17 yo Trayvon Martin Shot to Death by Neighborhood Watch Captain #16

[LinasK]

Maybe I'm the only one who thinks it's kind of lighthearted and funny to spray kids with a hose when they're bullying a fat child. No one's ever been harmed by a garden hose, and it gets the point across. If a kid of mine had been squirted by a neighbor for making fun of a fat child, I'd say well serves you right.

There was a couple engaged in too much affection, as they say, near the football field one practice and the coach went over and dumped an 8 gallon cooler of water on them. It's funny - and gets the point across.

It's an assault using water- which can be a weapon with enough force! There is a whole thread in the Jury Room about a poster who got assaulted working in a drive-in by a cup of water tossed at her! Not funny when it is an assault. He wasn't doing it to cool them off on a hot day.
Here is the thread, hope it's okay to post: [ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=167524"]Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community[/ame]

 

[Bee Happy]

How is WATER from a hose ABUSIVE?

A chubby kid was being routinely bullied by these kids. Does that bother anyone?

Yes that bothers me.
But I teach my children that you don't pay a bully back with bullying.
It's also what most bully programs teach.

Spraying someone with a water hose is bullying. It may not hurt them physically, but it does hurt their pride/feelings.

It's not okay to bully. Ever.

 

[Emeralgem]

I agree with SLIWA when he said.. GZ was on a mission and all the furniture upstairs had been rearranged and put in the wrong rooms.


http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1203/31/se.01.html

 

[Bee Happy]

If someone sprayed me with a hose as I walked by, I'd be pretty MAD.

 

[LambChop]

It's an assault using water- which can be a weapon with enough force! There is a whole thread in the Jury Room about a poster who got assaulted working in a drive-in by a cup of water tossed at her! Not funny when it is an assault. He wasn't doing it to cool them off on a hot day.

It is an assault and on minors. It may be water but his intent was to punish them. I'm surprised someone did not complain to the homeowners association. jmo

 

[jaxibear]

If he had a slide phone and it was knocked out of his hand, or he dropped it, it would disconnect....mine does. If the phone landed on the ground the battery could have come out....mine does. That is why it's important to know where the phone was found, where the earbuds were found. jmo

My phone is not a slide phone, but it always disconnects when I drop it. (and that is a lot lol) The battery almost always goes off in another direction.

 

[Bee Happy]

It's interesting you say never... There are a lot of words in our vernacular that were derived from epithets.

"Gypped" is a common one. "Vandalism" refers to the more "civilized" Romans' characterization of the activities of the "barbarians" (another one of those words) of the time, the Vandals. Same with "Hooligans" and a few other terms that have since become fairly commonplace and seemingly innocuous.

*sigh*

Let me change my statement then.

I have never KNOWINGLY used a racial slur. If some other word was derived from a "slur" and is now used in common English, then perhaps I have unknowingly.

 

[LambChop]

I agree with SLIWA when he said.. GZ was on a mission and all the furniture upstairs had been rearranged and put in the wrong rooms.


http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1203/31/se.01.html

I know. He was kind of irate about it. But he did hit the nail on the head with that comment. Who would know better than Mr. S regarding what GZ should have done compared to what he did. jmo

 

[Elley Mae]

How is WATER from a hose ABUSIVE?

A chubby kid was being routinely bullied by these kids. Does that bother anyone?

LOL I as well would be upset with my daughter had she teased a "chubby"
kid. But... had she been sprayed with a hose on a bike I probably would never have heard about her calingl the chubby kid "chubby, cause she would have rode past GZ's house til dinner time and never told me. lol

 

[Nova]

Cultural issue? Really?

Not really sure about that one.
Maybe a social class issue.

LOL. I've been black, for just about my whole life and I've never met, or associated with anyone that wouldn't call the police. Unless they thought the situation didn't warrant it. OR unless they've had an incident with a particular cop or department. Which was rare.

I can't stand to read these stereotypes...
I hope people are basing them off of movies they watch.

:banghead:

Bee, I apologize if the stereotyping makes you uncomfortable. Obviously, we are speaking in generalities and there is no trait or attitude that is true of all African-Americans or all European-Americans.

But having lived in Los Angeles for over 20 years, I can promise you my African-American friends had very different experiences with the police than I, a European-American did. One very close AA friend, who is my age and height, lived a few blocks from me at the time, and even has the same graduate degree from the same university, began to compare notes one night. The difference in the way we have been treated by LE is indeed shocking. I have never been tackled and handcuffed for walking on a sidewalk in my own neighborhood; I have never even had a police gun drawn on me.

But I can well understand why a black Angeleno might not call police in an emergency.

 

[katydid23]

There is nothing appropriate, funny, light hearted or normal about spraying other people's children with a hose to teach them a lesson. Nothing! I'm gobsmacked to find that not only do some find it acceptable, but funny. There is no way to rationalize it to be anything other than abusive. IMO!

:notgood:

Let's look at it another way. If I told this forum that a little boy next door was routinely being BULLIED by a group of middle school kids on bikes because he was chubby, and he sat home alone all of the time, You would feel angry and sad, most likely. And if I told you that they rode their bikes past my yard to come and bully the poor kid, and that I SPRAYED THEM whenever possible to protect him---would people here say I was a psychotic that needed to be arrested for assault? Be honest.

 

[LambChop]

*sigh*

Let me change my statement then.

I have never KNOWINGLY used a racial slur. If some other word was derived from a "slur" and is now used in common English, then perhaps I have unknowingly.

I believe you Bee. Not everyone feels the need to use those words and I mean all of them as they apply to any group. jmo

 

[Inabsentia]

How is WATER from a hose ABUSIVE?

A chubby kid was being routinely bullied by these kids. Does that bother anyone?

I don't think abusive is the word I would have chosen, but I do find it disturbing and inappropriate. The boy didn't indicate that the spraying was used to break up a current altercation, but essentially to punish these kids. Were they the same kids? Had their parents already taken care of the bullying? How often did he spray them? Were they just walking along?

Irrespective of the answers to these questions, I find the notion of some young, childless, guy choosing to punish children after the fact for something that parents and the school system should be (and possibly were) handling strange and inappropriate. Moo

 

[Bee Happy]

Let's look at it another way. If I told this forum that a little boy next door was routinely being BULLIED by a group of middle school kids on bikes because he was chubby, and he sat home alone all of the time, You would feel angry and sad, most likely. And if I told you that they rode their bikes past my yard to come and bully the poor kid, and that I SPRAYED THEM whenever possible to protect him---would people here say I was a psychotic that needed to be arrested for assault? Be honest.

Psychotic? No.
Did you assault him? Yes.
Should you be arrested? Maybe.


I don't think we know enough of your history to say psychotic though.

While it's great to want to protect the neighbor, there is an appropriate and inappropriate way for an adult to handle it. I just believe spraying a child with water is appropriate. And if someone sprayed me with water, I do believe I could press charges.

JMO

 

[katydid23]

Yes that bothers me.
But I teach my children that you don't pay a bully back with bullying.
It's also what most bully programs teach.

Spraying someone with a water hose is bullying. It may not hurt them physically, but it does hurt their pride/feelings.

It's not okay to bully. Ever.

Well, I would HOPE it would hurt their pride and their feelings. If they were riding their bikes on the way to bully and belittle the chubby kid, and GZ sprayed them with water to slow them down,then that is fine with me. It is WATER, not fire or chemicals. It is certainly less harmful then their words and insults against that poor kid they were bullying.

 

[mercuriod]

Let's look at it another way. If I told this forum that a little boy next door was routinely being BULLIED by a group of middle school kids on bikes because he was chubby, and he sat home alone all of the time, You would feel angry and sad, most likely. And if I told you that they rode their bikes past my yard to come and bully the poor kid, and that I SPRAYED THEM whenever possible to protect him---would people here say I was a psychotic that needed to be arrested for assault? Be honest.

YES, it is not YOUR job to discipline those children. If you were spraying my child I would have you arrested!

 

[suzihawk]

Yes that bothers me.
But I teach my children that you don't pay a bully back with bullying.
It's also what most bully programs teach.

Spraying someone with a water hose is bullying. It may not hurt them physically, but it does hurt their pride/feelings.

It's not okay to bully. Ever.

It could very well cause them to be hurt physically. It could cause the children to slip and fall on the pavement causing broken bones or head trauma. Depending on the force, it could injure an eye. Just a couple of examples..

 

[kimpage]

Let's look at it another way. If I told this forum that a little boy next door was routinely being BULLIED by a group of middle school kids on bikes because he was chubby, and he sat home alone all of the time, You would feel angry and sad, most likely. And if I told you that they rode their bikes past my yard to come and bully the poor kid, and that I SPRAYED THEM whenever possible to protect him---would people here say I was a psychotic that needed to be arrested for assault? Be honest.

You asked so i will be honest YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IMHO JMHO Bullying does not stop bullying it is wrong especially for and adult to do to a child....IMHO

 

[i.b.nora]

Every account I have heard or read says basically this:

"According to what the girlfriend has told Mr. Crump, Trayvon asked the man why he was following him, and the man responded by asking what Trayvon was doing there. She said she heard what sounded like the earpiece to Trayvon’s cellphone falling away before the line went dead. There was no answer when she tried calling back."

This particular quote is from the recent most excellent article in The New York Times:
Race, Tragedy and Outrage Collide After a Shot in Florida

 

[Bee Happy]

Well, I would HOPE it would hurt their pride and their feelings. If they were riding their bikes on the way to bully and belittle the chubby kid, and GZ sprayed them with water to slow them down,then that is fine with me. It is WATER, not fire or chemicals. It is certainly less harmful then their words and insults against that poor kid they were bullying.

BBM

How do you know?
Did GZ know their history? Did he know if the parents had already handled it?

I find it more helpful to pull these kids aside and mentor them.

You don't fight bullying with bullying!

And that's what happened.