Tape shows beating on bus of Belleville West student

[Veritas]

A Belleville West High School student was beaten aboard a bus on the way to school Monday, and a police spokesman said the beating could be racially motivated.

The 17-year-old victim was white and the teen assailants were black. Police released a video of the beating, which shows the victim being punched repeatedly while other students on the bus gather to watch, some cheering. It doesn't appear that the victim did anything to provoke an attack and tried only to defend himself. Police said it all unfolded in a five-minute span.


WARNING-DISTURBING VIDEO AT LINK

LINK (http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/illinoisnews/story/60D37B6EC5FF4711862576320011605B?OpenDocument)


I am so disgusted with the bus driver. Not one person tried to help that boy. :crying:

[Dogmatic]

Is the victim all right?

Or does our liberal media only care to report that this assault was NOT racially motivated????

That entire bus-load of kids and the bus driver need help and alot of it.

[Details]

WARNING-DISTURBING VIDEO AT LINK

LINK (http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/illinoisnews/story/60D37B6EC5FF4711862576320011605B?OpenDocument)


I am so disgusted with the bus driver. Not one person tried to help that boy. :crying:Disturbing indeed - however, one correction. According to the article, other students did indeed help the boy.

The driver - it takes time to pull over safely. He should have done more, stopped at the first bit and gotten the cops and isolated the attackers at the front of the bus to keep an eye on them - but during the attack, he might not have been able to get back there.


This shouldn't be a big deal to deal with. Criminal charges for all assailants, some additional punishment (detention and notes to parents) for all kids cheering the beating on, and something good for the kids who helped the victim.

[Dogmatic]

I'm glad to hear there were a few kids that had the courage to "do the right thing" and help the victim. I think police should have been dispatched immediately. I feel so bad for that kid. He clearly just wanted to be left alone. He showed no signs of violence. Didn't even defend himself. Those thugs on that bus are very dangerous criminals.

[Dogmatic]

Yoooo Hooooo! Jesse? Al?

We have someone who's civil rights were just trampled on that needs your help!!!


Where are you???????????

[Dogmatic]

In defense of the bus driver, it's not clear that he could see what was going on. By the time the commotion started, he might have only been able to see the standing cheering students and not the beating while he tried to drive and assess the situation in the rear view mirror.

The two who did the assault should be charged with aggravated felony assault causing bodily injury. That's outrageous. I'll be interested to follow this - because as of now, all that's being done appears to be possible expulsion.

Media states it was a "bus fight". In reality it was an "attack on a passive victim".

Those students know there are cameras on those buses. They just don't care. Improving their "street rep" no doubt.

[sinagua]

If this can happen in Belleville, a city of 40,000 and just 30 miles from St. Louis, I am astounded. That used to be a really nice town. Now, it appears that they need monitors on the buses.

It appeared to me that there were more than 2 kids involved in this.

I am certain that the police will be pressing charges.

[Dogmatic]

Does anyone know if the victim is ok???

Is there anyone local that is helping to set up a donation fund to get him new glasses or anything?

[Details]

In defense of the bus driver, it's not clear that he could see what was going on. By the time the commotion started, he might have only been able to see the standing cheering students and not the beating while he tried to drive and assess the situation in the rear view mirror.

The two who did the assault should be charged with aggravated felony assault causing bodily injury. That's outrageous. I'll be interested to follow this - because as of now, all that's being done appears to be possible expulsion.They never take childhood violence seriously enough.

It's a tricky area - you do need to allow for a child or teen's more limited mentality, ability to control themselves, but at the same time, it is an assault, and as they get older, they have to start preparing to become adults, where this kind of thing lands you in jail.

These kids were plenty old enough to know better, and to control themselves. I'd also wonder if the school is doing enough to keep control of the kids - if they let the school be too much under the control of the students, Lord of the Flies stuff starts happening - kids trying to find power, a place in the world, control.

[R~O~S]

I'm not certain where any of you folks get the idea the bus driver is supposed to "do something" when the bus is unruly. His job is to safely operate a motor vehicle. It is not his job to baby sit.

It's simply not his job to break up fights on a bus full of kids. He certainly could have pulled the bus over and called the police, but he has no authority to do anything and risked his own personal safety if he tried to break it up. He has a responsibility to report violations of the bus rules to his supervisor as soon as possible.

The schools put kids of varying ages and grade levels on the bus, they need to take the initiative and put a monitor on there as well.

Responsibilities of a MO School Bus Driver.

http://waynesville.k12.mo.us/fileadmin/wps/home/District/Human_Resources/Job_Descriptions/4.05.1_School_Bus_Driver.pdf

[Barbara2]

I'm not certain where any of you folks get the idea the bus driver is supposed to "do something" when the bus is unruly. His job is to safely operate a motor vehicle. It is not his job to baby sit.

It's simply not his job to break up fights on a bus full of kids. He certainly could have pulled the bus over and called the police, but he has no authority to do anything and risked his own personal safety if he tried to break it up. He has a responsibility to report violations of the bus rules to his supervisor as soon as possible.

The schools put kids of varying ages and grade levels on the bus, they need to take the initiative and put a monitor on there as well.

Responsibilities of a MO School Bus Driver.

http://waynesville.k12.mo.us/fileadmin/wps/home/District/Human_Resources/Job_Descriptions/4.05.1_School_Bus_Driver.pdf

I'm not sure how much difference it makes but Belleville West is in Belleville, IL.

[R~O~S]

I'm not sure how much difference it makes but Belleville West is in Belleville, IL.

As I said, it's the agreement of MO, of course if you doubt it please feel free to google it yourself. It's fairly standard across the board regardless of state.

A bus driver is a bus driver, not a teacher, not a monitor and not in authority to do diddly other than pull the bus over and call LE if he believes that's a safer option than continuing on to the destination.

I can hear the outrage now had he put so much as a hand on one of those students. Not to mention the letter of admonishment that would have gone in his personnel file for "behavior unbecoming and in disregard of standard safety practices" that is, if he still had a job.

[Barbara2]

As I said, it's the agreement of MO, of course if you doubt it please feel free to google it yourself. It's fairly standard across the board regardless of state.

A bus driver is a bus driver, not a teacher, not a monitor and not in authority to do diddly other than pull the bus over and call LE if he believes that's a safer option than continuing on to the destination.

I can hear the outrage now had he put so much as a hand on one of those students. Not to mention the letter of admonishment that would have gone in his personnel file for "behavior unbecoming and in disregard of standard safety practices" that is, if he still had a job.

It's actually a side issue to the original. I don't think the bus driver's responsibilities are a reflection of the problem at large. IMO

[ABC]

I'm not certain where any of you folks get the idea the bus driver is supposed to "do something" when the bus is unruly. His job is to safely operate a motor vehicle. It is not his job to baby sit.

It's simply not his job to break up fights on a bus full of kids. He certainly could have pulled the bus over and called the police, but he has no authority to do anything and risked his own personal safety if he tried to break it up. He has a responsibility to report violations of the bus rules to his supervisor as soon as possible.

The schools put kids of varying ages and grade levels on the bus, they need to take the initiative and put a monitor on there as well. I have read that kids are doing this kind of stuff to post it on the internet and get it on TV.

Responsibilities of a MO School Bus Driver.

http://waynesville.k12.mo.us/fileadmin/wps/home/District/Human_Resources/Job_Descriptions/4.05.1_School_Bus_Driver.pdf
I always saw the bus driver as the Captain of the Bus, like the Captain of a ship. Of course, the adult in charge is expected to control the bus, IMOO.

[R~O~S]

I always saw the bus driver as the Captain of the Bus, like the Captain of a ship. Of course, the adult in charge is expected to control the bus, IMOO.


You can see it that way all you like, it still doesn't make it his job to control an unruly bus nor give him the authority to do anything outside his job description. His job is to drive a bus, not babysit or play enforcer.

It would be the schools job to put a monitor on the bus.

[Dogmatic]

I'm quite certain the bus driver "did his job" within the confines of his job description.

However, that was not a fight on that bus. It was an unprovoked double attack on an innocent victim that was not fighting back.

This wasn't those thugs first rodeo. They are violent criminals that need to be taken very seriously.

[Dogmatic]

As usual, the latest articles on this event indicate that the victim is forgotten.

Now, one of the students that is suspended for laughing about the "fight" is on the news saying that his educational rights are being taken from him, and his mother doesn't think he should be suspended for laughing. This same kid says that all kids laugh when there is a fight.


Helllllloooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!?????

This WAS NOT a fight. This was a brutal attack of an innocent victim.

Anyone that can laugh at that has violent tendencies. Just plain disgusting

[TBIBeg]

As usual, the latest articles on this event indicate that the victim is forgotten.

Now, one of the students that is suspended for laughing about the "fight" is on the news saying that his educational rights are being taken from him, and his mother doesn't think he should be suspended for laughing. This same kid says that all kids laugh when there is a fight.


Helllllloooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!?????

This WAS NOT a fight. This was a brutal attack of an innocent victim.

Anyone that can laugh at that has violent tendencies. Just plain disgusting

Ah, his mother must be so proud. No wonder her thug child is already on the criminal fringe.

JMO

[Dogmatic]

I think it's a really positive step for the school to suspend the three most aggregious "laughers", who egged on the assault. This is learned behavior and can be un-learned.

And I think it's HUGE that the one boy who finally did step in and put a stop to it is given air time - he looks like a true student leader, the kind of kid that could influence other kids to recognize they too have the power to step in and create order.

But I'm getting more and more disheartened as time goes on and there isn't an announcement of felony assault charges against the assailants. WHEN WILL THERE BE FELONY CHARGES? If this isn't felony assault, nothing is.


Agreed.

This is clear cut 100% felony assault and there better be charges following very soon.

[BorderCollieMom]

http://www.bnd.com/homepage/story/925758.html

This article mentions that the school offered the victim some counseling...OK, thats fine...but HELLO - how about some "counseling" for the thugs that decided to do this.
IMO, they arent getting lifeskills at home. I am happy to see charges will more than likely be charged.
Now, they dont think it was a "hate crime" but more of Bullying.

KUDOS to LE for releasing the video to the publish. I cant see how any parent could be blind to this kind of behavior of their own kids.

There is just SOOOOOO much wrong with this !!!!!


Alot MORE info & details. Bus driver details +
http://www.bnd.com/news/local/story/925114.html

[Dogmatic]

The victim doesn't need counseling. He needs normalcy.

The two "tough guys" need to be prosecuted for the attack.

The "laughers" need intervention counseling so they can discover that there is absolutely nothing funny about an innocent victim being violently attacked multiple times.

The kid that stepped in and stopped the madness needs a big old fat gift certificate to the local mall.

[BorderCollieMom]

You said it better.
This kind of thing really upsets me. The footage they are showing on most websites & TV is NOT complete. I almost threw up...had to click out....heck, didnt think it was WAY WORSE than the media is showing.

The victim resembles my son. I just sobbed. now Im going ot have to "walk away".

[Amy]

WARNING-DISTURBING VIDEO AT LINK

LINK (http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/illinoisnews/story/60D37B6EC5FF4711862576320011605B?OpenDocument)


I am so disgusted with the bus driver. Not one person tried to help that boy. :crying:

And perhaps the bus driver should be one of the first ones the parents sue--after all, a bus driver is not there only to drive the bus, but has a responsibility to keep the order. S/he should have stopped the bus, radioed' in for police to be called (or call police him/herself, I'm sure the driver had a cell phone, who doesn't these days?)

When my kids were riding the school bus, there were times students were put off the bus, and no riding for a designated amount of time. And that was just if the kids were arguing, or being loud and disruptive.

[Amy]

Is the victim all right?

Or does our liberal media only care to report that this assault was NOT racially motivated????

That entire bus-load of kids and the bus driver need help and alot of it.

The first report I read mentioned "possibly" racially motivated, but I see it has all been backtracked to, oh, no, it's just some students are dictating seating arrangements. If it were reversed, I don't believe for one second that the change would be accepted. Sure, it was the seating arrangement--but was it because the "dictator" didn't want a white boy sitting there? That would still be racially motivated, right there. IMO

[doradoll]

The lack of action by the driver makes me think that this is the norm. What the heck? I have a friend who's child will soon be in that school and I hope he can do better for him by the time he reaches high school. He is in a private school now. He says the schools in the neighboring towns are much worse and some of these student's parents are faking addresses just to get into THIS environment!

I realize the driver may have been in traffic, but the ambivalence was obvious. Almost like this goes on all the time!

It makes me sad for our future. This is middle America. :unsure:

[Interesting]

This is a horrible crime :flamemad:. And it is racially motivated.
Those punks need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
The victims parents need to sue all involved right down to their socks.

[doradoll]

Of interest to me were the two girls towards the front of the bus. The one closest to the driver was having a good laugh, and the girl behind her in the headband was mortified. Girls are getting more aggressive than ever as evidenced by all the girl on girl fight cell phone captures lately.

[kellann62]

Black on White violence = Not Racist
White on Black violence = Racist

of course:rolleyes:

[Dogmatic]

We've all seen the video Illinois.

Where are the aggravated assault charges????????

[Details]

Violence happens. When it's white on white, or black on black, it's not racist - but when it happens between kids of different races it is?

Come on now. Kids beating each other up happens. Sadly, it happens even more now. This could have as easily been a black child beaten up as a white one. There's no reason to cry racism until it's shown to actually be racism - rather than just a bully trying to assert their social position.

[Dogmatic]

Violence happens. When it's white on white, or black on black, it's not racist - but when it happens between kids of different races it is?

Come on now. Kids beating each other up happens. Sadly, it happens even more now. This could have as easily been a black child beaten up as a white one. There's no reason to cry racism until it's shown to actually be racism - rather than just a bully trying to assert their social position.

I'm not shouting racism on this one, however, it takes a special kind of person to hit and continue to hit and choke another person this is not fighting back. In this case the bus was had two of those special people and a whole bunch of special people that thought it was funny.

I don't want this particular crime watered down or minimized. This was not a school yard fight. This was first degree aggravated assault.

[Details]

Do you believe that if that student had been a black student walking to the back of the bus looking for a seat, and asked to sit down he would have been beaten up so severely for moving another student's backpack so he could follow the bus driver's order to find a seat?

This point was brought home to me on talk radio this morning - KLBJ am had a Black woman substitute host, and she asked that question. It was clear to her, at least, that he was beaten because he was white. She didn't believe for a moment that a fellow black student would have been treated that way in the back of that bus that appeared to contain only 3 white students.

I agree with her. Had he been black, he wouldn't have been beaten up.

That said, it doesn't matter to me what the motivation is, actually. In this case it was racial bullying, but assault for any philosophical hate is the same.

I'm waiting, and hoping that LE in St. Louis does the right thing, and charges these two with felony assault. SOON.

And then, in the aftermath of this horror, has new policies on buses like assigned seating in buses where this kind of bullying occurs. A wonderful powerful program like Rachel's Challenge needs to be brought into that school to empower kids to act on what the majority of kids do naturally - feel empathy. The majority of kids on that bus looking back regret their inaction. That part of the school society needs to be encouraged and empowered to act.In a word - yes. I do believe black students are beaten up by other black students. Happens all the time. Yes, in one-sided beatings like this one. For nothing at all, other than not doing what some bully demands, for defying a bully. Even if you're doing what the authority (bus driver) tells you to.


Assigned seating sounds like a very good idea - and anything that helps children learn empathy (it's not entirely a natural thing - you learn it from your parents to some degree, and some parents don't bother to teach, or teach the opposite of empathy), and acting on what is right, that's a good thing.

There are always the bullies - wannabe, soontobe adult thugs, that only care about their image, respect, etc. And they don't care who they beat up, nor what color - they care about their group, and pushing down anyone outside that group. They care about image, and people thinking they are tough. Any black kid who tried to sit down when the bully had claimed the prerogative of a seat all to himself, would have also been beaten.


Schools never take bullies seriously enough. They need to be punished, and educated, rehabilitated. I think the first instance of any form of bullying (a shove - not a beating) should be the start of a few months of after school counselling and working with the less fortunate, to break the bully/thug mindset right when it starts to form. The thugs in this case - they're probably too old now - you don't start out with that type of beating right from the start - they've been getting away with it for years likely. Still, prosecuting them for assault, making it clear this is absolutely unacceptable, something in the line of criminal (rather than school) punishment, like an adult committing the same crime would recieve - maybe it will start to make them realize they cannot get away with this anymore.

[Details]

I'd bet you are absolutely right about the nasty seat hoarders.

I'd love to see some nice little policy that anyone, who even once is caught hoarding a seat, is permanently assigned to the front rows. Make the idiots sit together, sharing seats.

[RayStar]

When I saw the clip yesterday, all I could think why doesn't someone stop this? Now I'm wondering what would be a just punishment for them. I know perhaps they should be made to read Shakespeare, War and Peace, or some other possibly boring THICK book and have to write a paper on each chapter. That would keep them busy until the end of the school year. They may like W & P but I truly did not like Shakespeare when I was in high school. Plus any other punishment the system deems appropriate.

And if that fails, send them to a rehabilitation center to watch how someone with an enclosed head injury struggles to survive.

[Valkyrie08]

I'm no psychologist, but I do have a B.A. in Biology with minor in psychology. This is a classic example of the bystander effect. This is a social psychological phenomenon in which the likelihood of a person offering help to another person in an emergency decreases when there more people witnessing the same event. In this situation, a person may look at the reactions of other witnesses to judge whether or not to intervene. If you watch the video closely, you can see several students doing just that.

Here's an article from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect

IMO, this wasn't a racial attack but more of a territorial dispute. Allegedly, the victim knocked a backpack off a seat after being refused a place to sit from other students. Some people react aggressively when they feel that someone is violating their space.The victim wasn't the only Caucasian student on the bus. I counted at least 5 other Caucasian students on the video. If a racial attack was occurring, wouldn't they be targeted as well?

[Details]

There have been some really sick instances of the bystander effect.

[airportwoman]

Maybe some of the other kids didn't intervene because they were afraid of the assailants?

And perhaps the assailants' punishment is lighter than expected because they are athletes?

:confused:

[Valkyrie08]

I have a B.S. in Sociology, and a minor in Psychology from Texas A&M University.

That's why I think these kids could benefit from Rachel's Challenge. Because of the bystander effect.

"People in groups behave differently than individuals".

Empowering the groups to act on their instincts of empathy, rather than their cowardice from ugly bullies, will solve this bus problem.

That's a great idea. :beer:

[BorderCollieMom]

http://www.bnd.com/167/story/926286.html?storylink=omni_popular

Belleville City Hall workers get threats after school bus fight; security is increased

[museumgirl]

When my kids were riding the school bus, there were times students were put off the bus, and no riding for a designated amount of time. And that was just if the kids were arguing, or being loud and disruptive.

Same thing when I rode bus, the driver had the right to do what she had to do to keep peace and the bus environment safe. How can the bus driver safely drive bus w/that much distraction going on??? Yelling, screaming??? Come on.

Tho wasn't there a story not long ago about a bus driver who did get involved in breaking up a fight who ended up being sued???? Or fired???

I guess it's a slippery slope....

While I will NOT blame the bus driver... I was glad to hear one of the parents of a child on the bus who did NOTHING yelling at her kid for laughing and doing nothing. It was on CNN the other night... I bet there was HELL to pay at that house that night....

The fault of this falls on the kids who incited the fight, the ones who struck this child and the ones who cheered them on!

[Dogmatic]

Charges may be filed "today" or "Friday" against the assailants.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/education/story/42D5CC93370E9D6686257634000AF3C9?OpenDocument

Good.

Meanwhile one of the Dad's of one of the two cowards that threw the punches is saying that his son was provoked!

Unreal. In the face of the video, he states it was the victims' fault. Wow.

This is the net effect of people feeling over entitled. They are responsible for nothing in their own minds.

[Details]

Maybe some of the other kids didn't intervene because they were afraid of the assailants?

And perhaps the assailants' punishment is lighter than expected because they are athletes?

:confused:Are they athletes? That would explain plenty. Lots of very dysfunctional behaviors in schools around preserving their athletics teams - in some schools, they're allowed to get away with anything, by their fellow students and by the faculty.

[Details]

Good.

Meanwhile one of the Dad's of one of the two cowards that threw the punches is saying that his son was provoked!

Unreal. In the face of the video, he states it was the victims' fault. Wow.

This is the net effect of people feeling over entitled. They are responsible for nothing in their own minds.It's the abuser's mentality, the criminal's mentality. Everything is someone else's fault. Excuses become reality, I think, in their minds.

[Dogmatic]

Are they athletes? That would explain plenty. Lots of very dysfunctional behaviors in schools around preserving their athletics teams - in some schools, they're allowed to get away with anything, by their fellow students and by the faculty.

That is absolutely correct. I call it the "Golden Warrior" syndrome. Some faculty view their athletes as prize possessions. They turn a blind eye toward athletes that show bully tendencies and justify their behaviors as "typical for an athletic, competitive boy".

In reality, bullies are bullies. True athletes know how to act in public and when to allow their competitive juices to flow. What happened in that video has absolutely nothing to do with "boys being boys". That was a violation of simple civil rights. The right to sit in a public seat on a public bus. There is no justification, and if simple bullying were taken more seriously at a young age and punished properly, we wouldn't be in this situation. You can't tell me that what these boys were doing on that crowded bus hadn't happened in the past. That bus driver knew those boys were trouble and let it roll. I'm convinced of that.

[BOZGAL2]

This is absolutely ridiculous and those kids need to be arrested.
This is taking bully to the next level and needs to be stopped.

JMO

[Dogmatic]

This is absolutely ridiculous and those kids need to be arrested.
This is taking bully to the next level and needs to be stopped.

JMO

And if it weren't for that camera, this would go down and just another fight where the one boy lost.

The camera tells a different story and yet here we are days later with no charges filed. Telling, very telling.

[Details]

They usually take time to file charges - they have to make sure they've got the right charges. A story that appears simple on video could potentially have more dimensions to it - they have to be sure.

Charges are coming, taking time to get them right, to find the correct degree, is the right thing to do.

[doradoll]

Same thing when I rode bus, the driver had the right to do what she had to do to keep peace and the bus environment safe. How can the bus driver safely drive bus w/that much distraction going on??? Yelling, screaming??? Come on.

Tho wasn't there a story not long ago about a bus driver who did get involved in breaking up a fight who ended up being sued???? Or fired???

I guess it's a slippery slope....

While I will NOT blame the bus driver... I was glad to hear one of the parents of a child on the bus who did NOTHING yelling at her kid for laughing and doing nothing. It was on CNN the other night... I bet there was HELL to pay at that house that night....

The fault of this falls on the kids who incited the fight, the ones who struck this child and the ones who cheered them on!


wow, that is good to hear...really, someone teaching their child right from wrong instead of instinctively defending them

this whole thing is just sad and I needed to know that they weren't all just the same

[BOZGAL2]

They usually take time to file charges - they have to make sure they've got the right charges. A story that appears simple on video could potentially have more dimensions to it - they have to be sure.

Charges are coming, taking time to get them right, to find the correct degree, is the right thing to do.

I certainly hope so. You are right. It does take time.
I'm sorry but it just looked brutal to me.
JMO

[Details]

I certainly hope so. You are right. It does take time.
I'm sorry but it just looked brutal to me.
JMOIt did look brutal. Some of the time may be going to see the worst charges that can be justified, or if multiple other charges can be laid. Is there a record, on either side, criminal or school discipline, past fights, etc. Lots of little details to be sure you get right.

[TBIBeg]

Good.

Meanwhile one of the Dad's of one of the two cowards that threw the punches is saying that his son was provoked!

Unreal. In the face of the video, he states it was the victims' fault. Wow.

This is the net effect of people feeling over entitled. They are responsible for nothing in their own minds.

As someone already noted, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!

Makes me sick to my stomach. Why can't people with this kind of mindset stop breeding? :shrug:

[BorderCollieMom]

Im getting tired of the media stating a time period that the victim was beat. I guess a couple of minutes or a few minutes is true of the actual beating....but in the raw 12:59 video, not only the victim but some other children on that bus were scared to death. The poor boy , the victim continues to be "beat on mentally" during that whole 13 MINUTES !

Makes me SICK !!!!! 13 Minutes is a very long time....especially after youve been beat, humiliated & mentally torchured all during that time !

If I could afford it, I would by the victim a brand new car ! I wish someone in the community there locally would step up for the victim !

[Dogmatic]

No charges filed yet. Hopefully soon

[Dogmatic]

CHARGES HAVE NOW BEEN FILED.

The two cowards have been arrested.

[Dogmatic]

It also appeared to me that the second coward/attacker was flashing gang signs. Several times

[Details]

GREAT.

Felony aggravated battery.

On Monday, I guess the school board will meet to decide on whether to expel them. Hopefully that will go well also.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/illinoisnews/story/1586F1C3B8DACF3786257635006BC3A8?OpenDocument

It would be sweet if the court doesn't charge them until Monday, meaning they'll cool their heels in juvy detention at least over the weekend.Hey - think positive... maybe the parents won't have money for any type of bail, however little....

Expelling them should be a foregone conclusion.

[4Kids]

Oh good God....when I originally saw this video, the victim struck me as being a little different. There is a post at the following page indicating that the victim here is autistic. I am going to vomit. These thugs beat up a special needs kid?


http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/illinoisnews/story/1586F1C3B8DACF3786257635006BC3A8?OpenDocument#tp_n ewCommentAnchor

Excerpt from page 7 of comments:


One detail no one mentioned: the victim is autistic. The kid's a little different so picked on by others. How is THAT not a hate crime? Frankly, it makes the attacks all the more disgusting. I hope this boy is recovering and that his family is handling it ok.
Report Abuse

[airportwoman]

Oh good God....when I originally saw this video, the victim struck me as being a little different. There is a post at the following page indicating that the victim here is autistic. I am going to vomit. These thugs beat up a special needs kid?


http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/illinoisnews/story/1586F1C3B8DACF3786257635006BC3A8?OpenDocument#tp_n ewCommentAnchor

Excerpt from page 7 of comments:


One detail no one mentioned: the victim is autistic. The kid's a little different so picked on by others. How is THAT not a hate crime? Frankly, it makes the attacks all the more disgusting. I hope this boy is recovering and that his family is handling it ok.
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I think those boys should be charged as adults. This way, not only will their names and faces be plastered all over the news, EVERYONE will know what a lousy job their parents did raising them.

[BorderCollieMom]

charges have now been filed.

The two cowards have been arrested.


good!!!!!!!!

[BorderCollieMom]

a couple of snips...

One juvenile, 14, was charged with three felony counts of aggravated battery, St. Clair County State's Attorney Robert Haida said. The other, 15, was charged with two felony counts of aggravated battery and one misdemeanor count of criminal damage to property.

Haida said the investigation continues and there remains a possibility of others being charged in connection with the attack.

http://www.bnd.com/100/story/929889.html?storylink=omni_popular

[BorderCollieMom]

http://media.bnd.com/smedia/2009/09/18/15/BusCharges.source.prod_affiliate.98.pdf

[BorderCollieMom]

http://media.bnd.com/smedia/2009/09/17/09/BW_BusIncident.source.prod_affiliate.98.pdf

[BorderCollieMom]

New details constantly came to the surface this week, through students who were on the bus, or who had taken it in the past.
"I hate riding the bus," said senior Kristin Phillips, 18, who said she, too, has been attacked on a Belleville West high school bus. "Hate it. You see that video? It's always like that."

A Belleville police report said students followed Phillips off a bus in March and attacked her.



http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/education/story/8CA12DE9F3F67BFC8625763600078234?OpenDocument

[R~O~S]

The article has just now been updated: The bus company has changed it's stance and is now faulting the driver for not stopping after the first fight, although they originally said the driver had followed protocol.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/education/story/8CA12DE9F3F67BFC8625763600078234?OpenDocument


Not exactly. You have the company liaison to the schools sending a memo to the school superintendent saying one thing, and the company spokesman saying:

First Student spokeswoman Maureen Richmond said the company stands behind its initial statement.

The driver, she said, will be reinstated in another area district.

The School Board meets Monday evening. It could take up the students' expulsions at that time.

It would appear the liaison is making a personal statement in the letter rather than a corporate statement:

"I feel if the driver had stopped the bus safely when he first noticed a problem at the time of the first fight, the second fight would have been avoided," the letter says.

[R~O~S]

Rachel, you can interpret it that way if you like, but clearly the liaison is making a personal statement in the memo to the school, while the bus company spokesman clearly states the company stands by it's initial statement.

There's nothing unclear in that the memo states the liaison's personal feelings, therefore "I feel", not the company believes, the company has reconsidered. The company spokesman clearly states they stand by their initial statement, meaning not a hold over of the original article, they stand by the initial statement & the bus driver will be assigned to a different district.

[R~O~S]

I don't think there's any real reason to keep debating this, it's a minor point.

I disagree with how you're interpreting the article, but that's alright. We can just disagree.

True, no need to debate, the matter is clear. "I feel" would be a personal opinion not reflective of the company stand, nor did the liaison suggest it was.

Simply adorable of the School Administration to release to the press a private memo to them from the company liaison to the school as opposed to the official release from company spokesman.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/education/story/8CA12DE9F3F67BFC8625763600078234?OpenDocument

[BorderCollieMom]

Hazelwood West Middle School bus attack in St Louis County....Child & mothers interview.
http://www.beloblog.com/KMOV_Blogs/reportersblog/2009/09/not-again-another-school-bus-b.html

I saw this on tv tonight. Im still not clear on exactly where this school is compared to the Highschool...Looks to be in ST Louis county.

I saw CB and his mother in the interview. This poor little 7th grader ! I am happy to see the family is speaking out...BUT, I havnt seen any "google news" stories yet...I probably havnt dug deep enough.

[BorderCollieMom]

Note: Amy is the mom.
I am XXXX'ing the boys name.The family has all been on tv, but since im not sure of "the rules" here, Im not putting his name from the article.

<snips>
Amy Branam says the principal warned her it was bad. Amy says the principal told her XXXXXXX was attacked and assaulted.

Here's what Amy says she saw. There was no audio on the tape but it looked like one kid was verbally harrassing XXXXXX. He appeared to be telling the kid to leave him alone and he didn't want to fight.

That's when the eighth-grade bully apparently got a sixth-grader to do his dirty work. The sixth-grade boy straddled XXXXXX and punched him in the head and stomach and then "stepped on his private parts."


http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a00_1253397053&c=1



This poor kid got off the bus asap to escape these thugs....and they got off too .... un-freaking-believable !!!!!!!!!!!
The school wont release the video tape (gee, wonder why?).
The "privacy" excuse is BS, imo. The police dept in the other case released their tape and blurred out the faces.

[BorderCollieMom]

http://www.bnd.com/news/local/story/929852.html
.

The attack on a Belleville West school bus Monday prompted sympathy and support for the 17-year-old victim. A Swansea woman offered to help him pay for private school for the remainder of high school.

"So many of us were just heartbroken to see this," said Katherine Ruocco, a lawyer and former Swansea mayoral candidate. "If we can maybe reach out, it can make a little bit of a difference."


I emailed Katherine Ruocco to pick her brain & offer my 2 cents. She wrote back...Im not sure if I can post the reply but if you want it I can PM ya with it. I DO think she means well. She is hoping to hear from the victims parents on if they will accept her offers & fundraising she is willing to do...whether it is tuition, a new car, funding a bank account , etc....Her email addy is at the end of the article.

[BorderCollieMom]

True, no need to debate, the matter is clear. "I feel" would be a personal opinion not reflective of the company stand, nor did the liaison suggest it was.

Simply adorable of the School Administration to release to the press a private memo to them from the company liaison to the school as opposed to the official release from company spokesman.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/education/story/8CA12DE9F3F67BFC8625763600078234?OpenDocument


ROS and RachelRose.....I want to chime in here. The way "I" read the article & other articles ... it seems like the school admin. is kinda tooting their own horn by releasing "the memo"...like passing the buck or shifting responsibility and/or fault to make citizens happy. Ive gotten this feeling from day 1.
District Superintendent Greg Moats disputes claims from other students about the bus problems. He said all the driver has to do is fill out an office referral. Kristin filed a police report, FGS ! Others spoke out also on #117's problems & other buses. So, I guess Moats thinks all of his buses are fine & dandy since the driverS (yes, plural) never filled out an office referral.

And it seems like the bus company at first said it wasnt the drivers fault, according to protocol BUT they would know more once an investigation on their end occured...company liaison Donna Griffin said the day after the incident the driver was suspended (I read it as Donna said this BEFORE the investigation , like he was on suspension pending final decisions.

IMO, when she put her personal opinion in the memo it was just to "suck up" to the school admin. I doubt they are happy that.

Soooo, imo, the bus company put the drv. on suspension until the investigation was over and they didnt necessarily? like the "liasons" opinion, so the bus company made the decision themselves to keep the driver with the bus co. and just assign him to a different district.
Donna Griffin is/was just a go between and voiced her opinion - which it looks like the bus company didnt agree with. I wonder if Donna G. will remain employed with the bus co. Seems to me the liason shouldnt have done that and the school admin shouldnt of either.
Looks like all 3 screwed each other over to me.

I hope explained that so it makes sense...

[BorderCollieMom]

I would have a special short bus for them

None of the riff raff should be allowed back on a school bus of any sort this year, at least, imo.

I dont know about this particular schools rules on bus behavior but at my sons high school, they have the rules & punishments in the Student Handbook - Conduct Codes and it is VERY detailed. Its our kids AND our kids PARENTS that are held responsible for bad behavior AND it plainly says that the parents are responsible for getting their kids to school.

" Accountability " !

Best thing it says is " Riding a school bus is a privledge that can be taken away at any time ".

[R~O~S]

ROS and RachelRose.....I want to chime in here. The way "I" read the article & other articles ... it seems like the school admin. is kinda tooting their own horn by releasing "the memo"...like passing the buck or shifting responsibility and/or fault to make citizens happy. Ive gotten this feeling from day 1.
District Superintendent Greg Moats disputes claims from other students about the bus problems. He said all the driver has to do is fill out an office referral. Kristin filed a police report, FGS ! Others spoke out also on #117's problems & other buses. So, I guess Moats thinks all of his buses are fine & dandy since the driverS (yes, plural) never filled out an office referral.

And it seems like the bus company at first said it wasnt the drivers fault, according to protocol BUT they would know more once an investigation on their end occured...company liaison Donna Griffin said the day after the incident the driver was suspended (I read it as Donna said this BEFORE the investigation , like he was on suspension pending final decisions.

IMO, when she put her personal opinion in the memo it was just to "suck up" to the school admin. I doubt they are happy that.

Soooo, imo, the bus company put the drv. on suspension until the investigation was over and they didnt necessarily? like the "liasons" opinion, so the bus company made the decision themselves to keep the driver with the bus co. and just assign him to a different district.
Donna Griffin is/was just a go between and voiced her opinion - which it looks like the bus company didnt agree with. I wonder if Donna G. will remain employed with the bus co. Seems to me the liason shouldnt have done that and the school admin shouldnt of either.
Looks like all 3 screwed each other over to me.

I hope explained that so it makes sense...

You explained it better than I did, ITA. But, if she loses her job over the school releasing the memo I think it's totally unfair. It's her job to smooth over such things, and a memo is supposed to be internal between the parties involved. It never should have been released to the press. It was a dirty thing for the school admin to do.

[BorderCollieMom]

You explained it better than I did, ITA. But, if she loses her job over the school releasing the memo I think it's totally unfair. It's her job to smooth over such things, and a memo is supposed to be internal between the parties involved. It never should have been released to the press. It was a dirty thing for the school admin to do.


I agree with what you say IF the "memo' was written to become and stand as an official document...if she sent a short "memo" that was of a personal nature - she shouldnt be doing that. Surely she knows that this could wind up in court. To me, a memo may as well be a post it note stuck on someones computer screen, UNLESS its written professionally since memos can be legal docs. There has to be official documents somewhere....on all 3 sides. Imo, if this thing goes to court, that "memo" will be brought into the case.

A "memo" just seems casual & unofficial to me, especially in THIS case....the way this one was cast... I wonder if the bus company ALSO got a personalized memo, like the school did.
Hmmmmmm.
Once again, I hope that made sense.

[R~O~S]

I agree with what you say IF the "memo' was written to become and stand as an official document...if she sent a short "memo" that was of a personal nature - she shouldnt be doing that. Surely she knows that this could wind up in court. To me, a memo may as well be a post it note stuck on someones computer screen, UNLESS its written professionally since memos can be legal docs. There has to be official documents somewhere....on all 3 sides. Imo, if this thing goes to court, that "memo" will be brought into the case.

A "memo" just seems casual & unofficial to me, especially in THIS case....the way this one was cast... I wonder if the bus company ALSO got a personalized memo, like the school did.
Hmmmmmm.
Once again, I hope that made sense.

I put a memo in the same category as an e-mail, very casual. Yes, it must be maintained, but it's far from the final word on anything. Usually a lot of them go back & forth between the interested parties until the final meeting to resolve whatever the situation/job/project may be.

I would like to see the entire text, I can put my opinion in a memo or e-mail for consideration by others for an upcoming meeting, however that doesn't mean it's doable since I'm only one part of the equation & my concerns aren't necessarily representative of the big picture. Any other department may have legitimate cause to say why my position simply won't fly due to law, regulation, cost or system & resource limitation I haven't considered. Then again somebody could have a much better idea that would just be less laborious.

She may have been stating her opinion as she'll present it at the end of the investigation, which may or may not lead to changes in policy going forward, but it has no impact on past events under the policy as it is now.

So IMO, she may have been settling some school admin nerves and opening up the dialog that will allow for changes in the current policy. I would think that would be appropriate in her position provided she was clear it was her presentation to be put before her superiors.

If on the other hand she was commiserating with the school, while disregarding the company stand, in a memo under her business position, you're right she is and should be in a bit of trouble.

[gacheer]

I hardly ever post but appreciate your posting.

[Dogmatic]

The school board acted appropriately. that's good

Now lets see if our judicial system does.

Very difficult to deny what that video shows. It's chrystal clear.

[museumgirl]

I want to say this... sometimes you can have the BEST parents in the world and kids just do as they please....

I don't think this is ALWAYS the case.. but I hate all parents who have problem children being lumped together.

There are a lot of parents who do everything right and yet their kids still don't 'get it'.

I am glad these thugs are being expelled, that is the right call. The ones who laughed and cheered should also be punished.... and a big wake up call to bus companies.... and schools as well.

[Details]

That's a broad brush, RachelRose.

One father has claimed his son was provoked. One mother has complained of her child being punished for laughing - not said it wasn't wrong, but only that she thought the punishment was too much. She outright says he was in the wrong.

All of the other parents are not on the record - which means more likely they are ashamed and not talking. There's no reason to believe that all these parents are thinking nothing bad happened. At least one (laugher's parent) is on the record punishing her child for their part, quite the opposite of saying that they did nothing wrong.

No reason to brand them all as being the same as the one parent who thought this was OK.

[Details]

I hadn't heard from the grandmother - but there's a lot of parents we flat out have not heard from. And I do remember (will go look it up) the parent of one of the laughers saying her son was in the wrong, not contending the punishment, the other mother of a laugher was saying her son was wrong, but that the punishment was too harsh.

We haven't heard from the mother of boy 1, we haven't heard from either parent of boy 2, we haven't heard from hardly any of the parents of the laughers.

[Details]

...... I was glad to hear one of the parents of a child on the bus who did NOTHING yelling at her kid for laughing and doing nothing. It was on CNN the other night... I bet there was HELL to pay at that house that night.......Here it is Rachel.

[museumgirl]

I understand what you're saying... I'm just saying that you cannot lump all parents together.... I'm sure you're going to find those who are clueless or just refuse to admit their child did nothing wrong.

I had an aunt and her son was originally arrested for bashing mailboxes w/a baseball bat, but then when he was being arrested hit the officer as well and his mother was 'oh well, boys will be boys'. She got exactly what she deserved w/her boys....

But I agree, those who are not commenting or saying much are probably very ashamed and do not want additional attention brought to them or their children. Doesn't mean they feel their child did nothing wrong.

There will always be those who blame the victims as well, that's a given... they're just ignorant.

But I think parents should be blamed based on their own actions when their child does something repulsive or violent.

[Details]

http://www.fox2now.com/ktvi-more-belleville-student-beating-091509,0,3887523.story
One of the boys who admits he was laughing is D'Vante Lott, who says he is now suspended from school for his actions,....Lott's mother, Shenico Greer, says she was disgusted by what happened to the victim. She says she does not condone her son's laughter, but believes he should not be suspended. "Everybody on that bus was mostly laughing and standing up," she says. "I was disgusted. I had a long talk with him. Clearly it was wrong."Even if she thinks the punishment is too harsh, I would say that is a parent who is ashamed.

I find very little, of parents defending - other than Joe - and IMO, parents who are ashamed, are unlikely to be out in the media. They'll be quiet, out of shame for what their children did. It's the idiots who think they're justified that talk.

The only place I find the second mother commenting, she is NOT defending her son, nor complaining about his punishment - she's only saying she wants to see the whole tape so she can see what he did - she says he's in the wrong, but she's outraged she doesn't get to see it. The only grandmother I can find commenting was not the second boy's grandmother, but the grandmother of another student on the bus who was suspended.
http://www.fox2now.com/ktvi-belleville-busfight-students-expelled-092109,0,1189089.story


Parents are an easy villain, and the worst of them are the ones who go before the camera - the good ones do not - they punish their children at home and usually stay quiet out of shame. I see one unabashed defender here - Joe. I see some others who feel like suspension is too much for laughing, because all the kids do it - even while saying it is wrong and disgusting, and one who just wants to be able to see the full tape of what her child did.

And the media too - they don't want to put out the noncontroversial statements - there's no ratings to be found there. Interview, clip out the worst bits you can find, post them. I figure anything I see online is the worst thing that person said - because that's how this stuff works these days.

[Dogmatic]

I may have missed it, but I have yet to see one parent step forward and publicly apologize to the boy who was attacked or his family.

That, in and by itself, is upsetting to me.

[Details]

I may have missed it, but I have yet to see one parent step forward and publicly apologize to the boy who was attacked or his family.

That, in and by itself, is upsetting to me.Maybe it's done in private. Maybe they feel too ashamed to do so.

What I've seen, often enough, is that when people come out and say things in public, they're often accused of being publicity hounds, and further attacked, no matter what the apology sounds like. I'd be looking to say something in private too, were I so unfortunate as to have my child do something like that.

[Amy]

museum girl - basically I agree with you except in this case the parents don't think they did anything wrong.

The father of the first assailant doesn't think his kid did anything wrong, and in fact is very angry that the kid who was pummeled wasn't expelled too - the dad considers this assault a fair fight.

When you have parents who believe that, and teach it, the kids don't have a chance. They were raised with this craziness.

Looking at the dad, I don't get it. He looks totally middle class. How can he have such a hole in his thinking?

New News: Second attacker will be released from juvy custody to house arrest when his father is able to get a landline installed:

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/illinoisnews/story/6C73D6D49937B49D86257639005A8723?OpenDocument

Bolding mine.

My guess would be that dear ol' dad must not have watched the video, but perhaps just listened to some cock and bull story his son told him? If he watched the video, he SHOULD recognize his statement is pretty ludicrous. IMO

[BorderCollieMom]

Rallies held over Belleville West bus attack
http://www.kwqc.com/Global/story.asp?S=11204618

Belleville bus victim's family releases statement via law firm
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/illinoisnews/story/0FF1B17F968E5BE08625763B0080C316?OpenDocument

NAACP reviews expulsions of Belleville West students
http://www.bnd.com/news/local/story/938630.html

Expelled students have few options to receive schooling
http://www.bnd.com/news/local/story/940130.html

Victim suffered injuries as results of bus attack
http://www.bnd.com/news/local/story/938604.html

Belleville sees protest, counter-protest, over bus attack
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/illinoisnews/story/DDD88D4796F459188625763D00830EFA?OpenDocument