Kids, Please Don't Bring your Guns to School

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Lincoln Elementary School student who brought a loaded weapon this week to his fourth grade classroom in Cudahy could face charges along with his father, the gun's owner, through the Milwaukee County district attorney's office.

Cudahy police Sgt. Randy Scheel said the 58-year-old father could be charged with a misdemeanor offense of leaving or storing a loaded firearm within the reach or easy access of a child. Police expect to present the case to the district attorney's office on Tuesday.

The case of the 10-year-old boy will be sent to juvenile authorities for review of possession of a firearm in a school zone as well as possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18 years old, Scheel said.

...Scheel said the father kept his loaded .25-caliber semi automatic handgun in a locked cabinet but the child found the key and brought the gun to school on Wednesday. He showed it to another student, who reported the weapon to a teacher.

School officials found the gun inside the child's desk about 2:25 p.m. There had been no threats made and no one was hurt at the school, 4416 S. Packard Ave.

"It is very unusual," Scheel said. "I can't remember the last time we had a gun inside the school, especially at this age. You think high school or middle school, but not elementary school."

School officials removed the gun from the classroom and detained the student. They alerted police about 2:41 p.m. An officer responded to the scene and took possession of the gun.

School officials did the right thing. It made complete sense for them to call police in this situation.

This highlights how idiotic it was for Principal Pam Pyzyk of Rossman Elementary School in Hartford to have called police because fourth grade student Danielle Christenson had rocks, a hammer, and a screwdriver in her backpack.

She wanted to show her friends the "sparkly things" she finds inside rocks when she breaks them apart.

There is a dramatic difference between what the Cudahy fourth grade boy did and what the Hartford fourth grade girl did.

A kid with a "loaded .25-caliber semi automatic handgun" in his desk is an extremely serious matter.

A child interested in rocks doesn't merit a police response.

National Day of Silence 2008

NO TALKING!

Today is the 2008 Day of Silence.

The National Day of Silence brings attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. This year’s event will be held in memory of Lawrence King, a California 8th-grader who was shot and killed Feb. 12 by a classmate because of his sexual orientation and gender expression. Hundreds of thousands of students will come together on April 25 to encourage schools and classmates to address the problem of anti-LGBT behavior.

Wisconsin's own U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin introduced a resolution to honor the National Day of Silence.

Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin today called on colleagues in the House to recognize this year's National Day of Silence to be held on April 25th. The annual National Day of Silence is a day in which students take a vow of silence to bring attention to the anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) name-calling, bullying, and harassment faced by individuals in schools, including students, teachers, and other school staff. The National Day of Silence is coordinated nationally by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). An estimated 500,000 students from nearly 5,000 junior and high schools in all 50 states and Puerto Rico have participated in the National Day of Silence in past years and more than 6,000 schools have registered this year.

In remarks on the House floor this morning, Congresswoman Baldwin told her colleagues, "This year's event will be held in memory of Lawrence King, a California 8th-grader who was shot and killed Feb. 12 by a classmate because of his sexual orientation and gender expression. Larry's death is an unnecessary reminder of what we already know: lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students continue to face pervasive harassment and victimization in schools. As students use their silence to demand schools are safe for all students, it is my hope that we in Congress will use our voices to ensure that it be so.

GLSEN reports startling statistics:

- More than 80 percent of LGBT students have been verbally harassed;

- Nearly 20 percent of LGBT students were physically assaulted by their peers at school because their sexual orientation or gender identity/expression;

- Almost 40 percent of LGBT students reported that faculty and staff never intervene when homophobic language is used in their presence;

- Nearly 30 percent of LGBT students reported missing at least one entire school day in the last month because they felt unsafe.

Reps. Baldwin (D-WI), Eliot Engel (D-NY) and Lois Capps (D-CA) have sponsored a resolution (H Con Res 328) supporting the goals and ideals of the National Day of Silence. Baldwin said Congressional support sends a strong signal that harassment and hate crimes will not be tolerated in our schools and in our communities.

Harassment of LGBT students is inexcusable.

Baldwin wants the Congress to send a strong signal that the harassment of these students will not be tolerated in our schools.

Hear, hear.

Too bad this day only focuses on LGBT students.

There should be a National Day of Silence for all kids who are bullied and harassed for reasons other than their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

Who speaks for them?
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Check out the Day of Silence blog.

One Year Ago at Virginia Tech

The following is a list of victims killed by a gunman on the campus of Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007:

Ross Abdallah Alameddine

Alameddine, 20, of Saugus, Mass., was a sophomore who had just declared English as his major.

Friends created a memorial page on Facebook.com that described Alameddine as "an intelligent, funny, easygoing guy."

Christopher James Bishop

Bishop, a 35-year-old German professor known as "Jamie," wore his hair long, rode his bike to campus and worked alongside his wife in the foreign languages department at Virginia Tech, according to the Los Angeles Times. He was known for his gentle manner and generosity toward students. He is the son of science fiction writer Michael Bishop.

Brian Roy Bluhm

Bluhm, 25, of Stephens City, Va., was an avid fan of the Detroit Tigers, who announced his death before Tuesday's game against Kansas City.

"He went to a game last weekend and saw them win, and I'm glad he did," said Bluhm's close friend, Michael Marshall of Richmond, Va.

The master's student in civil engineering and water resources also received his undergraduate degree in civil engineering at Virginia Tech and was getting ready to defend his thesis. He had already accepted a job in Baltimore, Marshall said.

Ryan Christopher Clark

Clark, a 22-year-old senior from Martinez, Ga., was called "Stack" by his friends, many of whom he met as a resident assistant at West Ambler Johnson Hall, where the first shootings took place.

He was "an amiable senior memorable for his ready smile and thoughtful ways," according to the student paper.

Austin Michelle Cloyd

Cloyd, 18, an international studies major and member of the honors program from Blacksburg, Va., was so inspired by an Appalachian service project that helped rehabilitate homes that she and her mother started a similar program in their Illinois town, her former pastor said.

Jocelyne Couture-Nowak

Couture-Nowak was a French instructor and former Montreal resident originally from Truro, Nova Scotia.

She taught at Virginia Tech for eight years, along with her husband, Jerzy Nowak, a horticulture professor and the head of the horticulture department at Virginia Tech.

Daniel Alejandro Perez Cueva

Perez Cueva, 21, was a native of Peru and a sophomore majoring in international studies. He was active in the Peruvian campus community, according to The New York Times.

Kevin Granata

Engineering science and mechanics professor Granata and his students researched muscle and reflex response and robotics.

Granata served in the military and later conducted orthopedic research in hospitals before coming to Virginia Tech. The head of the school's engineering science and mechanics department called Granata one of the top five biomechanics researchers in the country working on movement dynamics in cerebral palsy.

Matthew Gregory Gwaltney

Gwaltney, 24, of Chester, Va., was a graduate student in civil and environmental engineering, according to his father and stepmother, Greg and Linda Gwaltney. He also did his undergraduate work at Virginia Tech, graduating in 2005, The New York Times reported.

Caitlin Millar Hammaren

Hammaren, 19, of Westtown, N.Y., was a sophomore majoring in international studies and French, according to officials at her former school district.

"She was just one of the most outstanding young individuals that I've had the privilege of working with in my 31 years as an educator," said John P. Latini, principal of Minisink Valley High School, where she graduated in 2005. "Caitlin was a leader among our students."

Jeremy Michael Herbstritt

Herbstritt, 27, was from Bellefonte, Pa., according to Penn State University, his alma mater and his father's employer. He had two undergraduate degrees from there, one in molecular biology and biochemistry and the other in civil engineering, according to The New York Times.

Rachael Elizabeth Hill

Hill, 18, was a freshman studying biology at Virginia Tech after graduating from Grove Avenue Christian School in Henrico County.

Hill, of Glen Allen, Va., was an only child. She was popular and funny, had a penchant for shoes and was competitive on the volleyball court.

Emily Jane Hilscher

Friends posting messages of tribute on Facebook.com Monday night remembered Hilscher, a 19-year-old freshman from Woodville, Va., as a vibrant girl with an engaging personality.

"Emily was a kind and wonderful person who always put a smile on my face," wrote Jessica Gould.

Jarrett Lee Lane

Jarrett Lane, from Narrows, Va., was a senior civil engineering student who was valedictorian of his high school class in tiny Narrows, Va., just 30 miles from Virginia Tech. His high school put up a memorial to Lane that included pictures, musical instruments and his athletic jerseys.

Matthew Joseph La Porte

La Porte, 20, a sophomore from Dumont, N.J., was majoring in university studies. He had been an Air Force cadet at Virginia Tech, according to his former platoon leader, David Wheeler.

Henry J. Lee

Born Henh Ly, the 20-year-old Roanoke, Va., first-year student majoring in computer engineering was ecstatic to earn his U.S. citizenship in 1999. It was then that he changed his name to Henry Lee, The New York Times reported.

He had enough advanced-placement credits to be considered a sophomore at Virginia Tech.

His family emigrated from China by way of Vietnam, and when Lee first arrived in the States as an elementary school student, he couldn't speak English, according to the Times.

Liviu Librescu

Librescu, 76, a Holocaust survivor and an Israeli lecturer in mathematics and engineering science and mechanics, was born in Romania and was known internationally for his research in aeronautical engineering. He had taught at Virginia Tech for more than 20 years, joining the faculty in 1985.

G.V. Loganathan

Loganathan, 51, was born in the southern Indian city of Chennai and had been a civil and environmental engineering professor at Virginia Tech since 1982.

Loganathan won several awards for excellence in teaching, had served on the faculty senate and was an adviser to about 75 undergraduate students.

Partahi Mamora Halomoan Lumbantoruan

Lumbantoruan, 34, of Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, was a civil engineering doctoral student, according to ministry spokesman Kristiarto Legowo. He was also an aspiring teacher, according to The New York Times.

"Mora," as his friends called him, was only two semesters shy of graduating, after which he planned to go home to Indonesia to teach, when he died in Norris Hall, the Times reported.

Lauren Ashley McCain

On her MySpace page, McCain, of Hampton, Va., listed "the love of my life" as Jesus Christ.

Her family said the 20-year-old freshman international studies major became a Christian some time ago.

"Her life since that time has been filled with His love that continued to overflow to touch everyone who knew her," the family said in a statement.

Daniel Patrick O'Neil

O'Neil, 22, a first-year graduate student in environmental engineering from Lincoln, R.I., graduated in 2002 from Lincoln High School and last year received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., before heading to Virginia, according to The Providence Journal.

A Lafayette publication said that while there, O’Neil was vice president of the Arts Society. His high school yearbook noted he was on the cross country and outdoor track teams, the drama club and the National Honor Society, according to the Providence Journal.

A high school friend, Steve Craveiro, said O'Neil played guitar and wrote his own songs. Craveiro described O'Neil as smart, responsible and a hard worker.

Juan Ramon Ortiz

Ortiz, 26, who was from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, was teaching a class as part of his graduate program in civil engineering at Virginia Tech.

The family's neighbors in the San Juan suburb of Bayamon remembered Ortiz as a quiet, dedicated son who decorated his parents' one-story concrete house each Christmas and played in a salsa band with his father on weekends.

"He was an extraordinary son, what any father would have wanted," said Ortiz's father, also named Juan Ramon Ortiz.

Minal Hiralal Panchal

Panchal, 26, of Mumbai, India, wanted to be an architect like her father, who died four years ago. She was a first-year graduate student in architecture.

She was very keen to go to the United States for postgraduate studies and thrilled when she gained admission last year, said Chetna Parekh, a friend who lives in the bustling middle-class Mumbai neighborhood of Borivali, India, where Panchal lived before coming to Virginia Tech. "She was a brilliant student and very hardworking. She was focused on getting her degree and doing well."

Erin Peterson

Peterson, 18, of Chantilly, Va., graduated in 2006 from Westfield High School, three years after gunman Cho Seung-Hui graduated from the same school. It wasn't clear if the two knew each other.

Peterson was a star basketball player at her high school, according to The New York Times.

Michael Steven Pohle Jr.

Pohle, 23, of Flemington, N.J., was expected to graduate in a few weeks with a degree in biological sciences, said Craig Blanton, Hunterdon Central's vice principal during the 2002 school year, when Pohle graduated.

"He had a bunch of job interviews and was all set to start his post-college life," Blanton told The Star-Ledger of Newark.

...One of his old lacrosse coaches, Bob Shroeder, described him as "a good kid who did everything that good kids do."

Julia Kathleen Pryde

Pryde, 23, of Middletown, N.J., was a graduate student in biological systems engineering. She traveled to Peru with a professor to work with students there on improving water systems in South America, was fluent in Spanish and enjoyed hiking the Appalachian Trail.

She was hoping to improve water quality in mountainous areas with her studies in watershed management, according to The New York Times.

Mary Karen Read

Friends remembered Read, a 19-year-old freshman from Annandale, Va., for her smile and her caring nature. Read was a fan of marching band and French.

"She was really caring, never had bad intentions for anybody, she put everybody else before herself," friends told FOX News on Tuesday.

Reema Joseph Samaha

Samaha, 18, a freshman from Centreville, Va., was described as fun and energetic, and a dancer.

“She was in theater. She was just real upbeat. Always had a lot of energy. Always a great person to be around. She’d always make you laugh,” said friend Matthew Dockins, 19, a freshman civil engineering major.

Waleed Mohammed Shaalan

Shaalan, 32, came to Virginia Tech last year from Zagazig, northern Egypt, to be a doctoral student in civil engineering, according to The New York Times. His wife and son were back home in Egypt, another student, Shered Fadek, told the paper.

Shaalan was involved in the university's Muslim Student Association, and took part in many of the organization's activities in the community, the Times reported. He was hard-working and friendly. He was studying in Norris Hall when he was killed.

Leslie Geraldine Sherman

Sherman, 20, of Springfield, Va., was a sophomore in history and international studies, according to her grandmother, Gerry Adams. She was also an honor roll student.

She enjoyed history, foreign languages, running and making people laugh, according to The New York Times.

"She was just amazing," sophomore Deepika R. Chadive, 19, told the Times.

Maxine Shelly Turner

Turner, 22, was a senior majoring in chemical engineering from Vienna, Va., according to her father, Paul Turner. She described life as "awesome," The Roanoke Times reported.

Turner was a member of Alpha Omega Epsilon, an engineering sorority, according to The New York Times.

Nicole Regina White

White, 20, of Smithfield, Va., was a strawberry blonde junior majoring in international studies, according to a family statement released by the Suffolk, Va., Police Department.

She loved animals, and enjoyed taking care of them, The New York Times reported.

White was an honor student and a summer lifeguard who grew up in the eastern Virginia town of Smithfield, according to the Times. The two great loves of her life were animals and religion. She hailed from a very religious family.

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Photos of the victims
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Life at Virginia Tech a year later

Va. Tech begins day of mourning a year after mass shooting

Students for Concealed Carry on Campus

Students for Concealed Carry on Campus has a new partner -- Eric Thompson.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

If Green Bay gun dealer Eric Thompson had his way, college students would carry more than just books.

In his vision, the next college shooter is thwarted by a student armed with one of Thompson's guns - averting a massacre, saving lives.

Thompson's Internet-based business TGSCOM Inc. sold weapons to the shooters at both Northern Illinois and Virginia Tech universities. First, he said, he felt grief for the victims. Then, a sense of resolve. Not to stop selling guns, but to advocate for guns on campus.

"The perfect situation is that nothing ever happens like that again," Thompson said. " . . . But in a last-ditch scenario, you are able to protect yourself."

Now he is partnering with Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, a national group that next month will hold an "empty-holster" protest against university gun-free zones. Thompson will donate holsters to the group, adding a high-profile touch to a small but growing push for guns on campus.

Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, born after Virginia Tech, has grown to 22,000 members. And at least 14 states - not including Wisconsin - are considering legislation to allow concealed weapons on campus.

Critics decry the idea, saying it would only increase violence on campus. Educators have responded to high-profile college shootings by adding security measures such as text-message alerts and bolstering mental health services such as counseling and advising.

The movement faces a double hurdle in Wisconsin and Illinois - the only two states that bar concealed weapons for the public. But that hasn't stopped Students for Concealed Carry on Campus from sprouting up at Marquette and Lawrence universities and Madison Area Technical College.

Utah is the only state that allows concealed weapons on campus.

I can't imagine other states getting on board with Utah. It's difficult for the U.S. military to recruit on some campuses. ROTC is banned from some campuses.

I highly doubt that the nation's colleges are ready to allow gun-toting students and staff.

...Thompson said he's gotten hateful e-mails threatening to harm his wife and children. The notes anger him, but they haven't changed his mind about whether he's to blame.

"No, I didn't feel any personal responsibility," Thompson said. "Both of these murderers, they were able to get their weapons legally. They were able to pass background checks."

If Thompson broke laws in selling weapons to the murderers, he would bear responsibility for his illegal activities.

It's not his fault that the shooters chose to use the guns illegally.

Still, if I had sold the guns, I think I'd feel guilty. Although irrational, I would probably feel responsible for arming the murderers.

It's sick that Thompson and his family are being threatened. Who's sending the threats? Anti-gun, peaceful types?

The Northern Illinois University Shootings

UPDATE:

Correcting information his office released earlier Friday, DeKalb County Coroner Dennis J. Miller said five students, not six, were killed in the rampage, in addition to the gunman. Miller said the higher victim total was the result of confusion over the fate of a patient taken to another county for treatment.

"There was a miscommunication," Miller said.

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UPDATE: A coroner says another student shot at a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University has died, bringing the toll to seven, including the gunman.
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It's happened again:

DEKALB, Ill. -- A former student dressed in black walked onto the stage of a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University and opened fire on a packed science class Thursday, killing six students, wounding 15 and setting off a panicked stampede before committing suicide.

Police say they have no motive for the rapid-fire assault, carried out by the gunman who fired indiscriminately into the crowd with a shotgun and two handguns as students dove to the floor and ran toward the exits. At least two of the wounded were hospitalized in critical condition.

...University President John Peters said four people died at the scene, including three students and the gunman, while the other two died at a hospital. The teacher, a graduate student, was wounded but was expected to recover.

Peters said the gunman was a former graduate student in sociology at NIU, but was not currently enrolled at the 25,000-student campus about 65 miles west of Chicago.

"It appears he may have been a student somewhere else," University Police Chief Donald Grady said. Authorities did not release any other details about the gunman or identify the victims.

Witnesses said the skinny gunman, dressed in black and wearing a stocking cap, emerged from behind a screen on the stage of 200-seat Cole Hall and opened fire just as the class was about to end around 3 p.m.

Officials said 162 students were registered for the class but it was unknown how many were there Thursday.

...All classes were canceled Thursday night and the campus was closed on Friday. Students were urged to call their parents "as soon as possible" and were offered counseling at any residence hall, according to the school Web site.

The school was closed for one day during final exam week in December after campus police found threats, including racial slurs and references to shootings earlier in the year at Virginia Tech, scrawled on a bathroom wall in a dormitory. Police determined after an investigation that there was no imminent threat and the campus was reopened. Peters said he knew of no connection between that incident and Thursday's attack.

The shooting was the fourth at a U.S. school within a week.

On Feb. 8, a woman shot two fellow students to death before committing suicide at Louisiana Technical College in Baton Rouge. In Memphis, Tenn., a 17-year-old is accused of shooting and critically wounding a fellow student Monday during a high school gym class, and the 15-year-old victim of a shooting at an Oxnard, Calif., junior high school has been declared brain dead.

So much violence within a week.

Based on accounts of what happened in Cole Hall, the Northern Illinois University shooting seems to be in the vein of the Virginia Tech Massacre. Cho Seung-Hui wanted to kill as many people as he could. The NIU shooter seemed intent on doing the same thing.

It won't be long and we'll know the name of the mass murderer at NIU. I think that's exactly what he wants. He wanted to be important and achieve a little immortality by committing such a heinous act. As horrible as this sounds, I think he was trying to break Cho's record.

I think the media attention to these sort of shootings serves to encourage others to act in the same unconscionable manner.

The public's morbid fascination for these things only compounds the problem.

I don't care about the shooter's identity. I don't want to read some rambling manifesto that he scribbled in a notebook. (There so often is one.) I don't want to be directed to links of his weird Internet postings. (There so often are Internet footprints to study.) I don't want to see the shooter's face or know his name.

A killer turned a lecture hall into a mass murder scene. He's not a celebrity.

Of course, the media have to report the story, but they don't have to give the killer the fame he undoubtedly sought. I believe that feeds the beast and helps to produce more killers.

Enough.

So many people are suffering and grieving because this lowlife chose to open fire, slaughtering SIX people, before he committed his cowardly act of suicide. He intended to kill more than he did, but killing one person is too many. This miscreant doesn't deserve attention, only condemnation.

The names and faces to remember are those of the victims, not the shooter.

Bradley Tech Erupts -- AGAIN

UPDATE: 15 arrested after Bradley Tech fight

As many as 15 students were arrested after a fight at Bradley Tech this morning, including one who was accused of battery to a police officer, according to Milwaukee police.

District 2 Milwaukee police Lt. Marianne Rodriguez said one student was resisting arrest when an officer, 35, was hurt after a fight between two girls broke out at the school about 10 a.m. today. Police responded after about 100 students gathered to watch the fight and refused to disperse, according to school district officials.

The officer planned to seek medical treatment for minor injuries, according to Rodriguez.

She said the other arrests included seven for fighting, four to six for truancy and one for obstructing.

Police reports at District 2 this afternoon indicate that 27 students would be suspended.

Rodriguez said six to eight squads would remain at the school throughout the day.

Six to eight squads keeping order at a school? Wouldn't one squad be sufficient? How explosive is the situation?

It's unacceptable that those resources are being used to police a school rather than having them out on the streets.

_________________

It was "CODE RED" at Bradley Tech High School this morning.

The school was on lockdown and a heavy police presence was called in to control the situation.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

School district officials are investigating at least one fight that broke out this morning at Bradley Tech High School, where about two dozen Milwaukee police cars responded to campus.

Most students have returned to the building. Police remain at the campus.

Roseann St. Aubin, spokeswoman for Milwaukee Public Schools, confirmed that some fights broke out and that Milwaukee police were called because some of the school's own safety aides were attending training off campus.

Jeremiah Mertens, a freshman who was leaving the school shortly after the earlier disturbances, said students were yelling "East side, west side," and estimated that students were fighting on all four floors of the school.

"There's crazy stuff going on in there," Mertens said. "I was on my way to the bathroom. It was just madness."

At least two students who were locked out of the building after an earlier lock-down were arrested by police. They said they were not involved in the fighting and had been told earlier by police to leave the building.

...At 10:55 a.m., administrators announced the change of class and said if students do not change classes in an orderly fashion, they would join the 13 students already outside, "whether you have a coat or not."

The Journal Sentinel provides this update:

School officials just announced that order has been restored at Bradley Tech High School, after a fight at the school earlier in the morning led to a larger disturbance and more than 20 Milwaukee police squad cars responded to the school.

Roseann St. Aubin, spokeswoman for Milwaukee Public Schools, said at Bradley Tech that the incident began as a fight between two girls in a common area that quickly drew about 100 other students. Some other fighting and scuffling followed, she said, but there were no injuries reported.

St. Aubin said school officials are sorting out possible discipline, including suspensions, for about a dozen students. She said some others had been arrested on truancy or resisting arrest charges.

Some of the safety aides at Bradley Tech were away at training this morning, St. Aubin said. While she said she was a little surprised by how many police arrived, she said the school district is not questioning the department's response and appreciates the help.

I certainly wouldn't fault the police response. It may seem a bit excessive to have twenty squads report to the scene, but Bradley Tech has had some high profile brawls.

In January 2007, there was the "family affair" fight turned brawl at Bradley Tech.

Police and Milwaukee Public Schools officials are blaming a cellular phone for causing a fight to escalate at Bradley Tech High School on Milwaukee's south side last week.

The school district said adults were called to join the fight. Some even showed up with small children in tow.

...[A]ccording to MPS, some girls who were fighting used their phones to call for backup.

[Peter Pochowski, a Milwaukee Public Schools Safety Coordinator,] said cell phone calls invited three carloads of outsiders to the fight.

"For those responsible persons, cell phones are not a problem. It's those irresponsible people, those students who call their family members who then call other family members, and have the audacity to come into a school," Pochowski said.

When the fists stopped flying, six teens and five adults were cited.

At the end of that same month last year, there was the Bradley Tech - Bay View brawl after a basketball game between the two schools.

An overtime victory by Bradley Tech over the visiting Bay View High School basketball team Tuesday night sent hundreds of fans onto the court, sparking a disturbance that injured four police officers and two students and led to at least 10 arrests, officials said.

A female spectator suffered a seizure at the height of the disturbance and required medical attention at the scene, Milwaukee Public Schools spokeswoman Roseann St. Aubin said.

Dozens of Milwaukee police officers from all parts of the city were dispatched to the school, 700 S. 4th St., about 9:30 p.m. after the end of the game, in which the Tech Trojans defeated the Bay View Redcats, 82-81.

Lt. Alfonso Morales of the Milwaukee Police Department's Criminal Investigation Bureau said four police officers and two female students, one of whom had the seizure, suffered minor injuries.

The disturbance "was the result of fans rushing the court to celebrate and students from Bay View not being too happy about that," Morales said.

"Tech won the game, and then some kids from Bay View jumped a Tech kid," said Myisha Milton, a Bradley Tech ninth-grader.

The Police Department issued an all-city call upon hearing reports of the disturbance, resulting in a widespread police response, Morales said.

Watch video of the brawl.

FIFTY squads were sent to that scene. FIFTY.

There have been other problems at Bradley Tech; much lower profile incidents, but disturbing nonetheless.

For example, from April 26, 2007:

A 15-year-old boy remains in custody today after school officials at Bradley Tech High School followed up on a tip that allegedly led them to a loaded handgun and marijuana in his locker.

Police were called to the school, 700 S. 4th St., about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Officers arrested the student on charges of possession with intent to deliver and possession of a dangerous weapon by a child, according to Milwaukee police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz.

Schwartz said there are officers assigned to the school, however, they were at a district station processing another arrest from the school that occurred earlier in the day.

Bradley Tech is no dump. It's a $50 million state of the art facility. The late Jane Pettit donated $20 million as the lead gift to renovate the school.

The students who attend Bradley Tech are being offered a tremendous educational opportunity.

And in spite of being in this incredible learning environment, some students there prefer to behave like thugs.

They are literally throwing away their futures when they throw away their education.

No one can say that the problems at Tech can be traced to students being trapped in a decrepit facility.

The fact that Bradley Tech students are so fortunate to have the opportunity to get a quality education makes these brawls all the more disturbing.

Hand opportunity to these students on a silver platter and they don't take it.

As far as today's incident goes, it's troubling to hear that a disagreement between two girls can quickly escalate into a brawl 100 students strong.

According to St. Aubin, "some of the safety aides at Bradley Tech were away at training this morning."

That sounds kind of lame. How many aides does the school have? How many were away? Is she suggesting that if those safety aides had been there police wouldn't have been needed?

Whatever.

This morning's trouble is just another indication of what a mess Milwaukee is.

What's the problem? No hope?

Isn't a $50 million public school a sign of hope?

Apparently not.

Bay View - Custer Brawl Didn't Happen

A black eye for MPS was avoided last night.

History almost repeated itself. The situation at Custer High School was on the verge of being a replay of the Bay View - Bradley Tech post-basketball game brawl last January.

Once again, Bay View High School students were involved.

MILWAUKEE -- One year after a melee broke out during the Bradley Tech High- Bay View High basketball game, a similar crisis was avoided during the Custer High- Bay View High game.

“It was crazy,” said Custer shooting guard Jonathan Cousin. “People running on the court while the game was going on.”

Milwaukee Police didn’t wait for a fight to break out. They moved right in and cleared the gymnasium. All spectators were told to leave. The game was then allowed to continue without an audience.

...No arrests were made Friday night.

People running on the court during the game?

I think police were completely justified in clearing the gym.

Clearly, there were signs that trouble was brewing.

After the brawl last year, MPS chose to "severely limit" the fans able to attend Bay View and Bradley Tech basketball games.

620 WTMJ reported:

MPS Spokeswoman Roseanne St. Aubin says for the foreseeable future, MPS will only give two tickets to each player on the two school's teams. The players are only allowed to give those tickets to their parents or guardians. That would mean there can only be a maximum of 24 fans in the stands for each team when they play. St. Aubin says the restriction won't affect the opposing team for the schools.

Perhaps that policy should be implemented again.

Jeanne Assam, the Gunman, and God

Jeanne Assam says, "It was me, the gunman, and God."

DENVER -- The female security guard who shot and stopped a gunman at a Colorado Springs church [Sunday] is crediting God for helping her to resolve the threat by killing the assailant.

Jeanne Assam, was hailed by Pastor Brady Boyd with saving many lives in her quick response to gunshots fired at the New Life Church.

"I give the credit to God and I mean that I say that very humbly, God was with me the whole time I was behind cover," she told reporters. "It seemed like it was me, the gunman, and God."

Assam indicated she felt weak as she approached the gunman since she had been fasting.

"My hands weren't even shaking. I knew what I had to do," she said.

"This has got to be God, because of the firepower that [the gunman] had vs. what I had – was God. I did not run away and I didn't think for a minute to run away, I just knew that I was given the assignment to end this before it got too much worse. I just prayed for the Holy Spirit to guide me."

She said she's drawn her weapon countless times in her previous work in law enforcement. But she said she's never had to fire before.

Two teen girls were killed by the attacker in the church parking lot, and two other people injured in the attack by a gunman identified as Matthew Murray, 24, of Englewood.

Authorities in court papers alleged he had been dismissed from a program at the Christian Youth With A Mission missionary training program in Arvada, Colo., several years ago.

Police confirmed the attack started at the Arvada training center very early Sunday, where a man apparently seeking a place to stay appeared. He pulled a gun and started firing shortly later. Authorities said Tiffany Johnson, 26, of Minnesota, and Philip Crouse, 24, of Alaska, were killed, and two others injured.

He fled, only to appear 12 hours later at New Life Church in Colorado Springs. There the attack started in the parking lot, where Stephanie Works, 18, and Rachel Works, 16, were shot and killed, police said. Their father, David Works, 51, was reported hospitalized with gunshot wounds in his abdomen and groin, while Judy Purcell, 40, was wounded in her shoulder, and Larry Bourbannais, 59, was wounded in his arm. They both were treated and released.

Boyd said Assam probably saved 100 lives, and police confirmed the attacker's backpack contained clips that could have held more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition for the assault weapon he carried.

...Assam, without any sleep and clearly visibly shaken 24 hours after the confrontation, told reporters she wanted to extend sympathies to the families of the victim, as well as the gunman. "I mean that very sincerely," she said.

"I heard shots fired. It was chaos. There were a lot of people in the church," she described.

"The halls cleared out and I saw him coming through the doors. I took cover, waited for him to get closer, came out of cover and identified myself, engaged him, took him down," she said.

Church officials said they have a contingent of volunteer security officers because of the high profile of the church.

"Obviously if we had not had an armed person on our campus, 50 or 100 people could have lost their lives," the pastor said.

This is black and white.

If Assam had not been armed, Matthew Murray would have killed more people.

He had already snuffed out four lives. Five others were wounded in his rampage.

There's no question that Murray was on a killing mission; and Assam ended it.

...In a commentary for [WorldNetDaily], [Charl] Van Wyk expressed condolences for the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting but noted that state lawmakers there had, in effect, created a gun-free zone by banning weapons on school campuses.

"There is a striking paradox associated with mass murders. They are far more likely to occur in areas that have been designated as gun-free zones," he wrote. "Worldwide, office buildings, hospitals, convenience stores, TV studios, chain restaurants and day-care centers have all been targets of homicidal maniacs. Mass murders have taken place in such places after they have been declared gun-free zones.

"In 1999, John Lott and William Landes published a U.S. study of multiple shooting incidents. They showed that mass shootings occur less often in areas where responsible citizens may carry weapons," he continued. "Do mass shootings ever occur in police stations, shooting ranges or at gun shows? Mass murderers select soft targets for their acts of violence. Expecting a suicidal individual to honor a law prohibiting firearms is sheer utopian fantasy."

It's hard to argue with Van Wyk's assessment.

I don't have a gun. I never expect to get a gun. I never expect to fire a gun.

But I'm thankful that law-abiding individuals like Assam are trained and armed.

In an ideal "Mayberry" world, there would be no need for guns; but this isn't an ideal world.

This notion that allowing responsible citizens to carry weapons actually creates a dangerous situation is backwards.

Murray's shooting spree in Colorado was thwarted and lives were spared because Assam was armed.

As Van Wyk notes, "Expecting a suicidal individual to honor a law prohibiting firearms is sheer utopian fantasy."

The fact is firearm prohibitions serve to put the good people at risk.

Gun laws won't stop the bad guys from killing, but they can prevent the good guys from stopping the bad guys.
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About Matthew Murray:

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Authorities believe the man who killed four people at a church and missionary training center posted an anti-Christian diatribe online that closely repeated a rant by one of the Columbine killers, a newspaper reported Tuesday.

Matthew Murray, who was kicked out of a missionary training center where the first shooting occurred, is believed to have posted the message on a Web site for people who have left evangelical religious groups. His most recent post was Sunday morning in the hours between his attacks in Arvada and Colorado Springs, according to KUSA-TV in Denver, which first reported on the writings.

"You Christians brought this on yourselves," Murray wrote, according to the station, which did not identify the site. "All I want to do is kill and injure as many of you ... as I can especially Christians who are to blame for most of the problems in the world."

The language in the post is almost identical to the text of a manifesto written by Eric Harris, one of the teens who carried out the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School, The Denver Post reported.

The online posts spanned several weeks, the station said, and in an earlier one, Murray appeared to reject offers of psychological help.

"I've already been working with counselors. I have a point to make with all this talk about psychologists and counselors `helping people with their pain,'" he wrote, according to KUSA.

Once again, Columbine rears its ugly head.

The legacy of Columbine shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold isn't fading with time.

They are heroes to the deranged. From their graves, they serve as leaders of a murder-suicide club. They're role models for the twisted.

In a very real sense, Harris and Klebold continue to claim more victims.

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This reminds me: Oak Creek chemistry teacher James Buss makes me sick.

Shalita Middleton

Now the Delaware State University shootings might become a homicide case.

Sadly, freshman Shalita Middleton did not recover after being shot on campus last month.

Student Shot On DSU Campus Dies

One of the two people struck in last month's shooting at Delaware State University died Tuesday, according to school officials and family.

Shalita Middleton died at approximately 3:30 p.m. The 17-year-old freshman biology major had been hospitilized since the Sept. 21 shooting.

The Dover campus went into lockdown following the shooting 32 days ago. Fellow student Nathanial Pugh was also shot and has recovered.

Freshman Loyer Braden, 18, was arrested in connection with the shooting and charged at the time with first-degree attempted murder, first-degree attempted assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and first-degree reckless endangering.

Police said Braden may now face a murder charge as a result of Middleton's death but no new charge was filed Tuesday night.

The state attorney general's office had already taken over prosecution of the case.

Investigators said the violence was in retaliation for an argument over a card game.

...In a statement Tuesday, Middleton's family thanked physicians and staff at Christiana Hospital as well as the university's administration "for its support during these difficult and painful times."

"She struggled valiantly over the last several weeks, and she was an inspiration to all of her friends both in Washington, D.C., and in Delaware, as well as her family members, especially her mother, Lavita, and her father, Tom. Ultimately, however, the internal injuries that she suffered were in the end too critical to overcome," the statement read.

University President Allen L. Sessoms said in a statement: "The DSU community are grieving and deeply saddened by the passing today of Shalita K. Middleton, a freshman biology major and cheerleader here at our institution. Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this most difficult time. I know I speak for all our DSU family in offering our heartfelt condolences."

I thought that Shalita Middleton was recovering.

It's a shock to learn that she passed away Tuesday afternoon.

What a senseless tragedy that the life of this young woman, this girl, was cut so short.

I hope the charges against Loyer Braden, the alleged shooter, are amended to reflect her death.
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More, from the Associated Press:

University spokesman Carlos Holmes said two administrators from the school were with Middleton's family when she died.

Campus police had hoped to interview the cheerleader about what happened on the night of the shooting, but Holmes said they never got the opportunity.

Braden, a freshman from East Orange, N.J., is being held in lieu of $92,000 bail on charges of attempted murder, assault, among other offenses. With Middleton's death, Braden now faces a possible murder charge.

Cleveland Shooter

And we have another school shooting, this time in Cleveland.

CLEVELAND -- A gunman opened fire in a downtown high school on Wednesday, and five people were taken to a hospital, the mayor said.

Mayor Frank Jackson said three young people and two adults were hurt. SuccessTech Academy had been secured and there was only one suspect, he said.

"They have the shooter," Jackson said. He did not elaborate.

Apparently, they have the shooter. He killed himself.

Police confirmed to the Associated Press that the 14-year-old gunman, a freshman at the school shot himself.

...Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson later said that the school had been secured, although police were searching floor by floor.

Reports indicate that the shooter was armed with a handgun in each hand, and moved about the school after firing on the fourth floor of the school.

Hopefully, all the victims will recover from this latest senseless, violent attack.
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More details here.

Loyer D. Braden

UPDATE, December 27, 2007: Alleged DSU shooter released on bail

Former Delaware State University student Loyer D. Braden, who faces a murder charge in the death of a fellow DSU student in September, was released from prison Friday night.

Braden, 18, had been jailed since he was arrested several days after the Sept. 21 shootings and was held on a cash bond of $192,000 – that meant he had to put up all of the money to be released.

But on Friday, Superior Court Robert B. Young modified the bail from cash to secured, meaning Braden only need to post a percentage of the $192,000.

The Delaware Attorney General’s Office opposed the modification, department spoke Jason Miller said.

As a condition of his release, Braden must keep daily phone contact with the Delaware Department of Correction until an electronic GPS monitoring device is placed on him.

Braden was initially charged with attempted first-degree murder, but the charge was changed to second-degree murder after one of the shooting victims – 17-year-old Shalita Middleton of Washington, D.C. – died on Oct. 23.

He was also charged in connection with the shooting of Nathaniel Pugh, another 17-year-old Washington, D.C., resident who suffered an ankle wound during the shooting.

Investigators allege that Braden's intended target was James O. Richmond, a freshman with whom he had fought a few days before the shooting. The shots were fired as a group that included Richmond, Middleton and Pugh left a campus cafe where, according to court testimony, Richmond and a group that included Braden had engaged in an argument minutes earlier.

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UPDATE: Shalita Middleton, DSU shooting victim, dies.
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Who is the Delaware State University shooter?


Police escort Loyer D. Braden, an 18-year-old man from New Jersey, arrested Monday Sept. 24, 2007, in the shooting of two Delaware State University students, from a Dover, Del., police station to court. Braden of East Orange, N.J., was charged with attempted murder, assault and reckless endangerment, as well as a gun charge, according to court documents. (AP Photo/Gary Emeigh)

DOVER, Del. -- Police arrested an 18-year-old man in the shooting of two students at Delaware State University, authorities said Monday. As they led him into a courthouse, he told reporters: "I'm sorry."

Loyer D. Braden, arrested about 3:30 a.m. in his dorm room, was charged with attempted murder, assault and reckless endangerment, as well as a gun charge, according to court documents.

A justice of the peace set bail for the East Orange, N.J., teenager at $75,000 and ordered him to stay away from the victims and Delaware State. Braden is a freshman at Delaware State, according to a man at Braden's home in East Orange who identified himself only as a family member.

University offficials, who had assured the campus community over the weekend that the gunman was not on campus, could not explain how or when Braden returned to his dorm room.

"I'm not clear on that matter," Delaware State University Police Chief James Overton said. "I can't get into that."

That's not good.

The shooter is not on campus. No worries. Oops! He was arrested in his dorm room.

That is not good.

Four Dover police officers escorted Braden to the court Monday afternoon with his hands cuffed and his legs shackled.

In response to reporters' questions, he said softly: "I'm sorry." Asked what he was sorry for, he replied only: "She's in the hospital."

One of the wounded students, Shalita Middleton, 17, was being treated for abdominal wounds at Christiana Hospital in Newark, Del. University spokesman Carlos Holmes said Middleton had not been questioned and "will not be questioned until we get clearance from the physicians."

The other wounded student has been talking with police, officials said, but that student's mother said the 17-year-old freshman didn't know who the gunman was or what triggered the shooting at the Village Cafe, a campus dining hall that stays open until 3 a.m.

Braden is sorry.

That's good I guess, but sorry isn't good enough. At least it's better than showing no remorse.

...Braden was also accused of firing at a third student, James Richmond, according to the documents describing the reckless endangerment charge.

The shootings followed a fight Tuesday between Braden and one of the victims in a university parking lot, according to an affidavit by Lt. Donald Baynard of the Delaware State University police department. The heavily redacted document said the victim involved was male, but did not say whether he was Pugh or Richmond.

So did Pugh know Braden or not?

...The family member at Braden's New Jersey home said Braden's mother went to Delaware to get more information on the charges. "The whole thing is just not his M.O.," the man said. "It's really puzzling to us."

Not his M.O.?

What an odd way to talk about a family member!

For example, I can't imagine saying, "The whole thing is just not my brother's M.O."

Braden graduated in June from Immaculate Conception High School in Montclair, N.J., where he played basketball and football. "This would be the last thing I'd ever expect of Loyer," football coach Sean Morris said.

In 1998, Braden was among a group of Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts who escorted jazz great Lionel Hampton to an East Orange elementary school that had named a concert hall in Hampton's name, according to The Star-Ledger of Newark.

What a waste!

Braden had a lot going for him.

He had opportunities. He was enrolled in college. He threw all of that away.

There's no excuse for such sociopathic behavior.

No one can say that he had no hope for a good life, or that he was trapped in poverty with no chance of realizing the American dream.

Braden made a terrible, terrible choice. Now, he'll pay.
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DSU Press Release
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From The Star-Ledger, September 25, 2007:

Police in Delaware today searched the car and dorm room of an 18-year-old East Orange man charged in the shooting of two students at Delware State University last week, according to a report in the News-Journal of Wilmington.

Investigators also went to the home of a relative of Loyer D. Braden, but have not found the weapon, authorities told the newspaper for a story posted on its Web site.

"The investigation is still going on and they're still trying to figure out where this gun is at," DSU spokesman Carlos Holmes said this afternoon. In addition, police now say they "do not believe that the victims in this case, Shalita Middleton or Nathaniel Pugh, were the intended targets," Holmes told the News-Journal. "They have a strong belief that they were not the intended targets."

Police had said early in the investigation that they did not believe the shootings - which sent both Middleton and Pugh to the hospital - were entirely random, but Holmes said he was unsure whether that has changed, according to the newspaper.

Braden, a Delaware State freshman who graduated from Immaculate Conception High School in Montclair, remained in custody today at Delaware Correctional Center near Smyrna, Department of Correction spokesman John Painter told the News-Journal. Braden, who is being held on $75,000 secured bond, is charged with first-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, reckless endangering and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

__________________

DSU expels Braden.

DSU Shooting Suspect in Custody

Police made an arrest in the Delaware State University shootings.

DOVER, Del. -- Police had a suspect in custody Monday in the shooting of two students on the Delaware State University campus, authorities said.

Police Capt. Lester Boney did not release the suspect's name or say what charges the person would face.

"If we're getting a warrant for him, I'm comfortable we've got the right guy," he said.

One of the wounded students has been talking with police, officials said, but that student's mother said the 17-year-old freshman doesn't know who the gunman was or what triggered the shooting.

Nathaniel Pugh III, a freshman biology major, told his mother that he had gone to the Village Cafe, a campus dining hall that stays open until 3 a.m. He said he heard two gunshots about 1 a.m. and started running. A third shot caught him in the ankle, shattering two bones, said his mother, Michelle Blackwell, in an interview from Kent General Hospital in Dover.

"He didn't see who shot him, but there were several students gathered there on the campus who could have seen who shot him," Pugh's mother, Michelle Blackwell, told The Washington Post.

"He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Period," she said.

Another wounded student, Shalita Middleton, 17, was being treated for abdominal wounds at Christiana Hospital in Newark, Del. University spokesman Carlos Holmes said Middleton had not been questioned and "will not be questioned until we get clearance from the physicians."

According to Michelle Blackwell, mother of victim Nathaniel Pugh III, her son was an innocent bystander. He didn't know who shot him.

Does that mean that he doesn't know the individual at all?

Does that mean he didn't know who actually fired the shots?

Now with a suspect in custody, it may turn out that he does know the person who shot him, even if he was not the shooter's intended target and had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Pugh and his mother, as well as DSU students and their parents, must be relieved at the news of an arrest.

A More Nuanced Look at the Jena Six

Associated Press writer Todd Lewan offers a fair and balanced report on the Jena Six.

It defuses the emotions fueling the protests of the National Day of Action this past week with facts.

JENA, La. -- It's got all the elements of a Delta blues ballad from the days of Jim Crow: hangman's nooses dangling from a shade tree; a mysterious fire in the night; swift deliberations by a condemning, all-white jury.

And drawn by this story, which evokes the worst of a nightmarish past, they came by the thousands this past week to Jena, La. — to demand justice, to show strength, to beat back the forces of racism as did their parents and grandparents.

But there are many in Jena who say the tale of the "Jena Six" — the black teenagers who were charged with attempted murder and conspiracy for attacking a white classmate at Jena High School last December — is not as simple as all that.

Black and white, they say that in its repeated retelling — enhanced by omissions and alterations of fact — the story has taken on a life of its own. It has transformed a school-yard stomping into an international cause celebre, and those accused of participating in it into what one major Southern daily came to describe as "latter-day Scottsboro Boys."

And they say that while their town's race relations are not unblemished, this is not the cauldron of bigotry that has been depicted.

To Ben Reid, 61, who set down roots in Jena in 1957 and lived here throughout the civil rights era, "this whole thing ain't no downright, racial affair."

Reid, who is black, presently serves on the LaSalle Parish council. He reads the papers. He hears the talk outside of church on Sundays about how the Jena Six business is dividing his hometown down racial lines.

He doesn't buy it.

"You have good people here and bad people here, on both sides. This thing has been blown out of proportion. What we ought to do is sit down and talk this thing out, 'cause once all is said and done and you media folks leave, we're the ones who're going to have to live here."

Todd Lewan explains that the story of the Jena Six is not as black and white as the likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton and the lib media would have you believe.

Consider:

_The so-called "white tree" at Jena High, often reported to be the domain of only white students, was nothing of the sort, according to teachers and school administrators; students of all races, they say, congregated under it at one time or another.

_Two nooses — not three — were found dangling from the tree. Beyond being offensive to blacks, the nooses were cut down because black and white students "were playing with them, pulling on them, jump-swinging from them, and putting their heads through them," according to a black teacher who witnessed the scene.

_There was no connection between the September noose incident and December attack, according to Donald Washington, an attorney for the U.S. Justice Department in western Louisiana, who investigated claims that these events might be race-related hate crimes.

_The three youths accused of hanging the nooses were not suspended for just three days — they were isolated at an alternative school for about a month, and then given an in-school suspension for two weeks.

_The six-member jury that convicted Bell was, indeed, all white. However, only one in 10 people in LaSalle Parish is African American, and though black residents were selected randomly by computer and summoned for jury selection, none showed up.

The protesters and the media have not emphasized these points.

Most townsfolk, [Billy Wayne Fowler, a white school-board member,] says, interpreted the events of last year pretty much the same way — that a small minority of troublemakers, both black and white, got out of hand, and that the responses from authorities weren't always on the mark.

The boys who hung the nooses "probably should have been expelled," Fowler says, and the murder charges brought against the black teenagers were "too harsh, too severe."

Tommy Farris, 27, an oil driller, and his wife, Nikki, 29, a registered nurse, concur — to a point. "Those boys should have expelled," says Nikki, who is white. "It was no innocent prank. I think those boys knew what they were starting by hanging those nooses from a tree."

Tommy, who is black, agrees. But free the Jena Six?

"That's not going to happen," he says, adding that he thinks the black teenagers are being given a fair chance to defend themselves against the charges.

Johnny Wilkinson, 44, a platform officer on an oil rig, and his wife, Karen, a 47-year-old director of nurses at the local hospital, are, like many couples in town, wrestling with that question of fairness.

The noose hanging was wrong, say the Wilkinsons, who are white, and the boys who did it should have been more severely punished.

Still, "They knocked that boy out cold and were stomping on him," Johnny says. "They might have killed him. I believe punishment would have been measured the same way if it had been the opposite way around and six whites had attacked a black kid."

I agree with these residents of Jena. All involved deserve to be held accountable for their actions. They all are entitled to equal and appropriate treatment under the law.

I think it's wrong to distort facts to fit an agenda, and that's what seems to be happening in this case.

The "Free the Jena Six" movement became a circus, a carnival with funhouse mirrors.

That's unfortunate. Such distortions do a disservice to the real racial struggles of the past and the present.

Liberty and justice for all. Not liberty and justice for whites. Not liberty and justice for blacks.

Liberty and justice for all.

DSU Shooting Victim: No Snitchin'

UPDATE: Suspect arrested in campus shooting
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NEW details here.

Tension between rival groups of friends from New Jersey and Washington, D.C., preceded the late-night shooting at Delaware State University that wounded two people, students said Saturday.

While investigators worked to find the shooter who opened fire early Friday as several students left a campus dining hall, a classmate recalled how the violence had escalated from altercations during the week.

"They've been getting into it, New Jersey people and D.C. people," said James Dillion, 23, of Cleveland.

"Thursday night, they saw each other again and got into it," he said. "Everybody's still astonished about what happened."

__________________________

Delaware State University remains in lockdown, over 24 hours after two students were shot on campus.

With the suspect or suspects at large, classes were cancelled and the campus was shutdown.

When will classes resume at DSU? When will the lockdown be lifted?

Progress in finding the shooter has been hampered rather than helped by an eyewitness to the shootings.

One of the victims has decided not to cooperate.

DOVER, Del. -- Two students were shot and wounded, one seriously, at Delaware State University early Friday, prompting administrators mindful of the massacre at Virginia Tech to order a swift shutdown of the campus while police searched for the gunman.

Police identified two students as "persons of interest," questioning both of them, while students remained locked in their dorms and officers lowered gates to keep anyone from coming onto the campus of the 3,690-student historically black university.

...The two students were shot on the Campus Mall, between the Memorial Hall gymnasium and Richard S. Grossley Hall, an administrative building. Investigators believed the shootings may have been preceded by an argument at the cafe, and [university spokesman Carlos] Holmes said it did not appear to be random.

The male student, who was wounded in the ankle, refused to answer questions by police about the shootings, raising the likelihood that he knew his attacker, according to a federal law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing.

...Alex Bishoff, 20, a freshman from Washington, D.C., said he heard five gunshots and looked out his dormitory window to see people scattering. He said he immediately thought of the Virginia Tech shootings last April.

Students were warned within about 15 minutes, Bishoff said. "I think they handled it pretty well," he said.

Timmara Gooden, 20, of Philadelphia, said in a phone interview from her dorm room that she and her suite mates kept each other calm and were making sure that their parents understand that they're OK.

Students weren't even going into their dorm hallways. "We don't want to walk out there, because we don't know what's going on," Gooden said.

Students were still being advised Friday afternoon to remain in their dorms, but were being escorted to the cafeteria for meals. Officials also made arrangements for students who wanted to leave campus for the weekend, during which hordes of race fans and recreational vehicles converge on the town for NASCAR action across the street at Dover Downs Speedway.

So the male student is holding the university hostage by refusing to assist police.

What a self-centered person!

University president Allen Sessoms emphasized the shooting was not random.

"This is an internal problem," said Sessoms. "There are no externalities ... this is just kids who did very, very stupid things."

Huh?

This is "just kids who did very, very stupid things"?

It sounds like this is an internal problem, a problem with university leadership.

University president Allen Sessoms has a double shooting on his campus and he passes it off as "just kids" doing "stupid things."

Let's get this straight: It's not "just kids." A toy gun wasn't used in the shooting.

It's not about "stupid things." Attempted murder isn't a "stupid thing." It's an extremely serious offense.

I think it's not being stressed enough that the male victim isn't giving police information. Obviously, he practices the No Snitchin' philosophy.

That is a serious internal problem.

Are the 3,700 DSU students and university staff ticked off that this male victim is keeping quiet rather than helpng to solve the matter?

Are the parents of the students angry with him for refusing to cooperate with police?

DSU authorities keep patting themselves on the back for their swift response, putting the word out within 20 minutes after police were informed of the shootings that students should stay in their rooms.

Although circumstances were dramatically different from those at Virginia Tech and its really like comparing apples and oranges, Delaware State responded well.

However, focusing on their quick response misses the point.

The fact that the male victim won't help police is the important part of the story here. That shouldn't be glossed over.

The male victim's actions are completely inexcusable, irresponsible, and selfish.
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UPDATE:

Since I wrote this post, the AP is reporting a twist.

John Stokes, a spokesman for the District of Columbia schools superintendent, identified the victims as Shalita Middleton and Nathaniel Pugh. Middleton attended Washington's Woodrow Wilson High School, and Pugh attended Dunbar High School, Stokes said. He said he did not know what year they graduated.

University police said they had identified two persons of interest, both students. Both were interviewed and then released, university spokesman Carlos Holmes said Saturday morning. Police had identified no suspects.

A federal law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing, had said the male victim refused to answer questions by police about the shootings, raising the likelihood that he knew his attacker.

But Holmes, who spoke to university police about the investigation, said that report was incorrect. "They said (the victim) is answering their questions," Holmes said.

This is a he said, he said.

The victim is answering questions. The victim isn't answering questions.

Bottom line--

The shooter is at large.

Delaware State University Shooting

UPDATE: Suspect arrested in campus shooting
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More violence touches Delaware State University.

Less than a month ago, the school year began in mourning.

Delaware State University will start the school year on a somber note this week as the campus community comes together for the first time to remember two students and a friend who were killed near their homes in Newark, N.J., earlier this month.

The remembrance service is scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday at the theater in the Education & Humanities Center on the Dover campus.

Dashon Harvey, 20, Terrance Aeriel, 18, and Iofemi Hightower, 20, were shot execution-style Aug. 4 behind a school in Newark, N.J. Harvey and Aeriel were students at DSU. Hightower planned to begin taking classes there this fall. Aeriel’s sister, 19-year-old Natasha, was shot but survived. She also attends Delaware State.

Six suspects have been charged with multiple counts of murder and robbery in the case, which has drawn national attention.

Speakers at Tuesday’s service, which is not open to the public, will include friends of the students and school officials. There will be a presentation to the victims’ families and DSU’s band, of which the Aeriels’ were members, will perform, spokesman Carlos Holmes said.

Thankfully, Friday's shootings haven't resulted in students' deaths, but two were shot on campus.

Two students were shot at Delaware University overnight, prompting Friday's classes to be cancelled.

From the Delaware State University website:

Classes on the Dover campus of Delaware State University have been canceled for Friday, Sept. 21 in the wake of an early morning shooting at the institution that has left two students wounded and a suspect at large. All non-essential personnel are directed not to report to work on this day.

The primary priorities of the University at the point are the safety of the residential student population and the DSU Police investigation of the shooting. DSU Police Department with the assistance of the Dover Police Department are working toward the apprehension of the suspect.

The university is implementing a plan to provide essential services to its residential population on campus. Because the suspect is still at large, residential students are directed to remain in their residence halls for their safety until further notice.

At approximately 12:54 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 21, the Delaware State University Police Department was notified of an incident in which two students were shot on campus near Memorial Hall. A single male suspect is being sought, but has not yet been apprehended. The investigation is continuing with the assistance of other local police.

A male student and a female student were transported to hospitals within the state. The male student is in stable condition, however, the female student’s injuries are considered serious.

University personnel and students can check of updates on this situation through the DSU Website (www.desu.edu) and through the DSU Snow Phone # at (302) 857-SNOW (7669).

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the DSU Police at 857-6290 or the DSU TIPS Line at 857-7918.

Here's more.

The campus of Delaware State University is on lockdown while police search for a suspect in the shooting of two students Friday.

...Officials said two students, a male and a female, were transported to an area hospital after the shooting. The male is said to be in stable condition, while Holmes said the female’s injuries could be considered life-threatening.

Holmes said residents on campus have been asked to remain in their dorms as the suspect in the shooting remains at large.

At this point, there are more questions than answers.

Specifics on the victims' conditions are few.

In addition to the shock of the shootings is the unnerving reality that the suspect remains at large. That's hard on the students and their families, and all campus employees.

Hopefully, the suspect will be apprehended soon and the victims will recover from their injuries.
__________________

DSU at a Glance

Tom Barrett: Send in the Cops

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett thinks more police officers in more schools is the way to combat the problem of violence.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Mayor Tom Barrett is calling for a dramatic increase in police stationed in Milwaukee Public Schools, from six officers in two high schools to 36 officers in 12 schools, in his 2008 city budget.

Barrett said Wednesday that the officers assigned to the schools from September through May could be shifted into beefed-up neighborhood patrols during the summer.

...City and school officials say this year's pilot program already has improved security for students and teachers at Bradley Tech and Custer high schools. The leader of a school safety task force, however, questioned whether city decisions were based more on politics than on substance.

Barrett and MPS Superintendent William Andrekopoulos will hold a news conference today to announce the plan, part of the budget Barrett will recommend Tuesday to the Common Council.

Andrekopoulos said he's not ready yet to announce publicly which schools will be included in the expansion, but his priority will be large high schools.

Last year, the School Board voted for the first time to bring police officers into the schools regularly. Until then, the schools had relied primarily on unarmed school safety aides who would call in police only when needed to deal with specific incidents.

Although the 230 safety aides remain on the front lines of security in most schools, the experimental program added armed police as "school resource officers," starting in February. The officers spend most of their time on community relations, talking with students and parents, rather than responding to emergencies, Andrekopoulos said.

It would cost $2.2 million to implement the program.

That's a lot of money to be spent on "community relations."

There's no need to put a pretty face on this. Let's be honest. Some Milwaukee public schools are dens of violence, chaos, and crime.

Police are needed on site to maintain order. That's the sorry state of some public schools in the city.

Barrett is pushing the idea of an increased police presence because having officers stationed at Bradley Tech and Custer helped to cut down on calls for police service.

Isn't it obvious that calls would be down if police were already there?

"We have seen a safer learning environment for our students" and increased safety for teachers, as well, Barrett said.

I would hope so.

If having an armed police presence at schools doesn't make them safer, what will?

...Lenard Wells, a former police lieutenant who is leading a community task force looking at safety in MPS, said no city or district leaders had mentioned expanding the police presence to his panel.

"If they have done a thorough evaluation and find it is needed, yes, they should" expand the number of police officers, Wells said.

Yet Wells added that he is continually frustrated that city leaders "are responding to the press; they are not responding to the issues inside the schools."

The mayor is "knee-jerking all the time," Wells said. "That's no way to run the city and not a good way to run the schools."

Wells is right.

Barrett is a knee-jerker.

He's not an effective leader. He's a too little, too late reactor.

Plea Deal for Cornell, Sturtz, and Netwal

A trial for William Cornell, Shawn Sturtz, and Bradley Netwal won't begin on Monday.

It's not going to happen at all.

A plea deal has been reached.

WAUSAU, Wis. -- Three teenagers accused of plotting a Columbine-like attack on a Green Bay high school reached plea agreements Friday, a court official said.

Details of the agreements were not immediately released, but a trial set to begin Monday was called off, said Marcia Knoebel, an assistant to Brown County Circuit Judge J.D. McKay. Hearings for the three were set for Monday.

William Cornell, 18, Shawn Sturtz, 18, and Bradley Netwal, 19, were charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree homicide and conspiracy to damage property with explosives _ felonies that carry a maximum sentence of 100 years in prison. The teens have been jailed since their arrests.

Prosecutor John Zakowski declined to elaborate on the plea deals but said they were different for each teen and involve accountability for the conspiracy.

"We learned it (the plot) wasn't quite as imminent as we thought it was," he said.

...Cornell and Sturtz had long been fascinated by the April 1999 massacre in suburban Denver in which two students at Columbine High School killed 12 classmates and a teacher before killing themselves, police said.

The Wisconsin plot was foiled when another student alerted an associate principal, officials said.

The plot may not have been as imminent as first thought; but the fact that there was a plot at all is frightening.

The student responsible for alerting the associate principal should be commended for averting what could have turned out to be another school massacre.

At this point, we don't know the details of the deals for Cornell, Sturtz, and Netwal.

The three teens have already spent close to a year in jail.

Whatever the plea agreements may be, I hope Cornell, Sturtz, and Netwal's days of planning a bloodbath at Green Bay East High School or anywhere else are over.

I hope the agreements take into account just how serious such plans are, even when they're in the early stages. It's no game to plan a Columbine-like attack.

Under NO circumstances should a kid amass weapons, build bombs, and plan to commit murder and detonate explosives in his school.

As in so many other situations, this all boils down to personal responsibility and doing what's right.

--Students should not bully others.

--Victims of bullying must seek help from their parents and teachers.

--Parents need to know what's going on in their children's lives.

--Teachers and school staff need to address instances of bullying, and punish the perpetrators.

--No student should ever acquire weapons, plot to kill people and destroy property.

--Each is person is responsible for his or her actions.

I don't see Cornell, Sturtz, and Netwal as victims.

I see them as extremely lucky that another student tipped off the school about their plan before it was too late.

Had they taken it to the next level, maybe instead of reaching a plea deal they would be on trial for first-degree murder or dead.

Eric Hainstock's Punishment

The sentencing hearing for murderer Eric Hainstock was an emotional ordeal for the family of his victim John Klang.

It was also difficult on Hainstock's father.

Even Hainstock's attorney broke down in tears.

Eric Hainstock was the only one that seemed unfazed by it all.

BARABOO -- An emotional sentencing hearing, just a day after Eric Hainstock was found guilty of killing his school principal, ended the prosecution Friday of the notorious school shooting case.

[Sauk County Circuit Judge Patrick] Taggart's decision came after a hearing in which Klang's wife, Sue Klang, and their daughters, Kristi and Kerri, spoke tearfully about the man who was killed by Hainstock's gunfire.

Sue Klang, wearing a T-shirt reading "John Klang is my superhero," said Hainstock took away her high school sweetheart, her best friend and the father of their three children. He has missed family events and milestones such as the graduation of their daughters from college, as well as watching their son play baseball, a sport Klang loved and one she and her husband enjoyed together.

Sue Klang said she left her job as a hospital health education director because she could no longer concentrate on it. And she has had to deal with constant reminders of the tragedy at Weston.

"It's difficult to deal with supporters of Eric who write messages to me telling me that I'm a liar and a poor excuse for a Christian for favoring adult court for Eric," she said, "that I have not suffered an impossible loss and that I should stop spewing my venom and feeling sorry for myself."

Hainstock's fate, she said, "will be a small pittance for the pain that I and those around me have suffered and are still suffering. Everyone who was the victim of John's murder has suffered great anguish and has had problems in even trying to fathom the depth of John's loss."

It's horrible that Sue Klang is being harassed by the freakish supporters of Eric Hainstock.

Those people are truly sick. They aren't the compassionate activists they claim to be. They are demented torturers in their own right.

Rhoda Ricciardi, Hainstock's attorney, tried to get parole for Hainstock after only twenty years, the minimum under state law.

"Nobody knows what Eric is going to be like in 20 years," she said.

No kidding. So what?

Nobody knows what anyone will be like in 20 years. That's no argument for him to be eligible for parole.

Hainstock's sentence is about punishing him for the murder he committed within the last year. He killed John Klang and he has to pay for it now and twenty years from now and after that.

Remember, nobody will ever know what Klang would have been like in 20 years.

The punishment that criminals receive is a reflection of the values of a society.

Hainstock is a sociopath. It's not OK to bring guns to school and kill someone.

His sentence should reinforce that.

...Sue Klang said she has seen no remorse from Hainstock, who ate a sandwich two hours after shooting her husband with his blood still on his hands.

"It's difficult to understand how anyone could be that callous," she said.

But Hainstock's father, Shawn Hainstock said tearfully after the hearing that his son feels remorse and has told him so many times.

"He's broke down crying when I'm talking with him," Shawn Hainstock said. "He's not heartless. People don't know him like we do, maybe. He's a loving boy. Everybody tries to paint a picture that he's evil and he's not."

He expressed his deepest sympathies to the Klang family, but said "We love our son and we have to stand by him, too."

...Eric Hainstock did not speak at the hearing when given the chance.

"He's hurting deep inside," his father said. "He's told me, 'Dad, I don't know how to cry.' I've told him, 'Eric you've got to cry and let some of this out.'"

That's what's so troubling to me. Hainstock showed no remorse.

I would expect Shawn Hainstock to stand up for his son. He can cry and apologize.

But no one can change the reality of what Eric Hainstock did; and what he did was evil.

This next stuff is really weird.

Hainstock's attorney says that being behind bars has helped him.

...Ricciardi said Hainstock's life has, ironically, improved while in custody.

"The scary thing is that since Eric's been in jail, this is the best this boy's ever done in his life," she said. He has learned multiplication tables and improved his reading from a fourth-grade level to handle adult material. She said it has shown how Hainstock, away from his home life and frustration and teasing at school, has thrived with positive reinforcement from his teacher at the jail.

But emotionally, Hainstock is still immature, Ricciardi said, and might not show remorse because his brain is not able to process what he did. When he reaches that point, she said, "the flood gates are going to open. He will live a nightmare."

I don't think Ricciardi should find it scary that Hainstock is finally getting his act together. It sounds like he was scared straight.

Maybe he improved academically because his incarceration meant that he's no longer bullying people or planning to hurt others. Whatever, she makes the case that Hainstock being in custody is a good thing. Since that's the case, let's keep him there.

Her explanation for his lack of remorse is lame. We're supposed to believe that Hainstock is too immature emotionally to really comprehend what he did, but when he does mature, he'll "live a nightmare."

During his testimony, Hainstock said he knew he had done a terrible thing. That was his excuse for telling investigators that he PURPOSELY pulled the trigger three times. His brain was able to "process" enough to understand that shooting someone is wrong and would have consequences. It's not that he didn't get that.

At the hearing, as Klang's wife and daughters expressed the pain of their loss, it's very difficult to have sympathy for the nightmare that Hainstock will live once those "floodgates open" in his head.

And finally we come to Judge Taggart's reasoning behind his sentence for Hainstock.

...Hainstock can ask for release from prison on extended supervision after 30 years, Sauk County Circuit Judge Patrick Taggart said Friday.

Taggart left open the possibility that Hainstock could spend the early years of his sentence at a juvenile correctional facility, where he could receive more intensive treatment and education than he would get in an adult prison.

"I do believe you can be rehabilitated in the correctional system," Taggart told Hainstock. "I do believe it's appropriate to start you at (Ethan Allen School in) Wales or Lincoln Hills."

So Taggart thinks that there's hope for murderer Hainstock.

He thinks that the correctional system can transform the killer, rehabilitate him. Some time in a juvenile facility will give Hainstock the treatment and education he needs; the stuff that John Klang and the faculty at Weston didn't give him.

That's a slap that Klang and the staff at the high school didn't deserve.


Taggart believes his role is to teach Hainstock to learn how to function in society without killing people. The judge prefers to take this opportunity to focus on how to benefit Hainstock rather than mete out justice and punish him for his crimes.

Taggart is approaching this from the standpoint of what's best for Eric.

What about what's best for the Klangs and society?

It appears that the judge wasn't too happy with the jury's decision. It seems he felt that the lesser charges of first- or second-degree reckless homicide would have been more appropriate.

I disagree. The jury didn't get it wrong.

Taggart did.