Boy attacked for having red hair on 'Kick a Ginger' day

[951-Riverside]

According to police, a 12-year-old boy was assaulted by a group of middle school classmates in suburb of Los Angeles may have been targeted after an Internet posting urged students to beat up redheads.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lt. Richard Erickson said that the boy, who is redheaded, was kicked and hit in two incidents on Friday.

The attacks took place at A.E. Wright Middle School in Calabasas. As many as 14 students participated.

According to Erickson the attackers may have been motivated by a Facebook group that announced that Friday was "Kick a Ginger Day." inspired by an episode of the television show "South Park."

Nearly 5,000 people joined the online campaign which urged members to "get them steel toes ready" for a day of booting this week.

The group appears to have been inspired by an episode of South Park, in which a the character, Cartman describes people with red hair as "evil" and "soulless".

So far no arrests have been made.

...And this is whats wrong with today's society, kids are rarely held accountable for their actions. If they're not being arrested for this then who is being thrown in juvenile hall?

[pnwmom]

1. What makes you think the kids won't be charged for this? When did it happen?

Do you have a link?

[Posteritatis]

2. A lack of arrests and charges is a safe bet for bullies most of the time. (nt)

[pnwmom]

6. It only happened Friday, so I'd give them a chance. n/t

[Posteritatis]

8. True enough, though I have trouble being optimistic when it comes to bullying incidents. (nt)

[pnwmom]

21. The fact that this hit the newspapers means that it is probably

being taken seriously. How many bullying incidents get reported in the newspapers?

[paulsby]

22. enough with the bullying

it's ASSAULT (or assault and battery). very few states have bullying statutes (thank god), and there are plenty of laws that apply without needless hope for bullying laws. not referring to you specifically, but god knows people are always talking about how bullies aren't punished and we need new laws, etc.

regardless, it's a bit early to blame the authorities for doing nothing

fwiw, in my state, i can't even book a juvenile for assault. it's a non-bookable misdemeanor unless he has some other pending case, or is on probation. i have to take him home to his mommy and daddy.

under 12, the juvenile is presumed incapable of forming criminal intent (burden can be overcome), and under 8 is statutorily incapable.

[Posteritatis]

24. I'd be happy seeing bullies charged with A&B, but I'm not optimistic there either generally. (nt)

[paulsby]

25. id' really have to know more case facts

for example, what were the injuries to the kid. it says he was kicked and hit but doesn't say if he had an "ouchie" or what.

it's easy to assume some serious injuries considering the # of participants.

[vadawg]

31. yup my state is pretty much the same when it comes to these types of assaults

i just take them to mom and dad to sort out....

[paulsby]

32. i've had kids call before to report "child abuse"

because their parent physically disciplined them. lol

one of them told me that his teacher told him "if your parents hit you, that's CHILD ABUSE"

i'm sure you've experienced similar.

[vadawg]

34. lol yup, my favourite is the demanding a lawyer at the door of the ADC

or demanding to make a phone call before we do the process. TV has a lot to answer for, especially the CSI shows, im sick of telling people we dont have a shoeprint database to run the muddy print from the burglary through...

[JoeyT]

37. The CSI effect

What happens when people get their legal advice and forensic science knowledge from the Tee Vee Machine.

"This evidence seems a bit thin..."
"Look! He's on camera! You can see his f***ing face! He wrote the robbery note on the back of his own checkbook!"
"Do you have any DNA evidence?"

[vadawg]

39. no its the CSImanidiot effect, it gets real old real fast when people pull CSI shit on you

thinking that all the crap you see on TV is for real.... do people really believe that we are going to pull all the video tape in the district to find one stolen garden gnome...

[JoeyT]

41. Pretty much.

They also think you're going to dust for fingerprints in the rain and spend a week loitering around a public street collecting hair samples for DNA testing and measuring every tire in the state. Then they'll scream bloody murder when they find out the average conviction cost for stealing a candy bar is $5,000,000.00. Before appeals.

[paulsby]

46. lol on bank robbers

we had a bank robbery once where the guy used a BOW AND ARROW to rob the bank. guess he took the robin hood thing seriously. anyway, we go into the bank and ask the teller "could you identify him if you saw him again". teller says "identify him? he banks here." and pulls out his signature card

[Lagomorph]

40. And the humiliation lasts a lifetime.

Give me a break.

Progressive? Not you.

[zonkers]

49. That is Calabassas. They won't put up with such crap.

[vadawg]

3. no arrests made so far, maybe they are still investigating duh

or does anybody who might have done it sound good enough...

[greennina]

4. Maybe Cartman was right...

ever met a redheard that was a Democrat?

[pnwmom]

7. Not funny at all -- especially in view of the OP.

But here's an example: U. S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy.

[laughingliberal]

12. Me and my sister nt

[tblue]

13. What's up with that? Wanna try again?

[vixengrl]

17. I am!

I'm a little more cinnamon than ginger, but I don't think anyone should be going about with "better dead than red-headed."

[Red_Viking]

18. Red-headed Progressive checking in

And don't kick me unless you're prepared for my retaliation.

When I was a kid, nothing like this went on. I was teased, but was never physically threatened.

[johnaries]

20. How about me?

Welcome to DU. :sarcasm:

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

23. Yes

Plenty

[WorseBeforeBetter]

27. What's a "redheard"?

If you're going to take a swipe, at least check your spelling -- it's not that difficult a word to spell. Or maybe you're just lazy?

[onestepforward]

28. I am.

Glad I wasn't kicked. :(

[SeattleGirl]

29. Hello, there are a LOT of redheaded Dems. I am one of them.

Please leave your snobbish attitude at the door.

Thank you.

[TorchTheWitch]

53. it's bigotry, not snobery

Call it what it is.

[Heidi]

33. You don't get out much, do you?

I'm a redhead (not a "redheard") and a Democrat.

[Webster Green]

35. Big Eddie

Ed Schultz, liberal radio and teevee host.

(edit for changing the spelling of Big Eddie's last name)

[susanr516]

44. Me

and my daughter.

[arbusto_baboso]

48. About half a dozen.

And they're all very hot women.

[Blue_In_AK]

50. My best friend is a redhead

and she's as radical a Democrat as ever existed.

Also would you have people kicking this little guy, my grandson, whose entire family on both sides are Democrats? Give me a break.

[dana_b]

51. my step father and his family

mostly redheads - democrats their entire lives.

[Richard D]

5. A friend of mines child goes to that school . . .

. . . and is a ginger. He wasn't hurt but there may have been a lot more going on than is in the news.

[pnwmom]

9. Scary that a thing like that could be started by Facebook. n/t

[tblue]

15. Yeah, no kidding. The stuff people think up. I hope there's a serious crackdown on FB.

That's not protected speech, I'm sure.

[vadawg]

10. yup i would let the popo do their investigation, i wonder if there is a SRO at that school

be interesting to see if it is just down to the south park thing..

[Gman2]

11. We are a particularly vicious species. We will pick apart any percieved unconnected target.

Like federal prison, public school requires you to choose up sides. Jock, stoner, geek, etc. In prison, it is a little more direct. Black, white, etc. There is no in group, without difining, and persecuting an out group.

[Stargleamer]

14. And here I thought they meant "Ginger Grant"

I guess that really dates me.

[tblue]

16. No link? I'd like to read more.

[Richard D]

19. L.A. Times has an article on it.

. . .

[shanti]

26. omg

:( words fail me...

[Dogmudgeon]

30. That's what happens when the rich write all our comedy

Abuse, bigotry, and hatred become "The Funny". Humor gets its mean on.

Criticize, and "where's your sense of humo(u)r?" and "jeeze, it's only a teevee show!"

(Cue the set for Bubba, The Gay Prison Rapist.)

*sigh*

--d!

[Chemisse]

36. Arresting those kids seems a little extreme

It's not as though they beat him to a bloody pulp.

They need to be in trouble at school and they need to understand why it was wrong.

Redheads! That had to have been a sarcastic jab at racism on SP. Too bad it was over their heads and they took it literally.

[UndertheOcean]

38. Children can be very cruel , ADULTS should be firm in such circumstances n/t

[Echo In Light]

45. Children learn cruelty from adults. Usually the only thing they're firm on about that is denial

[MineralMan]

42. Someone should start a contrasting "Hug a Ginger Day"

on Facebook.

Didja ever notice how many times redheaded people show up in television advertising? Distinct advantage there.

[Barack_America]

43. They should share Cartman's punishment in that episode...

He was turned into a ginger himself.

It's beyond stupid to take that cartoon seriously, particularly to the level of violent. Cartman is also a rabid anti-semetic who idolize Adolf Hitler. Are these jackasses going to organize a Neo-Nazi march next?

[dusmcj]

47. time to reintroduce corporal punishment for dominance crimes /nt

[dysfunctional press]

52. ginger kids...

[DefenseLawyer]

54. Too bad we can't go back to the good old days

When everyone was good and pure and there was no violence.

[4_TN_TITANS]

55. Did anyone remember the source of the idea???

South Park. My kids watch South Park (12 & 14 yrs.) but they are able to distinguish between the b.s. and / or satire. I would never dream of censoring my children, but there are many kids out there who just can't handle the ideas and presentation of the content in South Park.