There is a horrific story out of Alabama where Christian Adamek, 15, committed suicide. Unfortunately, teen suicides are not uncommon but this suicide occurred after Adamek was arrested for running naked across the Sparkman High School football field and was told that he faced expulsion and be registered as a sexual offender. That is clearly too much for a 15-year-old kid, particularly after a common prank like streaking.
The day before Christian’s suicide, Sparkman High Principal Michael Campbell spoke to the media to emphasize that Christian would be handled as a criminal suspect: “There’s the legal complications. Public lewdness and court consequences outside of school with the legal system, as well as the school consequences that the school system has set up.” In Alabama, indecent exposure is linked to the state’s sex offender laws. In addition to Campbell’s public statements, Sparkman High administrators reportedly recommended that Christian face a hearing in the Madison County court system for possible formal charges. In addition, they moved to discipline him. In this interview, the principal says that the situation is far more serious than “they” realize and says that it is not simply a matter of a prank. The media coverage pushed the story that the teen would be going into the juvenile criminal justice system and could be labeled a sex offender.
It is hard to judge from the stories what emotional issues Christian may have been facing. However, the threats of criminal charges, and a sex offender listing, are ridiculous for a high school prank. We have seen a trend (here and here and here and here) of school officials criminalizing a wide range of conduct that was once treated matters for a sit down with parents and nothing more. It also reflects the seemingly exponential expansion of sex offender lists, which are increasingly put teenagers on a listing with lifelong burdens and stigma.
Once again, we do not know all of the influences on this tragic suicide. However, I fail to understand why such matters are immediately viewed as criminal matters for the principal and school officials.
Christian leaves behind his mother, Angela, and a sister and a brother.
Source: Daily Mail
RWL, i would think the stigma of being labelled a sex offender could be overwhelming to a fifteen year old. .. Think about not going to college and not being able to pass a backround check for employment of housing. Maybe his family could not afford legal counsel and he felt hopelessly trapped.
I live about two miles from this high school and in fact it’s on my walking route. (Fully clothed, always, although pedestrian travel seems to be viewed with great suspicion by the Madison Country Sheriffs, given the number of slow rolls and brake-stabbings I’ve witnessed over the years.)
In my opinion, the official policy toward streaking should be disapproval and (as others have suggested) a meeting with parents for a good talking-to, while the unofficial, de facto policy should be to ignore it if possible. An appropriate reaction by school staff lies somewhere between a rolling of eyes at minimum and a stern look at most.
This makes me wonder if there’s anyone not on a municipal payroll who actually thinks this has anything to do with sex offenders. That is just insane.
Just so you know what some of us down here are thinking. What a tragedy.
“Oro Lee,
I couldn’t agree more. The abomination is the moral prigs who think that human nudity is an abomination.” (Mike S)
There are rumors that the kid was wearing some sort of covering … boxer shorts and/or a sock on his penis which might be why he wasn’t arrested on the spot.
There has to be more to the story: committing suicide just because of being legally punished (he didn’t receive life in prison or the death penalty)? Did the boy suffer from a mental disability? His parents can hire an attorney and probably obtain a plea deal that doesn’t require the boy to be registered as a sex offender? Did his parents know this? If so, then was this info relayed to their child? How soon did he committ suicide, immediately after receiving his punishment, before receiving his punishment, or was it part of his mental breakdown (with the streaking)?
raff,
Seriously, these sorts of injustices sadden me to the depths of my being.
david, Please understand, I am saying teenage angst is powerful and complicated. I have a son who’s teenage years were angst ridden, thankfully w/ no suicidal thoughts. I’m merely saying I doubt this was the sole cause, that’s all.
raff,
Darlin’, pretty soon you aren’t going to be able to travel anywhere. 😉
Blouise,
remind me to stay out of Alabama.
Interestingly enough, the mainstream media has suddenly shut up about all this. WHNT19 News are taken down the link to their reporting and the Principal and school administrators are no longer giving interviews.
I think it should also be noted that there was a police presence at the game and if the boy was arrested then a hearing to determine formal charges would follow … so why would the school administrators “recommend” a hearing?
The boy’s sister told friends he was facing expulsion … not suspension … expulsion. But streaking isn’t listed as an offense in the Madison County Schools Code of Conduct. So a charge other than streaking would have to be used to justify the expulsion and that’s might be from whence, in my opinion. the grandstanding by the Principal stemmed.
If the Principal had been successful in getting the DA’s office to charge the boy with indecent exposure, that is tied to Alabama’s sex offender laws which would stick with him into adulthood. And, if he were convicted and sentenced, well, we all have heard what happens to sex offenders while incarcerated … I’m sure the boy had heard too.
If the DA charged the boy with indecent exposure, then the Principal could easily move forward with the expulsion and get rid of the budding legend.
I have no idea if there are criminal or civil charges that can be brought against the Principal or school administration but I sure hope someone is looking into the possibilities.
We shouldn’t encourage streaking because it will be scary for some onlookers and doesn’t have substantial First Amendment value to compensate.
I don’t think that “human nudity is an abomination” but in my life I have been uncomfortable with it several times. One time I was with my 5 year old and we inadvertently ended up on a nude beach (Marin County). It wasn’t that big of a deal but I wouldn’t have gone there with our kid if I had known. My husband was with me and I really think that if there had been signs in the parking lot we would have noticed them.
I can think of at least three different times when I was made aware of a flasher and every time I was scared.
If I was a college student and men on campus were walking outside naked, I would switch schools. I don’t think that makes me a prude.
“G-d d–mn authoritairian b-st-rds.
The real shame, of course, is that the true expletive is “authoritarian.””
Oro Lee,
I couldn’t agree more. The abomination is the moral prigs who think that human nudity is an abomination.
Nick, Teenage angst is powerful. Teen years are the transition to adulthood. I seem to have extended my transition (in many ways) well beyond this ten year window.
Recently I made this comment in response to you.
Every once in a while the door doesn’t latch, and the inner Geek runs out into the wilderness. 😮 ) As I age and walk on firmer ground (though somewhat more infirmly) he often returns smiling and proud…. and a little healthier for the exercise.
I am now old enough, mature enough, balanced enough to do goofy things at times, and or wondrous misunderstood things, or just plain be stupid, and (occasionally) even enlightened.
I have learned to handle my angst, and I have learned it has to be dealt with.
….. I don’t think there is enough money in the world to make me choose to revisit and relive the angst filled part of my teenage years.
“This is what happens when you apply moralizing to a problem rather than ethics and reason.” (Gene)
Bingo
From different reports I’ve read, the boy was becoming a legend within his peer group who viewed the incident as an awesome prank. I wonder if that was the “far more serious” angle the Principal was pushing in his obvious grandstanding interviews.
It took two days for the boy to die from the injuries sustained during his attempted suicide.
Can’t find any grandstanding interviews from the Principal after the boy’s death so I guess we’ll never know what he meant when he told the media ’This situation was totally different, something not related to that at all.’
I call the Principal’s actions grandstanding because he had no reason what-so-ever to give such an interview to the media. I strongly suspect he was trying to bring his own public pressure on the DA’s office and that’s where Gene’s observation regarding moralizing comes into play.
Lots of college streaking going on today particularly in the northeast. I have witnessed it a two schools. It is done mainly by teams like rugby teams. What happened to this young man is so sad and so unnecessary. Apparently the principal has no understanding of much of anything related to running a high school. Alabama…..
Tragic in the extreme but not at all surprising these days. A perfect example of instilling fear as a control method. The principal wanted to send a “message” to all the other students and parents. He’s succeeded. His open message, “I will not tolerate ‘acting out’!”. He wants submissive students and parents. He wants “respect”. I won’t be at all surprised to soon read a). He and the school district feel wholly justified in the actions taken to discipline this student. b). They [or some agency closely tied to the District] puts out some spin that the student was some sort of “latent pervert”, to further justify the pricipals’ actions.
If you threaten someone and the next day they show up dead you can bet your _ss that you will be at minimum detained and questioned. Why are these so called “authorities” not held to the same standard. They threatened a young man and then he went and killed himself…are they not at least somewhat responsible here?
Can anyone prove to me by providing scientific evidence that the act of streaking is detrimental to society. If not, and I don’t think one can provide such evidence, than it is an individual right that should be protected by the Constitution. A question of similar importance, would be, when is a right protected and what criteria do we use to determine when a right is to be protected and when we should acquiesce our rights for the public good. Leaving it up to the judiciary has proven to be a poor remedy and methodology, for determining this all important question so perhaps sadly we need guidelines to be set to guide our judiciaries decisions. 1.) He shouldn’t have been arrested. 2.) He shouldn’t have been kicked out of school. 3.) I wonder how many women are on the Sex Offenders List? 4.) How many religious people support this kind of fascist behavior by our public Authorities? Many religious zealots believe that since we have lost the Christian God in the schools and courts, our society is doomed when our society is doomed because of the lack of protections of individual rights.
I know I have more questions than answers.
http://mentalfloss.com/article/31351/7-schools-where-streaking-organized-sport Streaking is still going on at college campuses. Agree with Lee about the principal.
What OS said. Very sad case indeed.
leejcaroll,
I am not sure the great state of Alabama is up with all of those modern inventions like child psychology!