Gay Junior High School Student Shot at School Declared Brain Dead- Page 2

[fabala4077]

Posted: 2/14/08 at 11:17pm

I heard about this, but my local newspaper conveniently neglected to mention that he was gay.

Why didn't they?

This sort of hate crime is ridiculous. Absolutely not acceptable. I feel horrible for everyone involved.

[mateo]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 10:59am

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/02/25/when-does-bullying-become-a-hate-crime/


Anderson Cooper addresses Lawrence King's death.

“When does bullying become a hate crime?”

“We are focusing on a story that hasn’t received the attention it deserves. The story is about a young man named Lawrence King. He was 15 years old. On the morning of Feb 12, a classmate of Lawrence’s allegedly walked into the computer lab in front of some two dozen other students and shot Lawrence in the head. He was declared brain dead later at the hospital. According to authorities, this was not a random killing, it was a hate crime. Lawrence had recently told people he was gay, and apparently wore clothing that was viewed as effeminate. According to many accounts he had been bullied repeatedly, and some parents have even claimed students knew of threats to Lawrence’s life. At this point it doesn’t seem clear how much school officials knew of the bullying, but a full investigation needs to be done. If this had been an African-American student bullied by a teenage skinhead would it have received more attention? Would school officials have taken it more seriously if it had been a Christian campus leader attacked by another student because of his/her religious beliefs? I don’t have the answers to those questions, but I do think they are worth asking. Bullying is a problem in schools across the country. We’ve seen this time and time again. Is enough being done to stop it?”



Clinton and Obama released statements on this tragedy:

Hillary Clinton: “I was deeply saddened by the recent death of 15-year-old Lawrence King who was killed at his school in Oxnard, CA. No one should face intimidation or violence, particularly at school, because of their sexual orientation or the way they express their gender identity.We must finally enact a federal hate crimes law to ensure that gay, lesbian and transgender Americans are protected against violent, bias-motivated crimes. We must send a unified message that hate-based crime will not be tolerated.”

Barack Obama: “It was heartbreaking to learn about Lawrence King’s death, and my thoughts and prayers go out to his family. King’s senseless death is a tragic example of the corrosive effect that bigotry and fear can have in our society. It’s also an urgent reminder that we need to do more in our schools to foster tolerance and an acceptance of diversity; that we must enact a federal hate crimes law that protects all LGBT Americans; and that we must recommit ourselves to becoming active and engaged parents, citizens and neighbors, so that bias and bigotry cannot take hold in the first place. We all have a responsibility to help this nation live up to its founding promise of equality for all.”






http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-oxnard23feb23,1,1086853.story

LA TIMES on Lawrence King's Memorial


At a memorial attended by more than 500 people in Port Hueneme, Lawrence "Larry" King was remembered Friday as a sensitive child who liked to draw, paint and crochet.

One Christmas, he helped his mother crochet hundreds of scarves so that U.S. troops in Afghanistan wouldn't be without a holiday gift, said the Rev. Dan Birchfield.

King also liked hunting down crayfish and had such a beautiful singing voice that he had been tapped to open his younger brother's Little League season with his rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner."

But most of all, he loved insects, Birchfield told those who came to pay tribute to King, 15, who was shot to death, allegedly by a classmate, Feb. 12 at E.O. Green Junior High in Oxnard. He wanted to become an entomologist and was learning the scientific names of the bugs he carefully carried out of the family home, Birchfield said.

One day, his mother found a big, ugly potato bug and asked King to remove it. He did so enthusiastically, adding a gentle reminder on the correct name of the insect, Birchfield told the packed sanctuary.

"He'd say: 'It's a Jerusalem cricket,' " Birchfield said.

It was a light moment in an otherwise somber hourlong reflection on King's life as a boy growing up in and around Oxnard. It was also a chance for his family, seated in a front row of Westminster Presbyterian Church, to offer a fuller portrait of the boy.

King came to the public's attention in the days after the classroom killing when it was revealed that suspect Brandon McInerney, 14, allegedly had targeted him after a falling out between the two about King's sexual orientation.

Officials have not yet revealed a motive in the shooting. But prosecutors have filed a murder charge against McInerney with the added allegation of a hate crime.

Students at E.O. Green said the two had been feuding in the days before the killing, reportedly because King revealed that he had a crush on McInerney.

King had been the subject of taunting at the school after he told friends that he was gay and began wearing feminine accessories with his school uniform, student witnesses said.

McInerney is being held in Juvenile Hall on $770,000 bail but will be tried as an adult, prosecutors said. He has not entered a plea.

At Friday's memorial, Birchfield made no reference to the events leading to King's killing, other than asking the crowd to pray for a world where there is no "verbal discrimination of any kind."

The victim's parents, Greg and Dawn King, didn't speak at the memorial and have declined to discuss their son's life in any detail. King in recent months had been in foster care at Casa Pacifica, a children's shelter in Camarillo. The family declined to comment on what led to his placement in the county's dependency court system.

The only other speaker besides Birchfield was Oxnard Mayor Tom Holden, who urged the Oxnard community to see King's death as an opportunity for change.

"Next time you see someone on campus or on the street who needs help, it can be you to step up," Holden said. "Be a friend."

King's parents told Birchfield that they wanted the memorial at his church because their son loved the way the stained-glass windows in the sanctuary looked illuminated at night. The family did not belong to the church.

King was also a gardener and planted a passion fruit vine in the family's backyard so that it would attract butterflies, Birchfield said. Butterflies were his favorite insect, he said.

On Feb. 13, the day King was removed from a ventilator, his mother said goodbye to him for the last time and walked out of St. John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, Birchfield recounted.

"She was greeted by a beautiful butterfly," he said.

The memorial service drew a diverse group of mourners who said the killing had touched them deeply. Several students wore buttons bearing his picture.

Michael Herrera, who runs a mentoring program for lesbian, gay and transgender youths in Los Angeles, said he came to represent the adolescents with whom he works.

His organization, called Lifeworks, held a candlelight vigil in honor of King on Wednesday, he said.

"He expressed himself in a way that is not the norm," Herrera said. "And he paid for it."

Paul Dalton, 12, is a student at King's school. He attended the memorial with two buddies, brothers Parkher, 14, and Ben Murphy, 12. "We wanted to show the family that we care," Dalton said.

[lildogs]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 11:10am

I was a very feminine little boy and it constantly amazes me that nobody tried to hurt me when I was in school--of course, the teachers had alot more control over the students back then.

It's heartbreaking to see the destruction that one little boy has caused...who's probably gay too.

If I prayed, I would be praying for Lawrence and his family right now.

[East Village]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 11:29am

"No one should face intimidation or violence, particularly at school, because of their sexual orientation or the way they express their gender identity."

Duh, unfortunately that IS the daily hell of a great many students -- and no one does a thing about it when its a gay kid.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 11:58am

When I lived in Georgia as a kid all the grades had to ride the bus together, so I was being called queer by seniors when I was in the second grade. Good times.

Neil Steinberg, my favorite Chicago Sun-Times columnist, had this to say about Lawrence King. His indictment of organized religion's part in the institutionalization of homobigotry really struck a chord with me.

Why hast thou forsaken him?

A reader inquires why no one in Chicago has yet written about Lawrence King, the Oxnard, Calif., boy who was murdered two weeks ago for the crime of being gay.
King, 15, had begun sometimes coming to class wearing makeup, a capital offense in the view of 14-year-old Brandon McInerney, who, according to police in the town north of Malibu, strode into their middle school computer lab Feb. 12 and shot King in the head in front of two dozen classmates.

"Where's the moral outrage?" asks reader Bob Zuley, who answers his own question: "This hateful behavior is learned by a society that condones homophobia expressed through families that practice bigotry, churches and schools that practice exclusion, and national leaders that fight to prevent equality and acceptance."

Sounds right to me. But is that the complete answer? One could once count on Chicago's active gay community to raise an outcry over such matters, but they have gone quiet in recent years. I'm mystified as to why -- perhaps the reduced lethality of the AIDS crisis has lowered the flame under gay social activism. Perhaps gays have grown comfortable and secure -- a tad prematurely, perhaps, given crimes such as the one against King. Perhaps their voices are lost in the swelling informational cacophony.

Religious groups are another matter. They're always going on how they love the sinner while loathing the sin. That said, and given how religion is responsible for much of the vacant faux moral blather that underlies hatred of gays, you'd think they'd step up after cases such as King's with the bold pronouncement that, vile as the sin of homosexuality is, you shouldn't murder gays, at least not while they are still children. We seem to expect the entire Muslim community to rise as one and publicly denounce every act committed in their faith's name anywhere in the world. Why shouldn't our home-grown faiths take responsibility for the fruit of their efforts?

Typically, condemnation for a crime falls upon the criminal. But when that criminal is a child, it is easier to see the hand of society at work. Lawrence King died for your sins.

Why hast thou forsaken him? Updated On: 2/26/08 at 11:58 AM

[lildogs]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 12:26pm

Wow--that's great.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 12:30pm

There are vigils happening all over the country.

Make sure Lawrence is not forgotten.



http://www.rememberinglawrence.org/

California

Candlelight Vigil for Lawrence King
Santa Cruz, California
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
6:30pm
Location: Downtown at the Clocktower

Talk With Your Kids About Guns dedicated to memory of Lawrence King
Aliso Viejo, California
Thursday, February 28, 2008
7 p.m. Admission is free
Location: Aliso Viejo Public Library
Co-Sponsored By: National Council of Jewish Women - Orange County, GLSEN Orange County, Women Against Gun Violence

Memorial to Honor Lawrence King
San Diego, California
Thursday, February 28, 2008
6:00-8:00
Location: LGBT Center at 4070 Centre St. (just North of University Ave.)
92013
Co-Sponsored By: GLSEN San Diego, PFLAG San Diego, San Diego LGBT Center, GSA Network, Transgender Law Center, Equality California Institute, and GroundSpark
Questions: [e-mail]

Remembering Larry King
San Marcos, California
Thursday, February 28, 2008
noon
Location: California State University San Marcos
Free Speech Area
Co-Sponsored By: LGBT and Ally Student Organization
Questions: http://www.csusm.edu/lgbta [e-mail]
Connecticut

Assembly for Lawrence King
Stamford , Connecticut
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
10:35
Location: King & Low-heywood Thomas School
Florida

Acceptance & Understanding Rally
Kissimmee, Florida
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
12:00PM
Location: Poinciana High School
This is a private event for the school only.
Co-Sponsored By: PHS GSA This is a private event for our school only.

Gay American Heroes Foundation
Miami Beach, Florida
Friday, February 29, 2008
7:30 - 10:00 pm
Location: Miami Beach Botanical Gardens (next to Lincoln Road)
2000 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach
Co-Sponsored By: Gay American Heroes Foundation; Freedom Democrats; National Gay and Lesbian Task Fore; Stonewall Library and Archives; Safe Schools South Florida
Questions: www.gayamericanheroes.com [e-mail] 321-506-8738
Iowa

Candlelight Vigil for Lawrence King
Ames, Iowa
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
7:30pm - 9:00pm
Location: Iowa State University
In front of Curtiss Hall
Co-Sponsored By: Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Ally Alliance
Questions: http://iastate.facebook.com/event.php?eid=10635691933 [e-mail] 319.621.5547
Michigan

Candlelight Vigil for Lawrence King
Greenville, Michigan
Friday, March 7, 2008
7pm
Location: in front of Greenville High School
Co-Sponsored By: GHS Gay-Straight Alliance and Culture-Diversity Club
Missouri

Candlelight Vigil and Walk
St. Louis, Missouri
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
6:45pm
Location: Mokabe's Coffee House
Grand and Arsenal
Co-Sponsored By: Garden Light United Church of Christ Mokabe's Coffee House
Questions: www.gardenlightucc.org [e-mail] 314-865-2956

Remeberace Day
St.Louis, Missouri
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
6:45pm
Location: 3606 Arsenal St.
Co-Sponsored By: Jay Edwards

remember king day
oakville, Missouri
Thursday, March 6, 2008
7am-2:05pm
Location: oakville high school
Co-Sponsored By: oakville high GSA
Questions: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=21327060540 [e-mail] 31475237
New Jersey

March the Green in Memory of Lawrence King
Morristown, New Jersey
Sunday, March 2, 2008
12 noon
Location: Begins at Church of the Redeemer
36 South Street, Morristown NJ
Co-Sponsored By: The Church of the Redeemer- Episcopal
Questions: www.redeemermorristown.org 973-539-0703
New York

Long Island Vigil for Lawrence King
Bay Shore, New York
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
7:30pm
Location: LIGALY Community Center
34 Park Ave, Bay Shore, NY 11706
Co-Sponsored By: Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth (LIGALY)
Questions: www.ligaly.org [e-mail] 631-665-2300

Queer Action Coalition Candle-Lit Vigil
New Paltz, New York
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
11-12am (SUB), 1-2pm(Humanities)
Location: SUNY New Paltz Campus
Student Union Building, Humanities Quad
Co-Sponsored By: Queer Action Coalition, Human Rights Club, the Student Association
Washington

Private Memorial Service
Shoreline/Seattle, Washington
Thursday, February 28, 2008
12:05pm - 12:35pm
Location: Shorecrest High School, D Court
15343 25th Ave NE
Co-Sponsored By: The Shorecrest Gay Straight Alliance
Questions: www.snipurl.com/thegsa [e-mail]
Wisconsin

Lawrence King Candlelight Vigil
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
7:00pm-8:00pm
Location: Outside the UWGB Student Union
Co-Sponsored By: Bay Port High School GSA Green Bay Action Network
Questions: [e-mail]

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 3:24pm

Private schools where I'm from have all grades together in the same building (from pre-school to 12th grade). I was bullied and called a few choice names regarding my sexuality from the time I was a kid (after my older brother graduated) to the time I left the school to come to the US, where I almost got beat up once for being gay by a guy whom years later I encountered at a gay club in Miami.
I think it is sad that those of us who "survived" as queer children have to feel lucky about it. It's sad that instead of living through this years, we have to survive them.
I must echo PalJoey's post: "How long, Lord?"

[lildogs]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 3:31pm

When I was in middle school, I came very close to killing my bully--he was walking to visit a friend when I happened to see him passing in front of my house--the gun was aimed and loaded--and of course, I chickened out. He tormented me EVERY day for years and although I'm glad I didn't shoot him, part of me will always wish I had.

I've tried to find him through the 'net, but I haven't had any luck. I'm sure he's a big ol' pickle-chugger now.

And I know violence isn't the answer to violence, but I can't help but think if a basher got his once in a while, he might think twice about picking on another 'mo--which would be double the amount of thinking for him.

[Mikers]

Posted: 2/26/08 at 10:32pm

It will stop when bullying people no longer keeps many employed, from the huge staff at TMZ.com, to Perez Hilton, to the many families supported by employees of E!, EXTRA, Star Magazine, People Magazine, US Weekly, National Enquirer and even CNN's Showbiz Tonight.

Every time you make a joke about someone's sexual orientation, every time you laugh at the insult comedians, every time you laugh at a gay joke, you feed the monster and you teach the younger ones that its OK to hate, because jokes always have a victim.

[lildogs]

Posted: 2/27/08 at 9:59am

Ah! Finally! Someone with all the answers.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/27/08 at 10:17am

A.J. Hammer is responsible for Lawrence's death?

[pab]

Posted: 2/28/08 at 9:43pm

"Ellen DeGeneres broke from comedy for a few minutes on the show she taped today and got deadly serious.

Ellen looked into camera and talked about the murder of Lawrence King, a 15-year-old student in Oxnard, Ca. King, who was gay, was allegedly shot to death by a fellow male student whom he asked to be his Valentine.

Ellen was on the verge of tears and as close to political as she gets. The show airs tomorrow, check local listings."

Ellen Torn Up Over Gay Murder

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/29/08 at 11:42am

Andy Towle has pictures and video of the vigil.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sP8Y7GvVRCg

===

Hundreds Attend South Florida Vigil for Slain Gay Teen

A vigil was held late yesterday afternoon on Sistrunk Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale at the site where 17-year-old Simmie Williams was gunned down, just one of two potential hate crimes that occurred in that area last week. The other, of course, was the beating of Melbourne Brunner outside the Floridian restaurant on Las Olas Boulevard.

Simmie2The Sun-Sentinel reports: "They gathered for about an hour on a grassy patch behind the chain link fence where Simmie Williams Jr. was found shot Feb. 22. A pile of teddy bears, flowers and purple votive candles lined the cracked sidewalk, while the state flag and a rainbow flag flapped above in the wind. Amid the group of community leaders, Williams' mom, Denise King, stood silently with a picture of her son in one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other. A tear ran down her right cheek as activists began to speak."


Hundreds Attend South Florida Vigil for Slain Gay Teen

[Calvin]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 11:02am

Here's a stomach-churning op-ed on the case, saying Lawrence King got what he deserved and that we should feel so, so sorry for the kid who shot him in the back of the head.

I was trying to find the more recent discussion thread on this, but I guess it was deleted.

If you've never seen Alpha Dog, here's a reason not to Updated On: 8/6/08 at 11:02 AM

[romantico]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 11:10am

I love how they are so selective on who should be redeemed.Anyone defending this kid can not be taken seriously. I say flood the papers with protest and make sure this jerk who wrote the OP never gets anything published in their paper again.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 11:10am

Wow.

I try not to get riled up about this stuff but that editorial is as shocking a thing as I've ever read- he actually blames the victim for the killer getting sentenced to life in prison.

"Instead of counseling the victim about his behavior, and Brandon, too, witnesses claim school officials appeared more intent on nurturing Larry as he explored his sexuality. They allowed him to come to school wearing feminine makeup and accessories and they downplayed the turmoil that his behavior was causing on campus. So, Brandon took the matter into his own hands in the only way he knew how. He got a relative's gun, took it to class with him, and shot and killed Larry."

Amazing.

They do (unwisely) include the editorial writers website so I;m sure he'll get a few thousand outraged emails....but that's not really enough.

[Calvin]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 11:15am

Or one can comment directly on his blog.

http://stolenboy.com/

Surprisingly, not a single comment yet.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 11:16am

I am sure he just deletes them as they post. If you look at the newspaper there is plenty of outrage there.

[Calvin]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 11:21am

Wow. This dude started a DEFENSE FUND for this twisted child.

http://stolenboy.com/2008/07/23/in-brandon-mcinerney%e2%80%99s-defense-a-defense-fund/

And people actually donated to it! See the comments below it. A sample:

I am going to send a donation to help Brandon McInerney and I am praying the courts will have mercy upon him. I cannot help, but to care for this young man. I am certain Brandon is wondering why he had to ever cross Larry’s path. The truth is Larry and Brandon both were troubled boys and Brandon was trying to get through, but Larry was searching for meaning, acceptance and sympathy. The teachers knew Larry was out of order and they allowed his behavior, so Larry disturbed the other students and they had no rights. Brandon had a right to attend school in peace and he was not. Larry tantalized the boys and he made Brandon uncomfortable, but no one stopped Larry. So, Larry is gone and to cover for the mistake the educators made, Brandon has to spend his life in prison. I am thinking the educators and parents should go to prison for Brandon McInerney. We have to listen to the children, and all students have rights, not just the gay child.

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 11:53am

So by this assholes assertion, unwanted sexual advances is now an excuse for murder? Makes no sense. Because he's gay? By this logic, women should be allowed to shoot every jerk that hits on them at a bar.

Idiot.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 11:56am

Mildred, I was typing an almost identical response when yours appeared.

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 12:05pm

I'm glad you agree Reginald.

I knew I should have read this because now I'm completely disheartened, well more than usual, with the tendency of society to blame the victim. So what if he put the moves on him? Why is that a defense? Taking the time to get a gun, taunt the victim, plan things out, is premeditated murder, no matter which way people try to spin it.

For me, it really comes down to certain people feeling Larry King's life was less valuable because he was gay. It's just an appalling thought process that shows we have a long way to go in terms of gay rights.

I remember a few years back, a young man stabbed an elderly homeless man to death. He was on trial, got convicted, and when he went for sentencing the victims mother, I kid you not, said "He was old anyways. Why should my son spend life in jail for a homeless man who way going to die in a few years anyways".

Murder is murder. I find bigoted assholes disgusting. If a gay man shot one, would I feel he was justified? No, of course not. Murder is murder no matter how people spin it. The editorial above, if you want to call it that, completely blames the victim for getting killed. Disgusting.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 12:07pm

Oh, no it's not just unwanted sexual advances. The killer just didn't like the kid acting gay and that was justification enough to kill him.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 8/6/08 at 12:09pm

Homophobia, like racism, hasn't gone away its just become reeeeeeeeally passive-aggressive.