Our
view
Blame
shared in murder
“Kids are going to be kids.” Said the father
of one of the boys involved in the fatal
beating of 36-year-old Charlie Young Jr.
A mob of boys, made up of eight teenagers
and a 10-year-old, beat Young to death last
Sunday night after the man punched one of
the teenagers in the mouth in response to
an egg being thrown at him.
According to The Associated Press, the police
said at least two adults witnessed the group
of boys arming themselves with broomsticks,
folding chairs, a milk crate and stroller
in preparation for the attack. One woman
even saw the children on the porch attacking
something. She said she thought it was an
animal.
Out of all of these witnesses and those
who have not come forward, not one called
the police.
Something is gravely wrong with society
when children become murderers, witnesses
remain silent and the children’s parents
dismiss their actions as merely something
that children will do.
An occurrence such as this must prompt us
to ask why and how such a thing could happen.
What could induce these young boys to murder
another human being? How could someone witness
their actions and still do nothing to stop
them? And how could the parents take such
little responsibility for the atrocious
crime that their children committed?
What ever happened to the sanctity of human
life? Judging by the comment previously
mentioned by one of the boys’ fathers, these
children were obviously not taught to respect
life by their parents. And judging by the
lack of action on the part of the witnesses,
they do not view the preservation of life
as too important either.
Even the victim, Young, is not blameless.
He punched a child in the face and although
he was probably enraged at the egg being
thrown at him and did not deserve to be
beaten to death because of his action, he
was still the adult in the situation and
he reacted in an irresponsible manner, with
violence. Violence begets violence.
Furthermore, the woman who thought that
the boys were attacking an animal holds
responsibility. The woman may have feared
for her own safety, which explains why she
did not approach the boys to stop them.
But even if she thought that the boys were
attacking an animal, she should have at
least called the police. She had the power
and was in the position to save a life,
be it human or animal, yet she did nothing.
The blame for this crime should most definitely
not be focused solely on the nine children
who performed the beating. Although the
children should be held responsible for
their actions, their parents, the witnesses
and even the victim share the responsibility
as well.
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