13-yr-old schoolgirl beaten for anti-illegal-immigration sign

[Little-Acorn]

http://www.examiner.com/a-1328137~St...to_school.html

Student hurt after taking ant-illegal immigration sign to school

Apr 8, 2008 5:12 PM (15 hrs ago) By PAUL J. WEBER, AP

DALLAS (Map, News) - A teenager who took a sign reading "If you love our nation, stop illegal immigration" to school said she was hurt after being swarmed by angry classmates, and administrators said Tuesday they have suspended three students involved in the scuffle.

"It's disappointing that it happened," Athens school district superintendent Fred Hayes said. "It does not surprise me with the political nature of this issue."

Melanie Bowers, 13, brought the sign to Athens Middle School on Friday as part of a class project on political activism. Each child was assigned to pick an issue and prepare a poster supporting a position.

Hayes said she was showing the sign in the hallway when a group of students tried wresting it away.

J.R. Bowers, the girl's father, said Melanie suffered scratch marks along her neck, face and arms. He said she also had a swollen jaw.

Bowers said as many as 20 students surrounded his daughter in the hallway, and Hayes said others may have hurled verbal insults. The poster was ultimately destroyed by other students.

"She was like a zebra on her arm," Bowers said of the bruises. "She believes they were intentionally trying to hurt her."

The three students given in-school suspension are Hispanic, Hayes said. Bowers is white. Although the school has video surveillance, Hayes said the incident occurred in a blind spot out of camera range but no punches were thrown.

Hayes said that since local media first reported the story in Athens, a city of 12,000 about 70 miles south of Dallas, the district has received e-mails from far away.

He said some messages are prefaced with sympathy for Bowers, but go on to say that the other students "are American citizens just like I am, and just like you are."

"Some of these people are irrational in some of the e-mails that they've been sending me about these young people," Hayes said.

Nearly 50 percent of students in the Athens school district are white and about 34 percent are Hispanic, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Hayes said the class project was not appropriate for middle school students. He said the immigration issue has become so politicized and polarizing that "it's much more than illegal now. It just becomes sinister and evil."

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I don't know where to start on this one. At the risk of looking like a bot who can't write or organize his own posts, here's a few points:

1.) The superintendent said that the issue of illegal immigration has become sinister and evil. But apparently the thugs who beat up a 13-year-old girl are not, in his eyes. Who did the issue beat up?

2.) He got messages saying the thugs "are American citizens just like I am, and like you are". Excuse me? I'm not someone who will beat up a 13-year-old girl because I disagree with a sign she is carrying for a school assignment. Those thugs are not like me at all, and I doubt they're like the superintendent either. BTW, the girl's sign was opposing ILLEGAL immigration, not American citizens.

3.) The super said there were no punches thrown, though it's not specified how he knew this since the incident took place out of range of the school's surveillance cameras. Uh-huh. Maybe the girl had a swollen jaw from chewing too much bubble gum. Yeah, that must be it.

4.) The super said the incident didn't surprise him due to the political nature of the issue. Ummm, political issues don't beat people up. Spoiled brats and other thugs who believe they can get away with anything and who like bullying and intimidating girls, beat people up. How about letting the kids learn about the political issues, while punishing the thugs until they lose their desire to beat people up?

[Monkeybone]

all i am gonna say that if it was white boys that beat up a hispanic girl, then it would be a hate crime.

and i would also be pressing charges if i was her dad and throwing a fit about how all these guys got were an "in school-suspension"

[avatar4321]

I would immediately be doing background checks on all of the attackers families and deporting the illegal immigrants that are likely to be found. There is no reason children would be using force in a situation like this unless they and their family were illegal and knew it

[Hagbard Celine]

all i am gonna say that if it was white boys that beat up a hispanic girl, then it would be a hate crime.

and i would also be pressing charges if i was her dad and throwing a fit about how all these guys got were an "in school-suspension"

I think it's been handled appropriately. I think far too often we jump in favor of extra-harsh penalties for those who commit injustices against our own kind. If it had been whites who had beaten up an hispanic girl, they'd have gotten the same punishment and you'd probably be lauding at least their "cause" just because you hold enmity for Hispanics. We all know kids this age don't have the faculties or reasoning skills of an adult so an extra harsh penalty for scuffling over an issue they see their parents talk passionately about would be cruel and unusual in my opinion. At 13, being suspended from school is just about as severe as punishment gets. I do think ISS is a little light considering when I was in middle school the SRO officer got called-in and out of school suspension was a definite if you were caught fighting.

[avatar4321]

I think it's been handled appropriately. I think far too often we jump in favor of extra-harsh penalties for those who commit injustices against our own kind. If it had been whites who had beaten up an hispanic girl, they'd have gotten the same punishment and you'd probably be lauding at least their "cause" just because you hold enmity for Hispanics. We all know kids this age don't have the faculties or reasoning skills of an adult so an extra harsh penalty for scuffling over an issue they see their parents talk passionately about would cruel and unusual in my opinion. At 13, being suspended from school is just about as severe as punishment gets. I do think ISS is a little light considering when I was in middle school, the SRO officer got called-in and out of school suspension was a definite if you were caught fighting.

So you honestly think if the victim was hispanic and the attacks white, the punishment would have been the same?

Do you honestly think MB made the statement because he is overprotective of "his own kind"? Heck no. It's because there is a double standard. There has been so many instances of this it's not funny.

[Hobbit]

These kids were 13, more than old enough to understand that there's a special place in Hell for people who gang-beat girls and that political signs for an assignment are no excuse for violence. They should have been expelled, at least for a semester.

If this had happened to my sister, I'd be in my car right now, driving directly towards the homes of these jackasses, and I'd make sure my sister looked like the lucky one.

As one last note, if I had both the money and this kid's address, I'd give a contribution towards tuition to put this girl in a private school.

[LiberalNation]

Only in school for a fight. Must be different around there. Here cops are called in during any and every fight. Reports hafta be written and all that crap. Normally a week of suspension or 6 weeks of central learning center.

[Monkeybone]

I think it's been handled appropriately. I think far too often we jump in favor of extra-harsh penalties for those who commit injustices against our own kind. If it had been whites who had beaten up an hispanic girl, they'd have gotten the same punishment and you'd probably be lauding at least their "cause" just because you hold enmity for Hispanics(hahaha yah..ok...).

that is a load of generalizing bullshit. i may not support illegal aliens, but i sure as hell do not support violence against them. i would have said those boys that ganged up on a girl should be expelled and treated the same way. come on now Hag.

We all know kids this age don't have the faculties or reasoning skills of an adult so an extra harsh penalty for scuffling over an issue they see their parents talk passionately about would be cruel and unusual in my opinion. At 13, being suspended from school is just about as severe as punishment gets. I do think ISS is a little light considering when I was in middle school the SRO officer got called-in and out of school suspension was a definite if you were caught fighting.

they don't have the faculties or reasoning skills at the age of 13 to beat up a girl? man...society is in worse shape than i thought. and yes, as above, i agree that an ISS is too light. i could understand an ISS if they shoved and just destroyed the poster, but that ain't what happened.

i think that this superintendent is afraid to hand down a harsher sentence becasue he doesn't wanna be labled racist

[Trigg]

Hayes said the class project was not appropriate for middle school students. He said the immigration issue has become so politicized and polarizing that "it's much more than illegal now. It just becomes sinister and evil."

Why would he think this topic isn't for middle school students? These kids are old enough to be able to make a coherent argument. This is a perfect time to teach these kids to actually debate an issue instead of hurling insults or fists.

I also agree with liberalnation, why was this only ISS. This was a fight where 1 girl was ganged up on and should be treated like any other fight. In my area the children responsible would have been suspended.

[Little-Acorn]

Now it seems she lied about the three boys scratching and beating her. They did take her poster away, but did not hurt her. Heard about this on the radio on the way to work today, so I checked it out and found I had been wrong in my original post.

Great. So now we have both parties guilty. The three boys stole her poster, which they shouldn't have done. They are still thugs.

She lied about what they had done, accusing them of beating and scratching her when in fact she deliberately scratched herself to frame them. She's a miserable liar and should join them in their suspension.

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http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/17439834.html

Texas Schoolgirl Lied About Attack Over Immigration Sign Save Email Print

(April 9, 2008)--An Athens eighth-grader lied when she told them a pack of angry classmates assaulted her over an anti-illegal immigration poster she took to class as part of an assignment, school officials said Wednesday.

Bowers' poster for a class project read, "If you love our nation, stop illegal immigration."

J. R. Bowers, the girl's father said Tuesday his daughter suffered scratch marks along her neck, face and arms and had a swollen jaw as a result of the scuffle over the sign.

But Athens Superintendent Dr. Fred Hayes said Wednesday surveillance video shows 13-year-old Melanie Bowers inflicting scratch marks on herself after her poster was taken.

Three Hispanic students were suspended for their role in the scuffle.

Hayes said their punishment remains valid because they helped take the poster, but did not hurt Bowers in the process.

Hayes said the school district has asked police to file criminal charges against the girl for filing a false report.

[Hagbard Celine]

that is a load of generalizing bullshit. i may not support illegal aliens, but i sure as hell do not support violence against them. i would have said those boys that ganged up on a girl should be expelled and treated the same way. come on now Hag.

they don't have the faculties or reasoning skills at the age of 13 to beat up a girl? man...society is in worse shape than i thought. and yes, as above, i agree that an ISS is too light. i could understand an ISS if they shoved and just destroyed the poster, but that ain't what happened.

i think that this superintendent is afraid to hand down a harsher sentence becasue he doesn't wanna be labled racist

Oh c'mon. Admit it, you do hold enmity towards Hispanics. You think they're "invading" our culture. All I'm saying here is that I think it was handled the way it should've been--by the school administration. I don't understand why they just got ISS instead of having to file a police report and get suspension outside of school, but punishment is up to school administration, not public opinion. I've seen several posters call for some or other type of vigilante justice to punish these kids, but the fact of the matter is just that ya'll are calling for a harsher punishment simply because you're minds lie on the opposite side of this issue and because the perps are Hispanics. If they were white you'd say "what's our society coming to?" and shake your heads. I doubt you'd call for the girl's family to show up at the perps' houses and "dole out some country justice." Give me a break.

[Monkeybone]

Oh c'mon. Admit it, you do hold enmity towards Hispanics. You think they're "invading" our culture. All I'm saying here is that I think it was handled the way it should've been--by the school administration. I don't understand why they just got ISS instead of having to file a police report and get suspension outside of school, but punishment is up to school administration, not public opinion. I've seen several posters call for some or other type of vigilante justice to punish these kids, but the fact of the matter is just that ya'll are calling for a harsher punishment simply because you're minds lie on the opposite side of this issue and because the perps are Hispanics. If they were white you'd say "what's our society coming to?" and shake your heads. I doubt you'd call for the girl's family to show up at the perps' houses and "dole out some country justice." Give me a break.

no. i don't. if i do, it is becasue of the illegal part and the bringing of TB and other diseases. for them being here wanting a better life, i hold no problem. the only thing that i said, was that they would be calling it a hate crime if whites did it to a hispanic girl.

did i say anything about vigilante justice? no i didn't. i said that it should be handled by the proper ppl, not the family members.

but it is all moot since she lied anyways.

[Hagbard Celine]

no. i don't. if i do, it is becasue of the illegal part and the bringing of TB and other diseases. for them being here wanting a better life, i hold no problem. the only thing that i said, was that they would be calling it a hate crime if whites did it to a hispanic girl.

did i say anything about vigilante justice? no i didn't. i said that it should be handled by the proper ppl, not the family members.

but it is all moot since she lied anyways.

I know right? What a crazy girl to scratch herself up. Ugh. I pity the fool who gets mixed up with her further-on down the line.

[Monkeybone]

I know right? What a crazy girl to scratch herself up. Ugh. I pity the fool who gets mixed up with her further-on down the line.

haha amen to that. don't date that one. all you need is for her to scream 'woman beater'.

this situation makes me think of my first fight with tyler....

[actsnoblemartin]

I say charge the young attackers with a hate crime.