If this brutal assault happened on the street, the perpetrator would probably be tried as an adult. Because it happened in a school, the perpetrator got a three-day vacation:
An Ohio mother says she is filing charges with local prosecutors after her teenage son was attacked at school by a fellow student for being gay.
Rebecca Collins’ 15-year-old son, who does not wish to be identified, was brutally beaten this week by another male student in a horrifying incident that was captured on camera.
But despite video evidence she says officials at Union-Scioto High School in Chillicothe only suspended the bully for three days – and that’s not enough.
The shocking video begins with a teenage attacker, who has not been named, waiting for the gay student in a classroom.
His mother, narrating the clip in an interview with Channel 6 WSYX News, says once her son arrives, the other boy begins beating ‘the holy living crap out of him’.
Other students appear to watch the attack, which shows Ms Collins’ son appearing to walk away. But the other teen follows him, pushes him to the ground and punches him several times.
WSYX reports the student received a possible concussion and a chipped tooth.
Ms Collins says the attack was a hate crime. Her son told the network just two days before the incident the attacker posted anti-gay remarks on the his Facebook page, including one remark that read: ‘Check out the definition of a faggot’.
Video footage of the incident was also later posted to Facebook.
According to Ms Collins, the attacker received three days suspension; but she isn’t satisfied with the punishment and is pursuing the case with the prosecutors office. The sherriff’s department handling the case did not respond to requests for comment on what charges would be filed.
For reasons outlined by the great Ken at Popehat (and despite my own hellish experiences in junior high) I’ve been a bit uneasy about the “anti-bullying” campaign playing out in the media these past few weeks. Public outcries rarely result in well thought-out legislation.
But this? This incident shames not just the guy who did it, but everyone – students, teachers and staff – who stood by and watched.
Damian J. Penny 