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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i agree with you chris . I have seen young lads baggy trousers pulled down and a 8 yr old girl curled up on the floor after PE with her shorts and knickers round her ankles – this has been going on for decades – it is the Media, and You Tube and mobiles possibly the ‘worse’ for spreading these actions to a wide audience. We all agree what happend was not in any way ‘nice’, but we don’t know what exactly happend or why and as people says – we are not going to solve anything on here – so let’s just all agree it was an appalling act and made worse by ‘broadcast’ and leave it at that.
This whole thread was started on the assumption that the police have dropped the case because it happened to a boy not a girl. but we dont know why they dropped it. your critisising my maybes, but people should be more open minded, you dont know why this happened or why they closed the case so you cant assume, and thus if people are going to continually assume it was because he was a boy, then i am going to throw in other explanations. i think and have always thought that it was a terrible thing to happen to a PERSON, it doesnt matter if its a boy or a girl. however, no one complains like this when they drop a rape case (of which the majority are committed by men), and rapes happen everyday and im sure at least some of them are dropped.
i actually agree with that corporal punishment is the quick way to stop bullying.but i don’t think prison is the answer either. when my parents spanked me, it did me no harm, it actually taught me a lot. i did not become aggressive from it. i actually became afraid to make the same mistake again.
common what those girls did is the same what happens to many other kids do to each other. i have had it done to me completely stripped naked plenty of times to me at school and by my neighbourhood friends. just take a look at youtube, and see many people are trying to take each other pants off. if these girls get punished for it so should everyone else on youtube. the only difference these girls were silly to post it on youtube. there are kids for godsake, have none of you made stupid mistakes? doesn’t mean you should always get law involved. were will that get anyone or any kid for that matter. let the parents handle it. i have to agree with lee on this one.
nothing suggests to me that this was random attack? were the facts. i don’t see anyone that knows these girls saying that. i want justice, but everyone’s else’s fact seems like a lot of rubbish to me. and that why nothing happening. its being 6 months now, were is the justice? good luck you are all wasting your time. go home and worry about your own family problems.
Chuck, Simon, FFLP –
All three of you are seem to believe that corporal punishment is some kind of quick fix for bullying. That thinking is wrong for two reasons:
First, children subjected to corporal punishment are more likely to lash out with aggressive behaviors to others. That has been demonstrated across several demographics. It’s not unlikely that these girls were living in a punitive environment in the first place, laying the groundwork for this kind of behavior.
Second, corporal punishment assumes that the government or parent owns the body of the child. Children are not subjects for abuse by their owners. Such punishment is simply an assault. No one has the right to assault another person, and children are no exception.
the reason i suggest we find out the whole story, is because from what i heard the boy and girls were friends, and was not random attack by the girls. the boy was a willing participant in the play. i hear that it was a random attack on him only from the people they assume from the media’s version. how do you know the version from media is correct? please prove me wrong? if no one is pressing charges, police,state attorney,police, something isn’t right.
i hear from chief doug barker police chief, they were all friends and for a very long time and still are. he also said the media totally misconstrued it. took out of complete context to really what happened. i just don’t believe three 14 year old girls would just stripped a 11 year boy handicapped or not, and leave for their for everyone to see. also alot of people were watching to what was happening in the community, i have heard from the people in the area. so why did no one help if he was really was crying so badly for help. because if i saw that happening i would not just sit and let it happen.
please produce me the fact’s that states otherwise? are these girl really that bad minded and starting to develop a criminal mind? is the mother of that really that stupid to allow her son play with those girls? if she know’s they are like that. i think all of you are making this whole thing way to far, saying she is not a good mother, she doesn’t know what she is doing. her letter state’s that these girls did not maliciously attack her son. so that means to me, it was a prank among friends. from her letter it sounds to me that these girls are family friends and by what she said in her letter and on the media. she wants the parents to punish them. she must know the parents pretty well to make those comments.
if was a random attack see justice we can achieve in some way or other?
if was a prank gone wrong among friend just leave them alone to handle it, and stop putting your nose in were its not wanted, and let the parents take action on their kids behaviour. jesus christ is our society really becoming the mean are our kids, soon as they something a stupid they must go to prison. rubbish.
FFLP and Lee,
Do you know people who were involved in the incident, or their families? Has anybody disputed the allegation that Johnna Cadena, Allie Bailey, and Ariana De La Torre are the bullies?
Lee, you suggested that before we go any further, we need to find out the whole story. How can we find out the whole story? If we find out the whole story, what are you suggesting we do to “go any further”?
Good point. That’s why there are grown men and women now that act like children. They grew up, never getting a spanking. Only a “time out”, or sitting in an “opportunity room”. Some people would have turned out much better if they had a trip to the wood shed when they were younger.
you have some good points chuck, same happened to me at school, luckily for me there was no internet, for people to post their acts of what they did to me. i was sexually assaulted school as well. a good spanking will do them good,my parents gave some good whacks in my time with the belt, and i can a sure you i learnt my lesson. i even got a wooden stick across my butt at school for chucking litter a bus window. after i got a few beatings in time its made fear to do anything wrong, or do something stupid like that again. i also hope that boy knows that we are on his side. that those girls are terrible bullies. karma will have them sooner or later. i am so disgusted of what they did. just makes think what are parents of those girls are like? whatever they are doing they are bringing them up to be nut jobs, and will end up in prison for their behaviour.
i hope the girls parents are proud of their nut job daughters?
I am 30 and I know it is hard in school it is getting picked on. I actually finish 9th thru 12th grade at home. I wasn’t a built guy or did I want to worry about getting picked on. It is hard enough for the change in life but I also was gay and I was always trying to avoid someone that would pick on myself. I suffered from panic attacks bad BUT a lot of it starts at home. TEACH YOUR OWN D**M kids some manners it starts when they are babies. I know people know that say OMG spanking is horrible but REALLY lets look at the older people 30-40 and 41+ most of those people got spankings. Look at the difference between now and then. I think that these girls need a gooooooooood spanking hard love is the BEST love sometimes. And I agree with most of you if that was boys that done that ” and these idots can say boys think about it more sexually different way than girls” they would be in jail and looking to face it as ADULTS I am sure of it. I don’t think it matters if it was breast or a penis being shown. That is personal to that young man that is probably already feeling weird at that point in your life. They are wondering is it small or normal ? Is my body normal? YOU GET THE POINT it is very wrong and yes I think the law should get in it. Do you have kids? What if its your kid and you got these child preditors out there looking at this. Kids at school seeing it and he is going to be teased and once its on the WEB it is always on the WEB. Like I said if you got kids when they start walking and talking YOU NEED TO RAISE THEM, I am shocked when I hear kids saying yes sir and no sir or you see a kid opening a door for a older person because its far and FEW they are your kids teach them right it starts at home. So these girls mommies should not come in and say I will handle it because they are probably going to loose their cell phone for a hour. Yes, they should be in court as kids not adults and learn that you don’t. Kids now days need to know it is not all about them and when you doing wrong there is a price to pay. And if you know the little boy of this story let him know that the people are pulling for him because what the girls did was wrong. With me being 30 and not all but you know who you are I will never get to retire we are going to have to take SSI to build more prisions. Well, I think you all know were I stand and if it made you made to bad.
GulfCoastGuy
its look like justice may be served the girls name are out. i hope those bullies suffer like that boy suffer.Johnna Cadena, Allie Bailey, and Ariana De La Torre, you had what was coming to you. you must now suffer the consequences of your actions.
i have to agree with john and nodoublestanards. i still think more needs to be find out what went on in this case. the story i posted up earlier could be true or not, remember my friend doesn’t know all the details, i forgot to tell him, he was mentally handicapped. he would of said something differently about the case. i do think they picked on him because he was younger and handicapped. human nature is the same animal nature the weakest will always get picked on. its sad when a adult lion kills a baby zebra, and its sad when adult picks on a child. but something that always happen and will never stop.
i agree with you nodoublestandard they would of being arrested. but don’t you boy’s think more sexually than girls. i don’t think the girls did this for sexual reasons more to humiliate the boy. but i think for something like this for both genders shouldn’t be put in jail. 12-14 year olds should punished some other way. they are too young to understand their actions. remember kids don’t have the same reasoning as adults do. they can’t weigh up situations like adults do. they know its wrong, but they can’t for-see the consequences of their actions like adults.
What if 3 teen aged boys convinced a younger minor and mentally handicapped girl to strip naked for them just as a prank. The girl went along with the prank, and refused to later press charges for battery. The boys posted the prank on youtube. Do you think the boys would be arrested and prosecuted even if battery could not be proven? I do.
the names of these are Johnna Cadena, Allie Bailey, and Ariana De La Torre. these are bitches at the school.
the names of these are Johnna Cadena, Allie Bailey, and Ariana De La Torre. these girls are bratts at the school.
sorry he in my statement, refers to a police office that deal with crime. he is my friend. that my friend thinks that is a police officer.
this is what i think what happened fruit flies:all the kids were willing in the prank, and was not a random attack on the boy. he thinks that the girls asked and convinced him to take part in the prank, but also not telling him they were going to post it on youtube, basically tricked him into the prank. and the reason the girls picked him is because he younger and was not wise to what the girls were up to, and he did not realize the severity of what they were doing to him. also the reason he thinks the boy was willing in is, because he was not putting up much of a struggle. he was not kicking or punching or even biting the girls to try and get away,if did not like what they were doing to him, he would of put up much more of a fight. he said i can a sure you of the.but he also would had to struggle enough to make it look like a prank. if he had not struggled at all.otherwise the whole thing of looked very funny.
if this was a horrible random attack and the girls were really mean bullies, why did the girls do the prank so near his house, and not near the girls homes or near the swimming pool, he said bullies and random attackers of this kind are not thought out to spare any kindness towards the victim especially near his house. they want to humiliate him the whole way.
The big problem is the damning evidence that is seen in that little snippet of video. It shows sexual assault, which would be a felony. And it is a fact that such was posted on YouTube which is another felony. Just on what little we saw is enough to put both of them in jail, right now.
If you’re thinking there might be something in the video before the incident, that might justify these actions – there couldn’t be anything that would justify what they did to him.
if we decide that justice still needs to be done, when all friends are playing and it got way out of hand. then our society is completely undermining what responsibility parents should do with regards to our children. and that parents have no say in how our kids should be punished. everything our kids do wrong should be handle the law. which is absolute rubbish to me.
there are times when the law shouldn’t be involved, and let the parents handle it. yes the parents of all parties involved failed, no parent is perfect in bringing up their kids. if the law got involved in everything i did wrong? that’s means i should locked up as well. i have done more crazy things than those girls did.but let me tell you my parents gave 10 great whacks across my butt with a belt. and certainly never did it again. and there was no need for the law to get involved, because my parents had done the punishment. our society is getting more and more unforgiving toward our kids and parents. and getting more corrupt.