Little monsters - When kids raise themselves

by Tresa McBee


Here are some of the answers.

One boy's father says kids are just kids. A mother of three of the boys doesn't believe they did anything. A sister of two suspects blamed the brain-dead, now all-the-way dead victim. Truancy rules.

Like I said, just some of the answers. A story like this, and you start to think there's no point in even looking. Which is part of the problem.

So far, almost a dozen 10- to 18-year-old males in Milwaukee have been or will be charged for beating Charlie Young Jr. to death with whatever was handy. A mop, a shovel, a tree limb. Bats, folding chairs, a rake. About 50 to 60 times.

Young was unconscious during much of it. At the end, every inch was covered in blood, and his left ear dangled. Two days later, life support was ended.

Young was big. Six foot, 2 inches and 200 pounds. But he couldn't fight off a mob estimated at 20 strong. A 16-year-old described how he jumped back each time he banged Young with a shovel to avoid blood-staining his clothes. But he couldn't protect his shoes. Those he dumped in a sewer. One, an 18-year-old ninth-grader who can barely write, went home and ate fried chicken. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel calls his criminal record "extensive." Another boy, a 16-year-old, put Young in a "cripple cross face hold" wrestling move heÕd seen on TV for easier beating.

The melee started when the 10-year-old gave another boy an egg, which that boy threw at 36-year-old Young, who then chased him. A 14-year-old stepped between them, and Young punched him, knocking a tooth out. Young ran away, and the pursuit began.

The area is called Little Beirut, thus named after a teenager laid in wait to kill a cop in 1994 not far from last week's attack. After Young died, the Journal Sentinel went in to speak with residents, some of whom defended Young's killers. They're more angry at authorities. One hates cops and says everyone is against him 'cause he's black. Another says everyone throws money away from Little Beirut.

Money, of course, doesn't solve complete societal breakdown that produces juvenile sociopaths. But you see that young man's point: One-third of households are headed by single mothers; only half of residents have at least a high school diploma; unemployment is more than three times that of the rest of Milwaukee; and over half live below poverty.

Little Beirut is the worst of America, where kids drop out of school to hang idle in their battle zone. Just about everyone has been touched by murder. Supervision is nil. The attack happened at 11 p.m. on a school night.

Many of the boys who killed Young already have criminal records, and many are illiterate. One, the youngest of his single mother's nine children, says he's in eighth grade but doesn't know his school's name. That boy's brother, also involved, is 16 but dropped out of school after eighth grade, because he says his mother didn't know what school to send him to.

A 14-year-old, who was arrested at 8 or 9 for burglary, has a baby girl. His 13-year-old brother also participated. Their father was stabbed to death last year.

The 10-year-old has been smoking pot since summer. The 16-year-old who employed the wrestling hold took part, because he didn't want friends to talk bad about him.

It's a brutal code. Attack or be attacked. The 14-year-old father only realized the danger to Young after the fact. He told police he "felt kind of bad," because he didn't know 20 people beating on one man could actually kill. Spattered blood and torn flesh weren't a clue.

This is what we allow in America. So-called black leaders are more interested in blaming white oppression than demanding life-altering change. Authorities are lost. Cops can't be everywhere, and they canÕt be substitute parents. Milwaukee's mayor said he thought Young's beating was one incident, not a pattern of problems. Tell

 

that is a f***ed up situation!!!,when i grew up,and got out of line i got smacked hard!!!
maybe that is what is wrong with me!![sm=hiya.gif]
the thing that kills me about that article-as that when parents have to discipline there
children-like a spanking or what not-legal issues arraise!!why is that????
imo,that is why it sometimes appears like kids do raise themselves!!!
the parents,in some cases,cant do the right thing!!-discipline

 

most of the generations from now back to people that are turning around 22 their parents didnt repremand them. they got what is called a time out. that is bs. it wasnt in a corner or anything like that they just had to sit there. if parents dont inflict some degree of pain then they have no reason to fear them and if there is no fear then there is no reason for them to listen to anyone. thats the conclusion ive come to. im 21 but best believe when i got out of line like outsider said i got my *** handed to me. i had respect/fear of the older people in my life and now looking back on it and the way others were raised or lack there of i wouldnt have had it any other way. the new generations have no respect for anything. and god forbid someone should raise a hand to a kid anymore if there are other people around they try and tell them how to raise their kids saying thats not cool. im not saying beat the kids but ya need to smack em around a bit at least when their young enough to set in something for them to remember. im sorry if that doesnt make any sense but since i was like 15 i noticed a drastic change in the respect level of my peers and following generations and their isnt anything anyone can do about it after a certain age. i dunno that is a bunch of bs.

 

It is frustrating to read such stuff but not suprising. It doesn't take a villaige to raise a kid, it takes a Mom and a Dad. Remeber when we were kids (29 here) if we were in the store some other grown up would whip our ***, then mom and dad would whip our *** again for someone else having to whip our *** in the first place. Kids need to be kept in check, things have long gotten out of control, maybe it's the ultra left or whatever, but as a whole, when you can't spank your kid, and you don't hold them to a set of standards that have pain as a consequence of not following those standards, then this is the product. I'm not gonna start **** with something that is gonna hurt me, hurt sucks, no fun, and as a kid, when I though of doing something else, maybe not so good, I just thought of the last time my dads belt came swingin at my ***, and that was a good indicator that i might not want that again, but hey, we have time out right? True story, good buddy at work, his boy hit a girl in the face with a plastic toy golf club, he found out when her parent confronted him, so he talked with his boy very briefly then whooped his ***. Next day, kids says something about getting a spanking at home and the teacher gets the nurse to examine him, he has some red marks, nothing serious, just your typical I got my *** whooped marks, and lo and behold, cops arrest him on child endangerment, he can't see his family for 2 weeks, out of his home and has to go to state mandated parenting classes and anger management classes, his instructors in the parenting classes don't have kids of their own, but I guess the state knoiws what is best. BS....I remember not wanting to wear shorts the next day after a whoopin cause of the bruises up and down my legs, but, I've never been in jail, got a good family and I treat people with respect. Who'd a thunk it. the whole discipline thing just might work.

 

People are telling others how to raise there kids? Very True ppl need to mind there own FB.

People are not beating there kids? Very true.. There are days I see kids and turn to my buddys and go **** man I would have never gotten away with that.

Outsider8-junior-shocktroop kudos guys saved me some serious typing

 

That's a disgusting incident. Maybe we should get all Aldous Huxley or George Orwell on people's *** and start sterilizing nonproductive citizens so we do not jeopardize the gene pool...no sociopaths doing the breast stroke in my pool.

 

That's a pretty tragic story. It's almost unreal just thinking about it. But you know, just talking about it isn't going to change anything. It's good that we had some sense put into our heads by our parents, and hopefully doing the same with our children, but there must be more that we can do. Exposing these issues is a start, but those who can see have to act. voodoochyl's idea is pretty funny, but any serious suggestions?

 

Very sad indeed. I have a 4 year old stepson. One day I was told that while at daycare he had hit and bitten 3 different kids. Granted he was going through some emotional things....his father hasn't been getting him regularly, we had just moved....so I was light on him and had a very stern talk with him and let him know that if he did it again I would bust his butt. A couple of days later, he did it again. I remonded him of the talk we had and what I said I was going to do and then did it. It's been 4 months and no more hitting or biting incidents and when he sees other children doing it he says he doesn't do that because he doesn't want a spanking. Must have worked huh?

 

Its a breakdown in basic social structure...did we not notice the 14 old kid with a baby...WHAT IS THAT ABOUT.....i grew up in an Iron Fist household..lots of beatings but only because there were consequences....CONSEQUENCES.. for my actions..once i learned the less the beatings...LOL...now..think back to a few words ago..the past 10 years or so..now that im 36 ive noticed alot of changes in society...the divorce rate doesnt help..children are smarter now that we were when we were growing up...the human race is evolving at a younger age...and both parents wann be great parents so it turns into a proverbial spending spree..keeping the children happy so they can feel better about not having to bear the responsiblity of having to be the bad parent...Now i know there are alot of opinions that are gonna be shared here in this one...here is my take

The day my son was born was the most incredibly wonderful day of my adult life...notice i said adult...i was 30..goin back to the beatings..love hurts...i spent endless hours in simple amazement over the arrival of my son...and since then told myself i would not be like my step dad ...i beleive that a lil is too much ...and abuse is abuse..i never yell at my son so in that..if he has done something and i have to rasie my voice..he knows something is in the works...he is 5 now and i couldnt ask for a better child..

Im sure that if my stepdad hadnt knocked the stuffing out of me when i was younger on occasion i would of never joined the ARMY and ended up the way ...well u get the picture...
Its not socially acceptable to spank your children but we are supposed to be responsible as a society for the kids that go wrong...how is that possible?...

RANT

 

I agree with you guys 110%. A child needs to know there are REAL consequences for getting out of line. I have two of my own, and it has shown to be very effective disciplinary measure when children know there are REAL consequences for their actions. I remember when I was in 4th grade in a public school, I got paddled by the school official for getting out of line. I realize there are abusive situations with child discipline, but proper discipline is not abuse. In fact, to refuse to discipline a wayward child IS child abuse in my opinion. Children need boundaries even if they don't like it. If you really love your children, you have to discipline them so that they will learn to make the right choices when they are on their own. It's easy to discipline a 5 year old Johnny, but when Johnny turns 17 or 18, it's getting alittle too late.

Maybe there needs to be a politically incorrect grass roots movement that advocates the "old paddle on the rear end" that tells the social workers to learn the difference between child abuse and child discipline!