Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I want to know who the party hosting parent is too. Why all the secrecy? It's just weird! The parents of kids in attendance knew who they were. Given how quickly rumors spread, I can't believe the name hasn't been leaked.

I agree, but if it were posted here, it would quickly be deleted by the moderator.

The street name was already in the news, so why would it be deleted here?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If my kid got into a car with a driver who had been drinking (or as the driver after a drink) I'd feel I failed at parenting. Because there's probably no other subject that we harp on more than No Drinking and Driving. Ever. With anyone.

Yeah, but once your kid starts drinking, how can they really make the same choices they would if they were 100% sober?

This is what most people (both parents and kids) don't seem to get.

Not PP responding. Of course you can't guarantee they won't make bad choices, but bad choices are not a given. If it's something that's been drummed into your head, you'll at least think twice.

And part of the ongoing conversation we need to be having with kids from a young age is there is ZERO reason to get that trashed. Zero. It's just not a no tolerance message we need to send. We need to teach them the ramifications of binge drinking too. And of mixing pot and alcohol, which considering the Wootton crowd, I bet was a very likely possibility.

Not the PP but kids do not have a fully developed frontal lobe until 25yrs old. Impulse control. You add alcohol to that already immature lobe and it is a recipe for disaster. Boys especially in situations of drinking/driving/feeling invincible. You can teach zero reason and second guessing until you are blue in the face and it could still happen to you. The main issue here are the adults with mature frontal lobes and 40+ years of life lessons in that lobe. They left those poor kids defenseless. By being a part of it, The hosts are not only encouraging it (in kids minds) but negating everything you, as a parent taught your child.

I understand that. I'm not saying you can prevent bad choices 100% of the time. It's just that people are harping on their immaturity and minimal reasoning skills so much, it's almost like they are trying to excuse drinking and driving. Something to be expected of teens.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If my kid got into a car with a driver who had been drinking (or as the driver after a drink) I'd feel I failed at parenting. Because there's probably no other subject that we harp on more than No Drinking and Driving. Ever. With anyone.

Yeah, but once your kid starts drinking, how can they really make the same choices they would if they were 100% sober?

This is what most people (both parents and kids) don't seem to get.

Not PP responding. Of course you can't guarantee they won't make bad choices, but bad choices are not a given. If it's something that's been drummed into your head, you'll at least think twice.

And part of the ongoing conversation we need to be having with kids from a young age is there is ZERO reason to get that trashed. Zero. It's just not a no tolerance message we need to send. We need to teach them the ramifications of binge drinking too. And of mixing pot and alcohol, which considering the Wootton crowd, I bet was a very likely possibility.

Not the PP but kids do not have a fully developed frontal lobe until 25yrs old. Impulse control. You add alcohol to that already immature lobe and it is a recipe for disaster. Boys especially in situations of drinking/driving/feeling invincible. You can teach zero reason and second guessing until you are blue in the face and it could still happen to you. The main issue here are the adults with mature frontal lobes and 40+ years of life lessons in that lobe. They left those poor kids defenseless. By being a part of it, The hosts are not only encouraging it (in kids minds) but negating everything you, as a parent taught your child.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I want to know who the party hosting parent is too. Why all the secrecy? It's just weird! The parents of kids in attendance knew who they were. Given how quickly rumors spread, I can't believe the name hasn't been leaked.

I agree, but if it were posted here, it would quickly be deleted by the moderator.

That's because, unless and until somebody actually gets charged, or there is a piece in the media to link to, any posting of names would just be gossip and slander.

Anonymous wrote:I want to know who the party hosting parent is too. Why all the secrecy? It's just weird! The parents of kids in attendance knew who they were. Given how quickly rumors spread, I can't believe the name hasn't been leaked.

I agree, but if it were posted here, it would quickly be deleted by the moderator.

I want to know who the party hosting parent is too. Why all the secrecy? It's just weird! The parents of kids in attendance knew who they were. Given how quickly rumors spread, I can't believe the name hasn't been leaked.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If my kid got into a car with a driver who had been drinking (or as the driver after a drink) I'd feel I failed at parenting. Because there's probably no other subject that we harp on more than No Drinking and Driving. Ever. With anyone.

Yeah, but once your kid starts drinking, how can they really make the same choices they would if they were 100% sober?

This is what most people (both parents and kids) don't seem to get.

Not PP responding. Of course you can't guarantee they won't make bad choices, but bad choices are not a given. If it's something that's been drummed into your head, you'll at least think twice.

And part of the ongoing conversation we need to be having with kids from a young age is there is ZERO reason to get that trashed. Zero. It's just not a no tolerance message we need to send. We need to teach them the ramifications of binge drinking too. And of mixing pot and alcohol, which considering the Wootton crowd, I bet was a very likely possibility.

Anonymous wrote:If my kid got into a car with a driver who had been drinking (or as the driver after a drink) I'd feel I failed at parenting. Because there's probably no other subject that we harp on more than No Drinking and Driving. Ever. With anyone.

Yeah, but once your kid starts drinking, how can they really make the same choices they would if they were 100% sober?

This is what most people (both parents and kids) don't seem to get.

If my kid got into a car with a driver who had been drinking (or as the driver after a drink) I'd feel I failed at parenting. Because there's probably no other subject that we harp on more than No Drinking and Driving. Ever. With anyone.

Anonymous wrote:I find it awful that the 18yr olds name is plastered everywhere but the parents of the house who hosted the party is not. Why are they being protected? THEY are the ones at fault here. The 18yr old yes, we know he is guilty but the fact that parents not only hosted an under-age party but did not have keys to all these kids cars is brutal. If my child died in all of this, I would be more upset at them then the driver.

I agree that the host family is more guilty than the 18 year old. Adults have fully developed brains and should have enough life experience to know better.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find it awful that the 18yr olds name is plastered everywhere but the parents of the house who hosted the party is not. Why are they being protected? THEY are the ones at fault here. The 18yr old yes, we know he is guilty but the fact that parents not only hosted an under-age party but did not have keys to all these kids cars is brutal. If my child died in all of this, I would be more upset at them then the driver.

Why don't you start and plaster the name of the host parents on this forum? The name of the driver is a matter of public record. The names of the host parents are not but nothing stops you from informing us who they are.

I don't know who they are. I am from the area but not in the school cluster. I would love to know. I can't believe they have not been arrested or at the very least given a citation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find it awful that the 18yr olds name is plastered everywhere but the parents of the house who hosted the party is not. Why are they being protected? THEY are the ones at fault here. The 18yr old yes, we know he is guilty but the fact that parents not only hosted an under-age party but did not have keys to all these kids cars is brutal. If my child died in all of this, I would be more upset at them then the driver.

Why don't you start and plaster the name of the host parents on this forum? The name of the driver is a matter of public record. The names of the host parents are not but nothing stops you from informing us who they are.

Yes, please do and give us the address. I certainly think the name should be published.

Anonymous wrote:I find it awful that the 18yr olds name is plastered everywhere but the parents of the house who hosted the party is not. Why are they being protected? THEY are the ones at fault here. The 18yr old yes, we know he is guilty but the fact that parents not only hosted an under-age party but did not have keys to all these kids cars is brutal. If my child died in all of this, I would be more upset at them then the driver.

Why don't you start and plaster the name of the host parents on this forum? The name of the driver is a matter of public record. The names of the host parents are not but nothing stops you from informing us who they are.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am thinking there was a charge on Friday. You can no longer access his name under the search Maryland court records link- it's protected now. Based on his age, and the fact that the two other kids in the car were killed, I think it's appropriate to keep the story out of the media. I have faith that the attorneys, judges and police will find a balance of justice vs. compassion.

I am thinking whatever happened last Friday was in relationship to his previous criminal activity, not the latest incident that resulted in the deaths of two of his passengers.

Also, he's no longer just a juvenile offender, since he turned 18 last year.

Agreed. Two kids were killed. It will be news when/if the driver is charged. As PP stated, he is now an adult - if this were some random kid from Southeast DC would you be talking about the appropriateness of keeping the story out of the media and finding a balance of justice v. compassion? Absurd.

Exactly. If Ellis doesn't do jail time just like any black 18 year old would, the riots may come to Potomac.

They won't regardless.

I have faith that his lawyers will get him the least amount of jail time. Personally, I find the kids who died equally culpable in their fate. Not that they deserved to die, but that they should have known better.

Let's not get silly here. Sure, the passengers weren't too bright when drinking, but no, they are in no way as equally culpable as the drinking driver who smashed the car.

The craziest thing is the parents who allow their partying kids to get around on their own. And of course the parents who allow these parties.

I slightly agree. You shouldn't get in a car with a driver that is drunk. We all know that. But when you are impaired, so is your judgement of who else is impaired. Also, the driver was going at high speeds which maybe one of the other kids was trying to encourage or maybe stop. Both of which would have caused the accident. It is so sad. These poor kids have crappy frontal lobes that get even worse with alcohol and drugs. The fact that these parents allowed this makes me sick. I hope they are charged and jailed for manslaughter. These parties need to stop and society has to learn that it is not cool to host one.

I find it awful that the 18yr olds name is plastered everywhere but the parents of the house who hosted the party is not. Why are they being protected? THEY are the ones at fault here. The 18yr old yes, we know he is guilty but the fact that parents not only hosted an under-age party but did not have keys to all these kids cars is brutal. If my child died in all of this, I would be more upset at them then the driver.