There is a sharp disconnect between two prank stories this morning. When Tyrell Morton put an inflatable girl in the girl’s bathroom at his high school, he ended up with a felony charge and a potential jail sentence of eight years. However, when three eighth-grade girls from Dunbar Middle school in Florida tackled an 11-year-old boy and stripped him naked (and proceeded to videotape him and taunt him), they were let go as a simple prank in bad taste.
In the video, the girls stop the boy to chat and then hold him down, strip him naked, and mock him. The video was put on YouTube.
The boy is a fifth grader at Ray Pottorf Elementary. One girl faced a single misdemeanor battery charges, but it was abandoned when the boy’s mother has refused to press charges. I commend her for her restraint, but I wonder what the charge would be if a group of boys attacked and stripped a girl in public, videotaped her, and mocked her.
I tend to disfavor criminal charges in such cases. However, it seems clear that the girls should be expelled and subject to the most severe forms of school punishment. What I find interesting, however, is the sharply different treatment given such acts by boys as opposed to girls. Indeed, I doubt seriously this would have even confined to a misdemeanor if the genders were reversed or that, with the existence of the videotape, the failure to press charges would be determinative. If the police witness or have evidence of a felony, they do not necessarily require the consent of the victim. Once again, I would not take this to the criminal system. Yet, I am surprised that the articles only refer to the possibility of parental punishment as opposed to immediate expulsion and other measures, such as denial of social clubs, graduation etc.
Jonathan Turley
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barney, i am not saying kids should do this and get away with, what those girls did was horrible, but i am sorry, why should they go to prison for it. kids will do stupid things, boys and girls. let the parents handle it.
if these girls do it again, then maybe i would agree with you prison must be the only way to teach them a lesson. but prison should be only a last resort.
i am sure this stuff happens all the time with kids, but it’s not put in the media. sometimes parent are just not aware of it. their children are afraid too tell the parents what happened. the boy didn’t tell his mother, it was elder brother that got the girls known.
who ever put it on the media, has furthered his humiliation, and the world has definitely seen it. where as only a few school mates might of saw the video.
I have good kids, they would not just attack someone like that. they laughed because everyone is making a big deal of it. i made them watch it,because i want them to be aware this behaviour is wrong.
maybe my kids would pull off someone pants for a joke, if the person was allowing it to happen to them. playing along so to speak.
i don’t understand why 3 13 year old girls would do that someone, even worse someone younger than them? was it just intended as a joke/prank among friends in community? are these girls just big bullies? why wasn’t anyone pressing charges?
it seems in america bullying happens more outside school, rather than inside school. because kids know their parents won’t punish them. were as the school will.
all i am going to say is the mother didn’t press charges must have very good reason not to. she must know the parents of these girls, to say they must be punished by the parents. she might not of pressed charges not because her son was a boy. but she was friends with these girls parents.
i think the boy didn’t want to press charges against the girls from what i heard. he did not want to testify against the girls. so what chance have the courts got without a victim. there are only few crimes you can prosecute without the victims testimony. murder, bank robbery.
good luck on getting these girls prosecuted, you all wasting your time. it just won’t happen.
Robin, your comments are a good indicator of what’s wrong with everything. Because this happened to a boy, hey, it’s no big deal, get over it. Everybody does it.
WRONG. Sure, adults do stupid crap all the time, and YouTube is full of it. But when it’s involving children, that’s a different matter. Bottom line, what the girls did are felony offenses and they should be held accountable. If they don’t then the public keeps on with this until something is finally done.
Otherwise, if it isn’t such a big deal, then the same thing can happen to them and there be no punishment, right?
There is a double standard, and the way you fix it is to just do the same thing to the other side and cancel it all out.
I’m sorry your kids think this is ok. Would they think the same if they ended up on YouTube in the same manner? Let’s see a bunch of 10 year old girls lose their pants and underwear and let that video stay on youtube for a couple of months or so before it’s taken down. Then we’ll say it’s no big deal, right?
i am double standards by the way. boys should be sent to prison for this sort of thing. because they think and see differently to girls. men are primarily visual creatures. women are not so turned on seeing a man naked.
I hardly think these girls did this for sexual reasons. more to tease the boy, and really embarrass him. he might be traumatized for a year so from it. but he will get over it. just leave them alone, and let the boy get over it. your just making things worst for him, by you keep bring the subject you will keep embarrassing him. he does not want to be reminded of it.
double standard suck’s but female and male sexes are different. get over it, cause it won’t change. kids don’t have sexual motives like adults do.
what’s all the big fuss about, its flaming kids being stupid. yeah it was horrible what they did. but kids do this all the time to each other. it only seems worst cause of the media attention.
kids and adults always get pantsed, debbaged, owned all the time at school or in a community or at home.
get a life people no way these girls should be sent to prison or registered as sex offenders. just take a look on youtube what people do to each other. do any of them want to be stripped naked and be put on youtube. NO, and not for the whole world to see. and please don’t justify to me otherwise. kids will be stupid all the time, and make big, and small mistakes.
they certainly won’t be criminals, your telling me that they going to criminals because of a stupid prank gone wrong. i have had worst done to me, and i have done worst than these girls. i am not a criminal. yes kids will push their limits, and see what they can get away with. but its up to the parents, to make their kids realize what they have done is wrong.
society is getting pathetic on the way we are treating our kids. I have 2 sons and 2 daughters. they think the same as me, sadly some of them laughed at the whole incident. one of them said whats the big deal, its just the media. making it worst. my children said to me, he will only make things worst for himself, if he and the mother were to press charges. if he doesn’t want to get bullied about it, its simple don’t make a big deal of it. and say to his friends i was joking with the girls. and the media was making it worst.
i agree with the mother for not pressing charges, she would only make things a whole lot worse for her son. kids at that age, take sides whether they are right or wrong for what they done. everything is based on popularity at school.
take care merrry christmas robin.
Sarah,
They are certainly morally deficient because they get their enjoyment from tormenting smaller children. They are not mentally retarded however. Allie Marie Bailey was conducted into the Junior Honor Society at Dunbar. Johnna Cadena is honored as an aspiring author on the school website. Ariana De La Torre also seems to be at least average if not above average intellectually.
This may seem strange to those of us who had a normal childhood. If these girls are not stupid, why did they record their crime, put it on youtube, and then call their friends to insure that all classmates, neighbors, their parents, and the police would know exactly what they did? For these particular girls, it was not a dumb thing to do. They knew they would not be punished by their parents, because their parents had never punished them for anything before. They were right. They were not punished for this bullying, nor have they been punished for the transgressions they have committed since this incident. They knew their families’ social status and money, and the fact that they are female, would protect them from being held accountable by the police for their felonies. Again, they were right. I understand that the girls are continuing to engage in criminal activities, and they are smart enough to know they can continue to get away with it.
Retards to do that
The difference between school and life? In school, you’re taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson. so these girls have being taught the lesson of life. that you make one mistake in life, there will be no forgiveness. just severe punishment. you can’t afford to take to many mistakes in the test of life. when your at school you can.
everyone can say that the boy mothers was a bad mother for not pressing charges, it quiet obvious to me that they have a lack of empathy for the son. do you think that the son would want to face everyone in court and telling everyone what happened to him, does anyone know how embarrassing it will be for the boy? I can tell you that it will be more embarrassing that what happened to him. this happened to me at school, all I wanted was to be left alone to get over it, and not face any-more humiliation of people knowing what happened to me. it takes a lot of courage to do that.
if justice should be done? it should be without the boy facing more humiliation. let us speak for the boy, rather than him doing it. i am sure he will be very happy that the public is on his side. and that we don’t like these girls for what they did.
I am very happy the justice is getting served, and it will be soon. it will be suitable justice for all parties involved. I do not want to see 12-14years old girls or boys in prison or labelled as sex offenders.
i hope the girls will turn out better people for this, and wish them the best for the future.they are still very young and still can be changed from the inside out. i also hope the boy makes a full recovery. god bless for all parties involved.
Friendship is a priceless gift that cannot be bought nor sold.
But, its value is far greater than a mountain made of gold.
For gold is cold and lifeless, it can neither see nor hear.
In time of trouble its powerless to cheer.
Gold has no ears to listen, no heart to understand.
It cannot bring you comfort or reach out a helping hand.
So, when you ask God for a gift, be thankful if He sends,
not pearls, diamonds, or riches but, the love of real true friends. muhammed ali.
people don’t the really meaning of friendship.alot of us have Associates. these girls i would say associates with him, not friends.
fruit flies i don’t think the boy was friends with all of them, he was friends with one of them, i think it was the eldest one. i mean what do you call friends anyway? i am friends with alot of people. but i wouldn’t call them close friends. we could still be enemies.
it shouldn’t matter if they are friends anyway, because parents sexually abuse the kids. so it shouldn’t matter if they are friends or family relatives doing this act to each other is alright. so i agree with you. friends or not, it doesn’t give you the right treat someone like this.
i think we use the word friendship in the wrong way? if anyone wants the true meaning of friendship read muhammed ali poem on friendship.
i think the reason the mother didn’t press charges, is because she is so traumatized and in denial of what those girls did her son. she still has 5-7years to take action. it will take time for her realize justices needs to be severed on those girls. would she want those girls punished for what they had done? by their names getting published?
i just wish someone could tell me how that boy is? i feel so hurt for him.
yes double standards and fruit flies make them listen. why should it that these girls get away with it. but it don’t them in prison or registered as sex offenders. thats going to far, when it comes kids.
In Florida the state attorneys are elected. If they don’t listen to voters, they may not get reelected.
Steven – The state attorney would listen when enough people raise a stink and illustrate that crimes were committed and went unpunished. And we keep calling and checking on the case every week.
Some of the comments on here are saying that all of these kids are good friends and that’s the reason why nothing is being done.
Ok, so let’s post a video on youtube where some boys are having fun with some other friends, and a 11 year old girl gets stripped and the video stays on youtube for a while. You think nothing would happen? Since they are friends, it’s all ok?
Then let’s say that punishing the boys would only make matters worse and we should just sweep it under the rug and drop it. They’ve already been subjected to so much trouble anyway.
i disagree with revenge that the boy now should do it them. we don’t know enough about what happened. if there is too much revenge than there is too much violence in this world. as chuck said hope the parent’s have given them a good bit of punishment and move on. they are kids of 12-14years old. i was probably just as stupid as those girls, when i was young. there were many times i could of gone to prison for the things i had done. when i did do something stupid my parents gave a good whacks across my backside. let me tell you i got a good few flaking in my time.
what those girls did was horrible and stupid thing to do. i just hope they have said sorry to the boy, and they truly mean it. even some criminals like people who committed murder etc, have regretted for what they have done. i will forgive anyone as long as they sorry enough for what they have done.
you dig deep enough in any human, and they will have the same emotions as you. it takes time for man and women to change. i am sure some of those parent have given those girls some punishment, maybe not all parties.i bet one them as got off with it. then i feel sad for her because what will happen, is she will keep doing more and more terrible things to other people and then she will be in prison her whole life.
I say just get the belt out give them a Azz whooping and lets move on.
This boy should get a few friends and do the same thing back to the girls. Then lets see the fall out…
the cops have already set a precedent, that its ok…
or is that because he is just a boy…
i will have to say goodbye to this case, i actually don’t hate these girls.they are12-14 years old. i think however the names should be removed from here. i only expressed anger because of what happened to me at school. they are young and they will learn. i hope also they are sorry to the boy. sorry if i was horrible to them in anyway. i hope all parties can move resolve their problems peacefully. good luck to the girls and the boy.
please remove girls names. its disgusting people doing that to young kids.
i do apologize for my horrible language.
@james
Please don’t curse here. JT doesn’t like it and will probably delete your comments, which I think is the opposite of what you are trying to accomplish.