Teen accused of stealing 65-cent carton of milk at middle school to face trial

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Frickin ridiculous

My father was an assistant principal. He faced down kids with knives and nunchucks. And I don't believe law enforcement was ever involved.

Seriously? Going to court over a milk? I just can't

The kid was offered the option not to go to court. He chose not to take that option.

The option of not going to court probably involved him admitting guilt and being punished in some way. If he isn't guilty why should he admit guilt and be be punished? He doesn't even attend middle school anymore. Why is the district still pressing charges against him for milk the district gets for free? No way some middle class or affluent student does the same thing and has to go to court.

The article is implying that this is his thinking -- that he is being treated unfairly because of his race/SES. Alternatively, middle class or affluent students wouldn't escalate such a situation into a court trial and article in the Washington Post.

Do you know why these situations don't happen often in schools that are relatively affluent? The adults treat the children completely differently. Completely.

There are plenty of impulsive, quick-to-anger middle school boys in every community in the world. They are *boys.* Much of the difference in outcomes is because some boys are treated with kindness, compassion, and decent human dignity. Standards are upheld without adults resorting to shouting, getting in kids' faces, grabbing them by the neck, making threats, taunting, and calling the police. Other boys get this kind of treatment all.the.time. And we wonder why things are more likely to go south for these kids?

Go visit a predominantly AA middle school in a lower SES neighborhood sometime. Watch how the adults talk to the kids. You will be amazed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like they gave him every opportunity to fix it without it becoming a big deal, and the student wanted to escalate it. Now he gets to be a victim of institutional racism, which I'm sure will get him on TV and so on.

Or, on the flip side, he did nothing wrong, felt like he did nothing wrong, and was blamed for something and offered an opportunity to cop a plea when he was actually innocent? So now he is trying to make a stand to show the biases of the system?

I agree with this. He didn't do anything wrong. They need to throw this case out- over a .65 cent milk. The prosecutors should be ashamed.

Stealing not wrong in certain culture?

He didn't steal it. It had been paid for. That's how free lunch works. This is no different than if you checked out, and accidentally left an item that was paid for by the register, and you went back and grabbed it.

That is so so wrong. Try that at the grocery store next time.

If only we lived in a world in which such accommodations were free from abuse.

But it's not a grocery store. The kid isn't a stranger to the lunchline people. He's a student at the school. Why wouldn't the response be to politely ask him what he's doing? Why is the assumption that he is a common thief? Do your children get treated that way when they do something out of order or unexpected at school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FCPS schools are practically prisons these days. Kids are treated like criminals, and going to act that way.

I would hope my kid would go to the cashier and politely say "excuse me, i forgot to grab my milk when i went through the line. may i get one now?" but that could still result in kids/adults thinking the kid was stealing.

I would hope that my child would go to the Principal's office and politely explain the situation.

I don't know what my kids would do, and I can't expect all kids to behave how I would expect one to act. The school needs to be reasonable.

+1000

I hope my kid would do this, too. But I wouldn't be at all surprised if my kid--or any kid--said to himself, "oops, forgot my milk. I'll just pop in here and grab one."

Even if this kid took an extra milk, WTF. This is madness. The people complaining loudest about "kids these days" on this thread would be the first to storm into the principal's office demanding justice for their snowflakes if it happened to their kids. Get real, people. No one expects this to happen to their children at school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He's just a punk that doesn't believe in consequences. At the least, he cut in line and took it without permission, he got called out and could have ended it with an oops..... sorry... but he want's to escalate and argue that consequences shouldn't apply to him, even saying sorry was too much to ask him he seems to feel. No sympathy.

I hope the DA is considering the death penalty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Frickin ridiculous

My father was an assistant principal. He faced down kids with knives and nunchucks. And I don't believe law enforcement was ever involved.

Seriously? Going to court over a milk? I just can't

The kid was offered the option not to go to court. He chose not to take that option.

The option of not going to court probably involved him admitting guilt and being punished in some way. If he isn't guilty why should he admit guilt and be be punished? He doesn't even attend middle school anymore. Why is the district still pressing charges against him for milk the district gets for free? No way some middle class or affluent student does the same thing and has to go to court.

The article is implying that this is his thinking -- that he is being treated unfairly because of his race/SES. Alternatively, middle class or affluent students wouldn't escalate such a situation into a court trial and article in the Washington Post.

Do you know why these situations don't happen often in schools that are relatively affluent? The adults treat the children completely differently. Completely.

There are plenty of impulsive, quick-to-anger middle school boys in every community in the world. They are *boys.* Much of the difference in outcomes is because some boys are treated with kindness, compassion, and decent human dignity. Standards are upheld without adults resorting to shouting, getting in kids' faces, grabbing them by the neck, making threats, taunting, and calling the police. Other boys get this kind of treatment all.the.time. And we wonder why things are more likely to go south for these kids?

Go visit a predominantly AA middle school in a lower SES neighborhood sometime. Watch how the adults talk to the kids. You will be amazed.

Falling on deaf ears.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Excuse me.
He had the right to a free carton of milk, he went to take it rapidly without waiting in line because otherwise he wouldn't have time to eat, which makes perfect sense, and people are mad about this?

He still needs to check out with the cashier like everyone else, just like he does for his lunch. Not everyone in that line gets free meals, so he needs to have this processed by the cashier, even if he won't have to pay anything.

Just like if you have a get 1 free coupon at the grocery store. You still need to hand it to the cashier, not just grab an item and walk out the door.

But if you are in a cafeteria style restaurant and you pay for a meal that includes a cookie, and you forget to get your cookie, do you have to go to the end of the line? And have the cashier check you out, again? i don't think so. I wouldn't.

If someone accused you of stealing, as you walked away with your cookie, would you explain? As an adult, you would handle the situation.

As a child, this teen didn't explain, he fought back, refused to explain, apologize, etc. Unfortunately, the adults in the situation (the principal, the police officer, his mother) could not convince him and each other to behave like adults, and they all escalated things.

Of course, the kid isn't an adult, so I'm not sure why anyone is trying to convince him to behave like one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Excuse me.
He had the right to a free carton of milk, he went to take it rapidly without waiting in line because otherwise he wouldn't have time to eat, which makes perfect sense, and people are mad about this?

He still needs to check out with the cashier like everyone else, just like he does for his lunch. Not everyone in that line gets free meals, so he needs to have this processed by the cashier, even if he won't have to pay anything.

Just like if you have a get 1 free coupon at the grocery store. You still need to hand it to the cashier, not just grab an item and walk out the door.

But if you are in a cafeteria style restaurant and you pay for a meal that includes a cookie, and you forget to get your cookie, do you have to go to the end of the line? And have the cashier check you out, again? i don't think so. I wouldn't.

If someone accused you of stealing, as you walked away with your cookie, would you explain? As an adult, you would handle the situation.

As a child, this teen didn't explain, he fought back, refused to explain, apologize, etc. Unfortunately, the adults in the situation (the principal, the police officer, his mother) could not convince him and each other to behave like adults, and they all escalated things.

Of course, the kid isn't an adult, so I'm not sure why anyone is trying to convince him to behave like one.

Why do you think?

[Anonymous]

Trial for a half pint of milk? Extraordinary waste of public time and resources.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He's just a punk that doesn't believe in consequences. At the least, he cut in line and took it without permission, he got called out and could have ended it with an oops..... sorry... but he want's to escalate and argue that consequences shouldn't apply to him, even saying sorry was too much to ask him he seems to feel. No sympathy.

I hope the DA is considering the death penalty.

i know, right? I mean, the kid cut in the lunch line. FOR SHAME.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Trial for a half pint of milk? Extraordinary waste of public time and resources.

My thoughts exactly. This should have been handled within the school. I personally don't think he did anything wrong, but anything more than giving him detention is overkill.

[Anonymous]

Do you know why these situations don't happen often in schools that are relatively affluent?

A child in the very most affluent school in FCPS was suspended from that school as a result of stealing food. It was quite publicized a few years ago. So, don't cry racism. He was not African American.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Do you know why these situations don't happen often in schools that are relatively affluent?

A child in the very most affluent school in FCPS was suspended from that school as a result of stealing food. It was quite publicized a few years ago. So, don't cry racism. He was not African American.

Lol, you like that dude in Mississippi back in 1950...
"Yeah there's been about 30 blacks lynched this month alone, but just a few years ago a white guy got hung so don't cry racism."

[Anonymous]

I assume there is more to the story and the kid's behavior wanrrented this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Do you know why these situations don't happen often in schools that are relatively affluent?

A child in the very most affluent school in FCPS was suspended from that school as a result of stealing food. It was quite publicized a few years ago. So, don't cry racism. He was not African American.

Lol, you like that dude in Mississippi back in 1950...
"Yeah there's been about 30 blacks lynched this month alone, but just a few years ago a white guy got hung so don't cry racism."

NP. Really though? How common is this exactly. This is the first time I've ever heard of this happening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Do you know why these situations don't happen often in schools that are relatively affluent?

A child in the very most affluent school in FCPS was suspended from that school as a result of stealing food. It was quite publicized a few years ago. So, don't cry racism. He was not African American.

Lol, you like that dude in Mississippi back in 1950...
"Yeah there's been about 30 blacks lynched this month alone, but just a few years ago a white guy got hung so don't cry racism."

NP. Really though? How common is this exactly. This is the first time I've ever heard of this happening.

Just saying can't discredit racisms existence just cause something similar "happened to a white kid a few years back."