IS THIS BULLSHIT OR APPROPRIATE?

[Midwest Spy]

To me, expelling the kid seems appropriate.

I understand wanting to send a message, and if they could prove that the noose action was being sent as a message to someone specifically, I guess I could see bringing charges.

[username]

Total federal over reach (and over reaction). Expelling the student fine but if I were so inclined, I think I ought to have the RIGHT to express my beliefs as I see fit (as abhorrent as they may be--and not necessarily using public or university property in the process). Why aren't they rounding up and charging every KKK or white supremacist out there? As if many of them aren't exhibiting "threatening or intimidating" behaviors.

Stupid.

[HairOfTheDog]

^ That's the asshole, Graeme Harris Phillips, who put the noose and confederate flag around James Meredith's statue.

He now attends University of North Georgia – Oconee Campus.

He faces up to 11 years in prison if convicted of the two civil rights violation charges.

[Duchess]

He faces up to 11 years in prison if convicted of the two civil rights violation charges.

That is so extreme. The kid is an asshole, no doubt about it, but it was done to a statue for godssake.

[Blindgreed1]

An angry ginger

[Maggot]

He could have put a noose around Lincolns neck at the monument and not have been in as much trouble. Its not over reach its more like a reach around.

[blueberryhill]

He shouldn't get 11 years in prison; LE needs to spend more time looking for killers. Very tasteless, but he learned that from the adults in his life and I have seen
adults do worse and nothing happens to them. Let him do some community service and go to some classes on diversity, equal rights, etc....Like the kid in Sig Alph frat doing racial slurs on party bus at OU. He had to speak in press conference and apologize to the community, University, fellow students, etc. with all of the Black leaders in Norman standing on the stage around him nodding their approval. Seemed to work....

[Cynical Ninja]

The poem is not anywhere near as offensive as the pornography ALL of the students in that class will be watching daily. That should be more of an issue for parents than a poem.

Any debate about whether art is legitimate or appropriate is doomed before it starts.

[Cynical Ninja]

^ That's the asshole, Graeme Harris Phillips, who put the noose and confederate flag around James Meredith's statue.

He now attends University of North Georgia – Oconee Campus.

He faces up to 11 years in prison if convicted of the two civil rights violation charges.

He's a dick but 11 years in jail? Come on!

[HairOfTheDog]

He shouldn't get 11 years in prison; LE needs to spend more time looking for killers. Very tasteless, but he learned that from the adults in his life and I have seen
adults do worse and nothing happens to them. Let him do some community service and go to some classes on diversity, equal rights, etc....Like the kid in Sig Alph frat doing racial slurs on party bus at OU. He had to speak in press conference and apologize to the community, University, fellow students, etc. with all of the Black leaders in Norman standing on the stage around him nodding their approval. Seemed to work....

I'd be shocked if he got 11 years. That's the maximum sentence he faces if he's convicted of both charges, but I don't think federal prosecutors will seek the max.

Harris will probably do very little jail time, if any, in my opinion. I think he'll more likely get a fine, community service, and probation. If he willingly makes a public apology, it could help his case too. The Justice Department is making an example out of him -- blatant racism won't be tolerated at universities.

Universities seem to be cracking down as well. Harris and the other two freshmen who were allegedly involved in the incident were kicked out of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity immediately, which wound up closing its Ole Miss chapter shortly after the incident.

If Harris doesn't plead guilty, the trial should be fairly soon (no date released). He was just indicted, but the incident occurred 14 months ago. He turned himself in and was released on bond on Friday.

Here's what his lawyer said today: Harris is thoroughly remorseful that he has offended anyone, his attorney explained, and would do anything to take it all back. “ Graeme (Harris) is ashamed of himself and so sorry that people may forever see him as somebody he is not,” Hill said. “Additionally, he is especially troubled by what this thoughtless event has done to his own family.” Interview: http://thedmonline.com/graeme-harris-law...ndictment/


Note: his name has been reported differently in different articles -- it's "Graeme Phillip Harris".

[HairOfTheDog]

HE'S BACK..........

A Tidwell Middle School student started a blog on a writers' website in August last year that was called 'Killing Children.' The tag line read: 'This is a continuous story about me murdering people I hate.'

There were 11 chapters published online up until January this year, featuring stories titled 'Massacre', 'Thrown Under The Bus' and 'Blood, Blood, And More Blood'. Some of the names of the murder/assault victims in the stories are the boy's classmates.

The children who were named eventually came across the blog and alerted their parents, who reported the incident. The boy was then removed from class, and his parents subsequently withdrew him from the school. The blog was also taken down.



However late last month, as students returned from spring break, so did the boy. The district and the boy's parents maintained the blog was a work of fiction, describing it as a horror story. The Tarrant County District Attorney's Office also ruled the blog was protected by the First Amendment.

Some students and parents are outraged. 170 students at the Texas school were absent the day after his return was announced.

A number of parents, particularly those whose children were named as murder or assault victims in the boy's stories, are protesting and keeping their children out of school due to fear. They want the boy expelled.

Refs:
http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/local/tar.../70327006/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...peers.html
------------------------------------------------------

I hope this 14-year-old is just a budding Stephen King and not a future violent criminal.

Is it bullshit or appropriate that this teen was allowed to return to the same school? Should he be expelled?

[Duchess]

After every school massacre people talk about warning signs. Here's your sign, you retards.

I think it's bullshit he was allowed back, Hot D.

[username]

After every school massacre people talk about warning signs. Here's your sign, you retards.

I think it's bullshit he was allowed back, Hot D.

Yeah. This is where free speech becomes scary. I think it's totally appropriate for him to be expelled from the school. I wouldn't want my kid in school with him (especially if my kid were one of those named). Hell no.

[ramseycat]

There's your sign...

[HairOfTheDog]

There's your sign...

I agree with you, Duchess and user.

The kid was reportedly "evaluated" for 2 weeks and cleared before being readmitted to the school. I'm assuming that means a psych evaluator determined that his stories were purely fictional and not something he would contemplate carrying out in reality.

Even so, we all know psych evals are subjective, the people being evaluated can sometimes lie convincingly, and psychology is nowhere near an exact science.

I wonder what can be done next. If he's expelled, I don't think he should be able to transfer to another school without full disclosure. That's just transferring the risk. Should home schooling be required? Would it even be legal to keep him out of public school for writing a piece of fiction outside of school premises, especially given that he's apparently been declared "not a danger"? I think the school board's hands may be tied here.

Hopefully, the kid would never harm a hair on anyone's head and was just stupid to use real names in fictional story-telling. But, I don't blame parents and other students for being cautious and assuming the worst -- it would be awful if those stories were fantasies that he would act upon if given the chance and a big flashing warning sign was ignored (again).

[username]

Kids DO sometimes get expelled from a school district. Around here, they end up at a county school which I think is a step up from juvenile hall.

I would think the district has some options (or at least here they would). An alternative school that's part independent study/part time at a DIFFERENT school or even sending in a home instructor.

I think only time and a lot more psych evals could prove that kid safe to return to a regular school environment.

[HairOfTheDog]

I don't know.

He didn't break any laws. He didn't threaten anybody. He didn't write or post the stories on school grounds. He doesn't have disciplinary problems, AFAIK.

He might have been evaluated by several psychologists during those two weeks who all concurred that he was no danger to others and was just writing fiction using names of people he knows.

I don't think the parents attempted to transfer him after the incident. They put him back in the same school. If he was expelled, what would be the basis for expulsion that would hold up in court if the parents filed suit?

[username]

I think (and I'm not an education attorney, obviously) the district would be entitled to have him at least evaluated, independently, on their dime. They usually have access to their own psychologists, behavioralists etc. If anyone finds even a hint that he might be a threat to himself or others, I would think that would be sufficient to keep him out of school (call it expulsion or not).

I don't see how they (those evaluating him) could conclusively say with certainty that he isn't potentially still a danger (based in part on what you said; it's not a perfect science). I think he needs to be evaluated over months and months as opposed to two weeks.

[Duchess]

This is the title of his blog - 'This is a continuous story about me murdering people I hate.'

I saw all I needed to see to form an opinion & I don't care a wit about their 2 week evaluation, it doesn't mean anything positive to me.

He's publishing stories in a blog for weeks and his parents aren't aware of it and if they say they were why were they okay with the title? I wonder about stuff like that.

[HairOfTheDog]

This is the title of his blog - 'This is a continuous story about me murdering people I hate.'

I saw all I needed to see to form an opinion & I don't care a wit about their 2 week evaluation, it doesn't mean anything positive to me.

He's publishing stories in a blog for weeks and his parents aren't aware of it and if they say they were why were they okay with the title? I wonder about stuff like that.

It's definitely legitimate cause for concern.

I don't know if his parents knew about the stories in advance of the shitstorm.

Here's what dad said in a statement released by the school district: "My son was evaluated for two weeks and then released." He indicated that his son was "encouraged to write, writes frequently and has no intentions of harming anyone," the statement read.

That ^, coming from dad, doesn't go a long way with me in terms of instilling confidence that the kid is not a danger to others.

It's impossible to verify that any person could never be a danger to others, but I'd like to know more about this kid's demeanor, any past incidents, any other signs of violent fixations, etc...

The matter is being looked into by the Tarrant County District Attorney, since that's where the book was written, according to the school board.

The Columbine murderers left kill plans all over the basement, but police never searched the house when they were alerted that the boys were threatening to commit murder. They only looked after the massacre. Adam Lanza's room was filled with guns, volumes of materials related to school shootings, a video demonstration of children being shot, etc. Apparently, nobody ever looked in his room before it was too late.

Hopefully, Tarrant County LE will investigate this potential threat thoroughly and, if this kid has a murder fixation too, LE will take action before it's too late this time.