Battery Charges Dropped Against Calif. Trans Student

[Guest Carla_Davis]

Battery Charges Dropped Against Calif. Trans Student

http://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2014/05/07/battery-charges-dropped-against-calif-trans-student

Hugs,

Carla

[Guest Kalie Aowynn]

What a load of hooey. This young lady was the only one who went through Restorative Justice program so as to appease the courts and get her charges dropped . Good for her but where is the Justice? I mean were the three attackers discipline in any way other than a few day suspension. How are they going to learn that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated? But then again we are talking California. Sorry to all the sisters from California.

[VickySGV]

Hercules is North East of San Francisco and North of Oakland in Contra Costa county. It would have been VERY INTERESTING if this had occurred in Alameda County, which is the one just south of Contra Costa. Alameda County Superior Courts HAVE the first publicly elected openly Transgender Judge, The Hon. Victoria Kolakowski, whom I am pleased to have met and chatted with several months ago.

Regrettably I do not think anger management would have done a hill of beans for the other students, what they would have needed does not exist to my knowledge since it would involve them having to experience the feelings of their victims and experience those feelings as their own. I do know that the young lady involved here has been contacted and helped by the TG community that does exist in the surrounding towns there and is being helped to become an effective leader and advocate of how to do things the right way to get our point across.

[Guest Jennifer T]

Who 'threw the first punch' in the altercation?

[Ravin]

Hercules is North East of San Francisco and North of Oakland in Contra Costa county. It would have been VERY INTERESTING if this had occurred in Alameda County, which is the one just south of Contra Costa. Alameda County Superior Courts HAVE the first publicly elected openly Transgender Judge, The Hon. Victoria Kolakowski, whom I am pleased to have met and chatted with several months ago.

Regrettably I do not think anger management would have done a hill of beans for the other students, what they would have needed does not exist to my knowledge since it would involve them having to experience the feelings of their victims and experience those feelings as their own. I do know that the young lady involved here has been contacted and helped by the TG community that does exist in the surrounding towns there and is being helped to become an effective leader and advocate of how to do things the right way to get our point across.

There are therapeutic programs targeted at helping youth learn empathy.

[Ravin]

Who 'threw the first punch' in the altercation?

It was 3-on-one mutual combat. Throwing the first punch precludes a self defense claim, but so does failure to retreat. The article links to the video of the fight.

I'm glad they dropped the charges, but the others should have had more consequences than a short suspension. Some anti-bullying education/counseling at least. And Jeweles shouldn't have been charged in the first place when the others weren't.

[Guest LizMarie]

Who 'threw the first punch' in the altercation?

The trans girl "threw the first punch" only after school officials had been warned for weeks beforehand that she was being bullied and harassed repeatedly (which reportedly included hair pulling and pushing) yet did nothing. In fact, the school itself is being forced to undergo administrative changes and supervision to implement better controls related to bullying in general.

In the case in point, she was set upon by at least 3 other students who were harassing her outside during a break period with no teachers intervening.

[Guest LizMarie]

Who 'threw the first punch' in the altercation?

It was 3-on-one mutual combat. Throwing the first punch precludes a self defense claim, but so does failure to retreat. The article links to the video of the fight.

I'm glad they dropped the charges, but the others should have had more consequences than a short suspension. Some anti-bullying education/counseling at least. And Jeweles shouldn't have been charged in the first place when the others weren't.

The trans girl tried to retreat but was pursued by the 3 attackers both before and after she threw the first punch.

I agree that the other students should have suffered greater consequences. As it stands, they basically got away with harassing and attacking another student without repercussions.

[Guest Jennifer T]

Who 'threw the first punch' in the altercation?

It was 3-on-one mutual combat. Throwing the first punch precludes a self defense claim, but so does failure to retreat. The article links to the video of the fight.

I'm glad they dropped the charges, but the others should have had more consequences than a short suspension. Some anti-bullying education/counseling at least. And Jeweles shouldn't have been charged in the first place when the others weren't.

I'll have to watch the video. My question was simply out of curiosity. When I was in school, eons ago, whoever threw the first lunch was usually the 'assailant' and took the rap.

Bullying has been around forever. Little has changed.

[Carolyn Marie]

..

Bullying has been around forever. Little has changed.

I think that's a big part of the problem. Parents and teachers too often think, "We'll I survived it, and it made me stronger, so what's the big deal?"

Carolyn Marie

[Guest Jennifer T]

..

Bullying has been around forever. Little has changed.

I think that's a big part of the problem. Parents and teachers too often think, "We'll I survived it, and it made me stronger, so what's the big deal?"

Carolyn Marie

Some may think that way. I think however that no matter what, people do what people do.

That being said, I just watched the video. Certainly difficult to ascertain what happened. Fortunately, there was commentary.

Not much of a fight, really. But like she, if I felt threatened, I'd react. Especially if she tried other means to stop it and nothing did.