Eatonville middle schooler's 'kill list' shocks small community

I have know this kid since he was born. He has a gentle way, and an easy smile. GOOFY is the right word. He is autistic, and IS bullied. This isn't even the relavent point however. He never threatened anyone. He never showed the "list" to anyone. Another child walking by noticed him writting in his personal "journal"  There are several problems here: He never broke any law. His first admendment rights to free expression and privacy were violated. His 4th amendment rights were violated as no warrant was served to search his bag. He is a minor, and his parents were not notified, or part of the process. The city of Eatonviilee/and or Pierce county now arrests people BEFORE any crime is commited. Ever see minority report? It's called pre-crime. What happened to the the land I was born in, where you are innocent until proven guilty. Why weren't his parents part of this procedure to detain him and question him. Their rights were violated as well. This wonderful, goofy kid,  is going to be scarred for life for writing personal thoughts in a private space to deal with his social difficulties, and now is in jail-without his or his parents god given rights being taken into account. If we can now be arressted and detained without having committed a crime, and have no legal rights to due process-what country do we even live in? 

My friends and I made up lists like this as a joke when we were younger, it was kind of "a thing" in elementary school.

I wish they hadn't locked him up before all the details had been found out.  Now he has been exposed to some kids that have commited some other types of serious crimes. Also, he could have been acting out a movie he had seen, or the kids on the list may have done things to him to cause him to feel this way, under these circumstances the kids on the list need some therapy too. There could be lots of reasons why this kid did what he did and until the cause is found it can't be treated the right way, all that is happening now is that he is learning more bad stuff.

It's morbid, but middle school boys make up lists like this all the time.  Doesn't mean they act out on it.  Here's a thought:  keep guns away from young developing immature minds...

Adult - "Are you a bully?

Kid - "Uh, no."

Adult - "See, this isn't about bullying."

What kid is going to be a bully in front of a teacher or parent? Of course you've never seen them be a bully!!!!

Funny, I had a friend recently post on my FB about how we used to get bullied all the time in school. It sparked some really bad memories recently and got me thinking. I grew up a large awkward kid, who was pretty much poor, lived in a seriously ugly house and got free lunches throughout my school years. For me, I got bullied from grade school through high-school. I stayed in the same area so the bullies and myself went from school to school. There were times I got bullied so bad I switched schools to another district for a semester.. I remember taking it out  on other kids in school, being mean or trying to act tough to make myself feel better~but that wasn't in my heart. I also did stupid things in Jr. high and Sr. to try to fit in with "cool/popular" kids just to be accepted. The teachers and staff at the schools and on buses never took anything serious when it came to bullying. I remember riding the bus home for years and getting picked on so bad. My family thought I was just acting like a typical kid/teenager during those years.  My *personal opinion* is schools become so absorbed with the football stars, cheer leaders, gifted kids, track super stars, basket ball players (kids that stick out and make the school look good) they lose track of the other children and they fall through the cracks. Especially the ones that are highly sensitive because of all the relentless negativity. So, yeah, I can understand when a kid cracks...  When you have an idiot teacher like the who states,"I know all of those boys on that list," she said. "Not a single one of them is a bully. The few I've talked to say they have no idea why they'd be on a kill list.". She needs to open her eyes and take a harder look at those boys on that list. Maybe...just maybe...if she did a little more digging (including all the staff at the school) they/she would find out more about the situation. I am not sorry if this strikes a nerve with anybody reading this comment...Because I really do not care. Don't' let your kids/students be d*cks to other kids.

I have to strongly disagree with the teacher that said she knows all of the boys on the list and none of them are bullies.  Maybe she does know them, and maybe she's never seen them be bullies, but my son was bullied by someone who he had once concidered a friend.  This kids mom was a teacher in the same district and all the teachers thought he was an angel.  When I called his mom (we are friends) to let her know what was going on, she was in complete denial that her son could ever do anything like that and totally believed her son when he told her it was the other boys he was hanging out with and he was just getting blamed!  This kid did stop bullying my son, but quickly turned to another kid.  The school had a hard time believing that this boy was a bully because of the family he came from.  Kids will lie, and they don't usually bully in front of adults.  So for this teacher to say that none of the boys on the list are bullies is incorrect.  She should have said she's never seen any of them be bullies.  (if in fact the kid that made the list was being bullied by any/all of those kids on the list.)

Teachers and parents only see one side of a kid - kids can act very differently when there arent any adults around. But still like Columbine too I think brass knuckles in self defense would be a better way to deal with bullies.

I hope they can figure out what would drive this kid to do this. I hope that the family (not just the kid but the parents) get mandatory counseling. Hopefully, the kid can get the help he needs and the parents will get the tools and help they need to raise him properly and teach him how to express himself and deal with his frustrations so it doesn't reach this level.

Not shocking. Seems to be the thing to do with our kids these days.

Before they do anything with this kid, they need to make him explain this list. Without this info, this list could mean anything.

OK again getting one side of the story, if this is correct then the child needs to be questioned and dealt with. thats why we have professional, help the kid don't hurt him.  I mean i made list when i was in middle school. Sure it was a list a females that i want to get some from but hey it all the same.   :)

the disturbing thing is that they locked this kid up in jail on the basis of a list "found" by another kid. A good way to create a situation if one doesn't already exist.

I don't know if this was actually a case of bully's or not. But we didn't kill them when I was a kid. We went out to the playground (or parking lot later on) and threw some punches over it, may the best man win. No lists of people to kill, no knives, no guns, just our fists and the knowledge that we weren't going to do any time for it. Detention, or suspension, but not like today. 

 

Today we're weakening our children and doing them a major disservice. I ALWAYS tell my kids to stand up for themselves and those that can not defend themselves. No need to do so violently, but standing up and saying something is powerful. Instead, we've got our schools teaching our kids that it's not ok to not like someone or not to want to play with them. The real world isn't like this AT ALL. People are mean and vicious sometimes as adults, too. And there's no one to go to when someone says something mean to you. 

 

Kids have never needed a bunch of babying. Give them love, direction, encouragement, SHOW them the right way to live by your own actions, and they'll do fine. Give them the discipline they need when they need it. The rest is up to the kids. They can take the tools we give them and solve their own problems. 

 

My kids at their early age (5 and 9) know that in order to get money it takes work. For them this means on top of cleaning up after themselves (Clearing their own dishes, cleaning their room, making their beds) they can do extra work for their allowance. They don't have to work, but they understand that not working means no allowance. 

 

As parents my wife and I stay very involved with their education, and we have them do other things outside of school, gymnastics and soccer for the moment. 

 

Parenting is work. But it's worth doing and if you don't pamper your kids to death, they'll do fine. My daughter always has a witty comment for those making fun of her. It WORKS! Shuts them right up and they don't bug her for the day. LOL Takes after her mom.

I make "lists" of people names too , doesn't mean I am going to go and and  do them any harm ..The kid  should explain the "list" and get help if he needs it . I wonder did it say "kill list" or was it just a list of names ...

when I was in 6th grade I made a list of people I wanted to kill. It included people like Barbara Stresiand, Tom Cruise, and my art teacher who I did not like. This wasn't a serious list, it was really a list of people I did not like. My art teacher happened to find it and reported it to the principal. I then had to have a meeting with my parents, the principal and my art teacher. I proceeded to tell them it was a list of people I didn't like and I had no intentions to kill Tom Cruise and my art teacher. It was definitely a mistake to name it a "kill list" but I was in 6th grade and I never actually considered killing anybody. That being said it really scares me to know that 15 years later that is a crime and I could've been arrested. I don't know this student or how he acts at school so that mightve been a contributing factor to his arrest. I just think this is getting out of hand with how we are dealing with our children. We need to teach / let our children dealwith their negative emotions in a healthy way.

Unfortunately we are living in a violent society.  You don't believe me?  Take a look at all the cop TV shows that have at least one murder each every night.  And then there are all the video games that glorify killing.  And all the movies filled with violence.  Because kids brains aren't fully developed they begin to think violence and solving problems with violence are normal.  It becomes one of their values until they have a significant emotional event that changes that value.

Well give the "Liberal anti-gun" media a chance to spin it out of control.  Then it will be newsworthy

Panic first, think later. Our new mantra. 

This is where violent crime starts.  It's not with a gun, it's with children.  Raise them right, give them attention and get involved with their lives and we'll all live a little safer.  

 

 

I've seen, in both high school and college settings, where teachers and instructors have their favorites as well as their "problem child/ren".  I have known a few educators who were completely unaware of their own biases and how those biases influence the way they treat certain children/students.  I do not want to instantly discredit this teacher, but I am a bit cautious about the claim than none of the classmates listed were bullies.  I have actually watched teachers and educators proactively  involved with cruel peer ridicule, and not recognized the damage inflicted having actively participated, or passively allowed it to continue.  Making a list is enough of a big deal to establish some form of intervention and dialogue regarding communication of anger, because it seems that we are seeing trends where the leap from ideation to action has been significantly shortened. 

Exactly WHEN did our youth become such sensitive pansies? I never seem to run into these particular sensitive ones when I'm out and about. I meet PLENTY of the ones out there with their faces all pierced up, and tattoo's on their necks that are MORE than willing to tell you to eff off or give you the finger. I was bullied in school plenty of times. Not ONCE did I make a "hit list." W.T.F. happened to our children? Between LACK of parenting, and PLENTY of medication..........I think I know.

JENNIFER, DO YOU LIKE ME 1. YES 2. NO (CIRCLE ONE) THANKS, ROB! GUILTY! SEXUAL HARASSMENT!! 

I had a list of girls that I slept with or had, um, fun with, in high school.  Should I have gone to jail for that?

 

And my child would never bully others.  No, .....  never.....  yea right.

Its a little early for a teacher to be so sure there was no bullying. The student who made the list needs both help and to be accountable but if there was indeed bullying then anyone involved in it should not be getting a free pass in all this.