Clovis, NM: Children involved in stabbing

[blonndee]

Thank goodness the injuries weren't serious. But this is so disturbing. A 9- and an 11-year-old working together in this kind of attack?

Children involved in stabbing
Tuesday, Apr 22 2008, 2:04 pm
CNJ staff

A 9-year-old Clovis boy attempted to stab a 7-year-old neighbor with a steak knife Monday while his 11-year-old sister held the victim down, according to police.

<snip>

“The sister held the girl while the brother cut her on the leg. The victim supposedly used a racial epitaph towards the (male) child and that’s what supposedly caused it, (but) you can’t stab someone if they call you a bad name,” Whitney said.

<snip>
Police are not allowed to take children age 11 and younger into custody in New Mexico, according to Whitney. Instead, they must refer juvenile criminal cases to the Children Youth and Families Division.

“It is a felony aggravated battery because that is a deadly weapon. There isn’t anything much deadlier than a steak knife. It is designed to cut flesh (and meat)... (But officers) are not allowed to take them into custody period. For any reason,” he said.

http://www.cnjonline.com/news/year_27602___article.html/old_victim.html

[texshelters]

1. If they had just had guns

the girl would have been dead. Damn the anti-gun lobby!

Tex Shelters

[Miss Carly]

2. MG what is wrong with kids anymore

unbelieveable

Carly

[Lex1775]

3. Doesn't surprise me.

I was stationed in Clovis for the last couple months of my enlistment. Most of the kids in the town spend their weekend nights hanging out at the Sonic or across the street in the grocery store parking lot. It wasn't surprising to see a lot of younger siblings (6-12 years old) hanging out there as well.
There is a lot of barely below the surface racism as well.

[blonndee]

4. Me neither, sadly.

I spent 21 years of my life there. It really didn't use to be that bad in terms of violence and other crimes, but the "barely below the surface racism" has always been there. It's sad because the town could be something much more than what it is, IMO.

[Lex1775]

5. Ahhh... sorry about that Blonndee

Open mouth, insert foot. :spank:

I didn't mean to slam your hometown like that. I didn't have a very good experience in Clovis. A lot of it stemmed from the fact that my wife (fiance at the time) is black.

[blonndee]

6. No, it's okay!

I've found that a lot of Air Force members had a bad experience in Clovis, and I can see why. It's a very closed, cliqueish place with very little culture and almost no opportunity. There's a reason I left. I just have to love it in some weird way, since I grew up there. It's like a dysfunctional family relationship, I guess. :) Doesn't mean I want to spend any time with THAT crazy old aunt.

ETA: The racism in Clovis is really mostly anti-black, from my experience. Although there is some white-Hispanic tension, for the most part, New Mexicans deal with that pretty well. But there is for some reason a good deal of racism against blacks (by both whites and Hispanics) and a LOT of de facto segregation. So I totally understand how you would have a negative experience there.

[Cleita]

7. I have found that part of NM really strange not just Clovis.

My DH and I used to pass through there as quickly as possible when we were on the road. The people don't seem attuned to the world outside their world especially the young people. We once stopped at a diner for breakfast and it seems the local ranchers were having a meeting. The conversation we overheard was chilling and yes the racism and sexism was about two centuries old. It wasn't a place us Californee, bleeding heart liberals were comfortable in.

[blonndee]

8. I agree, unfortunately.

I still live relatively close to Clovis, and it's even *stranger* a little south of there. Outsiders are not welcomed at all, people are very suspicious and unfriendly where I live. Almost like a town you might find featured in a Stephen King novel. Really. It makes me sad, because as a native, I LOVE New Mexico, but this southeastern section seems much more like West Texas (sorry West Texans) but even more so.

[babydollhead]

9. Vivian Girls...