Some Things Never Change: Bernard Goetz Complains That, in 1984, NYC Officials Cared More about Muggers Than Their Victims

Revised at 10:46 p.m., on Thursday, June 30, 2011.
Last revised at 10:52 p.m., on Thursday, June 30, 2011.

Goetz: I was shocked and offended that the system in New York went to a great extent, went to a lot of trouble—spent a lot of resources trying to catch someone who had shot a bunch of muggers. Everyone who lived in the city at the time knows that if you were a crime victim, the legal system here would basically spend no resources on you.

GRACE: The crime rate in New York City at that time was horrific.

GOETZ: Yes.

GRACE: Especially on the trains.

GOETZ: It was bad on the streets, too. The—the city at the time, basically, addressed crime by pretending it didn't exist. The political system here in New York addressed crime by pretending it didn't exist. They didn't know how to arrest –…

GOETZ: Yes, I was offended by, yes, exactly, that the government was doing nothing, basically, to protect the public.

[Excerpt from a December 17, 2004 interview of Bernard Goetz by Nancy Grace as guest host on The Larry King Show. Complete transcript here.

Note that the four black thugs whom Goetz shot all eventually publicly admitted that they were trying to rob him at the time. But of course, that was immediately obvious to any honest person. When four young guys surround you and “ask” for money, that’s a robbery.

Since then-DA Robert Morgenthau’s assistant district attorneys prepared each of the would-be muggers to testify in court against Goetz that [the would-be mugger] had not planned on mugging Goetz, there is also no doubt in my mind that, as Goetz maintains, Morgenthau’s ADAs suborned perjury.

Another thing Morgenthau’s staff did, in order to rig the case against Goetz was to seek to poison the jury pool by defaming Goetz, via the media, by lying and saying that he had shot one of the would-be robbers a second time. Thus, the real criminals of the piece were DA Robert Morgenthau and his henchmen, and the four would-be robbers whom Goetz shot.

The main differences between then and now are that the NYPD claims to aggressively fight violent crime and manufactures fictional stats to back up its claim, and police have gone so far over to the dark side that if you’re a white, heterosexual man attacked by blacks, the cops will not merely refuse to help you, but more often than not will arrest you and/or tell you, employing tortured legal logic and outright lies about the law worthy of a tenured professor of critical race theory, that your black attacker was the real victim.

The following passage is an excerpt from my VDARE report, “Sotomayor Supporter Robert Morgenthau and His Regime of Racialized ‘Justice’ In Manhattan.”


The Bernard Goetz Case

From 1984-1987, Morgenthau pursued a vindictive prosecution against Bernard Goetz. Goetz was a Jew working in electronics who, at Christmastime, 1984, had defended himself against four 18 and 19-year-old black men attempting to rob him at midday in a subway car. Goetz, who had previously been mugged three times, and been brutally beaten the last time, shot each of the would-be robbers once.

While seeking to put Goetz away for 30 years for attempted murder and illegal gun possession, Morgenthau treated the would-be muggers, all hardened thugs who had criminal records and were wanted on outstanding warrants, as if they were crime victims. He used the media to spread lies, claiming that Goetz was a “racist” who had been looking for trouble, and who had shot one of the muggers a second time. The media called Goetz “the subway vigilante.”

Grand juries almost always follow prosecutors’ lead. But the first grand jury refused to indict Goetz for attempted murder, as Morgenthau sought, and only indicted him for illegal possession of a firearm. So Morgenthau empaneled a second grand jury, which indicted Goetz for attempted murder.

In 1987, the jury in Goetz’ criminal case acquitted him of the charge of attempted murder, but convicted him of illegal possession of an unlicensed handgun, and sentenced him to one year in prison. He served eight months. In 1996, a Bronx jury>—notorious for their racial bias—awarded one of the would-be muggers a judgment of $43 million, in a civil suit against Goetz. All of the four men would later admit that they had intended on mugging Goetz.]

GRACE: Welcome back. I'm Nancy Grace in for Larry King. Nearly 20 years ago, one man's actions spurred either worship or fear throughout the country. Bernard Goetz became known as the subway vigilante. And with us tonight, he tells his story. Bernard, after you took out the weapon and you fired on four -- as you call them -- thugs that you believed were robbing you, the reaction of the other train goers -- what did they say? Did they try to apprehend you? Were they afraid of you?

GOETZ: Basically, everyone was fleeing the subway car. There were two women who fainted who I wound up talking to later and perhaps with good reason. One bullet missed, hit the wall of the subway car and broke into two pieces. That came -- that came back. One piece fell on the floor. The other piece came back and either hit me or her but it was moving at a very slow speed. There was another woman who was between the two guys on my left, and so the speed shooting -- all she saw was boom, boom. There was one guy on one side of her, the other guy on the other side of her drop down. She fainted. She was out.

GRACE: As you were walking away with police sirens going and hundreds of police mobbing the subway, what was in your mind as you were walking away, calmly?

GOETZ: I wasn't calmly walking away. It was just to get away. I went to Sixth Avenue or Church Street and flagged down a cab and took a cab home.

GRACE: And became of that wind windbreaker and that gun?

GOETZ: I don't know what happened to the windbreaker or the gun. That evening, I drove up to Vermont and I broke the gun into a few pieces and buried it in the woods. I almost died that night. I got lost in the woods and I almost froze to death. I only had a light jacket on.

GRACE: Did you see the papers and the news accounts of the shooting?

GOETZ: Yes, I was shocked and offended that the system in New York went to a great extent, went to a lot of trouble -- spent a lot of resources trying to catch someone who had shot a bunch of muggers. Everyone who lived in the city at the time knows that if you were a crime victim, the legal system here would basically spend no resources on you.

GRACE: The crime rate in New York city at that time was horrific.

GOETZ: Yes.

GRACE: Especially on the trains.

GOETZ: It was bad on the streets, too. The -- the city at the time, basically, addressed crime by pretending it didn't exist. The political system here in New York addressed crime by pretending it didn't exist. They didn't know how to arrest –
GRACE: So you were watching all the news accounts and reading the papers. But what disturbed you was --

GOETZ: I was offended by --

GRACE: The outpouring of resources.

GOETZ: Yes, I was offended by, yes, exactly, that the government was doing nothing, basically, to protect the public.

Washington, D.C.: Black Gangs Target White Fans After Nationals Games

 

 
Robberies near Nationals Park alarm fans, neighbors
WJLA News
June 24, 2011, 5:30 pm

Three robberies near Nationals Park this week have local baseball fans on alert.

Police say a group of juveniles attacked three people on Monday and Tuesday. At least one of the victims had just come from a Nationals game.

What has been described as gangs of teenagers have accosted people on the streets near the stadium and robbed them or beaten them while trying to rob them.

And it's raising concerns particularly for Nationals fans leaving night games. One fan reported on the neighborhood listserv that would-be robbers beat and chased him.

Neighborhood activist Naomi Monk says pedestrians should be careful at night. That's when all three of the attacks occurred, one late Monday when there was no game, two late Tuesday when there was a game.

"Do not walk in this area, particularly at night even when we have games," Monk says. "Generally it's a group of kids, five or six."

Police say they've made two arrests connected to one of the robberies.

D.C. Police Cmdr. Danny Hickson says detectives are following up and investigating the other two robberies.

Police say that Nats fans--or anyone else--don't have to wait until they're actually attacked to call police. You can call if you're suspicious.

* * *
The reader who sent this wrote,

I attended a Nats game over Memorial Day weekend. We paid $35 to park inside the stadium area. The Metro is three blocks from the stadium, through a Black area. Given that almost all the fans are White, it is safe to conclude that these are Black “youths” going after White fans.

N.S.: White fans need to boycott Nats games. (“White fans” and “fans” are here synonyms, since “Chocolate City” blacks see the Nats merely as a source of income through jobs and crime, but do not support the team. Then again, how is this city different from all other baseball cities?) If they do, ownership will be forced to variously demand more police protection, as well as pay for more security to patrol that three block stretch, as well as stadium parking area, or lose a fortune.

In diversity, decent white people always lose, whether through muggings and harmed and lost fans, and/or through paying a fortune for enhanced private security and more police, and/or through paying extortion to criminals in the form of “jobs” and “programs.”

Diversity: It’s the gift that keeps on giving.

Carter Strange Beating Update: Some Juvis to be Charged as Adults; Otherwise, Usual Not-a-Hate-Crime Official Story

By David in TN

Some of the juveniles arrested in the beating of Carter Strange in Columbia, South Carolina will be tried as adults. As before:

“But, said Johnson, there is no evidence that the suspects in this case targeted Strange explicitly because he was white.”

As South Carolina has no hate crime law, the Obama-appointed U.S. Attorney was asked to “take a look at it.”

“Indian Parents Push For Surgical Procedure To Turn Children From Girls To Boys”

By Nicholas Stix

Is this Hindustan Times story, “Docs turn baby girls into boys,” for real, or is it “disinformation”? If it’s for real, it’s not. That’s because you cannot turn girl into a boy, anymore than you can turn a boy into a girl.

All that you can do is disfigure a child, and make him—in this case, her—crazy.

If the story is not made up, I can only imagine that these parents have much more money than sense, and have fallen for the sexual fairy tales of American media propaganda. Note, too, that (assuming the story wasn’t made up) wealthy Hindu Indians in India, who are obsessed with having boy children at any price, can engage in sophistry as fancy-sounding as any you’ll come across from American college professors.

I suppose there’s a certain poetic justice for those with extreme cases of shadenfreude, in that insane homosexuals have served the madness of insanely conservative Hindus. What makes this poetic injustice is that rather than the insane American homosexuals suffering, it is innocent Indian children 10,000 miles away who are being harmed.

The silver lining, if there is one, is that unlike the irreversible butchering of a boy in the vain hope of turning him into a girl, the equally vain attempt to turn a girl into a boy may be surgically reversible, though the madness caused by the girl’s parents’ vanity will in some cases not be curable.

Thanks to Criostoir O'Domhnallain and Disinformation.

Seattle: Baby-Faced “Tuba Man” Killer, Billy Chambers, Strikes Again

 

 
Baby-Faced Billy Chambers, One of the Three Racist, Black, 15-Year-Old Psychopaths Who Murdered Seattle’s Ed "Tuba Man" McMichael in 2008, Allegedly Tried to Murder a Woman Who Had Charged Him with Trying to Break into Her Car and to Suborn Perjury, but was Only Charged with “Second-Degree Assault and Hit and Run.”
By Nicholas Stix, with research assistance by BR

Billy Chambers, accused by a woman of burglarizing her car, retaliates by forcing her car off the road. Police report that when they came to arrest Chambers, he was on the telephone, trying to suborn perjury from someone he wanted to take the rap for him in the attempted murder.

My man in Seattle, BR, who sent along this story, the original Tuba Man murder story, and countless other reports on Seattle’s steady decline into a diversitopia writes,

Like the Energizer Bunny, Chamber's crime career just keeps on going, and going, and going. I think the reason why such a small percentage of blacks is responsible for so much crime is that they know they can just keep getting away with it—nothing serious ever seems to happen to them.

Billy Chambers and two crime partners punched and stomped Ed "Tuba Man" McMichael in front of multiple black witnesses on October 25, 2008, at a bus stop, where McMichael was waiting for a bus. McMichael died eight or nine days later of his wounds. They stomped him to death, the way racist blacks stomp thousands of whites every year, though a goodly portion of the white victims—e.g., “Central Park Jogger” Trisha Meili, Jena 6 victim Justin Barker, Columbia, S.C. victim Carter Strange—survive, no thanks to their attackers, with horrific injuries.

Since Chambers & Co. murdered McMichael while robbing him, they were guilty of first-degree felony murder. Although King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg said he wanted to prosecute the three killers as adults for murder, because all of the black witnesses to the crime refused to give statements identifying the killers, he said he was forced to prosecute them as juveniles under the mere charge of first-degree manslaughter. Chambers spent only 18 months in juvenile facility, a sentence which covered not only the felony murder of “Tuba Man,” but a second robbery Chambers had committed that night. Thus, Ed McMichael’s life wasn’t even worth 18 months of his killers’ precious time.

(It is not clear if the witnesses were themselves criminals, but they should have been prosecuted. When someone witnesses a crime, but refuses to provide any information, I would think that would make him an accessory after the fact. The out to that is to perjure oneself, by stating on the witness stand that one no longer remembers what one previously claimed to see, or that one’s earlier witness statement was wrong or coerced. But one could, and should, still prosecute such individuals for perjury.

Oops, I just remembered that the Washington Supreme Court ruled as recently as 20 days ago that blacks not only have the right to perjure themselves in order to aid and abet black murderers, but that it will throw out the conviction of any black murderer, and destroy the career of any white prosecutor who so much as mentions blacks’ “don’t snitch” rule of helping black criminals in a court of law, even in the face of racist black intransigence in the courtroom.)

By the time the watered-down charges of “second-degree assault and hit and run” are plea-bargained down, Chambers could end up convicted of something like “harassment” and sentenced to time served. Given PA Dan Satterberg’s history with Chambers and other racist black killers, and Satterberg’s undercharging of Chambers in this case, I have little faith that he will do the right thing by Chambers’ recent victim.

Note, too, that the Washington State Supreme Court has in recent years been
waging war on behalf of black murderers (see here and here).

In case my readers are wondering why even the leftwing Seattle MSM, in spite of their loyalty to racist black psychopaths, have repeatedly revealed that Chambers is one of McMichael’s killers, even though Chambers was prosecuted as a juvenile, that is because he has made a point of bragging about the killing to anyone who’ll listen, and racist blacks apparently have yet to reach “critical mass” in all Seattle newsrooms.

For the stories of the racially-motivated murders, by blacks, of white Seattleites Kristopher Kime, James Paroline, and Ed McMichael, see my American Renaissance report, “Three Race Murders in Seattle.”

* * *

'Tuba Man' killer now accused of ramming woman's car
By Jennifer Sullivan
June 28, 2011 at 3:48 p.m.

Billy Chambers, one of three juveniles convicted of the 2008 slaying of Seattle street musician Ed "Tuba Man" McMichael, is back behind bars, this time for allegedly deliberately ramming a woman's car.

Chambers, now 18, was arrested by Seattle police last week after a woman said that he intentionally struck her car. Chambers was charged in King County Superior Court Tuesday with second-degree assault and hit and run.

Prosecutors allege Chambers struck the woman's car and ran her off the road because she had filed a police report against him after an earlier car prowl.

Chambers is accused of rear-ending the woman's car while it was stopped for a traffic light at the intersection of 23rd Avenue South and South Jackson Street around 3:45 p.m. on Thursday. The woman told police that as she tried to drive away the same car followed in the next lane and swerved toward the passenger side of her car, causing her to leave the roadway and strike a tree, according to charging paperwork.

The woman was not hurt.

She told officers that she recognized the driver of the mid-1990s Ford Crown Victoria that hit her, according to charging papers. She said that she had reported him to police about a week earlier after he allegedly broke into her car, according to charging paperwork.

Police located the Crown Victoria parked outside Chambers' home and were allowed inside. Officers said they overheard Chambers on the phone saying "will you please tell them you did it," charges allege. When Chambers was arrested he told police that he had been sleeping all day and that someone else had been using his car.

In her request to have Chambers held in lieu of $250,000 bail, King County Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Amy Montgomery wrote that the "State has grave concerns for the safety of the community" in reference to Chambers.

"The defendant was angry at the victim for filing a police report against him," Montgomery wrote. "While it is fortunate that no occupants of the car or pedestrians were injured, it does not lessen the risk that the defendant's violent actions could harm someone."

Montgomery said that Chambers has a lengthy criminal history, including convictions as an adult for first- and third-degree theft. And juvenile convictions for first-degree manslaughter, second-degree robbery and possession of stolen property, Montgomery wrote.

Chambers has pending King County District Court cases stemming from incidents on June 8, June 21 and 22, when he was caught either driving without a license or operating a vehicle without insurance, Montgomery wrote.

Chambers, who was 15 when he and two other boys were prosecuted in McMichael's slaying, spent about 18 months at Maple Lane School in Centralia in connection with McMichael's death and another robbery on the same night in October 2008.

The sentences for Chambers and the two other youths who fatally beat McMichaels outraged many in the community. Because no witnesses came forward, King County

Prosecutor Dan Satterberg said his office was forced to charge the three teens as juveniles instead of seeking to have them charged as adults.

For 20 years, McMichael, 53, was a fixture at Mariners, Sonics and Seahawks' games and around the Seattle Center -- trading his talent for spare change.

Obama’s Chief of Staff Bill Daley Calls Administration Regulations “Indefensible”; Outside of Washington Post, Socialist MSM Suppress Story

 
Photo op of Obama "engaging" with a worker at the Detroit Chrysler plant. Who the heck goes to an assembly-line job dressed in a sailor outfit?

By Nicholas Stix

“Sometimes you can’t defend the indefensible.” That’s what White House Chief of Staff William Daley, scion of the Chicago political dynasty, said of the “Obama” Administration’s regulatory regime, at a June 16 meeting with hundreds of National Asssociation of Manufacturers (NAM) business leaders.

Business leaders were complaining about onerous regulations imposed since “Obama” assumed office, e.g., from the EPA, which require spending tens of millions of dollars to bring a factory up to the new code. Most of the new regulations were imposed by federal agencies, and do not have the force of law behind them. (Washington Post reporters Peter Wallsten and Jia Lynn Yang erroneously suggested that the new regs were entirely based in new legislation.)

White House’s Daley seeks balance in outreach meeting with manufacturers
By Peter Wallsten and and Jia Lynn Yang, June 16, 2011
Washington Post
….
One by one, exasperated executives stood to air their grievances on environmental regulations and stalled free-trade deals. And Daley, the former banker tasked with building ties with industry, found himself looking for the right balance between empathy and defending his boss.

At one point, the room erupted in applause when Massachusetts manufacturing executive Doug Starrett, his voice shaking with emotion, accused the administration of blocking construction on one of his facilities to protect fish, saying government “throws sand into the gears of progress.”

Daley said he did not have many good answers, appearing to throw up his hands in frustration at what he called “bureaucratic stuff that’s hard to defend.”

“Sometimes you can’t defend the indefensible,” he said.

The exchange suggests the limits of the elaborate courtship of corporations begun by President Obama and his top aides after Democrats’ big losses in the 2010 elections — an effort that has taken on new urgency in recent weeks.

Top aides have been reaching out to business leaders as Obama’s reelection campaign seeks to expand its network of potential new donors and fundraisers. And the White House has hoped that a closer alliance with businesses would help spur job growth.

Even as the White House pledges more receptivity to corporate concerns, business continues to spar with the administration on numerous fronts.

Wall Street is lobbying to undo many of the new regulations signed into law [sic] last year. Manufacturers say environmental policies are hindering growth. And, in a high-profile case that tests the administration’s allegiances, aerospace giant Boeing is warring with labor regulators over its decision to open a plant in South Carolina, which is hostile to unions.

In his speech and during a question-and-answer session Thursday, Daley laid out the administration’s efforts to help business, promoting Obama’s support for changing the corporate tax structure and for new free trade agreements.

He pointed to the administration’s effort, led by regulatory czar Cass Sunstein, to identify hundreds of rules that could be costing businesses money and time.

When a paper company executive said Environmental Protection Agency regulations might cost her $10 million to $15 million to upgrade a mill, Daley said the number of rules and regulations “that come out of agencies is overwhelming.”

Later, he added: “We’re trying to bring some rationality to it.”

Daley’s appearance before Thursday’s meeting of the National Association of Manufacturers was an unusual public appearance for Obama’s relatively new chief of staff. He invited the executives to offer candid views and extended the question-and-answer session, at one point joking, “I’ll probably regret saying that.”…

Over 2200 reader comments followed the Washington Post story. I read most of the 220-odd “featured” comments, the overwhelming majority of which were not only head-thumpingly stupid, but at times pretentious, as well.

paulca
Is it not amazing that companies in Europe with those ‘outrages regulations and taxes’ can still compete hefty with American companies. And when was the last time we heard any European nation that there was nuclear waste material in their drinking water. The main difference between American business people and European is that the European folks have found ways to work with the regulations and not just wine about them.

A couple of years back when all was good, it was all sustainability...See More and community standing for business, profits were soaring, and live was good. Now, we are back to what really matters, short term numbers, and if need be, at any expense. This means more outsourcing or moving plants to places where we can respect people’s rights less. Like Boeing in her statement, if you move to South Carolina because of the hostility against unions, it says a lot about the respect for people as well.

6/17/2011 2:32:32 PM EDT

DominionDem
Consistantly, European Cities rank the highest in Quality of life...life longevity, availbility of inexpensive health care, parks/culture...etc. Even Northern Europe with the highest tax rates and regulation are prospering...generating more private sector jobs then we do. Don't believe the lies of the Republicans. Low taxes and less regulation means a more "uncivilized" nation.

6/17/2011 4:31:39 PM EDT


And as the following sage demonstrates, the idiots were not all socialists.

vmidurk
OK people please read some on economics before you post. The natural progression for economies is from agriculture, to manufacturing, and then to information.

We have led the way in the world to the information/service economy.

Those saying manufacturing jobs are gone, simply need to keep up and advance with the rest of the economy.

China is bringing in farmers to the factories faster than we can keep up, so I'm sorry, our manufacturi...See Moreng days are over.

Plus, I thought environmentalists would be happy to see manufacturing jobs go away.
6/17/2011 1:39:38 PM EDT


My favorite comment follows.

Jihm
The "information economy" is a pipe dream that exists only on paper. When manufacturing is gone, the only relevant information is that you have becom a third world country with no middle class.
6/17/2011 3:57:02 PM EDT

The most noteworthy media aspect of Bill Daly’s meeting with NAM is that with the exception of the Washington Post and ABC News blogger Jake Tapper, the socialist MSM refused to report on it. That doesn’t mean there were no socialist MSM reporters present, or that they failed to write dispatches on the conference, but that their editors all protected “Obama,” by spiking stories about his chief of staff ridiculing “Obama’s” regulatory policies.

In Linden, NJ, Cemetery Robbery, Eyewitness News’ Kemberly Richardson Identifies the Vehicle the “Suspect” Drove, but Not the “Suspect”

 


 

The scare quotes are because we’re talking about a suspect, we’re talking about the actual robber. If a specific someone is sought by police or arrested, he is then a “suspect,” because he enjoys the presumption of innocence until he is either cleared, acquitted, or convicted. An exception to the foregoing rule is if an offender confesses to a crime, and then pleads not guilty. Black felons do this quite frequently. If someone confesses to a crime, I take his word for it.

Time was, a faire proportion of black criminals had consciences and realized that they had done wrong. Today, however, few blacks have consciences, and all but a few believe that the “white man’s laws” do not apply to them, and even use that line to rationalize murdering other blacks.

Story, courtesy of Nivius Vir, who dubbed the story, “Elderly Man Can’t Even Pray at Parents’ Grave in Peace.”

Carter Strange Beating Update, On NBC Today Show

By David in TN

Here is the most detailed story on the Carter Strange beating. Strange has gone home. He told a reporter he remembers nothing about the attack (as you predicted), “Pretty much all I remember is the guys finding me,” Strange said.

Note the quotes from 5th Judicial Circuit Solicitor Dan Johnson. They seem like a parody but are not.

An NBC crew is supposed to interview the Strange family Tuesday morning for the Today show.

Chicago: Fifty-Strong, Black Robbery Mob Hits Walgreens on the Magnificent Mile

 


 
The longtime reader who sent this story wrote,

...I noticed, though, that there was NO mention as to race in the entire article. It's a new 'policy trend' in the liberal media. Heaven forbid we should be informed citizens to allow us to be wary in a dangerous area or from a specific culture of people...but the comments cleared up the confusion real quick. Be sure to read the 'after story'. Political correctness may have some limited uses, but not when it endangers people's lives.

Teen Mob Hits Walgreens on the Mag Mile
June 23, 2011 6:31 PM

CHICAGO (CBS) — The teenage robbery mobs are at it again on North Michigan Avenue.

Some 50 young people barged into a Walgreens at Michigan and Chicago on the Magnificent Mile on Tuesday afternoon. They took bottled drinks and sandwiches off the shelves, then ran off, CBS 2′s Suzanne Le Mignot reports.

A police report says authorities were able to nab three of the thieves.

Walgreens says the store is working with police, helping investigators with video from the store security camera.

The Mag Mile earlier this year was hit by similar mobs of young thieves. Attacks on commuters and bicyclists have become violent, and police have stepped up patrols.

Hey, That’s Not Funny! In Yet Another Philly Mob Attack, 350 Raceless Youths Riot, and “30 to 40 Men” Onion Editor's Leg; Police Cover-Up Aids

and Abets Attackers
 
David in TN: There was another flash mob attack in Philadelphia Saturday night. A writer for The Onion named Emily Guendelsberger had her leg snapped and broken. Her boyfriend was sucker-punched and then kicked while on the ground.

A commenter [see below] to one of the articles said it was FAR worse than reports saying it was around 50 perps. He said there were around 350. This commenter said they were all black and the people attacked were always white.
 

F**K FLASH MOBS
BY ERICA PALAN

Teenage rioting hit close to home when my friends were randomly attacked at Broad and Green streets on Saturday night
Posted on June 27, 2011, at 7:30 a.m.

Yesterday afternoon, I found myself debating whether to bring flowers or food to the hospital. My friend Emily is in Hahnemann with a broken leg, an injury she sustained on Saturday night around 10 p.m. when she, her boyfriend, and several of our mutual pals were assaulted as they walked the two blocks from 15th and Green streets to the subway entrance at Broad and Spring Garden streets. In a random, shocking and unsettling act of violence, an angry group of about 100 unprovoked teenagers began throwing them to the ground and beating them.

Just a few days after 23-year-old Stephen Lyde was sentenced to 20 years for stabbing Thomas Fitzgerald during a May 2009 flash mob, the rioting of young Philadelphians has hit close to home for me.

Unfortunately, Philadelphia has become notorious for these violent events. In a March 2010 article, the New York Times called flash mobbing “a ritual that is part bullying, part running of the bulls” and noted that while flash mobs are not unique to our city, “they have been more frequent here than elsewhere.” A year after that article was published, police shut down LOVE Park for four hours after rumors of a flash mob were reported. Until last night, it seemed law enforcement had found a way to control the problem.

As I walked to the hospital, I wondered, How does something like this happen? It wasn’t that late! There was a group! She wasn’t alone! It was less than two blocks from her house!

I arrived at the hospital with a brightly colored bouquet and joked with Emily about how she’d once crocheted a wall-hanging reading “f**k cancer” for our friend who battled lymphoma.

She was doped up on morphine and may need surgery. Her boyfriend is so badly bruised that a zig-zagging imprint from the bottom of a sneaker was visible on his forehead more than 18 hours after he’d been assaulted. Three others sustained injuries and are recovering at home while several more witnessed the attack but somehow managed to avoid major injuries.

After the hospital visit, I realized there are no answers to why this happened and there is no lesson in this story. This random act of violence offers no opportunity to say “don’t travel late at night” or “don’t walk alone” or “be aware of your surroundings.”

The only moral I’ve been able to glean is this: F**k flash mobs.

Now, if only I knew how to crochet.

* * *
N.S. As one commenter noted, the blogger, Erica Palan, was speaking in euphemism about “random” attacks, when the attacks were anything but. I posted the following message to her:

Dear Ms. Palan,

Your friend was almost murdered, not “randomly,” but because she is white, by a racist, black lynch mob. Don’t you care enough about her to tell the truth? As the previous commenter noted, this was anything but a “random” attack. It’s bad enough to be brutalized just for the crime of breathing while white, but if you do nothing to tell the truth about what happened and demand justice, you are complicit in the evil. Doesn’t your friend deserve better than that?

Tim says:
June 27, 2011 at 1:31 pm

I live on the 1500 block of Green and somewhat witnessed this. My girlfriend and I walked out of our apartment to meet a friend at the corner of 15th and Green.

As soon as I walked out the door it sounded as if a riot was going on. I looked down the street and halfway up Green St., between Broad and 15th, there was a huge commotion. I commented to my girlfriend that there must be a big gang fight going on.

Right then, our friend came to the corner and I told her and my girlfriend to wait on our front steps while I went to check it out.

By that time, the police had arrived and there was a small group of people (your friends) who were distraught and surrounded by cops. North of them on Broad were HUNDREDS of people and South of them were another hundred or so.

Trust me, the 50-100 number that is being thrown out is way too low. I’d say there was a minimum of 350.

The fact that it took phone calls to get the attention of police is beyond amazing to me, especially considering the mob formed North of Temple and walked all the way down Broad St.

Also, I’m far from a racist, but I think it’s worth reporting that the entire mob was black and the people who were randomly attacked were all white.

I understand that the paper doesn’t want to scare people, etc., etc., but this whole event was severely unreported. Facts are facts and should be reported as such. What this was was a huge mob of angry black youths intent on battering white people, and your friends just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

And more importantly, the police should be under close scrutiny for allowing this to happen. How is a group of hundreds, walking down Broad St. of all places, able to assault and batter people before police finally step in? This group should’ve been surrounded by police from the moment they formed miles North of where these attacks occurred.

F. Jones says:
June 27, 2011 at 5:20 pm

Erica, singling out white people is not “random attacks.” Those were hate crimes.

Call them what they are, and by God, yes, let’s call a SPADE a SPADE.

Enough with the politically correct self-censorship!

N.S. Note that Philly.com is simply refusing to permit readers to comment on any of the raceless mob stories.

Woman's leg broken, others hurt in Spring Garden mob attack
By STEPHANIE FARR
Philadelphia Daily News
farrs@phillynews.com 215-854-4225

A WOMAN'S leg was broken and several other people were injured Saturday night when a large group of teens accosted pedestrians in Spring Garden, police and witnesses said.

Philadelphia police responded to two reports of pedestrians being assaulted by a large group of young people along Broad Street about 9:30 p.m.

One of those reports came from Emily Guendelsberger, 27, city editor for local arts and entertainment content for the Onion, the satirical newspaper and website. She was walking with seven friends on Green Street near Broad when they were accosted, she said. Guendelsberger, who remained hospitalized with a broken leg yesterday, declined to comment further.

A friend who was with her at the time, Daily News staff writer Molly Eichel, said that they were walking down Green Street when a group of teens was walking down Broad. "We heard kids yell, 'Run, run,' " Eichel said. "Some kid just came out of nowhere and punched my friend Charlie in the face."

Eichel said that when her group tried to run, about 20 teens chased them down the street. "They were kicking kids down and punching them when they were down," she said.

Two other friends sought treatment at area hospitals for facial injuries, Eichel said.

The only redeeming factor about the experience was that a few people realized the extent of Guendelsberger's injuries and tried to protect her, Eichel said.

From the hospital yesterday, Guendelsberger gave her protectors shout-outs on Twitter. "On the positive, a bunch of girls from the mob protected me from the boys trying to hit me and take my purse while I was on the ground," she wrote. "Also a car of women from out of town saw it going down, pulled over, and (I gather) circled around to protect me; wish I had gotten names."

According to the police report of the incident, Guendelsberger was "jumped" by 30 to 40 men who punched and kicked her numerous times. Police said they checked the area for surveillance but had no luck.

Shortly before Guendelsberger's assault, police said, they responded to another assault, about five blocks away at Broad Street and Fairmount Avenue, of a 20-year-old man who said that he was attacked by a large group of men and women.

Police said that he was treated for a bruise and abrasion under his right eye.

Twitter users said that the mob ranged from 50 to 100 people and that participants not only assaulted people but also threw trash cans and lit fireworks.

8-on-1, Suckerpunch, Black Hate Crime Attack on Carter Strange in Columbia, SC:

Selected Reader Comments to WLTX’ “8 Suspects in Custody for 5 Points Beating of 18-Year-Old Carter Strange”

247ty803
3:04 AM on June 24, 2011

first off yall don't even know them at all i do and them my friends so what stuff happens. prayers to the boy fam but i mean it is what it is yall going by what is exposed to the internet smh but my friends go to court tomorrow it is what it is! whatever happens happens you know? i mean me and our side prepared so its whatever! yall some nosy people worrying about his fam and how they doing if this was yall would they worry about you heck no. so like really!


TheGekko
7:30 AM on June 24, 2011

I find it ironic that this young man was RUSHING home to make curfew...

While 7 "juveniles" apparently had no concerns about a curfew.

Does the CPD not enforce it? Teens 17 and under are not supposed to be on the streets after 11pm.

Oh, that's right... the City Attorney told the CPD not to enforce it because they don't have a place to store juveniles if the parents refuse to come pick them up. ..

Looks like that T-Bone and Council policy just about cost someone their life...

I hope that this kid sues the living crap out of the City of Columbia... it's the only thing that the politicians in this town respond to.

CarolinaGirl2
12:18 PM on June 24, 2011

It falls under our lynching law. As you stated, hate crime legislation has been introduced, but nothing is on the books yet using that term.

SC Code of Laws
"TITLE 16. CRIMES AND OFFENSES
CHAPTER 3. OFFENSES AGAINST THE PERSON
ARTICLE 3. LYNCHING

SECTION 16-3-210. Assault and battery by mob; investigation and apprehension; civil liability. [SC ST SEC 16-3-210]

(A) For purposes of this section, a "mob" is defined as the assemblage of two or more persons, without color or authority of law, for the premeditated purpose and with the premeditated intent of committing an act of violence upon the person of another.

(C) Any act of violence inflicted by a mob upon the body of another person, which results in serious bodily injury to the person, shall constitute the felony crime of assault and battery by mob in the second degree and, upon conviction, an offender shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than three years nor more than twenty-five years."

I say give them the max sentence of 25 years.


Score: 2

brushjumper
2:11 PM on June 24, 2011

Actually the federal laws need invoked and requested by our DA to the Federal Prosecutor for the region ASAP in order to charge them with a HATE CRIME.

Score: 4
racer53
9:11 AM on June 24, 2011
The parents need to sue the city of Columbia but the white folks wouls have to pay the lawsuit because they are the only ones paying taxes.
4 replies


Score: 1
BeautySmilez
10:23 AM on June 24, 2011
That was the most stupidest comment I have ever heard..... and you wonder why some people have certain hate for certain races, you can't say what you want about people and think it's ok.. and to prove you wrong......I'm BLACK and I pay TAXES!!!!!


Score: 2
scMadHatter
10:49 AM on June 24, 2011
I Totally Agree with you BeautySmilez...

I'm White but that means nothing when it comes to paying taxes...


Score: 1
2Achieve
11:06 AM on June 24, 2011
Racer that's just pure ignorance. I am black and I pay a heck of a lot of taxes. AND I am appalled at what they did to this child.


Score: 1
four20
11:10 AM on June 24, 2011
Totally ignorant comment racer53. There's plenty of white trash sitting around cooking up meth and getting welfare checks. Do any Asians, Latinos or Mideasterners pay taxes, or just Anglo-Saxons?

In Story on Raceless, 40-Strong, Teenaged Philly Robbery Mob That Hit the Upper Darby PA Sears on June 23, Philly Daily News Permitted 4

Comments, Blocked Commenting After 15 Minutes, and Then Disappeared All 4, the Link, and Even the Word, “Comments”!

[Previously: “Forty Raceless Philly Teenagers Organized ‘Flash Mob’ Ransacking of Upper Darby, PA, Sears Store via Social Media, Took El Train to Target.”

Originally, the Philly Daily News had a pretty clear picture of three or four suspects gathered together in the store (which I was unable to download before losing the story), but its editors have since replaced it with the video below, which is so unclear as to be worthless, which is surely no accident.]
 


 

Posted on Mon, Jun. 27, 2011
At U. Darby Sears, dozens invade & flee with thousands in merchandise
By STEPHANIE FARR
Philadelphia Daily News
farrs@phillynews.com 215-854-4225

DOZENS OF West Philly boys - ranging in age from 11 to 19 - stormed a Sears store in Upper Darby on Thursday as part of a "flash mob" and made off with thousands of dollars' worth of merchandise, police said.

Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said he believed that the group organized the mass theft through social networking, although the exact networking site was not yet clear.

He said that the kids traveled together on public transportation and arrived at the store on 69th Street en masse about 7:10 p.m.

The kids - Chitwood estimated there were around 40 boys - scattered throughout the store and began to "rob, steal and pillage," he said.

They took everything from sneakers to watches but left behind the boxes and tags, Chitwood said.

As of this weekend, Sears was still trying to tally up its losses, which were believed to be in the thousands of dollars, police said.

Responding officers were able to capture 16 of the suspects, the youngest of which was 11 and the oldest, 19. The 19-year-old was charged with retail theft and corrupting the morals of a minor.

The other 15, all of whom were juveniles from West Philadelphia, were charged with retail theft and released to the custody of their parents, Chitwood said.

"When this mob mentality comes to a community and robs a village, there has to be consequences," he said. "That's the only way you're going to stop this."

Chitwood said that while some of the parents were very upset when they picked their kids up, for some, it seemed just "like part of a day's work."

"People have to realize this is not condoned, funny or cute. It's criminal. Period," Chitwood said. "If you've got an 11-year-old involved in this type of mob mentality, what are they going to be doing when they are 16?"
 

Comments

(Update, 7 p.m., on Monday, June 27, 2011: Do the censors at the Philadelphia Daily News expect readers to believe that no one posted comments after 5:27 a.m. today? They even shut down the voting software!

Update, 7:11 p.m.: The censors have now removed the lousy four comments below that they had earlier permitted through the blockade, and even removed the word “comments,” and any links for readers to comment.)

Posted 5:12 AM, 06/27/2011
The NAACP will be investigating Philly.com's use of the word "boys" as they consider it a racial slur to the young men of color who are pictured shopping.
— HappyBob

Posted 5:25 AM, 06/27/2011
Boy? I know you didn't call me boy. You must have said LeRoy, jOY OR mCcOY, but I know you didn't call me boy....
— AndyBrown

Posted 5:25 AM, 06/27/2011
Ah, summer! Fireflies, barbecues, and mobs of black youth pillaging and assaulting.
— BurbGuy

Posted 5:27 AM, 06/27/2011
The silent alarm went off and security cameras automatically re-positioned as soon as they walked through the doors.
— EscapedfromOz

4 comments

Forty Raceless Philly Teenagers Organized “Flash Mob” Ransacking of Upper Darby, PA, Sears Store via Social Media, Took El Train to Target

 
Upper Darby, PA Sears robbery mob. Ignore all racially identifying characteristics. (Oops, I just remembered--race doesn't exist!)

 
Robbery mob suspected leader Kyree Marsh, 19. (Readers are instructed to ignore subject's skin color, which is irrelevant.)
 



Suspected flash mob rips off Upper Darby Sears (With Video)
Sunday, June 26, 2011

By LINDA REILLY
Times Correspondent

UPPER DARBY — A mob of about 40 people stormed into the Sears department store on 69th Street Thursday, and in a flash stole thousands of dollars worth of merchandise, officials said.

Police were able to round up 15 juveniles and one adult, 19, all from West Philadelphia.

“They came in on the El train and hit Sears,” police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said. “They stole sneakers, socks, watches, whatever they could get their hands on, and left.

“Imagine the guts of this gang of young hoodlums. One was 11 years old. The others arrested ranged from 12 to 16 years old. They planned this out earlier in the day on a social networking site. It was pre-planned. They got on the El, got off at 69th Street Terminal and walked up the hill to Sears.”

Kyree Marsh, 19, of the 5500 block of Spruce Street, Philadelphia, was arrested and charged with retail theft, conspiracy to retail theft and corruption of minors.

Police recovered some of the stolen sneakers and socks that were in the backpack of one of the individuals arrested and in the pockets of others taken into custody.

According to the affidavit, the Sears loss-prevention officer saw the mob enter the store at 7:09 p.m. on Thursday.

The group then began taking merchandise off the shelves.

“He watched the group enter the store together from the 69th Street entrance,” Chitwood said. “It was fast. They ran out, leaving empty shoeboxes and store tags behind. Fortunately, no customers or store employees got hurt.

“Due to the quick response by police, we were able to grab them up. They were heading back to the El train.”

According to Chitwood, the juveniles received citations for retail theft and will answer charges before the county’s juvenile justice system.

“The parents should be held accountable,” Chitwood said. “And where were the parents of the 11- and 12-year-olds when their children were riding into 69th street with a mob of teenagers? If I could, I would charge the parents. Certainly, this is unacceptable behavior. It was intentionally planned earlier in the day to gather and go to Upper Darby to rob and pillage. There has got to be consequences, and I don’t mean a slap on the wrist. The county has got to send a strong message. This was a (pack) attack and will not be tolerated.”

 
“Border Security wrote on Jun 26, 2011 7:43 PM:

" I've been saying this for years now but our elected officals refuse to help: PLEASE SECURE OUR MUNICIPAL BORDERS! This is the kind of Philly-style non-sense we need to keep out.

1. Turn the El back at 63 Street.
2. Build a fence down Cobbs Creek
3. Build a second layer down Lansdowne Ave

I'd be willing to have a tax increase to pay for the border fences. "
 

President Alpha wrote on Jun 27, 2011 3:56 AM:
" A few thoughts:

1. "black men" are not going to step up and deal with this. Those who are still connected to 'the hood' are powerless to effect change.
2. The basic problem in a nutshell is a lack of authority. No punishing authority in the home, and none in society. The worst misdeeds result in coddling - unless the criminal is small or weak, in which case they are likely to be raped in prison while the violent strut around like kings - which in prison, they are.
3. A secondary problem is testosterone. Black males have more than any other race. Testosterone plays a part in uninhibited violence.
4. This phenomenon of groups of young blacks literally stomping and kicking people who are _already helpless_ is virtually unique to blacks, at least in modern times and in modern America.
5. White liberals and sane people alike avoid groups of young blacks, whenever possible. Unless you're part of their world, what can be gained by rubbing shoulders with anonymous young blacks in any urban setting?
6. Guns will not solve this problem, unfortunately. These incidents are happening in leftist redoubts, where only criminals have guns. Literally: If you have a gun, unless you're part of the ruling elite, you are a CRIMINAL in most of the left's urban mental wards (cities). So if a citizen shoots one of these fine fellows in 'self-defense' they are ALREADY criminal, whatever happens to the scum they shoot at. This isn't happening where citizens have the right to defend themselves.
7. The incidence of these events is increasing. It will come to violence one time too many, and the system will vomit out a reaction that will undoubtedly be wrong. But something breaks soon, this can't go on forever.

Some possible solutions:

1. Sperm banks mean that castration no longer means you can't have kids. Make the sentences for any violent crime so draconian that the castration and ankle bracelet alternative sounds good.
2. Turn prisons into work camps where convicts literally break rocks all day. We should not have private prisons operating businesses, but prisoners should be too tired and too well monitored to be raping one another. They are in our care, it says a lot about us that prison rape is the main deterrent to crime.
3. Peoples' attitudes about dependency and parenting won't change until we see some starving women and children begging in the streets - that has to be a possible alternative or we'll get decades more of the same behavior.
4. Banning welfare and relying on private charity would eliminate most of these problems. A faceless bureaucratic system fosters dependency, then self-justification, then entitlement, then hatred of the hand that feeds.
5. Radical decentralization of power away from DC and its one size approach to everything is the most likely path to finding a way to deal with millions of unskilled, angry youth. "

Courtesy of the invaluable crime blogger, Nivius Vir, and to GCrowdy.

Columbia, SC, Hate Crime: Bond Hearing, Charges Laid

 

.The post-diversity Carter Strange.
 

The pre-diversity Carter Strange.
 
Friday, Jun. 24, 2011

Bond set for suspect in 5 Points beating
Teen’s condition critical after attack; suspects aged 13-19
By Noelle Phillips nophillips@thestate.com
The State

A $750,000 bond was set Friday afternoon for one of the suspects in the brutal beating of an 18-year-old Columbia man.
 

Carter Strange's mother, Vicki, during Friday's bond hearing.
 

Carter Strange's parents, Vicki and John, after Friday's bond hearing.
 

The hearing for Tyheem Henrey, 19, was held at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center where he is being held on charges of second-degree assault and battery by a mob, robbery and conspiracy to commit a crime. A bond hearing for a second suspect, who is 16, and facing the same charges, was scheduled immediately after Henrey’s hearing but City Court Judge Dana Turner denied media access because he is a juvenile.

Those are two of the eight suspects who turned themselves into Columbia police Thursday night after surveillance video appeared to connect them to the crime, the Columbia Police Department said.
 

Tyheem Henrey listens as Carter Strange's father expresses his sorrow for Henrey's family and his hope that he will one day forgive Henrey for what he allegedly did to his son. Tyheem Henrey, 19, had a bond hearing, Friday, for his alleged role in the beating of an 18-year-old who was running home through five points to make curfew on Monday. The hearing was held at Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.
- Kim Kim Foster-Tobin /kkfoster@thestate.com
 

• The charges against the eight suspects are as follows:
• Tyheem Henrey, 19, along with a 14-year-old, 15-year-old and 16-year-old are charged with Strong Arm Robbery, Second Degree Assault and Battery by a Mob and Criminal Conspiracy.
• The 13-year-old and three 16-year-olds are charged with Criminal Conspiracy.
Source: Columbia Police Department

Eight suspects, ranging in age from 13 to 19, could be seen on a Five Points sidewalk in the video. They each face charges related to the incident.

The victim, Carter Strange, had reconstructive surgery Friday afternoon to repair multiple broken bones in his face. He underwent emergency brain surgery after the beating, his family said.

Strange was running along Blossom Street near the Walgreens and Wachovia after midnight Monday when he was attacked by four men, the Columbia Police Department reported. After the beating, Strange managed to run several blocks to Edisto Avenue, where a passerby found him two hours later and called 911, police said.

Strange was taken to the hospital, where he had emergency surgery to remove a clot from his brain, police reported. The teen remained in critical condition in a Columbia hospital and was expected to have reconstructive surgery on his face, according to police.

Strange had been helping a friend earlier in the night and was jogging back home when he was attacked, said Columbia Police Chief Randy Scott. The chief did not know where the victim had been or where his home was.

The Police Department on Thursday released video footage of men it says are the suspects. The footage, recorded by security cameras in Five Points, shows eight men walking along a sidewalk.

Earlier the night of the beating, the group of suspects had tried to attack others, but those people managed to escape unharmed, Scott said.

The police department also has footage for four men darting across the street toward Strange, said Jennifer Timmons, the department spokeswoman. However, the department did not release that footage to the public.

All of the footage was provided to police by the Five Points Merchants Association, which has installed dozens of security cameras outside businesses, Scott said.

The security cameras are just one response to increasing concern about crime in Five Points.

A 2 a.m. bar closing, with many exceptions, will go into effect later this summer, and City Council is considering a curfew. The police and fire departments have beefed up overcrowding inspections at bars, and city police are allowed to work off-duty security in the bars.

Editor’s note: Because of the abusive nature of many comments on this story, the commenting feature has been disabled.

Chicagoland “Mystery” of How 3 “Good Kids” Died in Car Crash

 

Illegal memorial to three dead felons.
 

How about: Four out-of-control, illegal alien, Hispanic gang-bangers (two of them girls), whose “immigrant” parents speak no English, got high on marijuana and beer, committed Grand Theft Auto, DUI, reckless driving (about 50 miles over the speed limit in a residential neighborhood), and were on their way to start a fight with a rival gang at 3:10 a.m., when their 16-year-old female criminal associate drove head-on into two trees, splitting the car in two, and killing herself and two criminal associates?

If they had been black, we’d be hearing about how they were “honor students.”

Thanks to reader-researcher RC.
 

Crash of stolen car that killed 3 teens still a mystery
Prospect Heights police trying to piece together what happened
By Kate Thayer, Tribune reporter
8:12 p.m. CDT, June 20, 2011

Prospect Heights police still were trying to figure out Monday how four teens obtained a stolen car before a gruesome weekend crash that killed three of them.

But authorities now believe a 16-year-old girl might have been behind the wheel when the car slammed into two trees and split in half just feet from the local police station.

Police Chief Jamie Dunne said Monday that investigators were still piecing together the events before the crash, which occurred just after 3 a.m. Saturday along Camp McDonald Road.

Jessica Ferrer, 15, of Arlington Heights; Elibeth Solis-Gil, 16 of Arlington Heights; and Freddy Najera, 16, of Mount Prospect, died when the car they were in struck a tree.

A fourth passenger — Daniel Ascenio, 17, of Mount Prospect — survived. He was hospitalized but has since been released, Dunne said.

Investigators believe Solis-Gil was driving and Ascenio was in the front passenger seat. Dunne said he did not know who, if anyone, was wearing seat belts.

Police said the 2002 Honda Accord was speeding when it jumped a curb and slammed into two trees. [N.S.: Honda Accords don’t speed of their own—heaven help me!—accord.] Two of the teens were thrown from the vehicle, and the car was split in two.

Later Saturday, the owner of the Honda awoke to find his car was missing from his Mount Prospect driveway. When he reported the car stolen, police told him of the crash.

Dunne said his investigators are working with Mount Prospect police to determine who was responsible for stealing the car.

Police also are speaking with Ascenio and doing accident reconstruction work, Dunne said.

"There's a lot of follow-up work to be done," he said.

As police were awaiting toxicology reports to determine if drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash, loved ones of those involved were also struggling to understand what happened.

Najera's mother, Adelina, had told him to stay home Friday night, but he went out "cruising" anyway, the woman said in Spanish as her niece translated.

Freddy Najera had planned to get his high school equivalency certificate and had interviewed Friday for a job at a bookstore, his mother said.

Jessica Ferrer's brother Danny, 19, said police told him of his sister's death, and he had to deliver the news to their mother.

His sister, who was a student at Prospect High School in Mount Prospect, "was a good person," he said, crying. "She liked to make people laugh."

At the crash site, mourners created a memorial with flowers and candles at the foot of one of the trees, which had been stripped of much of its bark by the crash.

kthayer@tribune.com

Smokey Smith at 8:56 PM June 20, 2011
"Prospect Heights police still were trying to figure out Monday how four teens obtained a stolen car..."

They stole it. Why can't the fact just be the facts? Not every story has to be heart warming tale of a "fun, goofy, high school dropout about to turn his life around."


jhanzel1298 at 9:06 PM June 20, 2011
Well, apparently several lives were turned around. I will not lay blame on parents, schools, neighbors or society at large. If I remember correctly, "Stupid is as stupid does".


SS Bob at 8:57 PM June 20, 2011
This story leaves one with mixed emotions. While my heart goes out to the families of those kids (and which of us didn't make stupid decisions at that age), the parents need to control their children. If your son tells you he's going out "cruising" on a Friday night when he doesn't own a car, there should be red flags going up. Sorry but you reep what you sow. Control your children or don't be surprised when Seargent Smith knocks at your door at 2 am.

[N.S.: Three hour Trib censorship pause.]


redrocket33 at 12:02 AM June 21, 2011
I agree with illini33 [N.S.: whose comment was deleted by the Trib censor], not EVERY kid did these things - or even anything close. Some 'good kids' actually are GOOD kids who don't do stupid things on this scale. I, too, hate when people generalize and say things like "well, come on, we ALL did dumb things at that age" as if to trivialize the poor parenting and awful decision making of the teens involved. All that does is make it sound as if what these kids did 'was not so bad' when the truth is that it was very bad. And I was not an angelic teen either, but I did/do know plenty of kids who REALLY were good kids, really, not the 'good kids' we always seem to be reading about in the trib who get shot while robbing a 7-11 or who get arrested for attacking a lady in a parking lot.


Peeteey at 8:59 PM June 20, 2011
How long before the Trib removes the comment board? Can't have the politically incorrect truth getting out, can we?


jhanzel1298 at 9:01 PM June 20, 2011
Huh?


Baabs13 at 9:17 PM June 20, 2011
In response to "huh". The tribune will only allow a comment board until those daring enough to speak the truth happen to share their opinion. When there's too many comments that might just tell it like it is, the trib pulls the comment board. God forbid anyone call a spade a spade. Reality is frowned upon. Sensationalism sells.


cubs1969star at 9:22 PM June 20, 2011
Prospect Heights police still were trying to figure out Monday how four teens obtained a stolen car....
Are you kidding me?? Maybe they, gee, I don't know...STOLE IT?? Anyone else think that might be the case??


LiLSuzQ32 at 10:35 PM June 20, 2011
"At the crash site, mourners created a memorial with flowers and candles at the foot of one of the trees, which had been stripped of much of its bark by the crash."
Just so everyone is aware: this "memorial" is on the private property of the (understandably very) upset and shaken homeowner. These THUGS building the "memorial" are committing the further crime known as TRESPASSING.

I would like to suggest that the homeowner take three steps to prevent these gangbangers from further invading his personal real estate. Those three steps are:

Pitbulls

Rottweilers

and Dobermans


Peeteey at 10:57 PM June 20, 2011
I bet there are empty bottles of malt liquor at the ghetto-fabulous "memorial".


LiLSuzQ32 at 11:54 PM June 20, 2011
I'd LOVE to know who gave me a thumbs-down for having the gall to suggest that the homeowner deter trespassers from entering and further desecrating his property?

Come out, Cowardly Lion, and let us know who you are!


nancylew13 at 10:45 PM June 20, 2011
What's the big mystery here? Obviously they stole the car! It's very sad that they were killed but "good kids"???


SammyZ at 11:45 PM June 20, 2011
Because if they find someone different stole the car they can add more charges because the crime contributed to 3 deaths


redrocket33 at 11:42 PM June 20, 2011
Wow, apparently my definition of 'good kids' is a little different than the folks quoted in this story. Curfew violating, automobile theft, speeding, reckless driving - and this is just what we know of, as we are still awaiting toxicology reports.

I have two main thoughts that come to mind regarding this.

1) What in the heck were the parents of these kids doing allowing their kids to be out at 3 in the morning?!?! Great parenting skills - especially considering the fact that one of the relatives quoted stated that she requested that the teen "stay home" that night. Apparently, her request was denied by the teen who chose to go out "cruising" anyways. Leaving me to ask, who was in charge of whether the kid went out or not? Again, great parenting skills.

2) I am VERY grateful that no innocent victims were harmed by these 'good kids'. This accident would have been a TRUE tragedy had someone outside this car of 'good kids' been injured or killed while minding their own business. Thank goodness the only lives lost were the people driving around recklessly after curfew putting innocent people's lives at risk, and not someone who didn't deserve it.


jalan62 at 11:44 PM June 20, 2011
Let's see: They stole a car. They were speeding at 90 mph when the driver lost control of the car on a neighborhood street in which the speed limit is 35; they were drinking (according to the survivor as reported in the Daily Herald); and these were 15 to 17 year old kids out at 3 am. I fail to see how they were "good kids."

Also, bad parenting too! Teenagers at that age SHOULD NOT BE OUT past midnight!

Bad kids, bad parenting, bad PC reporting.


benefit15 at 12:29 AM June 21, 2011
I hope DCFS is investigating the parents of these dead kids bc they surely have at least 3 other children who they are not taking care of too.

I am SO VERY GLAD that no one innocent was harmed or killed during this criminal act. I feel bad for the homeowner. Maybe $$ can be raised to get him and his family into a hotel for a week or two? Nah, I'm sure they'll only raise money for the "victims." NOTE: You cannot be a perpetrator of a crime & a victim at the same time!

If you go to one of the girls' facebook page, she talks about how she doesnt go to school. real winners here, folks, real winners.


cityguy at 12:37 AM June 21, 2011
I want to see the tree's birth certificate!


Mashed Potatoes at 6:20 AM June 21, 2011
The only "mystery" is how much and what kind of drugs/alcohol they were wasted on and who she was texting while she was speeding in a stolen car that nobody was wearing seatbelts. in.


Rockhardmasterson at 7:31 AM June 21, 2011
Yeah, I'll chalk this one up to a darwin award. Btw, what kind of parents have a 16 year old that stays out untill 3am? Btw, how come people can comment on this story, but when a gang member gets shot the comments are locked down. For a news paper the trib isn't a fan of free speech.


benefit15 at 9:26 AM June 21, 2011
Totally agree. Whenever the comments are locked down, I figured out how to retreive them

http://discussions.chicagotribune.com/20/chinews/chibrknews-man-shot-dead-in-bridgeport-20110620/10


pancha13 at 10:11 AM June 21, 2011
I feel sorry for the parents that have to bury there children that must be the hardest thing to do but at the same time who allows minors to be out cruising at that time of the night, where's the dicipline or authority on these minors.

Obiviously these kids didnt care and did what they wanted so this is the outcome when ur kid run over ur authority and do as they want. Am a mother of 4 and let me tell u i wish my daughters would try to run the show and call the shots over me, they wouldnt even know what it is to drive. Am sorry for there deaths as a result of bad parenting and wild out kids.


escapedfromny at 1:24 PM June 21, 2011
What "Mystery"? Two kids boost a car, and pick up two of their friends. They go for a joy ride, and are probably laughing and messing around in the car while going down some street at 80 mph, and slam into a tree, killing 3 of them. None of the kids should have been out that late. They were incredibly stupid, and were endangering themselves and anyone else on the road. Sadly they died, fortunately they did not kill someone else.


readme2112 at 8:58 AM June 22, 2011
Jessica Ferrer ws actually Jessica Ferrera (see story from other sources) . Strange the trib would make a mistake like that ? All the comments about bad parenting - how can you be a good parent when you probably have 15 kids to look after ? Do the parents really even care ? They'll just make some more to replace them.....


kate24 at 12:04 AM June 24, 2011
It makes me very sad to read the cruel and insensitve comments that some people feel justified in making here. I went to school with Danny Ferrera, though I knew his sister only somewhat. The decisions those kids made that night were inarguably irresponsible and flawed. I am not proposing to defend their choices, nor am I intending to paint them as perfect, but I am still saddened, as a human being, by the loss of life, and the pain their parents and family members must be suffering.

These were children, probably the same age as some of your kids, and demonizing them or their parents or making hateful, racist comments only serves to heap more pain on a devestating situation. I only hope no member of their families has to read some of the truly heartless things posted here. Children and teenagers have terribly flawed judgment sometimes, but that doesn't make the loss of life any less tragic, or the pain of the families any less real. No family is perfect, and some are put in situations they never imagined. Have any of you considered that at three in the morning those parents were probably fast asleep, and thought their children were as well? While it is easy to assign blame, speculate, and pass judgment, I would ask you as a fellow parent, community member, or even just human being to consider the agony of losing a child. The families have my sincerest condolences.


Centurion AD at 5:10 AM June 24, 2011
STILL A MYSTERY? Are these cops braindead. Here, let me help you..
TEEN DRIVER...DRUNK..HIGH ON WEED. TEEN DRIVER SPEEDING...TEEN DRIVER DOESNT KNOW HOW TO DRIVE AT HIGH SPEEDS...TEEN DRIVER LOSES CONTROL...TEEN DRIVER CRASHES INTO TREE AT HIGH RATE OF SPEED. TEEN DRIVER BREAKS NECK....MYSTERY SOLVED.
Oh, teen passengers.....DEAD DUE TO MASSIVE IMPACT OF HITTING TREE AT HIGH RATE OF SPEED. DEATH IS CAUSED BY BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA TO THEIR UPPER CAVITY. MYSTERY SOLVED.
3 dead idiots. World just got a little better.


Surviving teen charged in fatal Prospect Heights crash
By Caroline Kyungae Smith Tribune reporter
9:17 a.m. CDT, June 24, 2011

The sole survivor of a weekend fatal crash in Prospect Heights has been charged because the car was stolen, police say.

The 17-year-old boy [N.S.: Daniel Ascenio, 17, of Mount Prospect] was charged as a juvenile [Why? At 16, one can be charged as an adult.] with criminal trespass to a motor vehicle [But he committed Grand Theft Auto! Oh, I get it. He’s the child of “immigrants”, and besides, GTA is an index crime which would have affected crime ratings, while “criminal trespass to a motor vehicle” is statistically meaningless] and released to the custody of his father, Prospect Heights police said in a statement.

The boy and three other teens had been drinking beer and smoking marijuana last Friday night when they decided to go "car hopping" [that’s at least three crimes] -- looking for unlocked cars to steal items, police said. One of the other teens returned with a 2002 silver Honda Accord, saying she had found the keys in it, police said.

The four teens were initially going to drive to another town to "mess with another gang" [heading to a gang fight] but did not have enough gas, police said. So they drove through the town, speeding and running red lights [three more crimes?] until they crashed at 3:10 a.m. Saturday near East Camp McDonald and Elmhurst roads, police said.

Killed were Jessica Ferrer, 15, of Arlington Heights, Elibeth Solis-Gil, 16, of Arlington Heights and Freddy Najera, 16, of Mount Prospect.

"This was a crash that could have been avoided if one of 20 horrible decisions [crimes] hadn't been made," Prospect Heights Police Chief Jamie Dunne said. "Our prayers are with the families that lost a loved one."

The survivor [Danny Ascenio] has told the Daily Herald that the driver refused to slow down when he asked her. The teen said he buckled his seat belt in the seconds before the crash when the car began shaking.

cxsmith@tribune.com


Baabs13 at 12:05 AM June 24, 2011
Why is he being arrested when in the original story, it was said he was "picked up at home" by the 2 girls?? Tragedy yes, but lets not have a lynch mob.


wiserthanyou at 12:12 AM June 24, 2011
Hmmm....get into a stolen vehicle, you become an accomplice. I doubt lynch mob applies in this case, but he will, more than likely, be tried for the idiorts that died in the crash. I'm sorry man, but I did a lot of dumb stuff as a kid, and I always knew when it was dumb and to which "extent" of dumb it was. I also knew when to back out and when to join, just like this kid did. Stolen is stolen.


DM5419 at 10:21 AM June 24, 2011
I think you need to re-read the story. It said they were out looking through cars to steal things and one happen to come across the keys. So they weren't picked up at home. The original story all sounded a littley fishy to begin with. And the truth finally comes out. Too bad they can't get him for more crimes. I can guarantee this won't be the last time he commits a crime. Better make room in the jail cell now. He's a gang-banger like the rest of them. Not a loss to society if you ask me. And, NO, I have no sympathy.


AlwaysRight at 11:49 AM June 24, 2011
I think if you re-read the original story...that's what HE SAID...doesn't make it the truth.


wiserthanyou at 12:10 AM June 24, 2011
I just need to catch my breath....what was that abought gangs, and messing with and.....oh nevermind, the majority of people in the articles prior were very upset about these "kids" being linked to a gang.....


To2-2oT at 1:04 AM June 24, 2011
Darwin theory at work.


melken at 2:32 AM June 24, 2011
High school dropouts, gangs, stolen autos, 3AM, high, drunk, how can they be less sympathetic characters? It wouldn't be surprising if they considered desecrating a church, a mosque AND a temple before they went on their rampage, the way the facts are coming out.


AlwaysRight at 11:51 AM June 24, 2011
there are always going to be those parents that are in denial and think their kids are still "good kids", even when all those facts come out...otherwise, they'd have to look in the mirror and admit that they raise a worthless piece of...and it's a direct reflection of the parents.


laura1963 at 4:30 AM June 24, 2011
I saw a woman on the first newscast who said they are "good" kids.. what good kids steal cars?? why were they out at 3 am, where were the parents of these good kids? I would think they wouldn't allow them out at that time of night.. It's too bad that they died, but luckily they didn't kill any other innocent drivers or people in the house that they almost hit.


Miss Cleo at 8:30 AM June 24, 2011
laura1963 and cubs1969star:

You have it exactly right. I'm surprised no one claimed that they were honor students at their schools!


cubs1969star at 7:06 AM June 24, 2011
Good kids? Yeah, right! These are the type of people who break into your car and steal.

The parents should get ZERO sympathy from the public. This whole event is a tragic reminder of the cost of bad parenting. I'm just glad the criminals didn't kill some innocent motorist or pedestrian - it could have turned into a tragic event.


Winnetka at 7:21 AM June 24, 2011
Minors out at 3am
Car hopping to steal "items"
Stealing a car
Smoking pot and drinking
Going out to "mess w/ another gang"
Running Red lights
Not wearing seatbelts......

These kids were a known quantity to their parents and/or caregivers. Not a single one of them cared enough to make sure they stayed in line. Some didn't even pick up the phone to report their minor child missing at 3am!

What about their immigration status and that of their "parents"?
Our society is paying a high price for the fact that kids who end up like this are learning by example. They have no respect for society and its laws b/c the "adults" around them do not.

I know many "good kids" who have never and would never do half the things listed above that the article reported about these supposedly "good kids". I'd like to know what the adults who think these kids were "good" would consider a "bad" kid?

Ultimately their actions and behaviour would have found them as residents of Cook County Corrections. They are better off w/ God.


big_dewey at 8:46 AM June 24, 2011
"The teens were initially going to drive to another town to "mess with another gang," but noted they did not have enough gas"

(gang signs flashed with a wicked pose) We'd be coming to kick your a$$es... but we don't have enough gas to get there....


Wing Attack Plan R at 8:10 AM June 24, 2011
If our legal system had guts, they would charge him with manslaughter. He did commit a felony (several, actually) and three people died during the course of that crime spree.

These dead idiots must have had a checklist of wrong things to do...because they did so many in just three hours. Amazing they didn't die sooner. Really.

What about the stolen car's owner? Will the families of the departed at least pay the owner's insurance deductable?


Nephew of God at 9:43 AM June 24, 2011
You're an idiot.


Medic_Nate at 9:50 AM June 24, 2011
The insurance company will pursue the responsible party(s). If or when they may collect is another matter altogether. Due to the fact the survivor is being charged with the theft, he will be considered responsible (Driving or not) and the insurance company will subrogate and attempt to collect for the ENTIRE loss during the court proceedings.


melken at 11:31 AM June 24, 2011
Somehow I doubt anyone's going to have decent insurance on a 10 year old Honda. The owner will probably have to go after the estates directly.


AlwaysRight at 11:54 AM June 24, 2011
@wing attack - the element you are missing in manslaughter is causation. Look it up and report back.


big_dewey at 8:39 AM June 24, 2011
"the teen and three others got together, drank beer and smoked marijuana, police said. Afterward they went "car hopping," which refers to looking for unlocked cars to steal items. One of the teens returned with a 2002 silver Honda Accord that she said she found with the keys"... "The teens were initially going to drive to another town to "mess with another gang," but noted they did not have enough gas, police said. Instead they drove through the town, speeding and running red lights until they crashed at 3:10 a.m."

trash. the NW 'burbs used to be a decent place to raise a family. Much of it was blue-collar, but decent hard working types with an understanding of how decent people live in a society. Today thanks to sect 8 and a number of other social experiments the types of "families" that breed this kind of behavior are out in the burbs with their unsupervised children's gang behaviors and all the comes with it.

Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg, Arltn Hts, Wheeling... Sect 8s and the gang problems that follow along are in all these villages now, but there is little spoken about it. They don't want their little secret revealed for fear they might lose property value.

these kids were trash, plain and simple. If you are going to raise your children to behave like this then don't be surprised when they die like this.


Nephew of God at 9:42 AM June 24, 2011
Yes, the gang problems in the NW burbs are relatively new but drinking and smoking pot while driving fast late at night is nothing new for kids this age.


joem1924 at 9:04 AM June 24, 2011
Now the real facts are coming out. Initially, the quotes from the parents portrayed them as "good" kids. It now appears that they were living irresponsible, reckless lives without much parental control.


Nephew of God at 9:39 AM June 24, 2011
"So they drove through the town, speeding and running red lights until they crashed at 3:10 a.m. "

I'm glad most people were asleep while this happened. Good riddance.


finerbiner at 10:23 AM June 24, 2011
Nephew of God? Please change it to Heartless D**k.


finerbiner at 10:24 AM June 24, 2011
Nephew of God? Please change it to Heartless D**k.


msgrowan at 9:43 AM June 24, 2011
The only good thing to point to in this tragedy is something that didn't happen, i.e., that in their high speed, traffic light running, wild driving these troubled young people didn't encounter another vehicle and snuff out an innocent life or lives along with theirs.


SouthloopDave at 9:46 AM June 24, 2011
I think alot of these posters either forgot about the trouble they got into as teenagers or are the type that keeps the kids balls in the neighborhood if it rolls into their lawn.


bigfoot60 at 10:31 AM June 24, 2011
Hey Southloop,

I know alot of teens that do not get into trouble, and alot of parents that either leave the ball were it landed or gives the ball back. You are lame.


sanenazokyahoo at 3:12 PM June 24, 2011
@Dave: haaaahhhh, if me or my siblings ever even thought about doing something as stupid like this, we would be punished so severly I can't even imagine exactly what that was. Beleive it or not some parents have boundaries, and being out at 3 am drinking and smoking pot doesn't happen by itslef, it takes many years of bad parenting.


Ya Mon at 9:47 AM June 24, 2011
All of them were under the legal curfew age limit.THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO PARENTAL GUIDANCE! After their funerals, their parents should be arrested and sent to jail for child neglect. Dumb a$$e$.


Badmongo at 9:52 AM June 24, 2011
I just hope the parents look deeply inside themselves and realize that their kids are dead because they did a lousy job in raising them.


AlwaysRight at 11:47 AM June 24, 2011
Nah...they are dead because they zigged when they should've zagged.


Francine Alcala at 9:53 AM June 24, 2011
So since he is the SOLE survivor lets charge him with the stolen vechicle even if he didnt steal it...



husweer at 10:07 AM June 24, 2011
Yes. Because he knew the car was stolen. That is possession which is a felony. He was smart enough to buckle his belt, but not smart enough to say to his friends, this car is stolen, take it back. In addition, he had intent to steal. GET A CLUE.


bigfoot60 at 10:24 AM June 24, 2011
No Francine, he is not being charged for the stolen vehicle. He is being charged with Trespass to a Vehicle. A whole different charge, and it is not a felony. He is very lucky that he isn't being charged with possession of a stolen vehicle. He is not being charged because he is the only survivor either. Get a clue. He should also be charged with Underage Drinking too. Stop trying to defend a gangbanger!


musicmom at 10:00 AM June 24, 2011
Southloop Dave, the majority of teenagers (past and present) do NOT get into trouble by joining a gang, hanging out after curfew, stealing a car, DUI, looking for another gang to pick a fight, driving recklessly and killing their cohorts. If a kid's ball rolls onto my lawn I leave it there. Get a clue!


apatecham at 10:01 AM June 24, 2011
In other news, the rival gang that these so called "good kids" were going to mess with, just recruited the tree as a new member for it's work in taking out their adversaries.


redrocket33 at 10:32 AM June 24, 2011
I just wish that the parents of these 'good kids' were IN THE CAR with them when it went off the road. Our society would be better off with that addition by subtraction!


redrocket33 at 10:36 AM June 24, 2011
I just wish that the parents of these 'good kids' were IN THE CAR with them when it went off the road. Our society would be better off with that addition by subtraction!


caching60098 at 10:43 AM June 24, 2011
Yes, lets' blame ALL of the people that are on Section 8 Housing, but how about this....

There was a restaurant on Grand Ave were gangsters, young gangsters that ate there and had there meetings in the parking lot. They robbed people, homes and businesses. They stole cars too and sped around at high speeds drunk and/or drugs. None of these teens were on Section 8 Housing because their scores kept them preety much into vittles. One of them parents owned the restaurant. His father died and he quite school getting into crime. He loved killing people! This guy had a boss by the name of Joey Aiuppa....

The gangsters name was tony spilotro, a made man in future years. He became a mob enforcer. He was Italian....

Oh, I forgot...he's white, so I guess it's okay....

Watch the movie: "Casino" and "Gangs of New York." You'll get the picture....
Back in the 20's, 30's, 40's and so on, Chicago had (Has?) Jewish, Polish, German, Irish, Italian gangs. In fact, the Chicago River use to be the dividing line off North Ave. for the Jewish gang and on the west side, the Polish gang....


mongo789 at 11:25 AM June 24, 2011
Yes, but we're in 2011 so I don't really see what Prohibition has to do with this.


StrawberryMilkshake at 12:28 PM June 24, 2011
it's interesting b/c the majority of comments are along the lines of 'this is the result of bad parenting'...just yesterday there was an article about white suburban young heroin addicts...the parents of one of them have raised money to study why did this happen to their son? well, in that case is it a result of bad parenting too, or is it just a mystery and tragedy? and why does it seem that the labels 'bad parenting' and 'tragedy' are applied differently depedning on the 'parent' involved in the 'tragedy'


MAVERICK4 at 1:01 PM June 24, 2011
caching60098

Mafioso, seldom endangered innocent bystanders.Your long tirade makes no sense. Also, stop watching all those mafia movies.


fubarz at 7:57 PM June 24, 2011
How come there have not been any scandinavian gangs since the vikings?


Auden Cervenka at 11:09 AM June 24, 2011
These kids DIED, and three families are left without their children/siblings, etc. Lots of people make terrible decisions in youth, but that does not mean that they deserve to die before their 18th birthdays. That people would show so much joy in the deaths of three young people – regardless of their crimes – is appalling.

That said – there are obviously cultural factors in lower-income communities that make it so that criminal acts like the kids committed are seen as a fun time. I grew up in an affluent suburb not too long ago, and got into my fair share of trouble. Kids have been drinking and smoking pot and sneaking out to break curfew for a long time, I can promise you that!

I specifically remember regularly picking up a friend whose strict Japanese parents gave her a 9 p.m. curfew on weekends during senior year of high school. She was first-chair violinist in the school orchestra, top honors student, got into a prominent conservatory for college, and yet somehow still managed to sneak out of the house after her parents went to sleep and then go drink beers and smoke pot with us white kids who had midnight or 1 o’clock curfews. But we did NOT steal cars, steal in general, speed around town and blow stop signs while intoxicated…Good parents might not be able to stop all rebellion, but they do set the limit for what counts as rebellion.


AlwaysRight at 12:01 PM June 24, 2011
Auden Cervenka at 11:09 AM June 24, 2011 These kids DIED, and three families are left without their children/siblings, etc. Lots of people make terrible decisions in youth, but that does not mean that they deserve to die before their 18th birthdays.
You left out a couple of more facts: three kids died, and the world is left without three gangbangers, pot smokers, drunk drivers, wreckless drivers, thieves, felons, troublemakers (all rolled into one package)...I'm sure there is more that could be added to the list, but don't forget these when you go on your boo-hoo rants. Most people in the would would prefer to live WITHOUT people with these traits, no matter how old they are.


im_gumby at 12:38 PM June 24, 2011
@Auden,

Don't consider it as people taking pleasure in their deaths. People are sounding off negatively because these teens tossed their own lives away and its a miracle that no one else was hurt.

The 'joy' as you call it is the backlash by the public.

Sure you can blame the parents. But you should start with blaming the kids. They knew right from wrong but just didn't care.


CraigS at 4:00 PM June 24, 2011
"These kids DIED"

Three kids could have easily killed innocent people, driving at high speed through red lights.

"That people would show so much joy in the deaths of three young people – regardless of their crimes – is appalling."

Sorry, but I'll save my sorrow for innocent, good people who die.

"That said – there are obviously cultural factors in lower-income communities that make it so that criminal acts like the kids committed are seen as a fun time."

So it's society's fault?


burningrabbit1 at 6:40 PM June 24, 2011
Hey, are you related to Exene? I love her music...


fubarz at 7:52 PM June 24, 2011
I am not joyful. Stuff like this has bothered me ever since one of my classmates died...one of many to come...via an accident. None were the result of their own doing though.


jhsmt55 at 12:06 PM June 24, 2011
I have a few of these "good" kids in the family.. and let me tell you, for each young person like these, there are a lot of parents who agree to support them by giveng them all they want, cell phones, money and a life with no responsabilites.
I agree, the parents should have been in the same car, as harsh as it sounds, they are to blame for these kids's lack of responsability.


To2-2oT at 3:40 PM June 24, 2011
"a lot of parents who agree to support them by giveng them all they want, cell phones, money and a life with no responsabilites."

Sounds like youre talking about our government. Free cell phones w/ 250 montly minutes. Link cards. Section 8 housing. A life time of no responsibility.


victor5 at 12:17 PM June 24, 2011
Three less morons to rob, steal, and perhaps kill someone else. If we can't have concealed carry, let's leave more cars unlocked. Donate your car to kids!


cubs1969star at 12:42 PM June 24, 2011
I really despise that jingle.


ice6919 at 12:47 PM June 24, 2011
Wow, your an idiot.


cubs1969star at 12:41 PM June 24, 2011
Stealing cars is not youthful rebellion; it's a serious crime. It's really too bad (for the criminals) that they weren't arrested. They probably would have spent some time in jail until they commit their next crime. Poor tree.


CraigS at 3:58 PM June 24, 2011
What's sad is that theft to them was simply a night's entertainment.


nyerinmo9 at 12:47 PM June 24, 2011
I would say punish the parents, but three sets of parents have received the worst punishment possible. I'm just thankful they didn't kill anyone else.

As of the survivor, perhaps him and his parents should have to do time! Send a signal to these dumb kids, and dumber parents that stupidity and ignorance isn't going to be tolerated!


big_dewey at 1:06 PM June 24, 2011
ps: GET-OFF-MY-LAWN


SquintyMagoo at 1:18 PM June 24, 2011
Did they watch an episode of Jackass before they drove drunk at high speed?


Dredd.Werks at 1:18 PM June 24, 2011
I feel sorry for the tree.


tim1970 at 1:58 PM June 24, 2011
I know they were good kids. All good kids drink when they are under age, smoke pot, and steal a car.


Mr.Bond at 2:21 PM June 24, 2011
And drive said stolen car to another town to mess with a rival gang.


Superdessucke at 2:09 PM June 24, 2011
I sniff a lawsuit against the person who was careless enough to accidently leave their keys in the car, thereby allowing these poor urban youth -- troubled due to the loss of factory jobs taken to China by the evil greedy corporate man -- to come to harm. This is all our fault, not theirs.


CraigS at 3:57 PM June 24, 2011
Though I know you're taking the ****, sadly what you wrote is believable.


Peeteey at 7:59 PM June 24, 2011
Not to mention, the person who was negligent enough to have a tree in their front yard. They should have known some honor students on the way home from a math competition would crash into it.


M. Connors at 8:27 AM June 25, 2011
What about the idiot who sold gas to the car's owner? Geez, I knew I should've gone to law school!


Mashed Potatoes at 10:55 AM June 25, 2011
I wonder if his car insurance will weasel out of paying his claim because he was dumb enough to admit contributory negligence in leaving the keys there.


Comowhat? at 4:04 PM June 24, 2011
Drink? smoke? mess with another gang? car hop? steal from cars? were these kids LOOKING to die? cause they surely found it!


HarryLongabaugh at 5:26 PM June 24, 2011
Where's ROGER EBERT with his comments now? Can't talk smack about a bunch of gang-banging, drunk latinos, but it's ok to mouth off (punn intended) about Ryan Dunn!


potato at 6:46 PM June 24, 2011
Ebert can say whatever he wants. Just like you. He made a point about someone in the entertainment business idolized by teens across the country who murdered his friend.

If you want him to comment on people outside the entertainment industry, why don't you just ask him?


redrocket33 at 8:37 PM June 25, 2011
Well, Harry, you DO realize that society allows for the criticism of some groups of people, while absolutely refusing to tolerate "hate" (the very same criticism) of other groups, right?


sanenazokyahoo at 6:54 PM June 24, 2011
I hope the survivor is forced to do some "scared straight" talks at schools after doing some time in prison. The real victim is the guy who lost his car. I figure these kids' estates are all judgment proof.


bigfoot60 at 7:12 AM June 25, 2011
Scared Straight will not work with this kid. He probably been a gangbanger for a couple of years now. It's a mucho thing, and a badge of honor. I doubt even the boot camp system the courts have will do this kid any good.


Mashed Potatoes at 10:54 AM June 25, 2011
i think this kid is going to think of himself as even more special and more "invincible" than his friends, as he was the only one who survived. He's going to graduate to even riskier behavior.


Peeteey at 8:01 PM June 24, 2011
I'm sure this is very hard for the parents. Years of bad parenting caught up with them really fast that night.


mochdog at 1:49 AM June 25, 2011
UGH. stop blaming the parents! kids will do whatever they want to do! my mom did a great job of raising us 4 girls. i'm the oldest and the most responsible, never in trouble with the police, didn't drink underage, etc, while i absolutely cannot say the same for my 3 younger sisters. kids will do what they want and i'm so scared for my toddler to grow up. we do the best we can to teach them right from wrong but bottom line is they make their own decisions.


mochdog at 1:54 AM June 25, 2011
and my sisters' boyfriends would help my sisters sneak out of the house in the middle of the night by putting ladders up to their 2nd floor windows while my mom slept. what are the parents supposed to do, never sleep?


bigfoot60 at 7:09 AM June 25, 2011
I bet the parents of these kids are gang members themselves.


nyerinmo9 at 8:10 AM June 25, 2011
@mochdog..... don't teach your toddler! Just let the kid learn on his/her own. Seriously, don't teach the kid not to put its hand on a hot stove, to look both ways before crossing a street.... afterall, you believe kids will do whatever they want to do anyway!

REALITY.... parents mold children into young adults. Will they make some mistakes, sure. STEALING CARS? DOING DRUGS? I think a parent's influence makes a HUGE difference.


mochdog at 10:42 AM June 25, 2011
lordy. apparently i didn't word things properly. of course i'm going to teach my daughter right from wrong and to be the best person she can be and i can only hope and trust that other parents do the same. we were all raised in a christian household and i will do the best to provide the same for my daughter.

You are right in saying parents mold their children into young adults and they will make mistakes. i'm just saying it's getting a little old fully blaming the parents, when some teens will do things without thinking of the consequences, regardless of their upbringing, as other commenters have stated. that is also a reality. just like most news stories, the majority of us readers have no idea what the parents were like or how they raised these kids that made the ultimate bad decision (well, several bad decisions at once in this case), only speculate. they could have been terrible parents or great, involved parents. it's not our place to judge that. i'm sure there are many factors here.

i have relatives that are wonderful parents, one is a pastor, and yet one of their kids was doing drugs, drove, and died in a car accident. even with that, their youngest is underage drinking all the time behind her parents' back. and they have the best influences all around them.

anyway, this really is a sad story and i hope others will learn from it.


Ralphieboy at 11:47 AM June 25, 2011
One's position in life doesn't make them a good parent. A preacher, big deal, who knows how he treated (or ignored) the kid away from the spot light. Yes, imo, there are circumstances where a kid makes a bad decision and has an accident, but in a case like this, this was a lifestyle apparently approved of or ignored by the parents.


koala11 at 8:08 PM June 25, 2011
ur just a dumbass...treated well by you parents for being 'special' while the others were neglected


chigirl1 at 2:01 PM June 25, 2011
Parents ultimately make the difference. When kids are teens, they do make stupid mistakes. But I don't know any that would steal a car and then want to go make trouble with another gang! Teach them when they are young and they will make it thru the terrible teens without killing their friends.


Mikey72 at 4:02 PM June 25, 2011
See here is the hting: When it happened all the interviewed relatives said the dead were "good kids." And so the news stations and newspapers ran with that. No cautionary words. Just blabber. Now we find they were using drugs and alcohol (all were under age) were in a gang-ralted activity and of course in a stolen car. This is why not many trust newspapers anymore. Common sense has gone out and fast reports are in, even if prevailing evidence at the time (stolen car) refutes what is being said. Yes, parents and firends have the right o speak and be reported. But news people also have the duty to present reall stories and not those tinged with obvious falsehoods. Where are the responsible reports?


koala11 at 8:07 PM June 25, 2011
good news