Somali "Refugees," 14, Brutally Beat White Girl, 12, When She Refuses to be Their Sex Slave; One Attacker: She Attacked Me; His Father, Through Interpreter: It was Just "Kids being Kids"

 

 

 

 

By Nicholas Stix

 

In early 2011, New Hampshire school girl Morgan Graveline, then 12, endured horrific beatings, including having two front teeth knocked out by a forearm shiver and multiple punches, she said, at the hands of two black, 14-year-old, Somali "refugee" students, Ali Abdi and Abdi Karim Maalo, at her school, McLaughlin Middle School in Manchester. The boys had demanded that she submit to being their sex slave, and cursed and beat her when she refused to submit. (Most of the damage was caused by Ali Abdi in the second attack.)

 

Instead of notifying Morgan's mother, Danielle Gauthier, school officials—Mclaughlin Principal Barry Albert and Manchester school superintendent, Dr. Tom Brennan—engaged in a cover-up. It was only when Ms. Gauthier went to the media that the educrats went into CYA mode.

 

Below you will find a February 21, 2011, Fox Boston news story; a blog essay that Morgan's mother, Danielle Gauthier, posted on February 19, 2011, but has since deleted or de-linked; a response I wrote to Ms. Gauthier at her blog five days later; a February 26, 2011 Manchester Union-Leader story by Ted Seifer supporting the attackers, through an anonymous school faculty member who hid behind the very confidentiality policy she was violating, and who was full of solicitude for the attackers, but had none for their victim, and suggesting that Ms. Gauthier was a violent gold digger; a December 23, 2012 news story, updating the status of the mother's lawsuit against Morgan's school; and finally, all of the 116 reader comments that were up at Ms. Gauthier's blog in February, 2011, but which she has since sent down the memory hole.

 

Morgan told Fox that even when she was in her family's home with other relatives present, one of her attackers walked up to the house, and peered in the window at her.

 

Her attackers went on their own media offensive, in which they asserted that she had harassed them, and that they were the victims of the piece. She had apparently thrown her face into their blows.

 

My VDARE colleague, Matthew Richer, reported on this story on December 14, 2011.

 

 

 

Girl punched in alleged bullying attack

Posted: Monday, February 21, 2011 12:31 P.M. EST

A 12-year-old girl was allegedly punched in the face during an alleged bullying attack.

A Manchester, N.H., mother says her daughter was the victim of extreme bullying at McLaughlin Middle School in Manchester. Her daughter, Morgan Graveline, is recovering after she said a boy at her school punched out her two front teeth.

The sixth-grader said she was attacked Tuesday in her school cafeteria by a boy who she said had been threatening her. The attack came two weeks after she was allegedly hit in the face by the boy's friend on the school bus.

The girl says she had just gone to her principal and guidance counselor to report threats from the boys. A bus driver reported the initial school bus attack, but the principal never made her aware.
And now, the girl's mother, Danielle Gauthier, is calling for the school's principal to be removed. Graveline is upset with what she calls a lack of proper school and police response and has posted an online blog about the alleged attack. Click here to read it.

Morgan is now forced to eat from a straw for at least the next month and the two front teeth she lost are now wired into her mouth.

Manchester's school superintendent, Dr. Tom Brennan, issued this statement:

"Violence will not be tolerated in our schools and there are consequences for those individuals who do not comply with the district's policies and/or the student code of conduct. I will be reviewing the circumstances of this incident to determine if any further administrative action is warranted. I wish this young person a speedy and complete recovery."

 

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Saturday, February 19, 2011

My 12 year old daughter brutally attacked by refugee boys at school

 

My 12 year old daughter's name is Morgan. She attends the sixth grade at McLaughlin Middle school in Manchester, NH. She has always been a well liked girl with lots of friends, and a passion for humanity. She's known for standing up for those who can't stand up for themselves giving them a voice and the courage to stand up for themselves.

It came as complete shock when our family received a call from the school nurse stating that Morgan had been involved in a fight and "her mouth is a little screwed up". Upon arriving at her school it was very disturbing to see her condition. Immediately we knew by the blood gushing and her inability to remember her mothers name or phone numbers, she should have been transported to the ER by ambulance. Instead, she sitting in the nurses office being asked to stop crying. Stop crying about the teeth that had been punched out of her head?

Apparently two weeks prior to my daughter getting attacked at school, she was punched in the face by one of the boys on the bus. Being too scared to tell anyone, my daughter never spoke to myself or our family about this incident only telling her sister what had happened. The bus driver however was well aware of what happened, and reported it a WEEK LATER. Meanwhile she is receiving threats from these boys that they are going to "f**k up her face so she isn't pretty anyone".

The arguments between my daughter and these boys started with a couple of the boys asking Morgan to be their girlfriend. When Morgan turned them down, they retaliated by calling her names like "fat ho, lesbian b**ch, c**t, etc..." this goes on for about a month before the first assault on the bus occurs.

Once the principal received notification about the bus incident, he took another week to address it. Not once was I ever notified that my daughter was assaulted on the bus. The principal questioned my daughter and the boys that had been threatening her. The boys were never suspended or removed from school. Shortly after the conversation the students had with the principal, Morgan was brutally attacked. First elbowed in the face, followed by 6 to 7 punches knocking her front teeth out and leaving her with a concussion. It took four teachers to get one of the boys off her.

Adding further negligence to her care, the nurse put her teeth in water which significantly reduces the chance of being able to save the teeth. Even I know having no medical background, you're suppose to put a tooth in milk. As if she wasn't in enough pain, due to the teeth not being put in milk she had to have the teeth put back into her mouth with out any pain killers because of emergency of time. The dentist said this was the worst trauma she's seen to a child's mouth. If the teeth end up taking, which there is a 80% chance they won't, she will have to have at least four root canals among other reconstructive procedures. In the meantime she has to eat from a straw for the next month and possibly two.

When I asked the principal why he didn't tell me of the incident on the bus two weeks prior his response was "I have things to do and other people to talk to" followed by a condescending chuckle! This was his response to parent in tears at ER with her daughter.
I firmly believe if I had been notified of the first incident, the attack that followed could have been prevented. There would have been many steps I could have taken to prevent this, such as removing her from the bus and working closely with the school. My sister, along with my mother were the first to arrive at the school and were greeted by the Vice Principal saying "there are two sides to every story" in response to asking what action is being taken against the boys.

The boys are refugees brought over from Kenya and Ethiopia. It makes me question if we are providing these children with proper coping skills for a healthy transition. Also, is it safe for these students to be held back to due to language barriers leaving such a great age difference between students. I can't imagine the rage these boys must be harvesting inside to attack a girl so brutally.

This incident happened on Tuesday February 15th, I have called the police department numerous times with no luck. I asked the police to come take a statement from my daughter. He responded with I already spoke with her and have all the information I need. The officer NEVER spoke to my daughter. These officers are also the ones that are employed by the school to be on the premises at all times. When I tried to contact the Manchester Police department directly to get someone to take a report, I was repeatedly told "I'll hear from someone".

Today is Saturday February 19th, I still have not heard from anyone. The school has not called to see how Morgan is doing. It breaks my heart that a little girl can be so brutally attacked by boys at school, and this is how the situation was handled.

 

Posted by Danielle Gauthier at 5:36 AM

 

 

Nicholas said...

I am not a lawyer, but I have studied and written on many such cases.

Your daughter was the victim of a violent, racially motivated crime. Forget the social workerese of "bullying." "Bullying" is legally ambiguous; felony or even misdemeanor assault is not.

And while I do not want to unnecessarily frighten you, this is not over. These boys want to force your daughter to sexually submit to them. They wish to rape her. That is the way males operate who demand a female "date" them, and beat her to a pulp, if she says, "No." Don't take my word for it; you can look it up.

Although the second attacker is only 14, do not concern yourself with his welfare. He is already a confirmed, extremely violent predator, who must be removed from your daughter's world, as in expelled and incarcerated. Juvenile facilities exist for just his ilk at 14, and prisons for him, down the road. He is evil.

A boy was bullying my son, and the guidance counselor talked about "mediation." This was a much less dramatic situation, and the other boy was white (my son is of mixed race), but when I threatened to sue the school, and wrote the principal and other authorities, they dealt with the bully. Your situation is an order of magnitude worse because of the violence already inflicted twice on your daughter, and because of the racism that factors in at every level of her case (motivation, favoritism, negligence, etc.).

I don't know the situation in your town, but in many areas, in matters of liability, the schools and police are under the jurisdiction of the city government. Note too that in most states, educators and other people working with children are mandatory reporters, in cases of child abuse. The principal and other school personnel, or the district or city government may be both civilly and criminally liable for endangering the welfare of a child, and for educational neglect. (I was a case worker for abused and neglected children in New York, 20 years ago.)

You must sue the city (etc.) for millions. That is all these people understand. They don't care a fig about your child. They just want to make this case go away… for free.

Do not agree to any situation, in which this predator is treated like your daughter's equal. He is not her equal, and there is nothing to mediate. A sit-down would be a victory for him. Any compassion you show him will be seen as weakness. He must be punished, and you must protect your baby, by any means necessary. And the only way he will be punished, though even this is not guaranteed, is if you sue the authorities for millions, and your attorney goes public, and demands that the predator be expelled and prosecuted, and the principal removed. A competent attorney admitted to the NH bar will know if you can sue the principal, or if he enjoys immunity as a civil servant, if you can sue the school and police, or just the city, and if you can sue the refugee resettlement agency who visited this plague on your family. In any event, publicize the names of all of the responsible parties.

The school will probably lie to you, and say that the boy cannot be expelled. Of course, he can be expelled. If school administrators look at endless millions in liability for your daughter's case, and for other potential victims of these predators and their friends, they will suddenly remember that they can expel anyone who is a proven danger to students and personnel.

Good luck, and godspeed.

Nicholas Stix

February 24, 2011 2:42 AM

 

 

 

McLaughlin student bullying: The other side

By Ted Seifer

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Manchester Union-Leader

 

MANCHESTER – The McLaughlin Middle School students accused of bullying and bloodying a 12-year-old girl say she instigated the confrontation, which garnered wide media coverage.

"She came up to me and starting hitting me," said Ali Abdi, 14, of the incident in the school cafeteria on Feb. 15. He admits that he then hit Morgan Graveline. The blow knocked out Graveline's front teeth.

Abdi said that he had been friends with Graveline, but that she started harassing him after he and his friends rebuffed her advances.

"She was bullying me and my friends," he said.

He said he felt embarrassed for hitting a girl and that he has tried to apologize.

Abdi was suspended from school for at least a week. He said Graveline also was suspended. This was confirmed by a faculty member who was upset over how Ali and another student were portrayed in the media. The faculty member did not want to be identified because of the school's confidentiality policies. Danielle Gauthier, Graveline's mother, denies Morgan was suspended.

District officials and police have refused to comment on the allegations, citing an ongoing investigation and rules concerning juveniles. Manchester School Superintendent Thomas Brennan said he hopes to conclude the district's investigation of the fight and events leading up to it next week. So far police have not filed any charges in the incident.

Morgan Graveline, 12, with her mother Danielle Gauthier at their Manchester apartment on Monday.

Abdi's account is in stark contrast to the version of events presented by Gauthier in a blog and in subsequent TV interviews. She said her daughter was picked on over the course of several weeks by two "refugee boys" who were upset that she spurned their affections.

Abdi and another student accused in the attack are refugees from Somalia.

Two weeks before the cafeteria incident, Gauthier said, another boy hit Graveline on the bus.

The student, Abdi Karim Maalo, insists he hardly knows Morgan, and that he was not involved in the cafeteria fight. He said he hit her on the bus after she started hitting him and wouldn't let him off the bus.

"I asked to move, and she said, 'No, you get in the last row,' " Maalo said.

Hassan Baruki, left, with his son, Abdi Karim Maalo. Baruki says the recent bullying allegations are about how teens behave, not how refugees act.

Maalo said the principal ended up suspending him for three days over the incident.

Gauthier defended her daughter's version of events, insisting that she's a "nice, kind girl" and that she's "not even allowed to have a boyfriend." As for the boys, she said: "They should be careful with what they say because this is being investigated by the police."

But Gauthier stressed that her greatest concern was how school officials handled the treatment of her daughter. She insists she was never informed about the first hitting incident on the bus, and that neither the police nor an ambulance was called to the cafeteria after her daughter was struck. Graveline suffered a concussion and needs to undergo painful medical procedures to get teeth fixed, Gauthier said.

Gauthier has retained a lawyer, but she said she's still weighing how to proceed.

Gauthier herself has been accused of engaging in threatening behavior. She was found guilty of two counts of criminal threatening last year for telling a neighbor that she would "slit her throat" as her pit bull allegedly attacked the neighbor's dog.

In December, Gauthier filed for bankruptcy, claiming debts totaling $467,094.

Gauthier defended citing the origin of the students in her blog, which begins with the headline: "My 12 year old daughter brutally attacked by refugee boys at school."

"I don't want anyone thinking this is a racist thing," Gauthier said. "The refugees come from a terrible situation. I have advocated for them. But to punch a girl in the face, to knock her teeth out -- maybe these boys are not being taught the right coping skills."

Hassan Baruki, the father of Abdi Karim Maalo, said the events at the school had more to do with kids being kids than the Somali refugee community.

"My son is a good boy," he said through a translator. "We come from refugee camps, but we are American now. We love Manchester. People have been very good to us here."

Baruki added, however, that Ali, his son's friend, was "a troublemaker."

 

 

Superior Court upholds part of anti-bully suit against Manchester School District
McLaughlin Middle School principal at fault; student was punched in the face
By TED SIEFER
New Hampshire Union Leader
December 23, 2012

MANCHESTER - A Hillsborough County Superior Court judge has upheld part of a lawsuit against the school district brought by the mother of a middle school student who, in a widely publicized incident nearly two years ago, was punched in the face by another student.

The suit was brought by Danielle Gauthier, the mother of the girl, Morgan Graveline, against the Manchester School District.

In a ruling earlier this month, the judge found that the principal of McLaughlin Middle School failed in his duty to ensure the safety of Graveline by not telling her mother about bullying incidents that preceded the altercation in the cafeteria. The punch resulted in Graveline's two front teeth being jarred loose.

The ruling may mark the first time such a case has been allowed to proceed since the state passed its anti-bullying law in 2010.

The judge did grant the district's motion to dismiss another charge in the case, that the principal did not do enough to prevent the attack in the cafeteria.

Gauthier's attorney, BJ Branch, said that prior to the cafeteria incident, Graveline was punched on a school bus by a friend of the person who allegedly attacked her in the cafeteria. The attack was severe enough that the bus driver made a report, in writing, to school leaders. That event was followed by harassing and vulgar Facebook messages from the boys to Graveline.

However, school principal Barry Albert never told Graveline's mother about the incidents, contrary to the district's anti-bullying policy, which required parents of alleged victims and perpetrators of bullying to be informed "within 48 hours" of the incident, said Branch. Manchester passed its policy in response to the state anti-bullying law, which required all districts to enact policies based on a common model.

"The school district took that information (about the bus incident) and never brought it the attention of the parent and left it to a 13-year-old to make the right decision, which is rarely a good move," Branch said. "I think the whole purpose of the statute is to at least make sure the parents are in the loop. The parent could have kept the kid at home until this gets straightened out."

Manchester Superintendent Thomas Brennan did not return a call for comment.

Among the evidence Branch cited in the case was the report from the school bus driver and copies of the Facebook messages.

Branch said Gauthier is seeking compensation for dental and medical bills and for her daughter's emotional suffering.

The Feb. 15, 2011, incident, in which Graveline was punched in the cafeteria, garnered wide news media attention, with Gauthier and Graveline appearing in television and newspaper interviews.

Graveline's alleged tormentors, who are refugees from Kenya, gave their own interviews with the New Hampshire Union Leader, in which they claimed that they were the victims of harassment on the part of Graveline.

Brennan had said in a TV interview at the time that he believed the incident in the cafeteria did not qualify as bullying. He also issued a statement that the district "has taken all necessary steps to prevent bullying in our schools and to ensure that a safe and secure learning environment is being provided to all of our students."

Branch said he was surprised that the district did not agree to settle the matter outside of court, and he said he still hoped officials would be willing to talk following the latest ruling.

"I'm confident we could at least narrow the dispute, if not resolve it completely," he said. "My client feels strongly that schools should error on the side of calling parents."

A trial is expected to be scheduled beyond the spring of 2013.

tsiefer@unionleader.com