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Still taken from Fox 32 video
The Sun-Times is reporting this afternoon that three teens have been charged with first-degree murder for the beating death of 16-year-old Derrion Albert during a brawl last week.
Silvanus Shannon, 19; Eric Carson, 16; and Eugene Riley, 18, all of Chicago, are charged with one count each of first-degree murder, according to Cook County State's Attorney's office spokeswoman Tandra Simonton. Carson is being charged as an adult, and all three are scheduled for a bond hearing at noon.
Over the weekend, FOX 32 obtained video of the brawl shot by a witness on a cell phone. The video had been shared with authorities in the hopes of tracking down suspects in Albert's death and it seems it has paid off.
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I saw this thing and looked at it repeatedly. It was murder, pure and simple. He was on the floor having already been punched hard in the head, and he puts his arm up as a defensive position before one of the guys comes over and delivers a fatal blow with the board.
Also it should be noted that the black and khaki colors a lot of the fighters are wearing are their school uniforms, not gang colors, which is what I thought at first.
I'm guessing the charge might be dropped to something lesser for the 16 year old. But the 19 year old guy...yeah, if he's the one delivering the fatal blows, that should be pretty much it for him.
This whole thing is the very definition of the word "senseless". I would love to ask some of the guys involved in this what it was all for, if it was worth it, what they were hoping to get out of it and if it has made their life better. I would love to hear the answers.
Then I'd have questions for every single parent of every kid on this tape...
From what I've been reading the last couple of days, scenes like this play out every single day when the school bell rings.
But for these kids, it's just another "Thursday".
And if their parents cared, this kind of shit wouldn't be going down in the first place.
There is no such thing as an involved parent of a teenager that would take a two by four and beat someone to death with it.
I realize that most kids in gangs do have uninvolved parents, but I don't think it's fair to make a blanket statement like that. I went to high school with a kid who killed a couple and their dog for shits and giggles - and his sister was one of the nicest, most normal people I've ever met. He grew up in a nice area, without gangs, with involved parents. As much as I'd like to say good parenting can solve the world's problems, some people are just badly wired.
some people are just badly wired.
SOME people. There were like 20 or more people involved in this brawl, swinging to kill or at least main. That's a hell of a lot of "bad wiring".
But, yeah, you're right, there are some kids with everything going for them who still commit heinous crimes. But this wasn't a blip on the radar of an otherwise perfectly normal slate. This was going on almost daily with a lot of the same people involved.
Of course there is an exception to every rule, but most children who grow up in a stable, loving, "normal" home environment know right from wrong, and wouldn't think to go after another kid with a 2 x 4 to his head.
This has to be about personal responsibility. People need to stop blaming the Mayor/schools/police/neighborhood and start taking care of themselves and each other. Or this won't stop.
Ah yes, if only the parents cared more. If only they were involved with their kids and showed them how to work out their problems with words and reason instead of lumber. There is plenty of blame to go around here. This is bigger that bad parenting.
This is bigger that bad parenting.
Well, personally, I didn't blame parenting on this. I merely said that I had questions for them. Not accusing questions like "Why did you let your child grow up like this?" Just questions.
My comment was in reply to Ingrid's remarks, but since you brought it up, what sort of questions would you ask?
I hope those kids go to jail for a long long time. But it would be nice if WE could all join hands and sing what we know to be the honest truth. Our American society and its leaders and most of its citizens don't care about poor children, especially poor children of color. In fact more is done to lock children up, than actually educate them because in the short term, locking them up is far more lucrative. And, instead of admitting this, we come up with all sorts of excuses to scape goat them, from President Obama on down. Now who's playing in Monday night foot ball? This is far more important of a question than the lives of poor children until we are forced to bare witness( for a few days) to the animals we create.
And, instead of admitting this, we come up with all sorts of excuses to scape goat them, from President Obama on down.
Actually, didn't Obama say the time for excuses is over and that it's time for personal responsibility?
"It doesn't matter how much money we put in if parents don't parent. It's not good enough to say to yourself, it's the school, and you don't turn off the TV, you don't help with the homework, there's not a book in the house. ..You got a video player on...So turn off the TV set, give the video game away, buy a little desk, or clear the kitchen table, from September help with homework--if they don't know how to do it, give them help. If you don't know how to do it, call the teacher. Make them go to bed at a reasonable time. Give them some breakfast. . . . If your child misbehaves at school, don't cuss out the teacher. Don't cuss out the teacher. ...Eight sodas a day . . . Popeye's for breakfast....I'm going to tell you not just what you want to hear but what you need to hear."
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mayhill-fowler/an-unscripted-barack-obam_b_89127.html
But then people got pissed at him for saying it, so...
You completely missed my point. Obama is just blaming the victims and in his case rewarding those that profited off their misery i.e. Arnie Duncan. Its easier to preach personal responsibility to poor kids while doing nothing for him. And its criminal for him to compare his child hood to childern who really come from the inner city.
shit, i missed your point as well. here i thought your post was reasonable. Then you showed up with this.
How is Obama blaming victims, how is Arne Duncan profiting off of their misery and how is it criminal for him to compare his childhood? Criminal? You must elaborate.
Landlord, I was gonna pass, but o.k. I'll comment in brief and lets see if you can connect the dots.
Obama talks about poor kids being accountable for their actions yet he does nothing for them, except preach. Meanwhile he preached to the banks but also bails them out with out money. Personally I'd rather bail out poor children than banks. Second, Arnie Duncan headed one of the most corrupt school systems in America, and instead of being fired, he got a promotion because of Obama, well because of Daley.
Obama, because his skin is a few huges darker pretends not only to understand what poor inner city schools deal with and simply because his skin is darker, says that if he can do it then so can you, when in fact Obama was a child of privlege especially compared to them. When in fact he had it easy.
Obama should be honest with them and simply say "look, government will not help you. As a matter of fact, in the short term,( which is all that matters) government makes massive amounts of money when you fail i.e the prison industrail complex,etc. Therefore prisons will be a a priority because they male money for my friends and your schools will be left to be run by my greedy poltical friends.
hmm.. thanks for elaborating. I was right, i gave you too much credit.