police that a boy was allegedly planning to brutally attack Josie Lou Ratley?
The suspect in the brutal beating of 15-year-old Josie Lou Ratley, ninth-grader Wayne Treacy, allegedly sent text messages telling his friends what he planned to do to the girl, but nobody warned the police.
Josie Lou Ratley even received text messages from Treacy claiming he was going to "snap" her neck at Deerfield Beach Middle School. Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti said several people knew about the threats but no one warned authorities.
Treacy is accused of punching Ratley and stomping on her with his steel-toed boots. He is being held in a juvenile detention center on a charge of premeditated attempted murder. |
Ratley remains in critical condition and in a medically induced coma at a Florida hospital. Her family's attorney says doctors are optimistic after two surgeries to relieve pressure on her brain. Treacy's 13-year-old girlfriend was also arrested as an accessory to the attack.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20001063-504083.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody
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Stories that come from the Long Beach, CA (Los Angeles) area:
 Melody Ross, 16-yr-old,
was
killed
as she
left a
homecoming
football game |
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2 Wilson High girls arrested over witness intimidation in shooting death of Melody Ross
April 24, 2010
Long Beach police detectives have arrested two female high school students on suspicion of witness intimidation in the slaying of 16-year-old Melody Ross, a Wilson High School honor student who was fatally shot in October.
The girls, ages 16 and 17, are students at the school and were arrested on campus about 12:30 p.m. Friday, police said.
Authorities said the girls allegedly had threatened more than one witness. The case is being tried as a capital murder case and the two teens could face the same maximum penalty as the murder suspects if they are tried as adults, police said.
The teens, who were not identified because they are minors, allegedly were threatening witnesses inside and outside of court, according to reports, but no details were provided.
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Melody Ross was gunned down near Ximeno Avenue and 10 th Street about 10 p.m. Oct. 30 after a homecoming football game. Authorities said she was an innocent bystander who was killed when two groups of gang members had a confrontation. Tom Love Vinson and Daivion Davis, who were 16 at the time of the shooting, have been charged with murder (see below).
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/
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 Tom Love Vinson & Daivion Davis were 16 yeras old at the time of the shootings. |
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DA: 'Seriousness of crime' justified charging teens as adults in killing of Long Beach honors student
November 7, 2009
The Los Angeles Times and KTLA 5 News
An L.A. County prosecutor said his office decided to charge two teens accused of killing a Long Beach honors student as adults because of the "seriousness of the crime."
Deputy Dist. Atty. Dean Bengston told reporters outside a Long Beach court that the district attorney's office charges juveniles as adults only in "rare instances" but that they warranted in this case because of the nature of the shooting and because authorities believe it was gang-related.
"You have to look at the seriousness of the crime," he said. |
Tom Love Vinson and Daivion Davis, identified by authorities as 16-year-old gang members, were each charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder, according to the district attorney's office.
Vinson and Daivion allegedly opened fire a week ago outside the school, striking and killing Melody Ross, a popular 16-year-old who police said was a bystander.
Two men -- an 18-year-old and a 20-year-old -- were wounded in the shooting, which occurred about 10 p.m. as crowds of students gathered near Ximeno Avenue and 10th Street for a dance. Police believe that the men may have been the intended targets and that the shooting was the result of a gang feud.
Ross was wearing a superhero costume to Wilson's homecoming game against Polytechnic High School. A number of students at the game were decked out in costumes on the day before Halloween.
On Friday night, students and the Wilson High School football team honored Ross. There was beefed-up security on campus.
The suspects are being held on $3-million bail and face life in prison if convicted. They will be arraigned today in Long Beach.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/11/da-seriousness-of-crime-justified-charging-teens-accused-of-killing-long-beach-honors-student-as-adults.html
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